MAHALIA'S DILEMMA. (BWWM)

Manicured protected lands with equally manicured driveways with huge estates tuckered away behind those manicured lands, were all Mahalia Osborne could see as she drove through Chesterfield's residential area. She never thought she'd seen this town again especially after she packed up and left ten years ago, the minute her scholarship came through. It felt and looked just the way she left it—she still hated it. Chesterfield was home to millionaires and billionaire's, not to a orphan who didn't have a penny to her name, and was back here after ten years because her plan to make it was a bust and now she was without a job or a home. Her Toyota Prius groaned and she groaned along with it, hitting her head against her steering wheel. Pull yourself together, Mahalia. Or you and your car are probably going to get tossed out of the private neighborhood. The familiar path came into view. And she took a left turn and meandered through a stone lane private drive with tall trees she couldn't identify and then she was at the tall spikey spacey pole gates. “Well,well, well.” A voice said from the small security post, like in action movies, but Mahalia knew it had a kitchenette, a room and en-suite bathroom. Mahalia smiled at Dwayne Harpers who looked like he hadn't aged a day in ten years. But from chats with her great-aunt Sally Anne Osborne, Mahalia knew Dwayne would be seventy one in three days. He opened the gates with a button in his control room and let her drive through, still grinning at her, “The prodigal great-niece has finally returned.” “Hi, Mr Dwayne,” Mahalia said lowering her windows. Dwayne rolled his big shoulders and his big brown eyes too, “Girl you better get out of that car and come give me a hug” Mahalia did as ordered, making sure her car didn't lock her out as she wedged her hip against it and gave the huge brown skin teddy bear a hug, making her eyes water. It'd been so long that she'd been hugged, and all the emotions she'd held bottled up, hit her in full force and then she couldn't stop the crying. Dwayne felt her pain, even though he had no idea what was going on with her, he made soothing noises, rubbed her back and he did so until she was calm. “Go on in before Sally Anne has my head for dinner for withholding you here,” Dwayne said, with a laugh in his voice. Mahalia parked her car in the guest spot under a huge tent like canopy and she sat in her car for three minutes making sure she didn't look like a roadkill and when she was satisfied she locked her car, then began the treacherous walk to the main house, Dwayne's words ringing in her ears. ‘The prodigal great-niece’. She was a prodigal great-niece, she left her great-aunt who was the only family she had for ten years, without even a visit for the holidays seasons and now here she was, with what little she could take with her off those ten years stacked in boxes in the trunk and backseat of her car, for an uncertain stay in Chesterfield. The main house came into view and she gave a resigned sigh. A week ago she was starting at her negative bank balance and her eviction notice, and she was already scheming a way to try again, a way to get back on her feet but Mahalia knew she was beat. You couldn't try again without a cent in your account and definitely not on the streets with the clothes on your back and then she knew she only had one choice, if she was going to make it in life she needed to first get on her feet and where else to get on her feet than in Chesterfield. She looked at the large manor sited on the highest knoll, then smiled to herself. She used to enjoy sneaking to the back porch and watching the harbor and starry skies when she was a kid and now she could hear the running waters and she felt a sense of peace without even having to see it. “You sure took your sweet time getting down here young lady” Sally Anne Osborne said with her arm propped on her ample midriff area. Mahalia Osborne smiled softly at the chiding tone in Sally Anne Osborne's voice, but turning to give her great-aunt a hug, she was lost in the beautiful smile. At sixty four Sally Anne Osborne looked just how she looked ten years ago, still bubbly and as beautiful as ever. Chestnut colored round eyes, a shade lighter than her golden chocolate skin, her once black hair was now mostly gray and still worn in a bun at the nape of her neck. At moments glance it looked like, Sally Anne Osborne—younger sister of her late grand father— didn't age a day in those ten years her great-niece had packed up and left town but as Mahalia gave her a hug, she felt Sally Anne's age. “Oh, my stars” Sally Anne said shaking Mahalia from side to side like she didn't weigh almost two hundred pounds. “Look how much you've changed” “Auntie, you're strangling me” Mahalia managed to get out but that didn't deter Sally Anne. “Hush up child” Sally Anne chided,but she loosened her grip, some. “Did you lose weight, Mahalia?” Letting go she took Mahalia by the shoulders, turning her around every each way. “Girl, you did lose weight. Come on in the kitchen I have a pitcher of your favorite iced tea and some red velvet cake from the new fancy bakery down in bay avenue” Leading her into the kitchen through the side door and the mudroom, Mahalia saw that little had been changed in the kitchen too—only new appliances and new mental institution white type tiles — but the security camera mounted up high on the wall was new. “A new cook tried to poison Elvira four years ago” Her aunt said when she noticed her staring at the wall. “That's terrible. But don't you run everything about cooking?” Mahalia asked sitting at the newly installed stainless breakfast bar with a glass of the cool refreshing iced tea her auntie poured her. Sally Anne smiled wiping her hands on her flower apron. “I was in the hospital that month” Mahalia stared at her half full glass,guilt eating her up. Her great-aunt had given a home after her