"Hey, Sheila, can I talk to you?" I twist the gold-crusted doorknob shut.
My cousin, 28 years old, sits on the bed petting her poodle.
"What's going on? How's your mom doing?" Sheila checks Raspberry's snout.
"She's good. I came here to talk about you."
She smiles. "Oh, you poor thing. I know we haven't talked in so long, but I'm glad you know you're welcome here anytime."
"Um, how's Aunty Marcia doing? Have you spoken to her?"
"Nope. She refuses to talk to me."
I walk around the room. There's a $5,000 Dior dress flung on the closet door. Her bureau is laden with makeups and lipsticks. I see... a pack of condoms trashed in the wastebasket.
I turn around quickly. "Does anyone come to visit you?"
"Why, you must think I'm lonely!" Sheila exclaims, laughing. "No, don't worry, Nicole, I have plenty of friends. We are all... um, partying and enjoying life."
"I see. Any interest in guys these days?"
Sheila throws her head back in delight. "Yes, actually. I'm meeting a lot of guys. It's good to go out of my comfort zone."
I perch on the white loveseat. "It is. That's how I met Michael."
We both laugh.
"Is that so?" Sheila draws herself up. "Well, you should have brought him over. Are you sure you don't want a cup of tea?"
I shake my head. "No, sorry. I can't stand tea, except Ketepa Pride. It's a brand of tea from Kenya."
"Mm, I know. You always had the expensive taste. Well, anyways, back to your previous question: yes, I am dating a lot of guys now."
"Any older guys?"
"Of course. Why?"
"Jennifer. She needs to go out more."
"Oh, yeah. Stick to the 20-year olds for her. Never go above 28."
I nod my head, pretending to be grateful for the information. This just shows how out of touch Sheila is with this family: Jennifer has a boyfriend—they've been dating for three years already.
"Oh, see this album? I have all these pictures of us and the rest of the family."
I hop onto the bed and browse through it with her. There's a picture of Jennifer shouting by the pool.
"Remember you were at this party?" I recall. "You and Jen got into a fight over a pair of shoes."
Sheila giggles then places the album aside.
"You're 28, Sheila. When are you gonna get married?" I ask.
She shrugs. "I don't know."
"Anybody in mind?"
"Oh, I'm not sure!" Sheila goes to the window and stares out. "I have a couple of men I take pretty seriously, but I want security... good man with good money, well established."
"You mean, a businessman?"
"Sure! Kind of like your father—I always looked up to him. I was really sad when your parents got divorced."
"Where are you getting all this money from? Gold-plated toilet seat, fancy silverware, big television. Do you have a sugar daddy or something?"
Sheila cracks a grin, not nice at all.
"I work, Nicole. But, yes, I do get presents and stuff."
"From who?"
"From various guys, Nicole! They take me out on dates and buy me stuff."
"Is there any guy in particular that you like especially? Is he nice?"
"Yeah, he is. But I couldn't tell you... you know a lot of people that I know."
"Sorry to badger you... I'm under a lot of stress too... did I tell you Joe Jackson now wants me to have dinner with him?"
Sheila spins around. "What?"
I raise my hands in the air. "To talk about the wedding. You're coming, right?"
"Yeah, well I didn't know you were having dinner with Joseph." She stomps across the room and starts cleaning up.
Just the reaction I wanted...
"Well, what's it to do with you? There's a lot of planning to be done and half the Jacksons are fighting with Michael about the ceremony. Joe said he's gonna be there for me. He's offered to pay for the hotel rooms for all the guests and stuff."
Sheila rolls her eyes.
"So you're getting a good piece of the pie, huh? Get to be part of the Jackson family, get all this press coverage, get the money—"
"Sheila, I'm marrying Michael because I love him, not because of the things I don't need."
She glances at me then straightens out. "Right, of course. What was I thinking?"
I watch her go into the bathroom.
"I know you've been sleeping with him!" I call after her.
Sheila takes a while to come out. "Yeah, so?"
"Well, is it not awkward for you? You're going to be sitting in the congregation on the day of the wedding, and Joseph will be right across you. The whole family will be there, and he will not acknowledge you in any way."
Sheila crosses her arms. "Of course, not, you silly goose! Our romance happens at night; he spends daytime with his wife."
I roll my eyes, mocking her attitude. "Excuse me. On another note, don't you think it's bad enough for me to be with Michael and he knows you're sleeping with his father, while at the same time you and me are cousins?!"
"Michael knows about me and Joseph?"
"'Michael knows?'" I scoff. "Of course, Michael knows! He's annoyed, obviously."
Sheila sighs. "Well, I never wanted to put you through this predicament. But you're bringing it upon yourself, talking about it this way."
I shake my head. "No, you are. Is it not enough that you're blessed—that you're smart and beautiful and have a great, affluent family? You have to go and intrude upon a marriage?"
Sheila scratches her face in agitation.
"Don't embarrass me, Nicole. Let's keep this on the down low, and maintain the respectability of this family."
"Luckily for you, your last name is Mayweather, not Kennedy! And your name won't add Jackson on the end anytime soon!" I yell.
"Nicole..."
"Is it bad enough that people are fighting me tooth and nail because of my life? Because of who I am? Mom wants me to get a subpoena, prenup, whatever! Michael's sisters hate me because, I don't know, I'm stealing their brother away or something. And I never know when Michael's mother likes me or not, because one minute she thinks I'm a nut, the next she thinks I'm all pretty and shit. 'Oh, Nicole, you look so beautiful today!' 'Oh, Nicole, you would make a wonderful wife.' 'Oh, LaToya, don't tell Nicole this, but she had better not be a slut because we are Jehovah's Witnesses and we can't tolerate that!'"
Sheila's eyes widen. "She says those kinds of things?"
I nod. "Yep. And I feel like everyone in that family is two-faced because Michael always talks about how jealous his brothers are, but when I see them, they're laughing and chatting and looking sooo happy."
"Nicole, I think you need to just, like, breathe and relax. Take a break from that family, I don't know why you hang out with them so much!"
"Because I have to! Alessandra wants me to make a good impression and Michael gets pissed when I avoid them! Sheila, don't get involved with Joe. The family is who they are and there's no way that you can follow me into their home."
Sheila cocks her head. "Well, someone's proud of her soon-to-be in-laws!"
I chuckle. "Yeah, well, now you'll mind your own business and move on."
"Oh, no! I won't! Joseph and I are going to dinner tomorrow night. He has something important to tell me."
I gape at her as she leaves the room briefly. The fuck...
"Dude, I just told you not to have anything to do with him!"
"I don't care!" She comes back in. "I love Joe, he's a great guy."
I shake my head. The woman is in denial. Does my story not move her?
"Does my story not move you?"
"Oh, it sure does!" Sheila places a hand over her heart. I groan, covering my face with my hands.
"Michael told me to tell you not to have anything to do with his father. He said that... if you don't end your relationship with Joseph, you're uninvited to the wedding."
"Oh really?" Sheila bites a cookie.