Author's Notes: Another chapter without any really bad swearing. Woo hoo! LOL. LO:CI characters belong to Dick Wolf and company. I'm just taking them for a spin. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)
Sunday, August 20
Ellis' Market Parking Lot, 6:00 a.m.
Angel stifled a yawn as she parked her car at the local grocery store that was 4 blocks from her home. She was up this early because
Bobby had started tossing and turning around 4:30 a.m., finally settling back down around 5:00. Instead of trying to go back to sleep,
she slipped out of the bed, took a shower in the other bathroom and got dressed to come to the market. She needed to get a few
things to make breakfast anyway. She made a mental note to herself to see about getting her California king size bed out of storage.
Her queen size bed was just fine, but if Bobby was going to be spending the night from time to time at her home, she needed to give
him more room. Angel smiled to herself as she realized she hadn't been kicked out of a bed in over 4 years. She was about to get out
of the car when the tune of "Boogie Shoes" started coming from her cell phone.
"Buenas días, Mami," Angel said.
"Buenas días, baby," Laurel said with a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm good, Ma. How are you? Everything okay?" Angel glanced at her watch, noting that it was after 5:00 a.m. in Nashville. Both of her parents were early risers, but it was unusual for them to be up this early on a Sunday morning. They usually slept in until 7:00.
"I'm fine, sweetie. Everything's okay. Hold on a sec. I'm gonna put you on the speaker phone." "Okay, Ma."
The phone went silent in Angel's ear for about 5 seconds before she heard a beep. "Can you hear me, Angel?"
"Yes, ma'am. I can hear you."
"Good. I'm gonna get your daddy."
Angel held the phone away from her ear as she heard Laurel shout loudly, "Charles! Come here!" Angel winced as she thought to herself, "Uh oh! Daddy must have done something really wrong. That's the "you're-in-big-trouble" tone."
She heard her dad walk into the room and say, "Laurel, you ain't got to shout! I'm right here. Damn!" Angel covered her mouth to
keep from laughing out loud as she heard something clang loudly against the stovetop. She imagined Laurel must have had her cast
iron skillet in her hand, looked at it and then flipped it over twice by the handle before slamming it down. Whenever Laurel was mad
at Charles, she usually did that. Laurel calmly said, "Your youngest child is on the phone. You talk to her and apologize. NOW."
Angel raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Dang, Papi! What did you do?"
Charles cleared his throat before saying, "Morning, Baby Girl."
"Morning, Daddy," Angel said skeptically. "Um, everything okay?"
He cleared his throat again. "Everything's fine. Just fine." In the background, Laurel hissed through her teeth, "Charles Nathaniel, quit stalling!" "Laurel Marie, quit rushing me!" he hissed back.
Angel let a small laugh. "Okay. Y'all are calling each other by your full names. Will somebody please tell me what's going on?"
Charles sighed heavily and cleared his throat. He replied, "Your mama brought to my attention that I was hasty in my judgment of 'that boy' you've been seeing."
"Oh. Really? How so?" Angel asked with a smile. She knew her mother was about as subtle as a Mack truck driving through the streets.
He sighed again. "She informed me that in Jasper's eagerness to tell me about what happened to you at the funeral, he failed to tell me that 'that boy' was the one who came to your rescue." To his wife he said, "Wipe that smug look off your face, Laurel."
Charles' voice softened as he said, "Anyway, Baby Girl, I just wanted to apologize for judging 'that boy' so harshly."
"Papi, his name is Bobby," Angel said.
He sighed heavily and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "I will give…Bobby a chance. He did save my only daughter after all." A big smile covered Angel's face. "So, uh, how many cool points does he get?" "He's only getting 25 points. That's my limit!"
Father and daughter laughed together. "Thank you, Daddy," Angel said. "Bobby's a very good person. You'll see."
"Yes, we'll see. Here's your mama. I'm going to get the newspaper."
"Bye, Papi. Te amo."
"Te amo, Angel."
Angel heard Laurel kiss Charles before picking up the handset. "You okay, mi hija?" Laurel asked.
"Yes, I am," Angel replied. "Is Daddy out of the doghouse now?"
Laurel laughed. "He was never in the doghouse. Just on my list of misinformed people. When he told me what the two of you talked about yesterday, I knew I had to set him straight." She sighed. "I know your daddy means well, but there are times I wish he wouldn't make snap judgments before getting to know your boyfriends."
