It was Thanksgiving Day and I looked across the dinner table and smiled at my very pregnant girlfriend Stephanie, who was helping her grandmother, Big Momma, with dinner. Stephanie and I met a little over three years ago at a club in Richmond called The Satellite. The Satellite was without question Richmond’s hottest black singles bar and club. It was situated right between cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, the only place a brother could get a job making over twelve dollars an hour, and the Southside Projects, home of some of the finest single black women in Richmond. The Satellite had the reputation of being the perfect place to find a one-night stand, and that’s exactly what I was looking for the night of my twenty-eighth birthday.
Stephanie was hanging with a couple of so-so-looking sisters, smoking weed, when I pulled into The Satellite’s parking lot. I’d just bought myself a brand-new burgundy Expedition for my birthday, and my army buddy Matt had offered to buy me a few drinks to celebrate. Matt and I were both stationed about twenty minutes south of Richmond at Fort Lee army base in Hopewell. He was married and not really interested in hooking up with anyone but was happy to take the ride and get away from his wife for a few hours. I was hoping to get lucky. I’d just gotten out of a long-distance relationship with this sister in Germany about six months ago and it had been a long, long time since I’d gotten any. So you can imagine how eager I was to hook up for the night.
When Matt and I hopped out of the truck, the so-so sisters were all smiles.
“This your car?” one of them asked.
“Yeah, why?” I smiled.
“’Cause I wanna ride.” She said it like it was an order.
“So, what am I gonna get if I give you a ride? Today’s my birthday.” I was testing the waters. I could tell she wasn’t the brightest woman in the world by the way she smiled at that stupid-ass line I’d thrown at her. But at the time I didn’t give a shit about her IQ. Only thing I cared about was how fast I could get her to a hotel and between the sheets.
“What you want, birthday boy?” She opened up her coat, showing me her skintight spandex outfit. I surveyed the sister real quick. She was about five-eight, with an almond color. A little thin for my taste, but doable. I figured she was about twenty-two. Her friend, who turned out to be her blood sister, was the same complexion, a little thicker, with a much nicer body. I figured she was probably the older of the two.
“You wanna ride, too?” I turned my attention to her sister.
She nodded, trying to avoid eye contact with her sister, who had placed her hand on her hip and was sucking her teeth. That’s when Stephanie got out of their car. She was five foot five with heels on. Her chocolate skin was so pretty she didn’t need a drop of makeup, and wasn’t wearing any other than lip gloss. Her chest was small, but her hips made up for it tenfold. I hadn’t even seen her from the rear, but I knew she had one of the nicest asses I’d ever seen. There was no doubt in my mind she had it going on, and if I was going to take somebody for a ride it was definitely going to be her. She was fine in every sense of the word, with just enough attittude to keep a brother on his toes.
“Come on, y’all. He ain’t takin’ your sorry asses for no ride.” Stephanie stepped out of the car and took two steps toward the club.
“Only ’cause you’d be the one in my car, sweetheart.” I smiled until I realized how corny the line was.
She stepped between her friends and looked up and down my six-foot-three-inch frame. “I doubt it, baby. I don’t even know you. And don’t think you could handle me if I did.” She swung her head toward her friends, gesturing for them to follow her to the club.
“Hey, why don’t you let me buy you a drink so we can get to know each other and find out?” She turned back to me with this confused look. She was probably trying to figure out where the hell I was coming up with these corny-ass lines. I was so embarrassed I wanted to smack myself.
“You buying them a drink, too?” She looked at her friends, who were now battling for Matt’s attention.
“Only if you want me to,” I said sincerely.
“Fuck ‘em. Let ’em buy their own drinks.” She smiled at me. I have to admit I was in shock. I couldn’t believe that stupid-ass line worked. Those were some of the corniest lines I’d ever used and she actually went for it. I put my arm around her and guided her toward the club. This might actually be a happy birthday after all.
