Married to the Struggle
By La Toya Hankins
“You owe me fifty dollars,” Faith said before taking a sip of wine. She and her future sister-in-law were spending part of a sweltering Thursday afternoon among an abundance of silk, satins, taffetas, and other materials not suitable for daily life. The two had put their lives on hold to gather in a Durham bridal salon to day drink and give their opinions. For the past thirty minutes, they had shared work woes, family achievements, and agreed about how this had to be the hottest summer they could remember. After those conversation streams dried up, Faith decided it was the perfect time to bring up a two-year-old bet about two former Wake County jail inmates.
“They aren’t married yet, so forgive me if I’m not ready to part with my hard-earned mo
