White Freshman, Black Coeds Ch. 26

"Nuh-uh! Show him, Nia!" Kayla insisted. I looked at Nia with a look of curiosity. Miss Lydia was laughing, likely because she knew what Nia had tried to hide.

"Alright! Jeez!" Nia opened the book back up, but quickly covered up the right half of a picture. "This is me going to Junior Prom. Everybody happy now??" She snapped the album closed again.

"Show him the rest of it, sis!" Nia gave her a glare; probably a glare only a sibling could give another. And probably an especially dire sister-glare. I envied Nia for having a sibling she could do that with, even though it rankled her.

"Okay, okay!" Fumbling the album open again, Nia said, "Mark, this was my date to Junior Prom." It was a white boy. Probably same age as her, 16, and kinda skinny like me. Not bad-looking, I had to admit. "I'd known him since grade school, and we never like, dated, but he asked me, so I said yes." Miss Lydia was making that aww face that moms make, Kayla was giggling, and Nia was beet-red.

And me? I really didn't know how I felt about it. Had it been a black boy I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But I don't know: maybe I'd felt somehow special being Nia's first other-race boyfriend? Like I felt special that she was my first. But I didn't dwell on it, because in the end it didn't matter.

"I see you have a type!" I said, and the 3 women burst out laughing, and little brother did too, but he didn't seem to get it so much.

"NO! Because...." She had to turn two pages, but then showed me another picture. "Me going to Senior Prom, and my date was black, thankyouverymuch!"

More giggling and teasing from everyone, and I pulled Nia to me and kissed her forehead. "It honestly doesn't matter to me, you know that."

"I know. And it honestly doesn't matter to me either." She kissed me on the cheek, which embarrassed me because it was close to my lips.

"Nia, I'm glad to see you so happy with Mark. You never did date those boys again, did you? And you never really had a boyfriend in high school. But I knew in my heart you'd find someone deserving of you, and it seems you have." Nia side-hugged me extra tight and beamed up at me. I looked down at her with the pure love I was feeling inside, amplified by her mom's acceptance of me.

"You two kids go upstairs please, and let us adults talk for a few minutes?" Brother and sister did without question; something in mom's tone had even me on alert.

"Mark, I've only known you for an hour, but that plus all the things Nia has told me about you is enough to know that I like you very much. And...." A look of how to say this crossed her face during the pause. "And I have no reservations about you two becoming...serious."

"Oh, mama!" Nia got up and swarmed her mom with a big hug and kisses. "That means so much coming from you." They shared a sobbing little mother/daughter moment while I looked away to give them space. But I was relieved.

Miss Lydia dabbed at her eyes. "But Mark, Nia's father, Nathan, has...reservations. That's all I should really say, you'll have to get to know him yourself. And he you." She fidgeted nervously before continuing. "As I'm sure you probably know, people of different races often have pre-conceived notions about other races. And when it comes to dating or...marrying outside their race, some people, black and white, somehow see something...improper about that."

Nia took my hand and we looked at each other with trepidation. We knew what her mom was saying, of course, because we'd talked about it a lot between ourselves. And her mom had already accepted me—accepted us—but she was trying to explain why Nia's dad wouldn't accept it so readily.

"But just be yourself and he'll warm up to you. Don't 'overdo' it, but don't be afraid to talk to him, either. He's a...proud man, a good father, and he loves his children to death." Here she paused to ruffle Nia's hair. "Especially this one, his first."

"Ma'am, does he happen to have—" I looked devilishly at Nia, "—a flamethrower?"

Miss Lydia looked puzzled and said, "No, why?" But Nia's guffaw drowned her out.

"Mama, Mark's been asking me for days if Daddy has every kind of crazy weapon he can think of! But I told him to stop worrying and just be himself." Then turning to speak directly to me, she said, "Daddy will see what a good man he is. What a good partner for me he is." And then she kissed me. On the lips. In front of her mother. But it was a reassuring kiss that reminded me I was good enough for her.

Then I was kind of shooed upstairs, probably to give Nia and her mom time to talk. It was almost 4 o'clock, and her dad got off at 5. Joshua was way better at Halo II than I was (I've said before that first-person shooters aren't my thing), but we soon figured out I could drive the armored vehicle pretty good, so he used the .50 cal to slaughter bad guys while I drove us around. Time passes fast when you're in a game like that.

