Chapter 11

Jason sat at the kitchen table beside Aja. In the center of the table was a covered Dutch oven, serving bowls and a basket covered with a cloth napkin. “We wait until Uncle O says grace before we touch anything,” Aja whispered to him.

“I know the protocol for Sunday dinner,” he whispered in reply.

Phyllis stepped in. “Jason -- would you like some iced tea?”

“Yes, please.”

From her refrigerator she took a large glass pitcher and filled a tall glass from it. “Aja?”

“Please, Auntie.”

Phyllis set a glass before Aja and then sat at the foot of the table. Oscar hobbled in supporting himself with his can and sat at the head. Daymon sat across from Jason and Aja.

Oscar folded his hands, bowed his head and closed his eyes. “Lord, we thank you for the blessing of this fine meal. Bless all those around this table. May the young folks grow and prosper and may us old folks live in peace and comfort until the day you come calling for us. Amen.”

“Amen,” the rest said in unison.

“Jason,” Phyllis said, “I hope you can find something here that appeals to you.”

“Are you kidding? It all appeals to me,” he replied.

She picked up the Dutch oven and removed the lid. “Jason, have you ever had ham hocks?”

“Of course I have. It’s been a few years.”

“May I serve you?”

“Please...” He looked at the dishes on the table. “Ham hocks with navy beans,” he remarked. “Collard and mustard greens in pot liquor ... grits ... mac and cheese ... skillet bread. It all looks wonderful, Phyllis.”

“The boy knows his soul food,” Oscar remarked.

Jason scooped some grits onto his plate and ate a forkful. “Hominy grits,” he remarked. “It’s been a while since I’ve had these.”

“How do you know so much about this food?” Phyllis asked.

“I grew up eating it. You see, my mom is Black.”

“You have a Black mama?” Oscar asked.

“Yes, I do.” He removed his phone from his pocket and manipulated the screen. “Here’s her picture.”

“She’s a handsome woman,” Phyllis remarked. “How did this come about?”

“Tell him the story you told me, Jason,” Aja said.

Jason related the story of his fostering and adoption.

“That’s a very touching tale,” Phyllis remarked. “like a phoenix rising from ashes. Your mama did a fine job raising you.”

“I had a strong father figure, also.” He brought up another photo. “This is my mom and dad shortly before he passed.”

“Your dad was white,” Phyllis said. “You said he’s no longer with us?”

“Yes, he passed away while I was in high school.”

“What did he die from?” Oscar asked.

“He came down with ALS -- Lou Gehrig’s disease.”

“Oh, what an awful way to go,” Oscar remarked. He looked at Jason and then at Aja. “So, your ... arrangement seems perfectly natural to you.”

“Perfectly natural,” Jason replied.

“I have never met anyone so truly color-blind as Jason,” Aja added. “From the beginning, he didn’t see me as a Black woman. He saw me as a woman. I confess it took some coaching from him before I saw him as a man, instead of a white man. But, once I saw him that way -- I knew I was head-over-heels in love with him.”

“I’m not blind to the fact that Aja is Black,” Jason said, “any more than I was blind to the fact that Bridgette ... she was a Swedish exchange student I dated in high school ... had blonde hair, blue eyes and spoke with an accent. It’s part of her makeup -- an important part. But, it doesn’t define her. I think it’s part of what makes her so beautiful, though.”

Oscar turned to Aja. “What is it you see in this boy?”

“Didn’t you hear what he said? Uncle O -- Jason accepts me unconditionally for who I am, not what I am. He shows me unconditional love. I feel good in his presence. He makes me happy. No other man I’ve known has done that for me.”

Oscar turned to Jason. “What do you see in her?”

“I see a beautiful, intelligent woman who possesses a talent in which I am in awe. She has a singing voice that could bring the angels down from Heaven to hear. The fact she could go from high school graduate to fully-licensed medical doctor in eight years is amazing to me. She has a sense of style that’s restrained and elegant but at the same time sensual. It’s an honor and a privilege to call her my friend, and my lover.”

Oscar glanced at Daymon who was holding a ham hock bone in his fingers to strip the last of the meat from it. “Daymon -- you have a knife and fork. Don’t use your fingers -- now they’re all greasy. Go wash your hands before you get grease on the tablecloth.”

“Yes, sir...” The boy stood and headed toward the back of the apartment.

Oscar regarded Aja and Jason. “So -- are you two sleeping together?”

Aja’s jaw dropped. “Uncle Oscar! That is an inappropriate question! Besides, whether or not, it’s our business and nobody else’s!”

Oscar looked at his sister. “They be sleeping together,” Phyllis remarked.

