Tallulah

After that Thanksgiving, Winona went to go live with Daddy and Julianne all the way in Augusta, Maine. Momma called her every week, but Winona only talked to her for a minute or two before hanging up. Momma and Albert kept seeing each other. Grandma liked him so much that she invited him over for dinner all the time, even if it wasn't a Sunday. Her excuse was that Albert was a "poor, starving soul" who needed to gain a few pounds, but we all figured that Momma had something to do with it too. For her spring semester, Simone joined Katie in New York. Katie moved off campus and they rented an apartment together in Brooklyn. I missed her quite a lot, but at least I had my cousins, and Momma, and Albert.

In June 1961, Peter and Isabel got married. Since Winona left and refused to talk to any of us, Simone took her place in the wedding. During the reception, when Isabel threw her bouquet, Albert asked Momma to marry him. It didn't surprise any of us because they were so in love with each other it (almost) hurt.

We took a trip to Columbus a week or so after that to meet his parents, Jean and Sophie. Then they came back with us for Sunday dinner to meet our family. I'm happy to say that Winona was the only person who was opposed to their relationship. His parents and Momma's parents got along really well. Peter eventually got over whatever it was that made him not like Albert when he saw how happy they were together. I have a feeling that Isabel probably yelled at him about being such a sourpuss around Albert too, though. Jean was a quiet and reserved gentleman, but Sophie was loud and liked to laugh and drink and got along rather well with Grandma.

It was settled.

Momma and Albert would be getting married that August, before school started. We had the wedding at Albert's parents' house, only because it had a really big backyard and Momma wanted an outdoor wedding.

They got married on August 2, 1961. Momma was the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world that day, I just know it. Albert's smile threatened to split his face right in two. Our entire family came—except for Winona, of course—and so did Albert's. I got to meet his sister, Lyanna, and her children, Seraphine and Robert. Robert was older, about Winona's age, and spent most of the visit joking around with Ronnie and Peter. Seraphine was a quiet girl who never had much to say about anything, but still managed to get along pretty well with everyone. Lyanna's husband, Tony, on the other hand, seemed like he was too good for us or something, and spent the entire two week visit brooding in the study, drinking brandy, and reading the paper.

(Albert and Peter, who had become good friends at that point, didn't like him either, so his absence didn't really affect anyone.)

Albert's aunts and uncles came all the way from France, and even though we didn't speak French at all, I think we got along pretty well. They all left the day after the wedding.

The newlyweds went to Orlando for their honeymoon for three weeks. I spent the first two weeks with Jean and Sophie. We went to the beach almost every day. I learned some French—just a little bit—and was spoiled rotten for two weeks straight. It was wonderful. Sophie bought me a bunch of new outfits, shirts and dresses and pants—Tallulah, you have to start dressing like girls your age! Be chic!—and Jean took me bicycle riding in the countryside some afternoons before dinner. I spent the following week with Isabel and Peter—mostly Isabel, since Peter worked at the bakery all day—and we went shopping, to the movies, bowling, and of course, to the beach.

When Albert and Momma came home, lots of things changed—but they were good changes. For the most part, anyway.

Albert sold his house—a small cottage near the woods—and we bought a pretty house in the suburbs, white with blue shutters and a pretty lawn and trees and flowers. I actually had my own room, which I wasn't used to, seeing as I had spent most of my life sleeping with two and three people in my bed. We had a guest room where Katie and Simone stayed when they came home to visit us, which was about once a month or so. We didn't see Winona as often, and I don't know if that was because she didn't want to see us or if Daddy and Julianne weren't letting her. Once in a while, she called to say hello, but it never went further than that.

The only odd thing—I didn't understand it at all—was how people looked at us whenever we went out. Momma always told me to not pay it any mind, but I couldn't help it. Sometimes people just stared. Others made faces. Sometimes people shoved them, or pushed them around, or were just rude. It was because Albert was white and Momma wasn't, except she kind of looked like she was, but she wasn't. I didn't see what the big deal was—she wasn't hurting anybody and neither was Albert, but not everyone saw it that way. We even had the window in the living room smashed to bits a few times. It wasn't as bad as it was in other places, where people had crosses burned on their lawns, where girls and boys were hung on trees and lynched to death, but it was still kind of scary.

I asked Albert why one day as I cleaned the shards of glass off the floor. We were good people. Albert and Momma were hard working, and they never did anything wrong to anyone. I didn't get it. What had we done wrong?

