The Invitation

4~ Mama Deb

Victoria POV

We arrived at my grandmother's house and I could already imagine pots being put on the stove. My grandmother's house was small but the biggest room was the kitchen. The house was what you called a shotgun house but it was home.

You see a shotgun house is a house that has a front door and when you open it, you can see straight through it to the back door. There aren't any hallways just rooms that connect. My grandmother has lived in this house all her life meaning she was born in it. It was paid for many moons ago and she was proud to say it was hers.

The little red brick house was decorated nicely with flower boxes in the front and red brick steps. There were white shutters on the front windows and the yard was meticulously trimmed along with the hedges. My grandmother took pride in her home as her house seem to be the one little piece of heaven in a community that had seen better days.

I looked around hoping no one would make a scene as we pulled up in Eric's Range Rover. You can't be to careful and I didn't need Jo, Terrance or Smoky coming out the bushes trying to scare Eric away. I took one last look and unlocked the door.

"Are you waiting on someone?" Eric asked me hitting his alarm. Why didn't he bring the jeep? I'm sure people are looking out their windows at the fancy vehicle.

"No, I thought I saw a cat in the bushes."

"Oh," he said peeking but nothing was there.

I unlocked the door and when we walked in, we were standing in the living room. To the left was my grandmother's room, then the bathroom which opened to my old bedroom. On the wall next to the living room was the breakfast area/kitchen and then the laundry room.

"Mama Deb, I'm here and I have a guest. Is it okay if we come in?"

"Yeah baby, come on in. I'm in the kitchen."

I looked back at Eric. This was going to be interesting having two huge men and three tiny women in the kitchen at the same time in this small house.

The walls were decorated with wood paneling and the hard wood floors seem to shine. Pictures of me and Sara lined the table and a huge black Jesus was the focal point on the long wall. The old television with the bunny ears still sat in it's place. Mama Deb philosophy is, "if it ain't broke don't fix it," and the tv was probably older than me.

Somehow a rash of nervousness crept up in me. My hands began to sweat and my legs felt heavy. Maybe it was because this was the first man I have ever brought here. Yes the guys from the neighborhood would stop by but they were just friends, but today was different.

I swallowed hard as we got closer to the kitchen. I could feel Eric checking everything out and I was wondering what he was thinking.

"Hey Mama Deb," I said walking in the kitchen and giving her a hug and a kiss. Mama Deb always smelled like fresh baked apples. I wasn't sure if baking all those pies made her smell that way or it was just baked in her skin but anyway it was my euphoria.

Debra Mae Lewis stood at exactly five feet, two inches tall. Her dark brown skin barely showed any signs of aging and her dark as night black hair she kept pinned up showed her graceful beauty. Although it didn't show on the outside she did suffer with heart problems. Her shortness, didn't stop her for having a mouth bigger than Texas. As no one and I mean no one disrespected her because not only did she have a mouth she could back up whatever she said. She wasn't scared of anybody and when it came to me or Sara, you better be locked and loaded because she was coming for you. I have seen her whip grown ass men but I tell you what, they didn't mess with her again.