Today's Reading
Both Amy and Patience looked around for it before shaking their heads.
"Ugh! I think I left it at home." I shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Waiter." I raised my hand before he could pass us by. "Can I get one of those?" I pointed to Amy's chocolate martini and then gulped the last of my drink, looking forward to the sweet, strong cocktail to ward off the anxiety that fluttered in my chest because I didn't have my phone.
"Sure." He nodded politely.
"So. Are you going to find a new man in Charleston?" Patience asked.
"Nope! I'm going to focus on me," I declared.
Patience cocked her head to the side and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "But what if he has a cute brother for me?"
Laughter bubbled up from each of us, refusing to subside.
"Don't be selfish, Holly. I'm gonna need a husband someday. Who would I marry here?" Patience asked.
"Cousin Willie," Amy said, guffawing. I covered my mouth to keep the drink from spilling out.
"Exactly!" Patience pointed a finger at Amy, her shoulders bouncing as she cackled.
Through the rest of dinner, we imagined ourselves living bigger lives in metropolitan cities across the South.
"Charleston could just be my first stop," I said, prompting a new list of cities to explore.
It was after midnight when Amy dropped me back home. Martinis swam in my stomach, making me queasy. I dropped two tabs of Alka-Seltzer into a small glass of water and watched them fizz, then downed the contents in one long gulp. Instantly, a belch rumbled through my chest, erupting before I could get my hand to my mouth. "Excuse me," I said into the emptiness of my apartment.
My cell phone sat on the table near the door. I grabbed it on the way to my bedroom to undress.
Ma had left a message about a package I received from New York. I didn't know anyone from up North and wondered why it had gone to her house. Knowing she would be asleep, I waited until after my fitful night of alcohol-induced sleep to call her.
* * *
"Hello," Ma croaked early the next morning. She cleared the sleep from her throat and repeated her greeting.
"Hey, Ma. Sorry to wake you. Your message sounded important."
At the sound of rustling sheets, I imagined her propping herself up on her elbow.
"It's all right. A package came. It looks important. Come on over and get it."
"Okay. See you soon."
When I reached Ma's house, she was sitting at the small, round table in her neat little dining room, sipping on her favorite tea. Steam swirled above the mug. The aroma wafted through the small room.
"Hey!" I greeted her, kissing her cheek and reaching for the priority envelope on the table.
Ma watched me over the rim of her cup. The curiosity behind her eyes made me rip the package open faster, revealing official-looking documents. The contents proclaimed that I was the next of kin and sole heir to the estate of a woman I'd never met.
My heart didn't know whether to beat faster or stop completely. Mindlessly, I circled Ma's oak coffee table, reading slowly, zeroing in on the words that requested my presence at a law office in New York in less than two weeks. I'd wanted to embark on a journey of self-discovery and was getting what I'd asked for. It came in the form of legal documents and an unexpected trip to New York.
"Deep breaths," I reminded myself in a whisper. I closed my eyes. Counting, I willed my breathing to regulate itself. Ma watched me, her expression unreadable. I expected questions but she didn't ask any. Had she somehow known what was in the envelope?
Goldie Mae Williamson. I breathed the name listed in the documents, trying it on my tongue. The papers said she was my maternal great-aunt—my grandmother's sister. Tracing the letters of her name with my fingers was the only way to feel her. I had a biological family member. A living one—until two weeks ago.
I guess I was going to New York.
...
