Free Every Woman Needs a Wife by Naleighna Kai

over the pasta salads, watercress sandwiches, beef Stroganoff, and scones, then scooped up a few spoonfuls of peach cobbler.
    “You sure you’re not Black?” Brandi asked, chuckling deeply as she noticed all the food landing on the woman’s plate.
    A wide grin lit up Tanya’s face. “Shake anyone’s family tree hard enough, there’ll be a few dark leaves that fall out. Same goes the other way around.”
    Brandi watched her mother and William still going at it. “People are gonna trip. Are you gonna be okay with this?”
    “Did you see the look on Vernon’s face?”
    Brandi shook her head. “I was too busy watching Daddy Dearest have a conniption.”
    “Yeah, he did seem overbearing when I met him last month.”
    Brandi’s eyes narrowed at the man. “His father knew?”
    Tanya nodded. “So did those two meatheads standing over there.” Brandi followed her gaze to Craig and Jeremy. “The only people who weren’t in on the full deal were me and you.”
    “Wait until I tell Lissette and Alanna. They’re gonna kill them!”
    Tanya took a hearty bite of corn bread. “If you had seen Vernon clamp down and bite his tongue, you’d realize that you’re getting more mileage out of this than simply shock value.” She held up her plate. “Hey, no turnips?”
    Brandi shook her head absently, looking at the people gathered around a somewhat repentant Vernon, relishing her moment of victory. “I would never have expected to find you at my front door.”
    “And I would never have expected you to take him down like you did earlier.” She grinned, making her even more beautiful. “A woman that can think on her feet like that is definitely the type of person I could learn from.”
    Brandi paused a minute to take that in. “Well, gotta make the rounds,” she said with a weary sigh. “You hold up your end of the house and I’ll hold up mine.”
    “Nice spread,” Tanya called after her.
    Brandi whirled back, saying, “Not as nice as yours.”
    “Touché,” she said, balancing her overflowing plate to reach into her pocket. “Here’s the key to my—his—um—your house.”
    Brandi looked at the little cold silver key that Tanya dropped in the palm of her hand and smiled. “On second thought… Tanya, I need you to make a phone call.” Then she leaned over, whispering a set of instructions.
    Tanya paused for a second or two, listening attentively, then laughed, plate still in hand, and headed to the phone to carry out the plan—given to her by her new “husband.”
    “Honey, you’ve had too much to drink.”
    Brandi turned, taking in the wonderfully warm and gentle face of her mother. “That’s not it, Mama. I’ve only had one. Two, counting the one I had at Tanya’s earlier. This is something that needed to be done.”
    “Baby, I know you’re angry, but this isn’t the way.” In a warm flash, the normal expressive lines returned to Mama’s oval-shaped face. The mocha skin had only a few wrinkles to show her age, her pink-and-brown pantsuit gave her the appearance of being younger than her sixty-five years. Her wide, bright smile and warm eyes were the things that most pulled people to her. “Having that white woman in your house with your husband and your kids is not the way.”
    Donny, with one headphone to his ear, eased the crowd into a moderate rhythm, but occasionally glanced over at his mother and sister.
    “No, Mama, it’s a new day and I’m making sure that the rules suit me,” Brandi said, with a trace of a sad smile. “He didn’t consult me about bringing her into our marriage, but it affects my life, my children, and my money. So why not do it this way?” Dancers had made their way back to the center floor. “Now he can’t hide anymore and I get something out of the deal.”
    Donny eased up beside Brandi, whispering, “You want me to beat his ass?” The short, medium-built man eyed Vernon warily. “You know I’ll beat his ass for ya.”
    Mama reached around Brandi and