Angel laughed. "Daddy not give any of my boyfriends a hard time? You must have him mixed up with somebody else." They laughed. "Yeah, that's right," Laurel said, "I did almost forget who I was talking about."
"We went out last night with Drew and Janelle," Angel said.
"Really? Did you guys have fun?" Laurel asked.
"We did. We went to a Japanese restaurant and Dave and Buster's."
Laurel let out a small laugh. "Oh my! Did you and Janelle close the place down?" Angel chuckled. "No. Drew wouldn't let us."
She stayed quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I think Drew and Janelle really like Bobby. You remember how Garvin and Janelle used to throw out quirky trivia facts to each other? To see who could out quirk who?"
Laurel clicked her tongue. "Let me guess. Janelle has found a new playmate?"
"Ma, Bobby gave Janelle a run for her money! She had to dig deep into her brain to come up with something he didn't know. She was thinking so hard, you could hear her brain gears grinding." They laughed again.
"Today is Bobby's birthday," Angel said quietly.
"Oh. How nice. Tell him I said happy birthday," Laurel replied. "You doing anything special for him?"
"I'm at the grocery store right now. I need to get some things to make breakfast for him." "Oh, okay."
"Alex and her family is throwing a party for him this afternoon."
"Wow, sounds like you're going to be busy today."
"I don't know if I'm going to the party." Laurel was stunned. "Huh? Why not?" she asked.
"Oh, Mami. This is Bobby's family and friends I'd be meeting today. I'd be a nervous wreck meeting all of those people. What if I don't meet up to their standards?"
"Baby Girl, don't worry about that. Just be yourself. The lovable, respectable and funny person Charles and I raised."
Angel sighed. "I know you're right, Mami, but I can't help it. It feels like I'm 4 years old again and meeting Uncle Howard and Aunt Evelyn and their kids. Being shunned because I got your looks. Being picked at and made to feel unwelcome any time I said or did anything around them."
Laurel grunted. She remembered how it was when she and her family came back home to the States. When they pulled up to her
parents' home in Kirkland, TN, a small country town about 35 miles outside of Nashville, Howard, Evelyn and their kids Howie,
Dawn and Eve, along with the rest of hers and Charles' families, came out to greet them. As soon as Evelyn and her daughters laid
their eyes on little Angel, they greeted her with icy looks before turning around and going back inside. Laurel got along with her sister-
in-law really well, but she knew Evelyn had always been envious of her looks, especially the gray eyes. Evelyn would make off-
handed snide or rude comments, trying to make Laurel feel bad. Laurel just shrugged them off. About 3 weeks into their stay for the
summer, Laurel noticed how sometimes Evelyn would totally ignore Angel. Or sometimes she would snap at her for asking a simple
childlike question. Laurel also noticed how Dawn and Eve picked at Angel, telling her nobody liked her or wanted her around. Every
night at bed time, Laurel would hold and comfort her baby girl, reassuring her that she was loved and wanted by her family and
friends. She and Charles had talked to Howard and Evelyn about her and the girls' behavior, especially about Evelyn's envious
attitude spilling over to the girls, who in turn were taking it out on Angel. Slowly, but surely, over time, Evelyn and her daughters'
attitudes improved, but Laurel knew as Angel got older, the nervousness she experienced when meeting new people would be
magnified 50 times stronger whenever she met a new friend's or boyfriend's family.
"You will be just fine, mi hija," Laurel said softly. "Just take deep breaths to calm yourself and relax. Don't worry about what others think of you. If they don't like you, that's their loss, not yours."
Angel smiled to herself. "How many times have I heard that simple piece of advice?" she thought to herself. She sighed and said, "Thanks, Mami."
"You're welcome, sweetie."
"I better let you go, Mami, so I can get my shopping done and get to the house before Bobby starts wondering where I am."
"Okay, sweetie. Have a good day. I love you. Bye"
"I love you, too, Ma. Bye."
Angel closed her phone and put it in the front pocket of her lightweight hooded jacket. She had a big smile on her face and light spring in her step as she got out of the car. She felt a little better about going to Bobby's birthday party. "And I got Papi to call Bobby by his name. Yay!" she thought to herself as she headed into the store.
Sunday, August 20
Angel's Home, 6:15 a.m.