Ding dong.

My heart fell into my stomach. But then I realized Mr. Carter wouldn't be ringing his own doorbell. I heard a new female voice and maybe some kids, followed by Nia's, "Mark, can you come down here, please?"

"Sorry, buddy, gotta go. You'll understand when you're old enough to have a girlfriend." He took it good-naturedly and hopped into the driver's seat. As I descended the stairs I saw what was probably Nia's aunt, Lydia's sister, a little older than Lydia it looked like. And a lovely female standing next to her, maybe 19 or 20, long straight hair, and curves in all the right places; Nia's cousin. And a boy maybe 14.

"Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Mark." Nia hugged up on my side. "Mark, this is my Aunt Linda, her daughter Erika, and her son Devon. My cousins, of course." Hands were shaken and pleasantries exchanged, and all the while Miss Linda seemed to be looking at Nia and me, but especially Nia, appreciatively.

And cousin Erika seemed to be looking at me some kind of way, which I'd just started to fantasize about when I vaguely heard, "Mark, Linda has a spare bedroom, so that's where you'll be sleeping this weekend." That was Nia's mom, whom I quickly turned to and gave my full attention, because at the mention of the sleeping arrangements Erika bit her plump lower lip and looked at me curiously.

I thought. Maybe. Or maybe it was just my hormones again. But she was quite attractive: nearly as tall as me, light-skinned like most of the family, and she had what Nia had once said were "child-birthin' hips." Plus a full chest and narrow waist. And those lips...

Something was said about prepping tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner, and if anyone wanted to help they could. Devon bolted upstairs when he heard that Joshua was playing Halo II. But Nia followed the women, as did Erika, and I liked to cook, so I went too. Strictly to help, mind you. (And not to be close to Erika and get to know her better.)

Nia: "Erika, how's your second year at KVCC going?" KVCC was Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Erika was going there for her first two years before transferring to a bigger school.

"It's good, I'm getting mostly A's, so I should qualify for a UM scholarship next year."

"Oh you should come to Wayne State!! You could join the sorority and be one of my Big Sisters."

"Mmmm, maybe. Are there any cute boys there?" Nia giggled. "Or did you get the last one?" She looked at me and I turned beet red.

"Miss Lydia, is there anything outside I could help with?" The ladies all laughed, and Lydia gave me a bag of sweet potatoes to scrub the dirt off of. That was going to be candied sweet potatoes tomorrow, one of my faves.

"You keep not believing me, baby, but how often have I told you you're handsome?" I blushed more and kept my back to them, scrubbing potatoes in the sink. "Oh! Show them the thing!"

"Nia...! Your mom needs these sweet potatoes cleaned..." And I kept scrubbing.

"That can wait." Then she turned me toward her and batted her eyelashes at me. "Please?" The moms chuckled at that and the effect it had on me.

What could I do? I was in love with her, and I was kind of proud of my physique and skills. So without further ado I turned to face them and touched my toes. (Like I'd done before in the dance studio for Sheila, when Nia had pleased? me to.) Only I felt a little stiff from the car ride still, so I held it for a couple seconds. Then I rose up with the by-now-standard, "Ta-da!"

And of course the ladies weren't that impressed, so Nia told me to show them the rest of it. So I went down with my palms flat on the floor. And then grabbed behind my calves and touched my forehead to my shins. That got some wows, and when I stood up Linda asked, "Mark, are you a dancer too, like Nia?"

"No, ma'am. Martial arts." And if Erika hadn't been looking at me some kind of way before, I was sure now that she was. And then questions were asked about how long and how good I was and was I a black belt, but I told them I was really just a beginner, having only really started when I got to Wayne State (though one of the guys at the Boys Home had trained in the past, and he taught us some things). Then I went back to scrubbing potatoes, Nia beside me tearing up day-old bread for stuffing. She looked proud of me, and I was happy.

And then her dad came home. He walked into the kitchen, not looking nearly as fearsome as I'd imagined. About my height, 5' 11", maybe 180, short-cropped hair, no beard or mustache. And very light-skinned. To the point of almost being white, but with distinguishing African American features. Do you know the actor Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow)? He looked a lot like him, only lighter yet, and with the same greenish eyes.