own father had died in a hit-and-run when she twelve and even before that, her aunt had always been there for her. “I'm so sorry for being...... Well for being me, auntie” Mahalia said with tears in her eyes. Sally Anne gave her niece a big hug, not ever being able to be mad at her favorite great-niece—her only great-niece—and she understood exactly why Mahalia had hitched town the minute she did. “Aww, this is cute” A sexy voice said from the glass sliding door leading to the huge patio area with views of the expansive lawns,that had walking paths leading to the guest house and the pool house. Elvira Watterson the matriarch of the Watterson family floated into the expansive kitchen, filling it with her glowy presence. At forty four, it felt like she didn't age a bit in the last ten year, her kimono robe floated untied on her lithe slender bikini clad body. “Oh my goodness.” She said with a little jump, giggle and a clap of her hand. “It's little miss Maha-Mahalia Osborne” Mahalia shared a look with her great-aunt, who was shaking her head and walking towards Elvira Watterson—wife of Grant Watterson , daughter of the owner of Chic Gal Stores and mother to three children. She looked drunk, and when Sally Anne helped her to the bar seat next to her, Mahalia could smell the cognac on her breath as she wrapped her arms around Mahalia's shoulders, hiccuping and slurring her words. “You don't look like the pouty, chubby cheeked abrasive preteen, you once were” Elvira said,with a huge hiccup and burp. “Oh, Elvira” Her auntie cried, handing a cold glass of water. “It's just eleven in the morning” “No. No. No, miss Sally” Elvira groaned hitting her head against the stainless countertop and into a fit of tears. Mahalia looked shocked but her auntie was unperturbed, pulling Elvira to her feet she marched through the pocket doors leading to the spiral staircase and was marching Elvira up the stairs, probably to her bedroom all the while offering soothing words, just like Dwayne had offered Mahalia earlier. It felt like meltdowns were order of the day. Seating patiently and waiting for her auntie to come back, Mahalia sipped her now lukewarm iced tea, enjoying the cool air conditioner and the scent of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, she felt like how she used to when she'd be helping her auntie prep ingredients, watching her cook and being the taste sous-chef. “What's got you smiling like that, lil missy?” Sally Anne asked with a smile of her own from the entryway. Mahalia chuckled, “Just memories, ma” Sobering up,she nodded her head questioningly at the pocket doors where her auntie had stowed Mrs Watterson away. “Affairs of the heart sweetie” Was Sally Anne simple answer. “So you want me to prepare a room in the help's quarter or....” Shaking her head, she stood up. “I'm going to grandma's lake house” Sally Anne pouted, but dipped her hand into her apron's pocket and provided her with a golden key. “I cleaned it up and when I'm done here, I'll come see you” ****** Grant Watterson worked quietly on his laptop in the backseat of his moving car that was heading home. Work was all he could do recently, and all that matters to him other than making sure his children were happy. His car came to a skidding halt, violently throwing him against the seat. “What the f*ck, Hayes?” Jude Hayes stuttered but it was cut short by a knock on the window of the driver's seat. “I am so sorry.” A female voice said from outside the vehicle. Grant Watterson stepped out if the car ready to give whoever had tried making them crash but stopped dead in his tracks. Chestnut colored eyes, two shades lighter than her caramel chocolate tanned skin, clad in a black cotton leggings, running shoes,a t-shirt four times her actual size and her black curly hair in a messy updo on her head. She fluttered her eyebrows in shock and in her eyes you could see a bit of anger, but she masked it all and gave a weary little smile—showing the little gap in her upper canines—it normally wasn't a beauty mark or approval but on her it was classic and beautiful. Straightening she stuffed her hand into the t-shirt which turned out to be a sleeveless hoodie. “Mr Watterson, I am so sorry about this” She pointed to her excuse for a car that was bumping his hood and probably going to leave a mark on his favorite Mercedes Benz. Grant Watterson cleared his throat, stuffing his own hands into the pocket of his Levi's jeans, taking a defensive stance. “Mahalia Osborne, I'm guessing you're here to see your auntie” He noticed the shock in her eyes when he said her name, and he could see it being masked quickly with another smile—this time close-mouthed. “Yes, I was just leaving.” She mouthed ‘sorry’ to Jude, and then fixed those exotic upturned eyes at him. Grant wanted to believe this was the same abrasive mannered teen that used to sneak to the back porch and sit by the harbor just watching the sunset and the stars. The same chubby teenager whose eyes he was certain, that they used to follow his every movement. But now she wasn't that chubby teenager anymore, she looked toned with a banging figure being hidden behind that ridiculously huge hoodie. Shaking his head,he tried to give her a smile of his own but was sure it came as a grimace. “I'm sure miss Sally Anne is happy that you're back now” She nodded and he did too, pulling up his sweater over his muscles—a movement her eyes followed but was quickly averted back to his face. “Welcome back to town, lil miss Mahalia” And with that he climbed back into his car, Jude pulling out of the way to give her car space to enter the road. She did just that and gave a honk of appreciation before speeding away. Jude pulled into the meanderings drive and was watching his boss who had a little smirk on his lips that seemed to grow by the second and he had a feeling he was going to be seeing more of Mahalia Osborne. ****** Don't forget to vote, comment and share.