Part 91
The next day, Suki got up early. She got the large Texas toast bread she had bought the day before down from the top of the fridge and a cutting board. She also took two blocks of cream cheese and two tubs of strawberries out of the fridge. She put the cream cheese and a cup of powdered sugar in the standing mixer bowl and set it to slowly churning before cutting up the strawberries. One tub went into a pot with a half a cup of sugar which was put on a burner set to medium-low heat. The rest was gently mixed into the cream cheese mixture with a teaspoon of vanilla and cake batter extracts.
She sliced the Texas toast in half and put the mixture into between the two pieces, placing each into a shallow baking pan. She did for this whole package and began beating two eggs with milk and cinnamon. She poured the mixture over the sandwiches. Giving the sandwiches time to soak, she pulled the largest cast iron skillet from its shelf and put it on the stove with some butter and turned on the burner. A pound of turkey sausage went into another skillet. Soon the kitchen was overtaken by the tantalizing aroma of spicy turkey filled the room.
Marcus soon joined her in the kitchen. "Good morning. Can I help with anything?" He asked softly. They hadn't talked much since their argument.
"You could set the table, if you wanted," she replied. "We're leaving as soon as we're done with breakfast. Nooshy wants to go too."
He nodded. "How long will you be gone?"
"I'd say we should be back no later than 4," she promised. "The longest part will be the paperwork and talking to the board about her plans to sell."
"I still don't think she should have to go to the party. She was against a party for a reason," he reminded her. "Don't make her stay for that."
"It's okay, Big Daddy," Porsha said while she and Nooshy came downstairs. "Nooshy hasn't been to a real birthday party before. We won't stay long."
Marcus sighed. "Happy Birthday, Porsha. Are you sure? I'm worried it might be too much. If you feel uncomfortable at all, just say so and get out of there."
She nodded. "I will, Big Daddy. Oh, I hope it's okay but I invited a classmate to dinner tonight."
The gorilla chuckled. "Of course it's okay. You can invite whoever you want. It's your birthday. There's plenty of food planned. Who are they?"
"Glenn Coleman, his dad owns Coleman's Hardware store," Porsha said. "He's in my home room and we have the period before and after lunch together."
Nooshy nodded. "And they eat lunch together too where she pretends he's not flirting with her," she teased her.
Marcus looked at Porsha's reddened face. "Flirting with you?"
Porsha shook her head. "He's just being nice. He helps carry my bag and my lunch tray. He helps me with my homework and he listens to me. He was adopted too so… he understands." She blushed and sat down while Suki served breakfast. "Ooo, thanks Big Mama, this is great!"
Suki smiled. "Alphonso gave me the recipe. And taught me how to make it. He should really have a storefront. His cooking is great. He would be able to serve a lot more people."
The wolf ate. "Well, I'll need to do something with, you know, everything. Maybe I could talk to him about… you know… working together to make that happen…"
"Partnering? That wouldn't be a bad idea. But school is more important if it gets in the way," the Saluki reminded her.
Marcus nodded. "I agree. Do you want me to go with you? I can ask if anyone can look after Luke and Rosamund."
She shook her head. "Someone needs to be here when Rosita and Meena get here." They had promised to help with cooking while they were gone so they could all eat as soon as they got back. She finished her breakfast.
"Don't worry, Big Daddy. I'll look after her and Big Mama for ya," Nooshy promised. She jumped up when a pair of cries echoed from the nursery. She grabbed two bottles and put them in the warmers.
Marcus laughed. Nooshy wasn't necessarily a baby person but these were her new siblings. She was eager to be a good big sister.
He took the bottles and went into the nursery. She was cuddling Rosamund. "You do that very well."
Nooshy hugged the baby close. "Thanks, Big Daddy. I love them so much."
"I'm glad for that. Is Porsha really okay with this?" He asked her. "Tell me the truth."
Nooshy sighed. "She doesn't want the party but she also knows it's the last one that he planned for her. She's worried she'll regret not going. I'll keep them safe." She promised again.
He nodded. That made sense. He was just worrying over nothing. "Well, I don't trust these people not to try and make her stay. So if there's any sign at all, you text me."
The lynx nodded. She didn't trust this board either but Porsha had to go anyway. "I promise, Big Daddy."
Marcus went back out. Porsha was gone, probably to get ready to leave. "Su, please, don't let the board try and bully her into anything."
