Chapter 12 Steph's Decision
Stephanie stood up and asked "Lula what are you doing here, how did you find me?"
"It was not easy, and is this really the bat cave?" Lula asked with excitement in her eyes.
Ranger looked at Lula "What do you want?"
"I have to speak to the white girl, I am in danger." Lula said loudly to the audience.
"Ranger, I will go to your office and speak to Lula." Stephanie stood up and left the dining room with Lula following you.
The two of them entered Ranger's home office. Stephanie sat down in Ranger's chair behind his desk. "Lula what do you want? My second question is how did you find us?"
Lula tried to take a seat in one of the chairs, but when she sat down, the chair broke. "Woops it broke." She chuckled.
"Lula focus" Stephanie snapped at her.
"My old boss is trying to kidnap me white girl." Lula told Stephanie.
"Lula why would he do that, you are no longer hooking?" Stephanie asked her.
"I am telling you white girl he is after me and I need your help." Lula started to cry. "I don't want to go back to being a ho."
"Lula I don't know what to do, if you want I have Ranger put a Rangman guy on you but other than that I don't know what you want me to do?" Stephanie asked her.
"Can I stay at your apartment, I will pay the rent. Please, I can't go back to my apartment." Lula begged her.
Lula did not hear Ranger come in to his office behind her. "Babe, we have company"
"I know Carlos but Lula is having a problem why don't you get the dinner going and I will try to work something out here." She told him glumly.
"Babe, Hal is on duty today, so give him a call then set them both up at your place. Lula then you will go to Steph's place. Hal will meet you there. Steph after that is taken cake of come back to the party." Ranger told her and kissed her a long kiss.
Stephanie picked up the phone and called Hal. "Hal speaking what is your pleasure?"
"Hal its Stephanie, I need you to protect Lula, someone is trying to kidnap her. She will be at my apartment."
"Not a problem Stephanie, I will meet her there. Will the door be open" Hal told Stephanie.
"Yes, the door is open you can go right in." She replied to his question. She replaced the receiver on the base of the phone.
"You can go to my place, but you do not tell anyone that you found this house. Do you understand me?" Stephanie said seriously to Lula.
"Okay white girl, and thank you" Lula said.
Lula got up off the floor, and walked out of the office. She turned right and continued to walk down the hall. "Where am I?" she asked herself.
"Lula turned around and walk toward me." Stephanie told her.
"Oh there you are white girl." She caught up to Stephanie, and led her to the door. "I will call you tomorrow morning." Stephanie said to her, she did not notice Grandma Mazur coming up to her. "Did you eat yet Lula?"
"No Grandma I did not." Lula answered her.
"You can come and join us if you want, we would love to have you." Grandma Mazur mentioned to her.
"Why I would love too." Lula followed Grandma Mazur to the dining room. Helen set another chair up, next to Julie. Lula sat down next to Julie, and asked her, "Who are you?"
"I am Julie, Carlos daughter" Julie blurted out.
Carlos dropped his head into his chest.
"Huh" Lula said out loud.
Stephanie was shaking her head, while she was going back to the dining room. She sat back down and her meal was cold.
She got up, picked it up and nuked it in the microwave. She got back and it was very hot, she was finally eating, and enjoying her meal when her grandfather Plum asked, "Lula what do you do for a living?"
"I am a clerk for Vincent's Bond Company. Vinny who is sitting at this table is my boss." Lula told him.
Vinny was shoving food into him mouth to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Before I worked for him, I was a ho" Lula said out loud.
"Dad what is ho?" Julie asked. Carlos froze his fork in midair.
"I will tell you when you are older." He told Julie.
"I will tell you what it is" Lula started to talk.
"Grandpa Plum how come you decided to visit us now after all these years?" Stephanie interrupted Lula.
"Well we were not pleased at Frank your father for marrying your mother; we thought he could do better. But now that we see the lovely family that they have created we know that we made a mistake." Grandpa Plum told everyone at the table.
"Helen please accept our apologies." Grandma Plum said to Helen.
"Apology accepted and thank you for the offers to our girls but I am afraid they." Helen did not get a chance to finish.
"I will talk it over with Valerie and see if we can make this happen Grandpa Plum" Albert told him.
"Grandpa Plum as much as I would like the offer to go back to school, I don't think I can do it right now. I am engaged to be married to Carlos and I want to marry him first. I had my time at school, and I don't think I can go back right now." Stephanie told her Grandpa.
"Well how about we pay for your wedding and reception?" Grandpa Plum asked them both.
"What do you think Carlos?" Stephanie turned to look at her future husband.
"I think that would be great. I would be honored sir." Carlos told him.
"Great, there is a condition though; we would like you not to become parents until after you are married." Grandpa Plum said.
Everyone froze for a minute, Carlos looked at Stephanie and she shrugged her shoulders. "Babe can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked her.
"Sure, how about you help me with dessert." Stephanie said to him. Carlos followed Stephanie into the kitchen.
"Well what do you think?" Carlos asked her.
"Well we could get a free wedding; do you have enough condoms to last four months?" Stephanie looked at her future husband.
"Yeah, I believe I do" He answered her.
"It is up to you Carlos, but we would not have to pay for the wedding or the reception. We could put that money down for a very good honeymoon like France." Stephanie had a gleam in her eyes.
"Sounds great, I think we should agree to this, it is only three and a half months." Carlos told her. "Besides you are still on your birth control right." Ranger told her.
"Yes, I am, so I agree too, lets agree to their terms." Stephanie walked out to the dining room.
Carlos picked up the chocolate cake and put it on the table. "All right Grandpa Plum we accept the terms, oh by the way our wedding is February 14th." Carlos told everyone.
"Perfect you pick the church, and a place for the reception and I will send a check." Grandpa Plum told Carlos.