He was wearing dark blue work pants and a dark blue collared shirt, with his name, 'Nathan,' embroidered over the pocket. Lydia went over and kissed him and they exchanged some quiet words. Then, looking apprehensive, Nia took my left hand in both of hers. "Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Mark." And here we were at the moment I'd been dreading. Now, I'd like to tell you that he gave me a bear hug and said, Welcome to the family, son! But of course it didn't go down like that.

"Hello, young man." We shook the normal way, though I was prepared to do the other. And he looked at me with one of those pretend smiles where you're just trying to be polite, but don't feel the emotion behind the smile. And you're not trying too much to hide it.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." And then before I could say anything else, which would've probably sounded stupid, Nia threw herself at her dad for a big hug.

"I've missed you so much, Daddy!" Mwah,mmwah, mmmwAH! went the kisses on his cheeks.

"Ohhh I've missed you too, pumpkin!" As he squeezed her tight I could see the love for her in his face, even though his eyes were closed. Holding her at arm's length by her shoulders he sort of hefted her hair on both sides and asked, "Did you get electrocuted?" Accompanied by a pointed look over her shoulder at me like, Uh huh, I bet he's responsible for this.

"No, Daddy! I changed it when I got to WSU in August. All the girls were wearing their hair out and... Do you like it?" She'd gone bashful and quiet.

"I do, baby. It's just gonna take me a minute to get used to it." And then he hugged her again and they whispered things to each other. It made me long for that: having a parent I could come home from school to. Nathan said he was going upstairs to get cleaned up, and Lydia said they'd hold dinner for him.

"See, baby? You're still alive, no Bowie knife or ray gun or anything!" Lydia and Linda laughed. "He's just going to have to get to know you." Lydia mmhmm'd her agreement.

"He's a good man, Mark. A hard-working, caring man who's protective of his family. But he'll get used to you. Linda, did you know that Mark aced the Math part of the SAT?" And then she and Nia fell to gushing about me, Nia saying how much I read, how kind I was to people, how I fit in with black people, how good I was at oral sex...

Okay, she didn't say that last part, but the way she was laying it on I was afraid she'd ramble into that. Linda and Erika were making appreciative noises and saying how I'd found a good one, etc. And if anything, Erika looked even more interested in me than before. And given that I'd be sleeping at her house that night, don't think that I hadn't fantasized about that. Not that I'd do anything with her without Nia, but a guy can daydream, right?

Nathan soon came back down and dinner was served on the dining room table that seated 6. So that was Nia and I, her mom and dad, Linda, and Erika. The two boys and Nia's sister ate in the living room. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and those brown-and-serve rolls slathered with butter. It reminded me of Miss Coretta's cooking.

"Daddy, Mark's going to be a Mechanical Engineer. What is it you do down at the Checker factory again?"

"Die maker." He took another bite of the chicken breast he'd been working on.

"Oh honey, you're the head die maker, aren't you? That's something you might be interested in, Mark. You work on cars, don't you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Just a little though. Probably nothing near what Mr. Carter can do..."

He didn't say anything, so his wife tried to keep the conversation going. "Who are you guys stamping body panels for now, dear?"

"GM, Chrysler." Back to gnawing chicken. A man of few words.

"Daddy, you remember how I got a perfect score on the Verbal part of the SAT?" He looked at her proudly and nodded. "Well Mark aced the Math, and was just two points away from acing the Verbal."

"Mmhmm." I glanced his way to see if he was looking at me, but he was looking down at his plate, scooping up mashed potatoes. This 'winning over daddy' phase wasn't going well.

And then the sisters talked about school stuff. I took it that Miss Linda was a teacher at a Middle School, and also coached the girls' volleyball team. I wondered if Erika played; maybe that's where she got that booty from? Nia asked how I liked the chicken and I was probably too effusive in my praise of it and everything else, but it made Miss Lydia proud.

"Nia, you never were one to hang around in the kitchen with me. How are you going to feed a husband when you eventually marry?" Eventually marry, did you pick up on that too?

"Mark cooks, mama, so we'll be alright. Miss Coretta at the Boys' Home taught him. Well I mean, he learned from her, because he's like that, wants to know how to do everything." See how Nia brought it back to us?