Bobby tossed and turned a few times, trying to banish the memory of the last time he and Alannah were together from his head.
Finally, he sat up in frustration. "Shit!" he muttered to himself. He sighed heavily as he shook his head, wondering to himself why he
had any doubts that Angel was the one for him.
One year ago
Saturday, August 20
Regal Regency Hotel, 7:00 a.m.
"That was fun," Alannah purred as she rolled off of Bobby and laid down on the bed. He smiled as he stretched to his full
height. "Oh, most definitely," he said. Their birthday weekend of unbridled sex had begun yesterday afternoon after he got
off work. Alannah came by 1PP to pick him in her brand Mercedes-Benz. When Bobby got into the car, he was greeted with
the sight of Alannah wearing a lightweight trench coat that was hanging open, revealing her naked beautifully toned and
alabaster body. She glanced at him sideways with a smug grin on her face as she took off to head towards their hotel.
Somehow she managed to drive and caress his dick at the same time.
Bobby propped himself up one elbow. He smiled at Alannah as he stroked her cheek. She smiled at him, then frowned.
"What's wrong?" he asked. She continued frowning as she ran her fingers through his hair, sucking her teeth. "You're
getting gray," she replied. He chuckled. "Of course I'm getting gray. I'm getting older." She shook her head disapprovingly.
"It makes you look old. Plus, you need a haircut, especially if we're going to dinner tonight with Whitley and Carson. They'd
love nothing better than gossiping to our friends that I was fucking an old man." Alannah sat up and reached for the hotel
telephone. She dialed the hotel's salon, asking for and getting a 10:00 appointment for that morning. Bobby felt a little
insulted that Alannah thought he didn't look good enough to her.
After Alannah got off the phone, Bobby sat up and said huffily, "I think I look fine." Alannah patted his cheek
condescendingly as she kissed his nose. "Oh, don't be upset. You look okay, but with a nice haircut and a color rinse, you'll
look great." She reached under the covers and rubbed his inner thigh. "Do this for me? Please?" she asked, batting her
eyelashes and pouting. Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes, giving in to Alannah's power of persuasion. "Fine. Whatever," he
said in defeat. She laughed and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you," she said before jumping out of the bed.
Bobby sighed as he watched Alannah get up and start picking out clothes to wear. He really did like her. "Hell, she's the
closest thing to having a girlfriend I've had in awhile," he thought. This had been the 4th time he had seen her this year,
instead of the usual once a year thing. "Maybe it's time we become more committed in this relationship." Bobby cleared his
throat and said, "Since you don't have to leave for California until Friday, I was thinking I'd take a couple of days off from
work so that we could spend some time together at my place." Alannah made a face. "Why would we do that?" "I thought
you might like to have a home cooked meal for a change instead of going out to some restaurant and have a change of
scenery." She laughed. "Oh, Robert, that sounds so…homey. A little too homey, actually." She shook her head as she
continued laughing. "I won't have any time for you or any of that this week. I'm picking Enrico up from the airport Sunday
night. We've already got our week planned out together."
Alannah walked over to Bobby and patted his cheek again. "Robert, we've already spent our time together this weekend.
Why would we spend any more time together?" she asked. Bobby was stung by her patronizing attitude towards their
relationship. It felt like he had been sucker punched in the stomach. As difficult as it was, Bobby managed to hide his
disappointment. "Since we'd seen each other more than usual this year, I thought we'd get in some more time together," he
replied. Alannah laughed. "Oh, poor misguided Robert. The only reason I saw you the other 3 times this year was because
my other partners backed out on me at the last minute." She patted his cheek and said, "I'll see if I can talk Enrico into
having a threesome. It'd be exciting having both of you in bed at the same time." Alannah walked off with a smile, not
seeming to care that she just crushed Bobby's feelings of commitment to dust.
Bobby turned his head to look at Angel, but she wasn't there. He sat very still, listening to see where she was, but the house was very
quiet. He then realized that she wasn't in the house at all. He reached over and turned on the nightstand lamp that was next to him.
Bobby saw the folded piece of paper laying on top of his cell. He picked it up, unfolded it and read aloud, "Gone to store. Back
soon. Angel." He smiled to himself as he laid the note back on the nightstand table and slid under the summer quilt. He sat up and
groaned loudly as his cell phone started ringing.
"Goren," he said.
"Happy birthday, sleepyhead," Alex said.
