Tia looked around the room. "Where's Grandma?"

"She just went downstairs to get some more supplies," Ida said.

"I'm gonna audition for a fashion show in March," Serenity blurted out to her grandmother.

Ida looked at Tia. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I might let her," Tia said.

"Might?" Serenity's eyes grew wide. "You said you would!"

"I'm still thinking," Tia said looking at her sideways. "And don't you start pouting or I'll make up my mind now, and you won't like the answer you get."

Ida gave Serenity another hug. "So what high school are you going to next year, honey?"

"Mommy's making me go to Divine Savior," Serenity said unhappily.

"Why do you say it like that? You don't want to go to that school?"

Serenity shifted her weight. "Not really."

"Why not?"

"Because it's an all-girls school," Tia said.

"Yeah," Serenity spoke up. "Nothing to look at but girls all day."

"That's right," Tia said. "The less distractions, the better."

Ida agreed. "Listen to me, girl," she said gently lifting Serenity's chin up. "I'm about to be fifty years old so I know what I'm talking about. Been there, done that. You need to make something out of your life first. You gonna have plenty of time for boys."

Serenity remained silent but the discontented look on her face revealed her dissatisfaction with her mother's decision.

"Come on," Ida said, waving them toward the back room. "I got something for both of you." Tia and Serenity followed her past a colorful array of potted plants, flowers, and hanging baskets all creatively displayed throughout the store.

They entered the back room where there were more flowers resting on a workbench, waiting to be grouped together in bunches and secured with an a.s.sortment of brightly colored ribbons. Ida reached beneath one of the workbenches and pulled out two bouquets of pink, white, purple, and yellow carnations wrapped in colorful papier-mche. She gave one to Tia and the other one to Serenity.

"Aww, these are so pretty, Grandma," Serenity said as she slowly twirled the bouquet around. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said smiling, with her hands clasped together.

Tia inhaled the soft aroma from the flowers. "Umm, and they smell good too. Thank you, Mama."

"I call this my bouquet of happiness," Ida said. "Being surrounded by all these pretty flowers makes me happy." She looked at Serenity and smiled. "Make sure you keep you some happy," she said. "Because I'm telling you, a sad soul can kill you, child. You remember that."

"Amen," Tia said.

"Preach!" the familiar voice of an older woman shouted out.

Everyone turned to see Mavis walking toward them smiling.

"Hey, Granny," Serenity said smiling.

"Hey, sweetie," Mavis said squeezing her tight. "Seeing you always lifts my spirits."

Then it was Tia's turn. "Hey, Grandma," she said hugging her long and hard. "How are you doing?"

"Well, I'm worse than some, better than most," she said with a smile.

Tia gave her a solemn look.

"I'm just getting old," Mavis rea.s.sured her. "That's a natural course of life. You're a nurse. You should know that!"

"I know, Grandma," Tia sighed. "I'm just concerned about you."

Tia remembered her grandmother's reply after she'd told her how much she admired her for taking care of Henry.

"Ain't nothing to admire," Mavis had said. "I ain't doing nothing that G.o.d ain't already done for me. He forgave me for all my sins, and I know," she had hit the table with the top of her index finger, "that if I want to get to heaven, I got to forgive Henry and everybody else." She'd nodded her head. "And that's what I plan to do. End of story."

"Don't worry," Ida said interrupting Tia's thoughts. "She's in good hands."

After Henry's death, Ida had moved back into the house to keep a closer eye on her mother. Mavis had eventually decided to put the house up for sale, and once it sold, she and Ida thought it would be a good idea to invest some of the money from the sale into a flower shop for Ida.

They found an eye-catching two-story lannon stone building; the lower unit already housed a flower shop, and the upper unit had been renovated into a s.p.a.cious apartment with a living room, dining room, galley kitchen, three bedrooms, and a small bathroom. It was practically move-in ready. After Ida had added her own personal touch to the flower shop, they were able to move in and pick up where the previous owner had left off.

Investing in the flower shop had proved to be a good decision. Not only was Ida her own boss, but her business provided a modest income for herself and Mavis. She liked living above her shop. Although coexisting with her mother sometimes got on her nerves, it was a comfortable living arrangement, and since Mavis was getting up there in age, Ida did not want her living alone.

"When are we gonna eat?" Serenity asked. "I'm hungry."

Ida chuckled. "Just hold on, little lady." She walked over to the window and turned the OPEN sign over so that the word CLOSED now faced the street. Then she locked the door and turned on the alarm. "Y'all made it just in time," she said, looking over her shoulder.

"Come on," Mavis said, heading for the stairs that led up to their apartment. "Let's eat."

Chapter Twenty-two.

Tia and Serenity entered the upper unit above the flower shop and were welcomed by the inviting aroma of baked chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn bread, and green beans.