Two hours and damn near a sixty-dollar bar tab later, Stephanie was sitting next to me with her arms around my neck. She was drunk. I was even drunker. Her two friends had found some other playmates for the night and Matt had left. He took his marriage vows pretty seriously, so when the so-so sisters offered to do a two-on-one he decided to grab a cab back to base before he did something stupid. I didn’t go with him, but I wasn’t expecting to get laid anymore, either. I was just hoping to get Stephanie’s phone number and possibly take her out to dinner later in the week. She wasn’t as ghetto as I first thought, though she was rough around the edges. From what I could tell from our conversation, she was the kind of woman I wanted to get to know long-term. She was a woman with real dreams, and unlike some of the sisters I’d met, she actually had a plan to achieve them. I liked that.
“What’s up with that ride?” she asked.
“baby, I like you, but I’m not in any shape to drive. That’s a brand-new truck out there, and I don’t plan on crashing it.” Matt was the designated driver, and before he would leave I had to promise to catch a cab back to base if I didn’t get lucky. And that definitely didn’t seem to be in the cards. I’d tried to kiss Stephanie on the dance floor a few times but she just pushed me away. I was sure she liked me, but she wasn’t gonna make it easy. I was probably in for quite a few cold showers before she would give me some.
Stephanie looked at me with a grin. “You sure you can’t drive? I only live about four blocks from here. Don’t you want your birthday present?”
“Huh?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What birthday present?”
“Damn, they don’t let you out much in the army, do they?” She laughed.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I slurred
“If you don’t take me home, you can’t get no ass. That’s what it means.” She kissed me gently on the lips.
Suddenly, I felt like I was sober. I hadn’t had any in over six months, and on the first night this fine woman was offering to give me some. I had to control myself from leaping out of my seat.
“lets go. I can drive.” I grabbed her hand and she almost fell on the floor as I tried a little too eagerly to help her from her seat.
“Okay, but maybe we should walk. We’re both a lot drunker than I thought.” She tried to regain her footing. I didn’t argue with her, but the truth is, new truck or not, I would have driven to hell and back to get some from her. I don’t know why, but it just felt right.
When we got outside the club, the night air felt good for February. It was more like an early spring night. Stephanie wrapped her arm around my waist and I did the same to her, massaging her beautiful hips as we walked in silence. It only took about five minutes to walk to her apartment. When we arrived at her door she kissed me. I kissed her back, slow and passionate.
“Travis,” she whispered, still holding onto my waist.
“Yeah,” I whispered back.
“You don’t do this very often, do you?”
“Do what?” I leaned back so I could see her face.
“Go to clubs and pick up girls.”
“No, I don’t. How’d you know?” My voice was low, and I was afraid she would hear my embarrassment.
“The way you kissed me. Like I was your girl or somethin’.” I looked at her and smiled. She was right. That’s exactly how I was trying to make her feel. That’s just the kind of guy I was. I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable, even if this was just a one-night stand.
“Did you like it?” I smiled. She smiled back.
“Yeah, but it scared me. Only one man’s ever kissed me like that before. My daughter’s father.”
“You’ve got a daughter?” I raise my eyebrows. She hadn’t mentioned a kid all night.
“Yeah, she’s nine months old. She’s at my mom’s for the weekend.” Nine months old? Damn, she just had the baby. Where the hell was the father?
I watched her walk into the apartment and throw her jacket on the sofa. I hesitated at the front door, looking inside. Lord, please don’t let this girl’s baby have some crazy, deranged father. ’Cause the last thing I wanted was to get caught doing the nasty with some other brother’s woman.
“What are you doing out there? Come on inside,” she ordered when she realized I hadn’t come in. I obeyed but entered tentatively. I was seriously thinking about backing out. I wanted some from her real bad, especially after she bent over to pick up something off the floor and gave me a full view of that beautiful backside. But I wasn’t sure if it was worth the stress. She lived in the projects, had a kid, and probably had a baby’s father somewhere close.
“You ain’t got no man, do you? I mean, where’s your daughter’s father?” I asked warily.
“No, I ain’t got no man. I don’t want no man. I just wanna have a good time. And my daughter’s sorry-ass father ain’t been around since she’s been born. He’s up in D.C. tryin’ to be a rap star. You ever heard of a group called KRN? It’s short for Kill’a Richmond Niggas”
“Nope, never heard of them.”
“Neither has anyone else. But they’ve been opening for a go-go group in D.C. called Top Side. Would you believe that nigga left me right when my baby was born?”
I shook my head. I’m not sure if it was because I was horny or what, but I believed her and calmed down. I wrapped my arms around her.