He chuckled. "Thanks, Alex." He looked at the digital clock. "Alex, it's 6:30 in the morning. What are you doing up so early?"
"Oh, this house has been buzzing with excitement since 5:30." "5:30! Where in the world are you?"
She laughed. "I spent the night over at Mom and Dad's. Actually, we all spent the night. Kids and grandkids. Mom thought it would be a good idea if we were all together to get ready for your party. I think the kids are more excited than the adults."
"Really? How so?"
"The kids have been working all week on your birthday gift. It's so top secret that even Brianna won't tell me." Brianna was Bryce and Jill's 12 year old daughter. She considered her Aunt Alex to be her most trusted confidant next to her mother. "Wow! Your biggest source of family gossip and information won't tell you anything?" Bobby said. "It must be huge."
"Maybe I could tickle it out of her," Alex said offhandedly. "Anyway, I just wanted to find out if there is anything else special you'd like to have at the party."
Bobby thought for a second. "There's nothing I can think of right now. I'll leave it up to you and your mom."
Alex sighed, then asked, "So, are Angel and Alannah coming?" Bobby quietly answered, "Alannah is definitely coming with someone else. I don't know about Angel."
"Oh, God," Alex muttered under her breath. She just sighed heavily. "Okay."
"Alannah won't make a scene if that's what you're thinking, Alex."
"That's not what I'm thinking, but thanks for saying that anyway."
"Are you mad? Disappointed?" She let out a small chuckle. "No, I'm not mad or disappointed, Bobby. I'm just wondering how in the world I ended up being partnered with Mr. Honest." "You drew the short straw, I guess." Alex laughed a little harder.
Bobby heard someone knocking on the door in the background. "Well, that's my cue to get off the phone," Alex said. "What time did I tell you to get here?"
"By 3:30, no later than 4:00," Bobby replied.
"Good. Because I told your guests to be here by 3:00. Mom wants everyone here before you arrive."
He heard more knocking in the background. "You better go before they break the door down," he said playfully.
"Ain't that the truth. I'll see you later, Bobby."
"Later, Alex."
Bobby had barely hung up from Alex when his phone rang again. He flipped it open and said, "Goren."
"Happy birthday, Bobby," the soft female voice said.
Bobby's mouth dropped open in surprise upon hearing Carolyn Barek's voice. "Carolyn, hi. Thank you. How are you?"
"I'm doing good. How are you? Did I wake you?"
"I…I'm good. No, you didn't wake me. I had just finished talking with Alex when you called."
"Okay, good. I didn't want to disturb you," she said with a smile.
"It's so good to hear from you, Carolyn. Are you coming to the party?"
Carolyn chuckled. "I told Alex you'd figure out who she invited to your party. She didn't believe me."
Bobby replied, "I haven't said anything to her. I'm pretending not to know."
"That's what I thought. Anyway, I'm not coming. That's why I called. Alex had called me on Tuesday to invite me, but I was already here in Boston for my cousin's wedding."
Bobby felt a little disappointed. "Thanks for calling me," he said.
"You're welcome. The next time I'm back in New York, I'll treat everybody to lunch. Deal?"
"You've got a deal."
"Okay. I gotta go. My cousin Aria and I are suppose to be meeting her mother in 10 minutes. You have a good day and I'll talk to you soon. Bye, Bobby."
"Bye, Carolyn."
Bobby closed his phone and laid it on the nightstand table. He decided to take a shower so he threw the quilt back and got up. He
had taken about 3 steps from the bed when his cell phone rang again. Bobby threw his hands up in the air, sighing heavily as he
turned around to answer it. "Good grief, Alex, did you have to invite the whole state of New York to this party?" he muttered to
himself as he picked up the phone, flipping it open. "Goren," he said.
"What do you think, El?" the female voice asked. "Does he sound old?" "I don't know, Liv," Elliott Stabler replied to his partner, Olivia Benson. "It's hard to tell over the phone. What do you think, Fin? Does Bobby Goren sound old to you?"
Odafin "Fin" Tutuola grunted. "I can't tell either. If you want an expert opinion on being and sounding old, ask the Munchkin over there. He can relate to people over 70."
"Hey!" John Munch exclaimed. "Just because I'm more seasoned than all 3 of you knuckleheads put together, doesn't mean I'm an expert on aging."