"Umm," Tia said. "It's smelling good in here."

No one knew it, but the aroma of Mavis' home-cooked meals held a special sentiment for Tia. It had been during a meal similar to this one years ago when she had lived with Mavis that she remembered noticing what would be the beginning to a change in her demeanor. Her grandmother had seemed a little bit softer around the edges on that day, and Tia remembered liking the change, yet being apprehensive and confused at the same time.

Not only was Tia hoping that this monthly tradition of visiting the two matriarchs in her family would create a legacy for Serenity, but preserving the few good memories she had of Ida and Mavis allowed her to create good memories now, right here in the present. Not only were they welcomed by the aroma of Mavis' and Ida's hospitality, but the warm decor of the apartment itself beckoned them in each time they came to visit.

The octagon-shaped living room, which was at the front of the apartment, had a floor-to-ceiling window on each of the three walls, allowing an abundance of natural light to fill the room and make its way into the connecting dining room as well. The arched entryway combined with the crown molding in the dining room finalized the touches of warmth and grace.

Mavis opened the built-in china cabinet and took out four plates. "Go on and sit down," she said. "Everything's ready."

"Let me go wash my hands," Tia said while Serenity quickly sat down at the rectangular dining-room table.

"Serenity," Tia called from the bathroom, "did you wash your hands?"

She pouted as she pushed the chair back from the table and headed for the bathroom.

Ida started laughing. "Lord, that child is really hungry."

"Uh-huh," Mavis said. "Let me make her plate first."

After everyone was seated with their food, Mavis said grace.

"Lord, we thank you for this food we're about to eat, and we pray that you bless each and every morsel. In Jesus' name, amen."

"So where's that husband of yours?" Mavis asked as she put a piece of chicken in her mouth. "How's he doing?"

Tia glanced at Serenity whose eyes were focused on the food on her plate.

"Yeah," Ida said. "He never comes to visit anymore."

"His back is still bothering him," Tia said. "The doctor said he can't sit in one spot for more than thirty minutes at a time," she lied.

Now Serenity was looking at her. Tia glared at her hard.

Ida looked at Serenity, then at Tia. "That doesn't sound good," she said.

Tia felt like she was being scrutinized.

"Maybe he should see another doctor," Mavis said.

"What he needs to do is stop taking all those pills," Serenity blurted out.

Tia stopped chewing.

Ida and Mavis looked at each other, then at Tia. "What pills?" Ida asked.

Tia glared intently at Serenity. "Are you done?"

Serenity looked at her plate. "You mean with eating?"

"Yes," Tia said tightly. "With eating."

"Uh-uh," she said. "Can I have some more chicken?"

"Here," Ida said getting up from the table, "bring me your plate." She put a leg and a thigh on Serenity's plate. "You want some gravy?" she asked.

Serenity nodded her head. "Just a little," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ida said. "You can eat that in the living room but take some napkins and eat over this towel. I don't want no gravy stains on my couch."

Serenity went into the living room, and after a few minutes, they heard the television set come on.

Ida sat back down at the table. "So what is she talking about?" she asked Tia.

Tia took a sip of iced tea from her gla.s.s and wiped her mouth.

"What's going on?" Mavis asked.

"It's just his back," Tia said. "Well, he says it's his back."

"And what?" Ida asked. "He's taking a lot of pain medication?"

Tia moved her green beans around in her plate. "Yes," she said.

"Does he realize how dangerous that is?" Mavis asked.

"I tried to tell him," Tia said still stirring the green beans around.

"Well, did he listen?" Ida asked. "I mean you are a nurse."

Tia sighed. "That's what I said. But no, he didn't listen."

"Well, I can tell you right now," Mavis said in that way that would always be hers, that way that confirmed a little piece of the old Mavis still remained, "if y'all end up getting a divorce, you better make sure that man pays."

"Aw, Mama," Ida said, "ain't n.o.body getting a divorce. And keep your voice down. Serenity might hear you."

Mavis threw her napkin down on the table. "That's just ridiculous," she said. She picked it back up to wipe her mouth. "What is he trying to do? Kill himself?"

After dinner and all the way home, Serenity tried to be on her best behavior. She really wanted to attend the audition in March.

"Please, Ma," she begged as they entered the house.

"I don't know, Serenity," Tia said taking off her coat. "What day is it on?"

"It's on the first Sunday in March at eleven o'clock," Serenity said with antic.i.p.ation in her voice.

Tia frowned. "That means we'd have to miss Sunday services."

"We could go to the 8:00 service," Serenity said eagerly.

Tia looked at her and arched her eyebrows. "You must really want to go, don't you?"

Serenity nodded her head quickly.

Lorenzo spoke up from his usual spot on the sofa. "Just take her," he said harshly without diverting his attention from the television set.