Suzetta Perkins - Déjà Vu

Eager to have the business before them completed, Aunt Louise pulled aside the assistant who had helped them make the arrangements. Angelica asked if she could speak with the assistant alone-well, with Edward and Jefferson but minus Aunt Louise. She wanted to get all of the expenses she was going to pay for straight from the horse’s mouth. No hidden agendas were going to get by her.

Aunt Louise huffed and left the room but stood outside, hoping to catch any discrepancies that went against what she had already planned. When the trio filed out, followed by the assistant, Aunt Louise gazed into each person’s eyes, hunting for clues that the funeral wouldn’t go on as planned. Seeing none, she relaxed, following alongside the group. Before they rejoined the rest, Aunt Louise turned and grabbed Angelica’s hand.

“Is everything all right?”

“You darned near depleted his life insurance policy with all of this unnecessary stuff, but since this is what you want, it is done.”

Aunt Louise relaxed. “Good. I’m sure Hamilton had some other assets that should go to the family.”

“I don’t know about that, Aunt Louise. If there are any, they’ll probably be tied up in probate-that is, if he didn’t have a will. Now, I would like to have a look at the obituary, if you don’t mind. After spending all that money, I’d like to know that my name appears somewhere on the program. Also, who will be sitting in the five limos you ordered?”

“For sure, you and your brother will have a spot. I don’t know about that other gentleman. I’ll get the program for you.”

Angelica grinned. I guess she let Aunt Louise know that she wasn’t in charge of her. “Thank you, Aunt Louise, and you don’t have to worry about Jefferson needing a space in the car.”

Aunt Louise looked back at Angelica and gave her a shifty-eyed grin before mumbling something that Angelica could not hear. Within minutes, Aunt Louise returned with the program, which Angelica took and read in its entirety. Pleased to see her name, even if it was at the bottom bunched up with “and a host of other relatives,” she smiled.

“One last thing, Aunt Louise.”

Aunt Louise gave Angelica a We’ve got what we needed from you, and now you can leave look, and stood tall in all of her five-foot-four glory. “And that would be?”

“I would like to purchase the flowers that will rest on Hamilton’s casket,” Angelica said very tactfully.

“No, honey, that has been reserved for the family. The family spray was one of the items listed for the service.”

“But who’s going to pay for it?” Angelica asked.

“It was on the list, and it should have been paid for when you took care of everything.”

“Well, Aunt Louise, I took it off. I felt that, with all the money you were spending, or should I say Hamilton was spending on himself, I deserved to give my ex a little something. Can’t take my name off the obituary; I’ve already approved it to go to press.”

“I’ll be!” Aunt Louise shouted. “No wonder Hamilton divorced your behind. Such a contrary spirit.”

Angelica laughed. It was infectious and Edward and Jefferson joined her.

“I guess we’re through here?” Edward asked.

“Yes, and I won’t be going to the wake tomorrow,” Angelica offered.

“Fine by me.”

“Look, I’m going to get home since you don’t need me,” Jefferson said.

“Maybe we can all go out and get something to drink,” Angelica said. “We can celebrate Hamilton’s life our way.”

“No,” Jefferson said. “I promised Margo I’d come right home. We have dinner planned. Angelica, you ought to stop by and see Margo before you leave.”

Angelica was caught by surprise. She knew that Jefferson didn’t mean it any more than she believed man had landed on the moon, regardless of what NASA claimed though their scientists had a record number of pictures to back it up. If Margo wanted to see Angelica, she could have come to the funeral home with Jefferson.

“We’ll see,” she lied. “When was the last time you talked with Malik?”

“Gotta go,” Jefferson said, not offering any further explanation. He shook Angelica and Edward’s hands and left the way he came.

Angelica watched Jefferson’s back disappear into the parking lot with her mouth hanging open. “I think I hit a nerve, Edward.”

The telephone call from Malik left Margo disturbed. Unable to rest, she got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, half expecting the devil to be waiting for her. Seeing her own reflection, she grabbed the sides of her head and shook it, as if to erase the accusation of infidelity her image rendered.

“Get yourself together, Margo,” she said to herself out loud.

She found the blow dryer and dried her hair, after which she massaged her body with scented lotion. It seemed to revitalize her to the point that she decided to fix dinner for Jefferson. Not sure how long Jefferson would be, she hurriedly put on a pair of jeans and a tank top and then went to the kitchen and put on her little maid’s apron.

Lying in the refrigerator were a couple of salmon steaks she had planned to cook yesterday but had gotten home too late to do so. She would grill them and fix some garlic mashed potatoes to accompany them. Opening the refrigerator again, she reached in the vegetable compartment and pulled out a head of romaine lettuce. She grabbed four eggs and quickly put them on the stove to boil. One small tomato Margo planned to use for something else found its way under the rinse water and then was sliced for the salad. Crème Brûlée would be their dessert, if she had enough left from when she had made it a couple of days ago.

With the salmon broiling and the eggs on boil, Margo rushed to find one of her best linen tablecloths, which she placed on the dining room table. Next, she pulled out a few pieces of her Noritake china and set places for two. Rounding out the setting was her best crystal stemware, used only during special dinners. She opened the blinds that hid the floor-to-ceiling beveled windows that stretched the full length of the dining room and, pleased with the way the room looked, she closed the French doors so that she could surprise Jefferson when he came home.

In half an hour, all was ready. Not expecting Jefferson anytime soon, she was surprised when the front door opened. Jefferson was toting bags that he struggled to carry since he wasn’t using his walker. His nose sniffed as he moved closer to the kitchen and then he let out a smile when he saw Margo in her maid’s apron.

“What have you done, woman? I’m supposed to be cooking dinner for you, not the other way around.”

Margo looked at the clock. “You weren’t gone long. I was going to jump into something other than my jeans.”

“You’re fabulous as you are. Would you mind helping me with these grocery bags? I think I’ve been on my legs too long today. I’ve got a real bad ache.”

Margo took the bags and peeked inside them. “You were going to fix me filet mignon? We can save my meal for tomorrow.”

“No, I’ll save mine for tomorrow. It smells good now, and I’m famished.”

Jefferson watched Margo as she scurried around in the kitchen and then carried dinner into the dining room. Her attitude had changed drastically, and he wasn’t sure why, although he wasn’t going to complain. Something must have happened between her and Malik. He’d find out soon enough; he was glad to have his wife back.

When invited to do so, Jefferson followed Margo into the dining room. His face lit up upon seeing Margo’s good china and crystal set out for the two of them. He put his arm around her shoulders and fought back tears.