"Listen to yourself, Munch," Fin said. "You sounding like a cranky ass old man already. Non-expert, my ass!"
Bobby sat down as he laughed, listening to the 4 Manhattan Special Victims Unit detectives debate about his state of being old. When he finally recovered, Bobby said, "If I hear one more crack about my age, I'm coming down there and knock some heads together."
"Wow! Did you guys hear that?" Olivia said. "Bobby went from zero to cranky in 1.5 seconds. That's got to be a record."
Elliott said, "You're probably right. Bobby may have entered The Old People's World Record Book or something similar to it." Bobby let out a dry chuckle. "Ha, ha, ha."
Olivia laughed. "Okay, guys. On 3, we wish him happy birthday," she said. "Ready? 1, 2, 3."
At the same time, all 4 SVU detectives said, "Happy birthday, Bobby!"
Bobby laughed and said, "Thanks, guys."
Olivia picked up the receiver and said, "You're welcome."
"So, I take it you guys are coming to the party this afternoon?"
Olivia was surprised. "How did you know we were invited?" "You just confirmed a hunch I had," Bobby answered.
"Don't tell Alex you've figured who she invited to your party. I think she was trying to surprise you." "Believe me. I'm not saying a word."
"Well, we just wanted to let you know that none of us will be able to come to your party. Casey's got a case that has come up that's going to take up her time for about a month, so she's having to bring 2 other ADAs up to speed on our cases that go to trial on Monday. We're meeting with them at 3:00 today."
"Oh, okay. Well, thanks for letting me know. It would been nice to catch up with you guys."
"Same here, Bobby. Listen, maybe all of us can get together after work one night and catch up," Olivia suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea, Olivia," Bobby said. "I'll let Alex know."
"Alright. I'd better get off here and get some paperwork done. Happy birthday, Bobby. Talk to you later."
"Later, Olivia. Thanks. Bye."
Bobby pressed the 'end' button on the phone and closed it. He laid it down on the nightstand table. He stood up and headed towards
the bathroom. The cell phone rang again, but he chose to ignore it. As he took off his clothes and got into the shower, Bobby shook
his head and chuckled softly. "Thanks, Alex," he thought to himself, "for trying to make this birthday extra special. You're the
best partner and friend I've got."
By the time Bobby emerged from the bathroom after having showered and shaved, his cell phone was buzzing intermittently, letting
him know that he had missed some calls. He inhaled deeply, the smell of coffee and biscuits invading his nostrils. "Angel's home," he
thought with a big smile on his face. He pulled on a pair of boxers and his lounge pants before flipping his phone open. The screen
display showed that he had missed 3 calls and had 3 voice mail messages. He entered the access code to retrieve his messages. The
first 2 messages were from Courtney and Ron Carver. The 3rd message caught Bobby by surprise. It was from his brother Frank.
"Hey, baby brother. It's me, Frank. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday. Bye."
Bobby saved the message, then scrolled through the list of missed phone calls. By the looks of the number, it looked like Frank had
called him from a pay phone, but he made a note to himself to get someone to run down the number for him. He stood there, staring
off into space, wondering why in the hell Frank chose his birthday to reach out to him. He grunted. "Probably wants some money to
feed his habit," he said ruefully as he closed the phone and threw it on the bed. He turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen.
Angel was placing a carton of orange juice on the table when Bobby walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Handsome," she said. "Happy birthday." Bobby smiled as he walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "Thank you," he replied. She pointed to the 4 cup
coffeemaker on the counter. "There's some coffee for you. Breakfast will be ready just as soon as the fries are done." Bobby walked
over to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. He leaned against the counter, sipping on the warm beverage. He watched
Angel as she busied herself with getting the food and other items on the table. "You need some help?" he asked. Angel shook her
head, smiling. "No, thank you. You just stand there and enjoy your day."
Angel had pulled down the oven door when the house phone rang. She pulled out the cookie sheet of thick cut French fries and placed it on the stovetop before pushing the 'speaker' button on the phone.
"Hello," Angel said.
"Good morning, Baby Girl," Janelle said. "What's up?"
"Hey, Janelle," she replied. "Not much. Just fixing breakfast for Bobby."
"Cool. Where is he?"
"I'm right here, Janelle," Bobby replied.
"Happy birthday, old man," Janelle said playfully. "You start receiving your Social Security check this week, right?"