“Kiss me like you did before.” She smiled.
I did what she asked, this time kissing her even more passionately.
“Wow, a girl could get used to that.” She led me up the stairs and before we entered the bedroom I kissed her again.
“I’m not looking for a man,” she repeated. “Just a good time.”
I hesitated. I’d never had a real one-night stand before. Any time I’d ever slept with someone it ended up becoming a long-term relationship. Since I was fifteen years old this was the longest gap I’d had between serious girlfriends. The truth was, I wanted a woman in my life. But at that moment, I’d take what I could get. After all, it was my birthday and we could talk about tomorrow when the sun came up.
She said it again, this time a little more serious. “I’m not looking for a man.”
I exhaled. “That’s good. I’m not looking for a woman. It’s my birthday. I’m just looking to have a good time, too.”
I massaged her ass, trying to reassure her it was all about the sex. She looked up at me with a smile. I think she knew I was fronting. She knew I wanted more.
“Why don’t we pretend I’m your woman just for tonight, okay?”
I nodded and she led me into her room. It was small and needed to be painted. The only furniture she had in it was a dresser, a full-size bed, and a small crib. I sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off my shoes. There were condoms on the dresser, so I guess she had planned on bringing home company. I watched her pull down the shades to the two tiny windows. Then she spun around and unbuttoned her blouse in one swift motion.
“I don’t have much, but they need lots of attention,” she said as she displayed her bare breasts.
I nodded as I sat back to enjoy the rest of her show. She slid her black stretch pants and her panties down to the floor. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her perfectly rounded hips. I glanced at her stomach and thighs. Incredibly, not one stretch mark on this woman who just had a baby.
It was my turn. I pulled my sweater over my head and flexed my biceps nonchalantly.
“Damn, look at you! You are one big boy. Where did you get this body?” She approached me and slowly slid her hands along my chest. “You’re built like a brick shithouse.” She grinned.
I didn’t reply; I just flexed again. My smooth chocolate-brown complexion and tall, muscular body had always been admired by the opposite sex. I stood up and she unhooked my pants, letting them slide to the floor. Then, with a smile she looked down. My heart almost stopped beating when she started to laugh.
“Damn, I guess we both planned on getting some tonight, huh?”
I finally looked down and blushed. I’d completely forgotten I was wearing my red G-string underwear. I felt like a fool, but at least she wasn’t laughing at the size of my dick.
“To be honest, I need to do laundry. These are my only clean drawers,” I told her, and it was the truth.
“At least you have somethin’ sexy to wear. When that happens to me, I gotta wear my old granny briefs.”
We both laughed as I slipped out of my G-string.
“Where you from? I know you’re not from Richmond. You sound too country.”
“Georgia.”
“So you one of those big-ass corn-fed niggas, huh?” I didn’t even answer her. I hated the word nigger.
“I got a cousin lives in Georgia. She’s from Atlanta. You from Atlanta, big man?” She was still rubbing her hands across my chest.
“Nab, I’m from Waycross.”
“I don’t know where that is.”
“Well let’s put it this way: Waycross is way across
Georgia.”
She laughed then changed the subject. “What’s your favorite position, Travis?”
“Sixty-nine.”
She laughed hard. “You the first country nigga I ever met that admitted to eating pussy. I like your honesty.”
“Thanks. But if you ask me that question in public, I’m gonna lie.” We both laughed and I kissed her again.
“What about you? What’s your favorite position?”
“I like a sixty-nine,” she said, smiling. “But nothing beats a nice, long pony ride.”
“Pony ride? What’s a pony ride?”
She pushed me on the bed and straddled my legs. Ripping a condom open, she slid it onto me effortlessly. She took my penis into her soft hands and rubbed it against the warmth between her thighs.
“Dammmn! That feels so good,” I moaned. She slid all the way down on my manhood, letting out a soft moan when it was all the way in.
“A perfect fit,” she purred.
“Yeah, a perfect fit,” I moaned.
“Now that I’m saddled up, it’s time for a nice, long ride.”
Stephanie and I made love that night in every imaginable position. She was down for anything and everything, and I’m not embarrassed to say she taught me a thing or two. What she thought was going to be a one-night stand turned out to be an all-weekend thing. I hate to sound self-serving, but once I slept in her bed and she wrapped her arms around me, I got comfortable and I didn’t wanna leave.