"Sometimes, people are afraid of what they don't understand," he said slowly as he stuck a piece of cardboard where our window used to be. We'd have to go to the hardware store when Momma came back from the store since she had the car. "And sometimes they're afraid of change. They want things to stay the same and when they see that they're not, you know, they don't really like it."

"But why?"

"Because people are creatures of habit, darling. Be careful with that glass."

And that was that.

I don't remember Albert and Momma ever fighting very much. He was so soft spoken and let Momma get away with pretty much everything, so there was never much of a need to fight. And even then, any arguments they did have were petty little things that were easily resolved with a kiss and I'm sorry. They were disgustingly cute for a married couple. Even after they got married, he took her out every Saturday night to dinner and go dance at their favorite club. They were such saps, but a small part of me has to admit that I thought that they were kind of cute, in their own gross way.

Albert and I were in the driveway one hot, sticky August afternoon. He was eating some ice cream and I was trying to practice roller skating, since Simone had bought me a pair of skates for my birthday and I had no idea how to even use them. She would be coming down the following day so we could go skating, and I still hadn't the faintest clue how to balance myself, much less do anything else. Momma was at a doctor's appointment, but she had been gone for about two hours, so she was due home any minute.

"Bend your knees, Tallulah," he said, licking the spoon. "Sway. Do I need to show you again?"

"I'm swaying," I grumbled, frowning. Albert was an excellent skater. Actually, there were very few things he couldn't do well, like play football. Apparently, in Europe, football meant soccer and not actual American football. (He was also good at soccer. So good that he was the coach for one of the high school teams.) But besides that, he was perfect. It annoyed me sometimes. I kept waiting for him to slip up, but he never did. "I don't know how people do this."

"It's not so hard. Look," he explained, standing up effortlessly. He skated towards me slowly, hands in the pockets of his brown slacks. He started skating around me and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "All you have to do is keep your balance and not look down." He held out his hand and I shot him a look. "Come on," he coaxed with a smile.

"Funny. You're so funny," I sneered, making a face at him. It was hot outside, and I would have preferred being inside, watching TV in the living room and eating some pretzels. Albert insisted that it was too nice outside to stay indoors. (He was the outdoorsy type. We went camping every few weeks and had barbeques and went swimming and hiking all the time. He liked to exercise.)

"Look, you're doing it!" He cheered and clapped lightly as I skated to the end of the driveway, hoping not to fall flat on my face and scrape my knees off. "I'm so proud of you!" I smiled and grinned, mildly pleased with myself until I tripped over a crack in the pavement and ended up rolling onto the grass. I groaned, staring at the sky. "Don't look down," he laughed.

"Shut up."

"It's not my fault you have no balance," he said with a smile, holding out a hand to help me up. I sat up and scowled at my skinned knee, then shot him a glare. I started untying my laces. I'd had enough practice for one afternoon, and there was half a turkey sandwich in the fridge with my name on it. "Going inside already?"

"It's too hot. I'm hungry. I'll be back." He sat back on the ground and kept eating his ice cream with a shrug. I glanced down at my knee. It wasn't too bloody, and hopefully it'd just stop bleeding on its' own. I sighed heavily as I slid to the fridge in my socks, pulling the heavy green door open. I pulled my sandwich out and sat on the counter with a glass of water, eating happily.

I heard the car in the driveway and hopped off, heading towards the door. Momma was home. I peeked through the window. Albert and Momma were hugging and kissing and being as gross as they usually were. Don't get me wrong, I loved them both, but sometimes they were a little too affectionate for me. He picked her up and she laughed, hugging him tightly. What was going on?

I leaned in the open doorway, watching them curiously.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"We're having a baby!" Momma exclaimed loudly, jumping up and down.

I watched Albert kiss Momma again and smiled a little to myself.

Momma was about two months along then.

After that day, I'd start comparing every single guy I met to Albert, mostly because he seemed like the model husband and partner and man, period. Did he smile? Did he know how to laugh? Did he shave regularly? Did he wear ties or bow ties? Did he wear cologne? Was he good looking or was he handsome? Would he be friendly? Would he buy me chocolates? Would he buy me flowers for no reason? Would we have our own little silly pet names and jokes? Would we be happy?

I just wanted what Momma and Albert had, and that would be my very undoing.