Bobby narrowed his eyes at Angel as she laughed out loud. He rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly. "Janelle, you know I could run you in for verbally abusing a police officer," he said with a grin. She scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like them charges are gonna stick," she replied.
Bobby laughed at Janelle's playful attitude. "Thank you for the birthday wishes." "You're welcome."
Angel smiled. She was glad that Janelle and Bobby were getting along. "Hey, Janelle," she said. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Can y'all swing by here and pick me up on the way to church? I'm gonna let Bobby use my car so that he can go visit his mom."
"Yeah, sure. We can do that."
Bobby said, "You don't have to do that, Janelle. I'm coming to church with Angel." Janelle muttered, "Oh my," as Angel turned and looked at Bobby with a surprised look on her face. "You sure?" she asked.
Bobby nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Is that a problem?" Angel shook her head and smiled. "No. No problem at all."
Janelle said, "Bobby, church starts at 11:00. We're usually done by 12:15, 12:30 at the latest. You'll still have time to visit your mom."
"Thanks for the info, Janelle," Bobby said. "Um, I don't know if Angel told you or not, but Alex and her family are throwing a birthday party for me this afternoon at her parents' house. I'd like for you and Drew to come."
"Oh, thank you for the invite, Bobby," Janelle said. "We've already got plans. My mama is having us, my father-in-law and my brother and his family over for dinner. She's been looking forward to having us together for a week now. I'm sorry."
Bobby shrugged. "That's okay. Swing by the party if you get a chance though." "We'll do that," Janelle said.
In the background, they heard Drew say, "Janelle, the waffles are ready." "Okay. Here I come," Janelle said to him.
To Bobby and Angel, she said, "I'll see y'all at church." "See you later, J," Angel said. "Bye, Janelle," Bobby said.
"Bye."
Bobby placed his coffee cup on the counter when Angel pressed the 'speaker' button to end the call. He lightly grabbed her wrist to
pull her towards him. She smiled up at him and placed her hands on his chest; he put his arms around her waist. "You sure it's okay if
I come to church with you?" he asked. "It's okay," Angel said. "I just assumed you'd go visit your mom while I was at church. I'm
sorry." Bobby shook his head. "You don't have to apologize to me. I just thought I'd do something different today." Angel let a small
laugh. She said, "As my mom always says, 'You're entitled to do something adventurous for your birthday because it's all about you
for the day.'" Bobby smiled.
He took a deep breath, then released it. "Would you be upset if I went to visit my mother after church was over? Without you?"
Angel shook her head. "No, I won't get upset," she replied softly. Bobby kissed her forehead. "Thank you. I…I'm not quite ready to
let anyone experience that side of my life yet," he said softly. Angel stroked his cheek. She sympathized with Bobby. Even though he
hadn't talked a lot about his family and childhood, she understood how hard it was for him to let anyone in his life. Angel knew Bobby
would probably let her meet his mother, but she wasn't going to push the issue just yet. "I'll get Janelle and Drew to bring me home
so that I can change clothes," she said.
Bobby raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're going to the party?" Angel bit her bottom lip, then nodded while looking at the
floor. "Angelica, look at me," Bobby said. He put his finger under her chin to make her look at him. "Whatever happens at this party,
please don't let it effect whatever we decide to do in this relationship. I do care what my friends and extended family think, but the
most important thing to me, above their thoughts and feelings, is your thoughts and feelings. Okay?" Angel smiled and nodded. He
leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Angel pulled back and said, "We better eat before the food gets cold." Bobby nodded in
agreement as he followed her to the table. He let her sit down first before sitting down himself. Bobby smiled to himself as he watched
Angel pour orange juice into the glasses that were on the table. "I'm very lucky to have you, Angel," he thought. "I hope I make
you as happy as you make me."
Sunday, August 20
Angel's home 10:05 a.m.
"Let me tie that for you," Angel said to Bobby. He was standing in the full length mirror that hanging on the front of the bathroom
door, getting ready to tie his tie. "Oh. Okay," he said. He turned around to face her. He smiled as Angel moved the ends of the tie up
and down a couple of times. "When did you learn to tie a tie?" he asked. "Oh, I was about 6 or 7 when I learned." "Your brothers
teach you?" She nodded her head. "And both of my parents. Mami taught us how to tie a bowtie." Bobby's eyes widened in surprise.