She was serious about not wanting a man. Her daughter’s father had turned her off to the thought of relationships and love. At least, that’s what she told me. Somehow, despite what she said, I found my way over to her place every night and she never turned me away. She called it a sex thing, but Stephanie and I had a bona fide relationship going on. It was fine with me if she never wanted to admit it. A few of the local brothers I’d met living in her project tried to warn me about her reputation, but I didn’t really care. I knew she was a freak the first night I met her. But now she was my freak.
We played that little game for almost nine months. I guess after a while Stephanie started to realize what I already knew, that she wasn’t getting rid of me so easy. So that Thanksgiving, out of nowhere she invited me to her grandmother’s house for turkey dinner with all the trimmings. To my surprise, she introduced me to her grandmother as her boyfriend, and from that point on that’s who I was. Her boyfriend. Not that I’m complaining. It’s been a wonderful three years we’ve shared together, and with the baby coming in the next few weeks, I’d decided to make that couple of years a lifetime.
I smiled at Stephanie as she set the large pan of macaroni and cheese down on the table. She’d just finished helping Big Momma bring out the last few trays for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, and sat down next to me. In the three years we’d been together she’d traded in her shoulder-length perm for long box braids, and her skintight clothes in for more conservative skirts, slacks, and blouses. Except, of course, when she went out to the club. But even with her new, conservative look she couldn’t hide the fact that she had a big ass. Matter of fact, ever since she got pregnant that ass seemed a little bigger. Not that I minded. Like most black men, I liked a big ass. As far as I was concerned, my girl had it goin’ on. Not just in the looks department, either. Her shit was together in all aspects of life. She was going to school to be a nurse, working at Wal-Mart to help pay the bills, was a great mother to her daughter. And she showed me all kinds of love. She was a great woman and I loved her for that. That’s why I wanted to make her my wife.
“Travis, would you mind blessin’ the food?” Big Momma set the steaming tray of greens down on the table and took her seat. A big, heavyset old woman, Big Momma was the head of Stephanie’s family and had an opinion about everyone and everything. She was the kind of woman you did not want on your bad side. And since Stephanie had gotten pregnant and we weren’t married, guess where I was. But that was about to change.
“Sure, Big Momma, I’ll bless the food.” I looked over at Stephanie’s Uncle Mark, who was staring at Big Momma. For as long as I’d known Stephanie, Mark had been blessing the Thanksgiving table. And from what she told me, he’d been doing it ever since his father died twenty years ago. So I know he wasn’t too pleased with Big Momma asking me to bless the food.
“Momma, why he gonna bless-”
Big Momma cut Mark off with a quickness.
“’Cause I said so. That’s why. Now, bow your heads, so we can give the Lord thanks.” Like everyone in this family, Mark obeyed Big Momma. He lowered his head so she couldn’t see his scowl. “Now, Travis, you bless the food. It’s Thanksgiving, and we hungry.”
I bowed my head and took a deep breath before beginning my prayer. I made it short, sweet, and to the point, and ended it with a chorus of amens. When I lifted my head I tried to smile at the fifteen adults and five children sitting at three tables reaching for food, but it was hard. I was about to make the most important speech of my life. I tapped my spoon against my glass to get everyone’s attention. They all turned toward me like I’d lost my mind. All except for Big Momma, who’d been expecting my announcement.
“I know y’all hungry, but before we eat I’d like to say something important.” I stood and ignored the grumbling among some of the hungrier people at the tables. “Unofficially, I’ve been a part of this family for three years. Y’all been more of a family to me than my own down in Georgia. So I wanted you all to be here when I did this.” I turned to Stephanie and took her hand. With my other hand I reached into my pocket and slowly knelt down on one knee.
“Stephanie, I love you more than anything in the world and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” You should have seen the look on her face when I took out the half-catat diamond ring from my pocket.
“Oh, my God.” She looked over at Big Momma, who was smiling and nodding. “Yes, yes, Travis, I’ll marry you.” I slid the ring on her finger and we both stood to embrace. Stephanie wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me to the sounds of a few family members applauding, the others grabbing for their Thanksgiving feast.