Free Playing Hard To Get by Grace Octavia Page B

practicing it for years. Ava was in tears, smiling and shaking her head in awe at Charleston’s well wishes before she returned to her mirror for a lip-gloss retouch. This was everything she’d always wanted, and she had the face in the mirror to thank for it all. She was never going back to Memphis, not ever.
    “So, what about you guys?” Nathaniel asked, putting his arm around Ava like they’d been married for twenty years. “When are you two going to get married?”
    Charleston’s eyes narrowed on his friend. Nathaniel knew better than to do that. It was against every man code they’d ever learned. Even mentioning the idea of marriage to another man’s woman was grounds for dismissal. But Charleston knew what his old friend was up to. It was simple. If Nathaniel was going to take the chain and walk into the boneyard, he didn’t want to do it alone. He wanted to take Charleston with him.
    “Married? You know I don’t believe in that. It just doesn’t work today. It can’t…I mean, not for me,” Charleston said to burn Nathaniel’s bridge. Really, he knew it was coming. He’d been a player for a long time, but it couldn’t last much longer or he would risk being labeled gay or gauche.
    “Ah, you know what they say—a man isn’t taken seriously until he’s married,” Nathaniel said. “You have to do it to stay on the right side of that staircase. Or people will start to question you.” He held out his hand all limp to imitate a stereotypical gay gesture.
    “Please. No one will question my manhood. If they even think they should, they need only ask their wives how I’m rolling.” Charleston gave a stiff punch toward the center of the table and he and Nathaniel laughed.
    “Really?” Tamia asked, surprised at his brashness.
    “Oh, don’t get all serious,” Charleston said. “We’re just playing around.”
    “What about you, Tamia,” Ava started, “do you want to get married?”
    The question stung like a hot comb at the nape of Tamia’s neck. While Ava wasn’t her girlfriend, she had to know that in addition to the man law about questions concerning marriage, no woman should ever ask another woman how she feels about marriage in front of the man she’s dating. It could and would only cause conflict. Because no matter how he felt about the topic, he’d immediately think the woman was a tramp if she said she didn’t believe in marriage or was trying to manipulate him down the aisle if she said yes. Tamia couldn’t win.
    “Well…I…uh.” She looked at her wineglass and then the champagne glass. Both were empty, so she couldn’t take a sip and use the time to think. “I do want to get married,” she said finally and immediately felt Charleston tense up beside her, “but not right now.” She played both sides—law school was paying off.
    Charleston’s exhale was audible. His body seemed to melt in relief at the clause. He even put his arm around Tamia in approval. And while this was supposed to give her comfort, really she looked at the arm like the alien shelter it was. It meant so many things she hadn’t wanted to think about. To consider.
    Ten minutes later, Charleston’s arm was still around Tamia as they rode up Sixth Avenue in the back of the Bentley. Charleston had been talking about Nathaniel and Ava since they’d gotten in the car, but Tamia was doing little more than nodding and agreeing. She was still thinking about the conversation in the restaurant. Charleston didn’t want to get married. Not ever. Charleston was happy and he didn’t want to get married. Not ever. It was becoming a poem.
    “I’m doing that Negro’s prenup,” Charleston said. “It’s gonna be airtight—like a virgin’s legs in a fat man’s bed. She won’t get a dime.”
    “Why can’t you just be happy for them?” Tamia asked.
    “I am happy my man is getting married. One less hand in the pie. I’m very happy. And I’ll be even happier when I finish writing that prenup.”
    “Oh,