"I'm impressed. Not many women know how to tie a bowtie." "Thank you. When my brothers got married, I was the official bow
tier for their weddings." Bobby laughed. "You tie the bowties at your wedding, too." Angel giggled. "Yep. Drew put a blindfold over
Garvin's eyes so that I could tie his tie."
Angel pressed her lips together, a pensive look on her face. "When the morticians were ready to dress Garvin's body, they let me
come in and tie his tie," she said quietly. "It helped me get through my grief." Realizing she had mentioned her late husband, she
quickly finished tying Bobby's tie, then stepped back from him. "I shouldn't have mentioned that," she said sheepishly. "I'm sorry."
Bobby took a step towards her, taking both of her hands in his. "It's okay. You can talk about Garvin if you want. He was a big part
of your life. He was your husband." "I know. It's just that…I don't want you to think that I'm comparing you to him." Bobby
caressed her cheek and smiled. "I haven't felt that you're comparing me to him." He pulled her into his arms, giving her a small
squeeze. He looked down at her and said, "I…I want you to feel comfortable telling me anything you want to." Angel nodded. "Same
goes for you, right?" Bobby sighed and nodded. "I'll do my best," he replied. She smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips
before pulling away. "We're better get going or we'll be late," she said, heading out of the bedroom. Bobby grabbed his gym bag and
a suit hanger and followed Angel out of the house.
Sunday, August 20
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 10:54 a.m.
"Hey, y'all," Drew said to Bobby and Angel as they walked up to him and Janelle in the church's parking lot. "Hey, Drew," they said
at the same time. Drew held out his hand to Bobby and said, "Happy birthday, old man." Bobby laughed as he shook Drew's hand
and gave him a brief hug. "Thanks, Drew." Janelle walked over to Bobby and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday," she
said. "Thanks." Bobby blushed a little. He felt a little embarrassed by the attention he was receiving on his birthday. Angel took
Bobby's hand and led him towards the church's front door. Drew took Janelle's hand, following their friends. When they reached the
door, they were greeted by the pastor. "Good morning, Pastor Overton," Angel said.
Pastor George Overton was 5'7" with light skin that had been tanned by the sun from the construction work he used to do, squat and
stocky. He reminded Angel of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. He held out his rough, callused hand to shake Angel's hand. "Good morning,
Sister St. John," he said, a wide smile covering his whole face. "How are you today?" "I'm doing good, thank you," Angel said. She
pointed to Bobby and said, "Pastor Overton, this is my friend, Robert Goren. Bobby, this is Pastor Overton." Bobby and Pastor
Overton shook hands. Bobby was taken a little aback by the man's strong grip. "Welcome, Brother Goren. Welcome. I hope you
enjoy your visit," the pastor said as he patted Bobby on the shoulder. "Thank…thank you, sir. I will."
Bobby followed Angel inside. He noticed that while the majority of the congregation was predominately African-American, there
were Asian, Hispanic and Caucasian people there as well. "Good morning, Sister Kenney. Good morning, Sister Childers," Angel
said to the 2 older, impeccably dressed African-American women who were seated in the hallway near the sanctuary door.
"Morning, Sister Angel," they said in unison. "Good morning, ladies," Bobby said. They looked Bobby up and down, a blank look on
both of their faces, before nodding their heads in unison at him. While they waited near the doors for Drew and Janelle, Angel
reached for Bobby's hand. The 2 ladies gasped loudly. "Sister K, do you see this?" Sister Childers whispered loudly. "I sure do,
Sister C," Sister Kenney replied. She shook her head and grunted. "Hmmph! Gonna have to teach that gal she shouldn't be
consorting with the Devil!"
Bobby wondered if Angel had heard what those ladies had said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Angel press her lips together
and shake her head. He squeezed her hand; she squeezed back. Angel looked up at Bobby. He searched her face, seeing a little bit
of sadness in her eyes. He smiled at her and mouthed, "Don't worry." She smiled and squeezed his hand again. "Y'all ready to go
inside?" Janelle asked as she and Drew walked up. "Yeah," Angel said softly. Drew put his arm around Angel's shoulders and led her
inside. Janelle put her arm through Bobby's arm and walked him inside. "I wanna apologize for them flipping fuddy duddy old hens
back there," Janelle said to Bobby. "They don't like black folks and white folks mixing together. They won't even shake a white
person's hand." "You don't have to apologize for them," Bobby said. "That's their belief." "I know I don't, but I just want you to be
aware that not all of us are like them." He looked down at Janelle and smiled. He just realized that he got the official seal of approval
from Angel's best friend.
