Karen and Cynthia make their way into the kitchen, Karen standing around talking, as Cynthia offers to finish tossing the big salad and dish it out onto the plates lined up on the cabinet. Marva sends Karen to ask Callie if anyone other than the ten family members are expected, so Cynthia will know how many salad plates to fill.
It is a full twenty minutes before Elizabeth arrives with Grace Tester. It is a full twenty minutes for Marva to grow more nervous. Instead of letting herself be sidetracked, she pours the sliced strawberries on the yellow sheet cake and whips the cream, spreading it on top of the strawberries.
The next time Charles walks into the kitchen, Marva tells him, "Oh, I forgot about the cake. One piece of cake adds half an hour."
He leaves, taking his uncle a cup of coffee grumbling, "You did that on purpose, didn't you. You let me get all prepared to eat all I want and you add that zinger at the last minute."
Moments later, they hear Callie laughing and then Horace's roar of laughter. Polly Blevins even giggles her nervous giggle, which Marva has always thought sounds like a character from a child's cartoon show. Karen leans over to say quietly, "I always thought he was such a serious man. I never knew he had such a good sense of humor."
Marva asks, "Was he around the Blevins house a lot? I just don't remember him."
"When they lived across the street from us, I guess he came around there some," Karen nods her head. "You know, with his mother, at least until Mr. Blevins got hurt and they moved to that townhouse. I don't know about after that."
Keeping her voice low, Marva asks, "Do you remember her?" hoping Karen will know whom she means.
Karen's "Humph," precedes her answer. "All I remember is she was always complaining about something. Like how hot it was, and why couldn't Horace afford air conditioning. I don't think I really knew what a cool house meant, until I got to college. She always had this handkerchief and would fan herself with it." Karen whispers, "I don't think Callie liked her, but Elizabeth did. Auntie Grace this and Auntie Grace that, that's all Elizabeth knew how to say for the first five years of her life."
No sooner than Karen has finished her remark, the doorbell rings and moments later those in the kitchen hear Elizabeth saying, "Hello dah'ling," followed by her introduction of Bryan to her "most favorite relative in the whole world." Elizabeth's voice sounds a little strange, as if she has been listening to someone speaking the King's English all day and is trying to mimic some of those inflections.
Opening the oven door, because the chicken just cannot stay in the oven any longer or it will begin to dry out, Marva hears, "Hello Charles dah'ling. When are you going to decorate this house in a decent fashion? It looks like a bare bachelor pad, where you bring your nightly conquests."
In a strong voice, Charles says "Mother, there have only been two women in this house, you and if you will come with me, I'll introduce you to the other."
Appearing in the kitchen door as Marva is removing the huge pan of baked chicken, putting it on the side cabinet, is Charles and the woman Marva remembers from the driveway in front of a luxury hotel, almost six months ago. In fact, the woman might be wearing a twin of the same dress and blazer, only in a different color. But she is not carrying the same handbag. This one is larger than the other and a different color, but is still a designer handbag, a very expensive designer handbag.
"Marva," Charles says to get her attention. "This is my mother, Grace Tester. Mother, I'd like you to meet Marva Preston, who incidentally is the younger sister of the groom."
Removing the thick hot pad gloves from her hands, Marva walks across the kitchen to hold out her hand, "How do you do, Mrs. Tester. It's a pleasure to meet you." Marva does not squeeze Mrs. Tester's hand she simply holds out her hand.
Grace Tester lays her hand on Marva's for only a brief moment and responds, "Yes, you may call me Grace, or Lady Grace, if you prefer." She does not wear glasses and squints slightly looking at Marva from her head of shiny dark hair to her feet. She adds in a dismissive voice, "I think I spoke to you once," and then turns to say directly to Charles. "Are we going to eat immediately, or might I have a few moments of your time for a business matter?"
Despite Grace's rudeness, Charles asks Marva, "Are we ready to eat?"
Marva answers, "Yes, please, while it's still hot," and then she turns back to the stove to remove lids from pots and offers plates to Karen and Cynthia, then holds out two plates to Charles. "Will you help your mother fill her plate?"
Charles takes both plates in one hand and his mother's arm in the other, leading her to the stove. He picks up a serving spoon and asks his mother, "Which piece of chicken do you want, white or dark." Grace flips her hand and says, "Just a small amount of the breast tenderloin please."
Unsure what she is asking for, Charles turns to Marva "Can you cut that piece of chicken for me?"
"Yes, you do the rest and I'll bring her chicken and salad." Marva looks at Grace's badly bent fingers and puffy knuckles and quietly asks her, "Would you like me to cut your meat for you?"
The woman replies, "Of course. Surely, you do not think these could possibly handle a knife, do you?" She holds her hands out, turning to show them to everyone in the room. "You young people just do not know how difficult it is to mature and have no family to offer support." Throughout the meal she continues to call attention to herself by asking for information about the wedding, and then remarks that neither Elizabeth, nor her brother, has kept her very well informed of all the details. She often makes a remark that she "should have been told," so she could have attended a wedding shower or at least sent a gift. Polly, when she answers a question, often precedes the answer with a comment that she was given that information earlier in the afternoon. Charles remains silent, his uncle occasionally looking at him and nodding, as if he understands. Bryan can be seen looking at Elizabeth and then at Grace, before returning his attention to Elizabeth.
Shortly before pushing her plate back and pulling her dessert closer, Grace looks at Cynthia and points to Karen, "What is your relationship to this family?"
Karen speaks up, saying very clearly, "Cynthia and I are partners. We live together." Cynthia, in the past few months has grown more confident. She does not drop her chin, nor does the expression on her face change.
Grace turns to Karen and says, "I did not address you, young woman. It was your "partner," to whom I spoke," curling her upper lip when she says the word, "partner."
Only because Charles puts his hand on Marva's arm, does she remain in her seat and keep her mouth shut.
Cynthia, undaunted by the woman with poor manners and an obvious distaste for alternate lifestyles, says, "I live with Karen. We are life partners. We do not hide in closets, nor do we attack others who do not care for our choices. You madam, are an ill mannered bore."
Grace waves her hand, and replies, "I care little for the opinion of simple people, such as you two. It does not alter the fact that you are in the minority and I am in the majority."
Not bothering to look at Karen, Cynthia or Grace, Marva continues to stare directly across the table at Elizabeth. When Grace first addressed Cynthia, Elizabeth, sitting beside Cynthia, drew her arm as close to her side as she could and nodded her head. When Cynthia challenged Grace, stating that she and Karen are life partners, Elizabeth leaned farther away from Cynthia, as if she would like to crawl in Bryan's lap. When Grace claimed to be in the majority, Elizabeth opened her mouth as if she intended to say something, and might have done so, if Bryan's hand was not wrapped firmly and tightly around Elizabeth's lower arm. Instead of speaking she jerked her head toward Bryan, looked him in the eye and closed her mouth. Marva thinks to herself that she has never been prouder of her brother. He managed to support Karen, without a single word and also managed to keep Elizabeth from saying something she might later regret.
Cynthia stands and turns to Charles, "Thank you for your hospitality, Charles and Marva. I believe Karen and I will go where we will not disturb your guest, our own home." The two girls walk around the table, shaking hands, hugging, and speaking politely to every one there. As Karen walks by Grace's chair she tells the woman, "You may be in the majority somewhere, but not in this house. Good night, ma'am."
