course, like I said, Makkai doesn’t know a thing about it. And if I have my way, he never will.
Chapter 11
E very now and then I get a chance to get out and get all dressed up to attend an award ceremony. As it turns out, I have a formal event coming up soon. It’s a ceremony sponsored by the NAACP that honors accomplished professionals in our community. One category is contributions in the field of medicine, and I have been selected as this year’s recipient. I really don’t want to go alone, though. Most of my peers are married or have had longtime mates. When it’s a company function I usually take my mother, and she gets a kick out of it.
This time it would be great to have a nice-looking lady on my arm. Don’t want to bring anyone I work with. That’d be too close for comfort. The decision lies in which one will not see it as a marriage proposal, and which one will be classy enough to be seen on my arm. In spite of what we do behind closed doors, can they be class in the streets?
“Don’t you have a birthday coming up soon,too? Who are you spending that with?” my mom asked me as I bounced my dilemma off of her, sitting at my desk at work.
“First things first, Mom.” I could hear Pastor Paula White’s ministry in the background. Mom didn’t go to church in California like she did when she was in Florida, but she did know the Bible, and she did love her spiritual shows on Trinity Broadcasting.
“Baby, bring the girls on by here. I’ll pick one out for you.”
“Mom, it’s not worth going through all that trouble.”
“Actually I was just kidding, son. But, heck, it would be nice to just meet someone who’s in your life, just on general purpose. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
“I brought Patricia, that fifty-year-old, by a few years ago for Thanksgiving dinner. You don’t remember her?”
“You didn’t bring her by. You invited her and she drove herself over here and ate, and then you announced that you had to leave, so she left first.”
“Well, still, she’s someone I was dating. And I remember implicitly, I had to leave because I got an emergency call at the hospital.”
“Okay, if you say so. Whatever happened to her anyway? Was it that she was almost old enough to be your mom?” Mom joked. I could hear her smile.
“Mom.” I sat up and began scrolling through some appointments in my phone book.
“Son, I know you have nothing against older women, but she looked older than me.”
I cleared my throat. “Anyway, Mom, she caught a case of the wife-wannabes. She kept suggesting we buy rings and then kept leaving things over my house to make excuses to come back.”
“Oh, you actually brought her to your house? That was serious then.”
“Contrary to what you think, that’s not unusual. But, she just wanted to move too fast, and when I told her my feeling about wanting to slow things down, she cursed me out, called me a commitment-phobic jerk and slammed down the phone. And then she called to say she was sorry. I don’t go backwards. Not often, anyway. You know that, Mom.”
“Yes, I do. But, have you ever thought about her question?”
“Mom.”
“Really, Makkai. I’ve asked myself that question, too. Don’t you think I want grandbabies one day, boy?”
“You’ll have grandkids, Mom. I’m only thirty-seven. I’ve got time.” I leaned back again, rocking in my high-back desk chair.
“Yes, but you’ll be forty before you know it.”
“Excuse me but I’ve been a little busy in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I see what’s going to happen. You’ll end up with some sweet young thang half your age, I just know it.”
“Not necessarily.”
“I don’t know too many forty-year-old women who want to push a baby out of their wombs that late in life. That is, if their eggs have any juice left anyway.”
“Mom, stop. Besides, I might marry someone who already has kids.”
“True. But, you’ve got to have a son of your own. I
Chapter 11
E very now and then I get a chance to get out and get all dressed up to attend an award ceremony. As it turns out, I have a formal event coming up soon. It’s a ceremony sponsored by the NAACP that honors accomplished professionals in our community. One category is contributions in the field of medicine, and I have been selected as this year’s recipient. I really don’t want to go alone, though. Most of my peers are married or have had longtime mates. When it’s a company function I usually take my mother, and she gets a kick out of it.
This time it would be great to have a nice-looking lady on my arm. Don’t want to bring anyone I work with. That’d be too close for comfort. The decision lies in which one will not see it as a marriage proposal, and which one will be classy enough to be seen on my arm. In spite of what we do behind closed doors, can they be class in the streets?
“Don’t you have a birthday coming up soon,too? Who are you spending that with?” my mom asked me as I bounced my dilemma off of her, sitting at my desk at work.
“First things first, Mom.” I could hear Pastor Paula White’s ministry in the background. Mom didn’t go to church in California like she did when she was in Florida, but she did know the Bible, and she did love her spiritual shows on Trinity Broadcasting.
“Baby, bring the girls on by here. I’ll pick one out for you.”
“Mom, it’s not worth going through all that trouble.”
“Actually I was just kidding, son. But, heck, it would be nice to just meet someone who’s in your life, just on general purpose. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
“I brought Patricia, that fifty-year-old, by a few years ago for Thanksgiving dinner. You don’t remember her?”
“You didn’t bring her by. You invited her and she drove herself over here and ate, and then you announced that you had to leave, so she left first.”
“Well, still, she’s someone I was dating. And I remember implicitly, I had to leave because I got an emergency call at the hospital.”
“Okay, if you say so. Whatever happened to her anyway? Was it that she was almost old enough to be your mom?” Mom joked. I could hear her smile.
“Mom.” I sat up and began scrolling through some appointments in my phone book.
“Son, I know you have nothing against older women, but she looked older than me.”
I cleared my throat. “Anyway, Mom, she caught a case of the wife-wannabes. She kept suggesting we buy rings and then kept leaving things over my house to make excuses to come back.”
“Oh, you actually brought her to your house? That was serious then.”
“Contrary to what you think, that’s not unusual. But, she just wanted to move too fast, and when I told her my feeling about wanting to slow things down, she cursed me out, called me a commitment-phobic jerk and slammed down the phone. And then she called to say she was sorry. I don’t go backwards. Not often, anyway. You know that, Mom.”
“Yes, I do. But, have you ever thought about her question?”
“Mom.”
“Really, Makkai. I’ve asked myself that question, too. Don’t you think I want grandbabies one day, boy?”
“You’ll have grandkids, Mom. I’m only thirty-seven. I’ve got time.” I leaned back again, rocking in my high-back desk chair.
“Yes, but you’ll be forty before you know it.”
“Excuse me but I’ve been a little busy in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I see what’s going to happen. You’ll end up with some sweet young thang half your age, I just know it.”
“Not necessarily.”
“I don’t know too many forty-year-old women who want to push a baby out of their wombs that late in life. That is, if their eggs have any juice left anyway.”
“Mom, stop. Besides, I might marry someone who already has kids.”
“True. But, you’ve got to have a son of your own. I
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