Sunday, August 20
Carmel Ridge, Frances Goren's room, 12:58 p.m.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Goren," the nurse, whose name tag read Cassie, whispered as Bobby walked into his mother's room. He had
stopped at the local florist on his way to Carmel Ridge after church service had ended. "Hi, Cassie," he whispered back. Frances
Goren was asleep, with her reading glasses hanging on the tip of her nose and a copy of the New York Times in her lap. The volume
of the TV set was low, tuned to the Home and Garden channel. Cassie finished scribbling on Frances' chart before exiting the room.
Bobby took the week old flowers out of the glass vase and threw them in the trash, replacing them with the fresh flowers he had just
bought. He pushed the curtains open a little bit more to allow more sunlight to come into the room.
Bobby went and stood at Frances' bedside. He looked down on her and smiled while stroking her hair. "I wish you could come to
the party, Ma" he thought. "You'd have a good time." Bobby sighed heavily. He knew it would be impossible for her to interact
with that many people without feeling like she was being talked about or saying something off the wall. He reached over and took off
her glasses, which caused her to stir. Frances looked up at him drowsily. "Bobby?" she said. "Hey, Ma," he said, kissing her
forehead.
Bobby placed Frances' eyeglasses on the table beside her, then dragged a chair over to sit in. Frances sat quietly and watched
Bobby sit down. She reached over and tugged at his tie. "You look unusually spiffy today," she said. "What's the occasion?" "I…I
went to church today with a friend." Frances blinked her eyes a couple of times. "You? Went to church?" She patted her heart as she
rocked back and forth. "Good Lord! I hope you didn't give Father Quinn a heart attack by showing up at his church today." Bobby
chuckled. "No, Ma. I didn't go to Father Quinn's church." She stopped rocking and narrowed her eyes at her son. "Where did you
go? A Protestant church?" she asked suspiciously. "I went to a Baptist church today."
Frances sniffed. "Hmmph. Well, as long you went to a church, I suppose it's okay." She leaned back and folded her arms across her
chest. "Who is this friend of yours, Bobby? What's her name?" Bobby tilted his head to the side. "What makes you think my friend is
a female, Mom?" Bobby asked. Frances shook her index finger at him before leaning forward to tug on his tie again. "I'm
schizophrenic, Bobby, not stupid." She pulled on his tie to make him lean towards her. "What's her name? It's not that Irene again, is
it?" Bobby put his hand around Frances' hand. Mostly to ease her tension, mainly to keep her from choking him. "It's not Irene, Ma,"
he said. She gave him a leery look before letting go of his tie and slipping her hand out from under his hand. Frances leaned back
against her pillows as Bobby leaned back in the chair. "I thought you liked Irene," he said. "Oh, please! Anyone who has a deadline
for when she expects a man to propose to her and issues an ultimatum when that deadline is not met is NOT a likable person."
"She's got a point," Bobby thought. "Angelica Pierson-St. John. That's my friend's name." "She divorced?" He shook his head.
"Widowed." "Oh." Bobby cleared his throat and said softly, "I'm gonna leave early today, Ma. Alex…Alex and her family are
throwing a birthday party for me later on this afternoon." Frances sat up straight. "What is today's date?" she asked. "August 20th."
She covered her mouth as she smiled, looking at Bobby. She uncovered her mouth and said quietly, "That's right. Today is my baby
boy's birthday." She reached out and squeezed Bobby's hand. "Happy birthday, Bobby." He smiled. "Thanks, Ma." She sighed. "I
didn't get you anything. I'm sorry, sweetheart." He shook his head as he held Frances' tiny hand in both of his. "That's okay. You
didn't have to get me anything."
Bobby was actually feeling very happy at this moment. The fact that his mother told him happy birthday was one of the best gifts he
could have received today. "Why don't we go down to the cafeteria and have some ice cream to celebrate?" he asked. Frances
nodded. She pushed the newspaper aside and got out of the bed. Bobby helped her put on her robe and slippers. Bobby and
Frances Goren walked out of her room, arm in arm, talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company.
Check out my profile to see what's coming up in the next chapter. Peace, love and hair grease. :o)