Aja’s uncle nodded and turned to Jason. “Exactly what are your intentions, son?”

“My intentions are to love and cherish Aja for as long as we’re together. I have never loved anyone as deeply as I love her. I just hope to God I don’t screw up and do something to drive her away.”

Daymon returned to the table and began scraping the ham hock with a knife and fork.

“Have you discussed marriage?” Phyllis asked.

“We haven’t talked about it,” Aja replied.

“I think we both know that’s where we’re headed,” Jason added. “We need to discover if we’re compatible, first.”

Oscar leaned across the table and extended his hand. Jason grasped it for a firm handshake. “Son -- you’re all right. You know, it’s going to be a tough row for you two to hoe, especially in some quarters. You’re both gonna need to grow thick skins.”

“We’re beginning to learn that,” Aja replied.

“Daymon -- could you pass the skillet bread?” Jason asked “Phyllis, this is all so good. The ham hocks must’ve slow cooked for hours. The meat just falls off of them.” He helped himself to some greens. “These are to die for, Phyllis.”

“Another thing about Jason,” Aja added, “is his tenacity. He told Uncle O that he chased me until I caught him. That’s about right. I know he’ll go to the mattresses...”

“Go to the mattresses,” Oscar mused. “I never quite knew what that term meant.”

“It’s from ‘The Godfather’,” Jason replied.

“I know that. It means, a bitter fight to the end. But where does it come from?”

“It’s mafia slang. Supposedly when there’s a gang war brewing, the dons will arrange to find apartments to use as safe houses. They’ll deliver mattresses to set on the floor for the gang soldiers to sleep upon.”

“Oh. Well, now I know.” Oscar turned to Aja. “What’s he going to the mattresses for?”

“Injustice,” Aja replied.

“Like this Hubbards business,” Jason added.

“What Hubbards business?” Phyllis asked.

“We had a profiling incident at Hubbards yesterday,” Jason explained.

“What were you doing there?”

“I needed some dress shirts and I asked Aja to help me pick some out. Aja did warn me that Hubbards profiles shoppers of color.”

“Oh, they do indeed,” Phyllis replied. “I won’t go there. I know when I am not welcome. What happened?”

“A couple security guards detained Aja and me, claiming she shoplifted a gold chain.”

“They took us to the basement where they have a room with cells,” Aja added. “They threatened us with arrest and even made an unauthorized charge on Jason’s Visa for the value of the chain we supposedly took. It wasn’t until Jason pointed out that the criminal on their video was not a Black woman that they let us go. We had a talk with the store manager and Jason ripped the guy a new one.”

“But, it isn’t over,” Jason said. “We are going to the mattresses on this one. I’m going to talk to an attorney.”

“Good luck with that,” Phyllis interjected. “You’re fighting a big company with deep pockets.”

“When they first detained me,” Aja said, “Jason had the presence of mind to set his cell phone into record mode. We have the entire exchange on tape.”

“And, the tape does not sound good for Hubbards,” Jason added.

“Good for you,” Oscar said. “That might be the club you need”

“I have heard others talk about similar treatment,” Phyllis sad.

“We figured this couldn’t have been an isolated case,” Jason replied. “We’re going to fight this. Were not accepting any settlement from them. In fact we’re thinking of using...”

Aja nudged Jason under the table with her knee. He glanced at her and she gave him a nearly imperceptible shake of her head.

“Using what?” Phyllis asked.

“The best attorneys we can find.”

“Well, good luck to you. You will need it.”

Jason pushed his plate back from the edge of the table. “That really was excellent, Phyllis. I haven’t had a dinner like that in a long time. A very long time.”

“I’m very pleased you enjoyed it. Your mama don’t cook any more?”

“She’s all by herself, now, and it doesn’t make sense to go through all the trouble. She lives a ways away and I don’t see her as often as I’d like.”

“Understood. Cooking is an act of love. You don’t do it for yourself, you do it for your loved ones to enjoy.”

“Give me a hand clearing the table,” Phyllis said.

“No, Auntie -- you go sit down and take a load off. Jason, Daymon and I will make short order of these dirty dishes.”

“We will?” Daymon asked.

“Think of it as a credit toward that radio station trip,” Jason replied.

“I’ll wash,” Aja said, “Jason can dry and Daymon can put away. Fair enough?”

Aja stood by the sink in an apron over her red dress. Jason stood beside her with a dish towel. “That was a good save at dinner,” Aja said to him under her breath. “I knew you were about to mention the law firm that got me my settlement.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking how that settlement is a sore point for your uncle. Over all I think things are going well.”

“Very well. I couldn’t be happier. After dinner, it’s our tradition to play cards.”

“Cards? What game?”