Getting past Mamie, Eva, and especially Dorothy Mae wasn’t going to be easy. But then, nothing in her life had ever been.
chapter 12
“Y ou sure you don’t want a beer?”
Terrance cut his eyes at his best friend, Monty Pierce, who was standing over him with two Bud Lights in his hand. “You know better than that.”
Monty shrugged before setting one beer on the coffee table, plopping down in his oversize recliner, and popping the top on the other beer. “I keep telling you those people are going to drive you to drink over at that church and it’s only a matter of time.”
Terrance chuckled. “You may be right about that. But still, alcohol ain’t the answer. You don’t need to be drinking yourself.”
Monty took a long swig of his beer. “God called you to preach, not me.” He belched. “Well, actually, He did call me, but then He called back and told me He had the wrong number.”
“Boy, you’re crazy.” Terrance laughed. But his demeanor quickly changed as he let out a long sigh and leaned back on Monty’s sofa.
“Dang, man. What’s up?” Monty said, eyeing him. “Why are you over here looking all gloomy today? How’d your date with the freak go?”
“Don’t call her that.” Over the years, Terrance had felt himself growing in a different direction from Monty, and it was things like this—Monty’s blatant disrespect for women—that was causing the rift.
“Sorry, Rev, but you know I call ’em like I see ’em.”
“Well, I’m getting enough of that from my aunts.”
Monty let out another obnoxious belch. “Talk to me, bruh. You always the strong one for everybody else, but even the strong men need someone to vent to from time to time.”
“I don’t know what to do about Savannah.” Terrance sighed, finally deciding Monty was the closest thing to a confidant he was going to get. “I like her, but my aunts are right. There’s no way she could ever be a first lady.”
“You’re right about that. You think those folks are driving you crazy now. Try telling them Savannah is your new woman. I’d have to come to church more often just to get a front-row seat on all the drama.” Monty laughed. “Tell me again how you hooked up with her in the first place?” Monty had met Savannah at church a couple of times on the rare occasions that he went. Then they’d all gone out to eat one day last week, but that was the extent of their interaction.
“I guess you can just say she got to me,” Terrance replied. “She used to always hang out around the church. I spoke, but never said much else to her, despite her blatant flirting. I don’t know, I just never paid her much attention, even when she indirectly asked me out. At first, I kept making excuses. Then I saw her with this young girl she’s mentoring, and it was just great watching her in action. And then, I saw everybody just giving her a hard time.”
“So, you went out with her because you felt sorry for her?” Monty said, an incredulous look across his face.
Terrance shook his head. “No, I finally decided to go out with her thinking we’d go out once and that would be it. Well, one date turned to two, and before I knew it, we were spending more and more time together.”
“I think you were just tired of your dry spell and Savannah is fine, with a capital F .”
“Naw, that’s not it. I mean, I am getting tired of being single. I want to settle down, have some kids, but it’s not that easy. I have to find someone I want to be with, and someone that’ll make everybody else happy. After hanging out with Savannah, I thought maybe she could be that person, but she can be a little wild, so I just don’t know.”
“Here’s a thought. How ’bout you only worry about making yourself happy?”
Terrance flashed a smile as Monty shook his head. Of course he wouldn’t understand. Monty was definitely an it’s-all-about-me man. His good looks afforded him his pick of women. And he usually picked top-notch women.
chapter 12
“Y ou sure you don’t want a beer?”
Terrance cut his eyes at his best friend, Monty Pierce, who was standing over him with two Bud Lights in his hand. “You know better than that.”
Monty shrugged before setting one beer on the coffee table, plopping down in his oversize recliner, and popping the top on the other beer. “I keep telling you those people are going to drive you to drink over at that church and it’s only a matter of time.”
Terrance chuckled. “You may be right about that. But still, alcohol ain’t the answer. You don’t need to be drinking yourself.”
Monty took a long swig of his beer. “God called you to preach, not me.” He belched. “Well, actually, He did call me, but then He called back and told me He had the wrong number.”
“Boy, you’re crazy.” Terrance laughed. But his demeanor quickly changed as he let out a long sigh and leaned back on Monty’s sofa.
“Dang, man. What’s up?” Monty said, eyeing him. “Why are you over here looking all gloomy today? How’d your date with the freak go?”
“Don’t call her that.” Over the years, Terrance had felt himself growing in a different direction from Monty, and it was things like this—Monty’s blatant disrespect for women—that was causing the rift.
“Sorry, Rev, but you know I call ’em like I see ’em.”
“Well, I’m getting enough of that from my aunts.”
Monty let out another obnoxious belch. “Talk to me, bruh. You always the strong one for everybody else, but even the strong men need someone to vent to from time to time.”
“I don’t know what to do about Savannah.” Terrance sighed, finally deciding Monty was the closest thing to a confidant he was going to get. “I like her, but my aunts are right. There’s no way she could ever be a first lady.”
“You’re right about that. You think those folks are driving you crazy now. Try telling them Savannah is your new woman. I’d have to come to church more often just to get a front-row seat on all the drama.” Monty laughed. “Tell me again how you hooked up with her in the first place?” Monty had met Savannah at church a couple of times on the rare occasions that he went. Then they’d all gone out to eat one day last week, but that was the extent of their interaction.
“I guess you can just say she got to me,” Terrance replied. “She used to always hang out around the church. I spoke, but never said much else to her, despite her blatant flirting. I don’t know, I just never paid her much attention, even when she indirectly asked me out. At first, I kept making excuses. Then I saw her with this young girl she’s mentoring, and it was just great watching her in action. And then, I saw everybody just giving her a hard time.”
“So, you went out with her because you felt sorry for her?” Monty said, an incredulous look across his face.
Terrance shook his head. “No, I finally decided to go out with her thinking we’d go out once and that would be it. Well, one date turned to two, and before I knew it, we were spending more and more time together.”
“I think you were just tired of your dry spell and Savannah is fine, with a capital F .”
“Naw, that’s not it. I mean, I am getting tired of being single. I want to settle down, have some kids, but it’s not that easy. I have to find someone I want to be with, and someone that’ll make everybody else happy. After hanging out with Savannah, I thought maybe she could be that person, but she can be a little wild, so I just don’t know.”
“Here’s a thought. How ’bout you only worry about making yourself happy?”
Terrance flashed a smile as Monty shook his head. Of course he wouldn’t understand. Monty was definitely an it’s-all-about-me man. His good looks afforded him his pick of women. And he usually picked top-notch women.
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