walked down the hallway, descended the staircase. Scents of buttery pancakes wafted up her nose when she entered the kitchen.
“There you are, my Niecy!” Leslie wiped her hands on her apron and gave Sasha a big hug. Squeezing her tight, Leslie confirmed, “I know I’ve already said this, but I’m so happy you’re here. I hope you never go back to Tennessee.” Leslie released her and just stared. Feeling as if Leslie could see she’d been beaten, insecurity wavered through Sasha. She felt fragile. Leslie remarked, “I tell you, Niecy, you’re such a beautiful woman. You look just like your mother, Katrina. Gosh, I wish my sister Katrina was here to see you.”
Sasha wished she could stop feeling so down. “I wish my mother was here, too. I miss her so much. Thanks for the compliment, but I don’t feel so beautiful, Auntie.”
Leslie patted her cheek. “Oh, nonsense, Niecy. You are just as pretty as they come. Don’t get any prettier than you. I hope you’re hungry, because I cooked a mean brunch.” Sasha’s stomach growled just from thinking about food. “Hungry? I’m starving.”
“Oh, good. As soon as—” The doorbell rang. A huge smile spread across Leslie’s face. “Oh, goody. They’re here.”
“Who?”
“The crew.” Leslie spun on her heels and practically ran to answer the front door. “Sasha!” Leslie yelled out a few seconds later. “Come inside the dining room.”
Sasha emerged inside the dining room to find Richmond, Suade, Dirk, Kayla, and a few children standing there. Ecstatic to see her cousins, Sasha’s lips hitched.
“Wow, cousin! You’re sure looking good,” Richmond said, giving her the biggest hug.
Sasha patted Richmond’s back. “You, too, cousin.”
“Hey, let somebody else get a chance to hug this pretty cousin of ours,” Suade stated. After hugging Suade, and then Dirk, Richmond introduced Sasha to his beautiful wife, Kayla. He then introduced her to their three beautiful children—Carson (CJ), Richmond II (RJ), and an adorable little girl named Isabelle.
CJ pointed his finger at Sasha’s forehead and asked, “Mommy, what happened to her face?”
“She was in a bad car accident, CJ,” Kayla responded.
CJ shrugged. “Oh, she can’t drive.”
Kayla gasped. “CJ. Watch what you say. The car accident wasn’t her fault.” She looked at Sasha. “I’m so sorry.”
Sasha giggled. “It’s okay, Kayla.”
Isabelle grabbed a hold of Kayla’s leg. “Mommy, her face scares me. Was the monster in the car?”
Kayla’s face turned brownish-red. “No, Isabelle. There’s no such thing as monsters, remember we talked about that.”
Isabelle blinked. “But CJ said the monster was in his room the other night.”
Richmond interjected, “Isabelle and CJ…monsters are not real. Don’t believe everything the other kids tell you.”
Leslie requested, “Let’s gather hands, please, so I can bless the food.” As Leslie led the family into prayer, warmth filled Sasha’s heart. It felt so good to be around people who loved her, and whom she loved. “Amen,” Leslie said, ending the blessing.
“Amen,” everyone said in unison, then took their respective seats at the dining table.
Sasha’s eyes combed over the huge brunch spread over the dining room table. Leslie had cooked fluffy buttery pancakes. Maple sausage links. Fried chicken. Waffles sprinkled with white powdery sugar. Cheesy eggs, grits, muffins and fruit. Like Leslie had said, she’d cooked a mean brunch.
A diehard vegetarian, Sasha fixed her plate with a little bit of everything, except for the meats. She hefted the syrup bottle in her hand and drizzled her buttery waffles with the sweet molasses. “Thanks for cooking brunch, Auntie.”
Leslie sliced a sausage link in half with her fork. “You’re welcome. I love cooking.”
Richmond said, “If you think this is something, wait until you see how she cooks on Sundays.”
“She cooks enough food to feed a village,” Kayla said, holding baby RJ in her lap.
Suade lowered his glass of juice to the napkin. “And it be good, too.”
Sasha forked some fluffy eggs into her mouth. “Wow. Being single, I never get food like this.”
Leslie patted Sasha’s arm. “Well, now that you’re here, you’ll get this good cooking all the time. I tell you…it sure feels good to have you here, Niecy.”
“Thanks. I’m glad to be here.”
“How long do you plan on staying?” Dirk asked.
Right now, she felt like she could stay in Hilton Head Island forever. “I don’t know, Dirk. What about you? How long will you be here for?”
Dirk scooped up some grits on his fork. “Oh, just until the weekend. I have to get back to college.”
“Are you still a vegetarian?” Suade asked.
Swallowing a piece of melon, Sasha nodded. “Yes. I gave up meat three years ago