Suki sighed. "Don't you trust me to be her mom, Marcus? Of course, I'm not going to let them bully her."
"Except for attending a party she never asked for or wanted," he reminded her.
"She wants to go now, Marcus. We won't stay for very long at all," she kissed his cheek.
The gorilla said nothing more on the subject. He just hoped this wasn't a mistake.
Shortly after, they headed out the door. Marcus kissed Suki goodbye but Porsha and Nooshy could tell he was still cold.
On the way out, Porsha hugged him. "Please, don't be mad at Big Mama. I'm sorry for being so selfish."
Marcus hugged her back. "I'm not mad. I'm just over protective. Parents and families have disagreements. Try and have fun but again, don't hesitate to just leave and come home if that's what you want."
She nodded. "Thank you." She hugged him once more. Somehow, his reassurance that she could leave if she wanted gave her the strength to go. She felt stronger with him as her father. She felt so guilty for thinking that. Her dad did his best. He tried. He was only trying to keep her safe and happy too. Big Daddy just did that in a different way. She was so torn. Big Daddy was a great father. He did everything she wished her daddy had done for her. But she knew her daddy tried. She was a Green now but she wanted to be a Crystal too. Especially since she was the last one.
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At the hardware store of the corner of 3rd and Oceanside, Glenn was bagging up an order. "Thanks for coming." He said. "Hey, Dad, do you mind if I get off early this morning? I need to go shopping for a birthday gift."
A middle-aged staffordshire terrier looked at him. "A birthday gift for who?"
"You know that girl I told you about? Porsha Green? Today's her birthday and she invited me to her house. Don't worry, her whole family will be there," he reassured his father.
He chuckled. "Ahhhh, do you know what you're going to get her?"
Glenn shook his head. "No, but I want to get her something nice. She's so pretty, Dad. And she can sing and act. She's with the New Moon theater."
Mr. Coleman smiled. "She sounds very nice, sport. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
The German shepherd nodded. "Thanks, Dad." He hurried out, running in the direction of the mall.
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Two hours later, the Crystal helicopter landed on top of the grand headquarters. Olivia was waiting for her. "Porsha, sweetheart, welcome home!" She held out her arms for a hug. A hug that didn't come.
"Hey, Aunt Livi. This is my sister, Nooshy. Can we get this over with so we can get out of here, please?" Porsha tried to channel her father's commanding demeanor.
Nooshy couldn't help feeling the awe as the strange wolf led them through the halls. "We've already redecorated the office for you. We know you'll love it."
Porsha froze. "You what? I didn't ask you to redecorate."
"I know. It's the board's birthday present to you, sweetheart. You know how much we adore you. We can't wait for you to be our boss," she proclaimed.
Before Porsha could correct her, they reached the office. Her mouth fell when she saw that all of her father's things were gone. The gold was gone, replaced with wallpaper in her favorite shades of pink and a lurid purple carpet. The desk was a rich mahogany with a purple velvet chair.
"What? What did you do? Where… where are my dad's things?" She asked.
Olivia shook her head. "It's okay, sweetie, we threw all of his junk away. His taste was so gaudy anyway."
"Threw it away? But that stuff was his! It was mine! It wasn't…." She began to hyperventilate.
Olivia looked perplexed. "It was only things, Porsha and they were tacky and ugly." The wolf teen began to cry. "Oh come now, don't be so silly and selfish over some knick-knacks. I took special care to make sure I got your favorite things. Look, even porcelain unicorns." She showed Porsha the trinkets.
Porsha began to shake. "But why didn't you save his things! Those are all him! They're all I have left! Those paintings were of him! The statues too! They were him!" She screamed. She sat on the new purple asymmetrical couch and sobbed.
Suki went to her side and hugged her. "It's okay, sweetie. You still have the things at the mansion, right?" She asked Livi.
"Of course. We were going to do that next though," Olivia confessed.
"No!" Nooshy snapped. "You won't do her house next. She doesn't want you to."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "I don't take orders from you, dear. This company belongs to the Crystals and you are not a Crystal."
"Yes, she is!" Porsha growled. "She's my sister and that makes her a Crystal too. And you will not talk to her that way. I will not take over this company either. I'm selling it as soon as Out of this World's contract runs out. And she's right. You and the board had better not touch my house! Now, where's the paperwork I need to sign so we can check out the party and leave?"