"Handsome, smart, and can cook?? Giiirl, you better hold onto that one!" That was Linda, and all the women laughed. Nathan was still studying his plate, while I wondered why he didn't like me. Or didn't like the idea of me, more likely: it probably wasn't personal. How could it have been? He didn't even know me yet.

"Daddy, do you still play pool? Mark plays."

No eye contact, but at least he said, "Oh yeah? You any good?" Then went back to his chicken breast.

"Just average, sir. But I love the game and practice whenever I can. My friend Trey and I play a lot." I threw Trey in because that's obviously a black name, to let him know I had a black friend. And do you think he told me I didn't need to call him sir? Nope.

But he asked Lydia, "Babe, do you know what Charlie's doin' tonight? I thought him and Lenora might be over." Lenora was Nia's youngest aunt, had 4 kids.

"They would've, but one of the kids had a play tonight. I don't think it should go too late though."

"Hmm. I'll call him later, maybe we can go shoot a few racks." Not said at me or anyone in particular, but I saw the sisters exchange a look that said Nathan might be opening up to me a little bit.

Dinner was finished and dessert was served (homemade apple pie), while mostly Nia and her cousin and their two moms talked about college, and hair, and did Erika have a boyfriend (not really, she said), and future plans, and I miss those days.

The women got up to clear the table, and I got up to help (amidst their protestations, of course). Nathan asked Nia to stay, so the rest of us went into the kitchen and I just naturally started a sink full of hot water to do the dishes (I didn't see a dishwasher).

"Mark, you don't have to do that. The kids have chores."

"It's okay, Miss Lydia. You cooked dinner; least I can do is wash up."

Linda spoke to Erika, "That's the kind of man you want to find, right there. No such thing as women's work or men's work, it's all just work that needs to be done." I felt proud, but that's not why I'd done it; it was just the right thing to do. I could vaguely hear Nia and her dad talking off in the dining room, but couldn't catch any words. I could only hope this wasn't the "I forbid you to see that boy anymore" speech.

Lydia came up beside me after I'd put a few plates in the strainer and started drying. "He's going to like you, Mark, just give him time. I've only just met you but I'm already excited for you and Nia. I can see how good you are together." I got that tingly feeling in the bridge of my nose and didn't look over at her lest my watery eyes give me away. But I think she knew.

"Mothers have an intuition about these things, but fathers just need a little more time, that's all. Nia doesn't make rash decisions, and when her dad gets to know you better he'll know what a good choice you are for her." And then I had to sniffle and wipe my eyes on my long sleeve. Lydia gave me a reassuring side-hug without saying anything more.

Then Lydia and Linda shooed us from the kitchen while they continued to prep tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner, so Erika and I found Nia and her dad in the living room watching a football game. "You follow football, Mark?"

"No sir, not really." I saw or imagined disappointment on his face, then added, "I like the Lions though." Which probably sounded lame. He didn't offer to say anything else, and I couldn't think of anything.

Nia came to my rescue with, "Daddy, last year in high school Mark won the district-wide Egg Drop Contest at UM Ann Arbor..." which was a deal where you had to build a thing of a certain maximum size that held an egg and would survive a drop from so-many stories of the Engineering building onto concrete.

"That's neat." But he didn't look at me.

Then the girls started talking to each other about girl-cousin stuff while I decided to mostly be quiet. Presently a phone rang and Nathan picked up the cordless phone from the little table by his recliner.

"Hey Charlie! Yeah, Nia and her boyfriend are in town, and I thought we'd go shoot some pool." "Whassat? No, just him, that's no place for a girl." "Okay, we'll pick you up in about 15 minutes. Bye now." He'd said the word boyfriend, so that was hopeful, and Nia had given me a hopeful look.

"You ready to go, kid?" And that just deflated all the fuzzy feelings. He hadn't said it meanly or anything, just the impersonal 'kid' instead of my name.

"Yes, sir. Just let me bring Nia's bags in before we go." She jumped up and said she'd help.

Outside: "Just be yourself, baby. And keep the conversation neutral if you can, like Rita said." I wanted to kiss and especially hug her, but I dared not in case her dad was watching us through a window. I think she sensed that too and held herself back. "I love you, Mark. Just remember that, because that's all that matters." We shared a soulful look, and I tried to imagine that she really meant it, that she'd be able to stand up to her dad if it came to that.