Forgive for Joy's Sake (Part 19)

I stayed up late trying to process my thoughts and emotions until finally exhaustion kicked in and I was able to go to bed and get some sleep. The next day, I’d taken the day off so I could leave once my parents arrived. We started the morning with our normal routine with Chelsea showing up to take care of Joi and me making breakfast. My parents arrived around 11:00 a.m. looking tanned and refreshed. Both smiling like Cheshire cats.

I did just as I’d planned, I stayed for lunch so they could share their stories and pictures. Once Chelsea took Joi to her room for her nap, I stayed until after Mel told my parents about the paternity test and Jackson’s mom asking for the engagement ring. After the questions died down, I gracefully made my exit, though Mom tried to convince me to stay.

I felt a since of relief to be heading back to my life. Wes and I had to figure things out, but I was glad Mel and I had managed to come to terms.

For the next few days, my life was free from Mel’s drama. Both my mom and Wes called me every day, but neither one of them tried to force feed me Mel or her problems. Though I would never confess it to either of them, I was curious who was Joi’s grandmother and what Mel decided to do about the ring. I knew that if I asked either one of them, it would be like opening Pandora’s box and there would be no going back.

Though Wes and I texted each other throughout the day and spoke every evening, it wasn’t enough to make me believe he was all in or to jump in myself. When I found out he wouldn’t be able to fly out for the next two weekends, I masked my disappointment by saying, “Good, ’cause I can use a couple of weekends to myself.”

He laughed. “Well, how about if we split the weekends. You get this one to yourself, but next weekend you fly in to visit me.”

I almost dropped the phone. “Visit you in LA? I thought you had to work. It wouldn’t make sense for me to fly there to spend the weekend alone while you work.”

“I’m working all this weekend. Next weekend is the benefit I told you I had to attend. A benefit where I can bring a date. It would be a perfect weekend for us to spend together.”

“Oh,” I said, suddenly feeling flushed.

“Don’t worry about tickets. I’ll take care of your flight and pick you up from the airport.”

“And hotel?” I asked, already knowing that wasn’t in the plans.

“Joy, do you want me to put you in a hotel?” His voice lowered and deepened, overloaded with innuendo.

I didn’t answer because both a yes and no were problematic for me, so I said, “I’ll fly out to be your date.” He let me off the hook regarding the hotel question and we started talking through schedules. He purchased my round-trip ticket while we were on the phone. Nothing more was said about him getting me a hotel room.

While I was a bit nervous about visiting Wes, once Mom got wind of my trip and who I was going to see, she was relentless in pushing me to woo him in her pursuit for another son-in-law. “Wes is the one, Joy. Don’t you mess this up,” she said as we shopped for me a dress to wear to the benefit. She had invited herself to tag along after catching me leaving. I was now three days away from flying out to see him. I had an in-a-pinch dress but hadn’t found one that I was wowed by.

“I would ask why you think I will mess this up, but I know I won’t like your answer. So, I’ll just say yes mother for both our sakes.” I grabbed a black dress off the rack and my mother rolled her eyes, grabbed it out my hand, and put it back.

“I’m glad you asked me to come with you today. All you’ve been selecting are black dresses. Boring black dresses, I might add. Why don’t you step back and let a professional help you out.” She practically pushed me out the way.

“Ma, I don’t want anything peacockish.” She loved colors and in my childhood pictures, my outfits had been bright and hard to miss. It was no wonder why I now gravitated to neutral colors. She ignored me and walked away from the black dresses and started looking around the boutique. I continued to look through the black dresses until Mom walked over holding a bright red halter dress. She was grinning from ear to ear like she had found a buried gem.

“Uh, no,” I said and turned back to the dresses I was looking at.

“You didn’t even give it a chance. At least try it on.” She held the dress up to my back.

“I don’t want to be uncomfortable, and in that dress my back, shoulders, neck, chest, and navel would be on display. I am not the one to carry that off. Put it back and think more Flotist and less female rapper.” I pulled out a black, mock neck, sleeveless dress. “What about this one?”

She rolled her eyes at me and yawned. Her phone rang and she handed me the dreadful red dress and reached into her purse. I spotted Mel’s name as she pulled it out. “I’ll be right back. Don’t make a decision without me,” she said before walking away and answering the call.

A salesperson walked up to me. “Can I help you find something?” I held up my pick and my mom’s pick. “If you can find me a dress for an after seven benefit that would satisfy the person who picked this dress.” I nodded at my choice. “And the person who picked this dress.” I nodded at Mom’s, frowning so she knew it wasn’t my choice. “I will immediately buy it and give you a tip.”

She took both dresses and smiled. “Finally a worthy challenge. Do I get to pick out accessories too?”

I hadn’t planned on purchasing any accessories but since she looked so excited, I said, “Sure.”

She looked at the size in the black dress. “This the correct size? It looks a little big for you. I noticed the red dress is two sizes smaller.”

“Figures,” I said.

“You know what? I’m going to take sizing as part of the challenge too. My fashion sense is telling me it is also in the middle of these two choices.”

“Fine by me. I’ll be sitting right over there. How much time do you need?”

“Give me fifteen minutes max. I already have a dress in mind. I just need time to pull the accessories.”

I took a seat and waited for the salesperson and my mother to return.

Right before the fifteen minute mark, they both made their way to where I was sitting. When the off the shoulder, ruched, black, midi dress was held up, I was in love. My right arm, shoulder, and the top of my chest would be bare, but everything else would be covered. I didn’t bother to look at the accessories. I looked over at my mother who said, “That is perfect.”

I quickly tried it on, fell in love even more, purchased the dress with accessories, and tipped the salesperson. With bags in hand, I rushed my mother out before the world realigned and my dress turned into a pumpkin.

“You want to grab something to eat?” I asked her as we climbed into my car.

“Would love to but I need to get home.” She buckled her seat belt.

“Sure you do,” I said, knowing the Mel’s phone call was the reason.

“Let’s not go there, Joy. We had a good time; let’s not spoil it.”

“Fine.” I turned on the radio and pulled out of the parking space. We had a silent ride back to my parent’s home. No one spoke until I pulled into the driveway and unlocked the door so she could get out.

“For the record, I am not putting her over you. She just needs me more than you do right now.”

“Fine,” I said again.

“Look, I don’t condone what she did, but I do think she did you a favor. You and Jackson were never in love, and you deserve someone who loves you as much as Dad and I love you. You should have never settled for compatible.”

“Alright, Ma. I said fine, but since you keep pushing, how do you know she wouldn’t have done what she did to me with the person I love and who loves me?”

“Well, for one obvious reason, he’s her brother.” She climbed out and shut the door.

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