Olivia shrugged and pulled out the paperwork. "You don't really mean that, right?" She asked. "You wouldn't sell the company your father worked so hard to build, would you?"
"I don't want it. I don't want the stress and anxiety that he lived with every single day," she explained.
The other wolf shook her head. "Then simply appoint a CEO and a chairman and let them run it. I could do it. I've been your CFO for many years now. I know how the company runs."
Porsha shook her head right back. "I really just want it gone."
"Porsha, listen to yourself. You can't just think of yourself anymore," Olivia scolded her. "You're 18 now. You're an adult. You have responsibilities. If you sell, almost all of us, including the lower employees might lose their jobs in the hand-off. Many of our employees are single parents. You wouldn't want to make a single parent jobless, would you?"
The young woman shook her head, looking down at the paperwork. "No, I wouldn't want that. I… I… just…" She began breathing fast again as she struggled to sign. A white hand covered hers. She looked up at Nooshy. "I don't know what to do…"
"I do. Ignore her and sign the paperwork," Nooshy told her. "You! Stop trying to bully her. The company is here. And she can sell it if she wants to."
Suki watched Nooshy come to Porsha's rescue and remembered Marcus pleading with her. Was he right? Was she doing Porsha wrong?
Porsha smiled gratefully at Nooshy. "It says I can name up to four others to share the inheritance." She looked at Suki, who nodded. "Johnny probably wouldn't let me but… Neo, Luke, Rosamund and… Nooshy."
The lynx shook her head. "Oh no, sis. You don't have to name me." That kind of money would be life changing but she couldn't accept.
"Nooshy, look at this number, and this is before I sell," Porsha pointed at the sum. "This is just the liquid assets. It's way too much for just me. Please, let me share it." She wasn't going to give her the option to refuse.
Olivia nodded. "They wouldn't be able to accept the funds until they turn 18, of course. Who are these people?"
Suki laughed. "Oh, I didn't tell you. Porsha has two new siblings, a baby brother and sister. And a nephew, adopted by her older brother Johnny and his husband."
"Congratulations, Suki. I didn't know you'd had your twins," Livi replied. She took the stack of papers as Porsha signed each spot. "Alright, who's ready for some birthday party fun. Oh, The Bros from Down Under couldn't make it. Apparently their plane was grounded by a storm."
Porsha looked outside and realized the sky was getting cloudy. "That's alright but let's hurry. I think a storm is brewing here too."
Quickly, they went to the hotel across the street where a large feast was waiting with a huge 30 layer cake. The guests all clapped when she entered.
Nooshy whistled at the ostentatious presentation. "When your daddy threw a party he didn't mess around."
The wolf shook her head. "Nope. Let's just say hi to a few people and go. I don't want to end up stuck here if it starts to storm."
"Oh don't worry," Suki reassured her. "The weather app says it's just supposed to get cloudy but not storm."
"You have to at least open your presents," Olivia begged. "Wait until you see what your father got you this year." She pulled the reluctant heiress to the center of the room. "Porsha, it is a terrible thing that your father is not able to be here to see you enter adulthood, leaving your teenaged days in the past but he would be so proud to see how far you've come. And he'd be glad to see you take over the company."
Porsha expected something horribly huge. Instead Olivia handed her a box. Opening it, she pulled out a beautiful snow globe on a sapphire blue base with a sculpture of her father, mother and her. A card sat beside it. "To my beloved daughter. You're 18 now and I'm so surprised at how fast the years flew by. You're no longer my baby. You're a grown woman and you make me proud every day. Happy Birthday - Love, Daddy." She found a small key on the side of the base and turned it a few times. A gentle melody began to play. "It's our lullaby. He sang it to me every night. 'Lullaby, calm and sweet. Let it fill you with gentle peace. Close your eyes, drift away. In your dreams, you'll find your way.'" She had to lean into Nooshy as she wept.
"Okay, Olivia," Suki said. "I think that's enough now. Let's cut the cake so we can go."
She sighed. "Fine." They went to the cake. The lights were turned down while 18 candles were lit. She led the room in singing Happy Birthday.
Porsha leaned over to blow out the candles. Just in time for a flash of lightning to streak across the sky and thunder roared. And the power went out.
AN: Cliffhanger. Uh oh, a storm has in fact hit Redshore City. Will the storm clear in time for Porsha to make it back? Review please.
