The next morning is ancestor day…a day to remember those who have passed on before us. It’s not a day off from work or school though, so Q walks Peri outside and sees her off.
Prosperity: Bye daddy!
Quincy: Bye little ma…
It’s finally cool enough outside for Q to get back to his daily outdoor jog. So he takes off running once Peri is safely on her school bus.
I wake up and head to the bathroom to fully check myself out in the mirror for the first time since taking the Insta-Lean. And lean is exactly what I am now. It’s not exactly where I wanted to go with my weight loss. I would have liked to maintain a more curvy figure, but I can finally see my abs now, so there’s that. I leave the bathroom and head to the kitchen to grab something to eat.
Q returns home from his jog…
Quincy: Who the hell are you?
I can’t believe he doesn’t recognize me…
Alida: *turns to look at him* It’s me Q!
Quincy: What the hell, Alida? What did you do?
It’s not a good sign that he just used my name, instead of calling me ‘ma’ like he usually does.
Alida: There was a weight loss drink…at the spa. I bought one…it’s what celebrities use.
Quincy: Why?
There’s something in the way he asks the question that puts me on the defensive…
Alida: Because I wanted to lose weight…why the hell do you think?
Quincy: But you were losing weight…the healthy way. Those diet drinks are dangerous, ma. You could send your body into shock…or cause damage to your heart!
Alida: I’m fine. Q, I worked out every day with almost no results.
Quincy: There were results! You looked amazing…you had curves! I loved those curves.
Alida: Now I’m back to what I looked like before Peri.
Quincy: No! You were never this thin, Alida. I don’t get what the hell you were thinking.
Alida: Because you never had a weight problem Q!! You’ve been in shape all your life! I had Peri and never lost the weight. I wanted to change that…
Quincy: Shit Alida…I just –
I slam my plate down on the counter and turn to face him.
Alida: You just what Q? This is my body! It doesn’t belong to you!
Quincy: *crosses his arms* What you do to your body affects me too!
Alida: Well guess what! I don’t give a shit. What’s done is done…get over it!
Quincy: Really? That’s how you feel? What I say or feel doesn’t matter?
Alida: Not when it comes to my body.
Quincy: *turns and begins to walk away* Whatever Alida…
Alida: Where are you going? We’re not done talking about this…
Quincy: What do we have to talk about? It’s like you said…it’s your body. Do what you want to do. That’s what you insist on doing anyway.
Alida: Q!
The last time Q was this mad at me was when I refused to tell him about my past.
While Q is in the bathroom taking a shower, I receive a text from mama letting me know that she finally has her own place. She texts me her address. I decide to go and visit her during her lunch break…hoping it’ll give Q some time to calm down.
Mama greets me with a hug…
Lea: *after the hug* Is it me? Or is there suddenly a lot less of you to hug?
I ignore her statement. I don’t really feel like explaining myself all over again.
Alida: *changes the subject* I love your place! It’s so cute.
Mama follows me to the porch…
Lea: *chuckles* Can you believe it? It’s all mine! I’ve never owned anything in my life. I even have a little pool…and I can’t even swim!
Alida: I’ll have to teach you.
Mama’s place is incredibly intimate and cozy inside. I’m so happy for her.
Alida: I love the kitchen…it’s perfect – no stove so you don’t have to pretend to know how to cook.
Lea: Ha! Cause lord knows I can barely boil water. *sits down next to me* So…how did you lose the weight?
I really don’t see a choice, but to tell her.
Alida: There was this weight loss drink…it’s called Insta-Lean –
Lea: Oh! I’ve heard about that stuff. It’s supposed to work wonders…as I see it has for you! It’s too rich for my blood though…
Alida: Well, I used it last night and now Q is pissed at me.
Lea: I’m not surprised…
Alida: Why do you say that?
Lea: Q is a man…a lot of men don’t deal with change very well. Believe me…I’ve been around enough of them to know. You suddenly change something, like your hair color or god forbid you cut it off – and they go crazy. He’ll get over it though.
Alida: I don’t know mama…he’s pretty mad at me.
Lea: He won’t stay mad long. They’re not like us…we can hold a grudge for centuries. As soon as he’s horny…he’ll be right back in your face.
Alida: Mama!
Lea: It’s the truth! He won’t be complaining about the weight loss then. He’ll wanna be all up in there!
I’m amused and slightly uncomfortable with how freely mama talks about woohoo, but I secretly hope she’s right.
Alida: So what do I do until then? I don’t like the idea of us arguing in front of Peri.
Mama ignores me and turns on the TV…
Lea: Hush now…my stories are on! I can finally find out who shot Joe.
Alida: But –
Lea: Just go talk to him! Now you can stay and watch TV with me, but no talking until the commercials.
I’ve slowly learned that mama is very capable of offering good advice, but she’s no Mama Nadine. I’d give anything to be able to talk to Mama Nadine about this. I sigh and get up to leave.
(Generation 1a Chapter Summaries)
