Cookies and Cream

"I know it ain't much, but it's the best I could do." Andre sounded apologetic as he led me through the small house.

"I like it," I told him. "It looks snug and cozy." I knew that as a day laborer, he'd have to put aside a substantial amount from his meager salary to make the payments, and that realization filled me with new appreciation of his devotion and determination.

The house was made of wood and painted white. A small porch led to the back door, which opened onto the living room, which contained a fireplace. Beyond the living room was the dining room, and beyond that was a kitchen, which the front door opened into. The larger bedroom was connected to the dining room by a door, and the smaller bedroom was connected to the kitchen by another door.

"It's all ours," Andre said proudly, pulling me to him. "And hopefully we'll be fillin' that second bedroom soon."

A shiver of delicious excitement went through me as he took my hand and led me into the larger bedroom, in which the bed's covers had already been turned down. I had the general idea of what went on between women and men, although I was unfamiliar with the specifics. They'd been carefully concealed from me, as their knowledge would surely have led to me compromising my virtue to the first man who came along. As I understood it, Mama was supposed to have revealed them all to me the night before my wedding day, which of course never happened.

"You ain't never been with a man before, have you, Lindy?" Andre asked me.

I shook my head.

"I'll be gentle," he promised me, leaning in for a kiss. Our arms went around one another as the kiss deepened and intensified. Ever so gently, he lay me back onto the bed, removing first my clothing, and then his own.

It was quite painful in the beginning. Although I knew Andre was being as gentle as he could, it was quite some time before I started to feel anything even faintly resembling pleasure.

"I hope I didn't hurt you too much," Andre said as we lay cuddling together afterwards.

"That's OK," I told him. "Next time's bound to be better."

"And who knows." Andre grinned and patted my belly. "I might a' just got you in the family way."

"You really want a baby, don't you, Andre?"

"'Course I do! Don't you?"

"Well, yeah, sure. That would be nice."

"Hey, maybe we'll even have two. A boy for me and a girl for you."

"I'd be happy with whatever we get, as long as it's healthy."

"Yeah, me too."

The first few months of our marriage were reasonably happy, considering that my family had all but disowned me. Whenever I happened to run into Mama in the grocery store, she'd turn her head and pretend not to see me. I also saw Bruce and Martha together from time to time. Martha always got this disgusted look on her face while Bruce sneered.

Through the grapevine, I heard they were engaged.

Most of the time, Andre could read my moods, and one day when I felt particularly down, he said, "you miss your folks, don't you?"

"Sometimes." I could hardly speak because of the lump in my throat.

He came to me and embraced me tenderly. "I'm sorry, Lindy."

"Ain't no reason for you to be sorry," I told him. "It ain't your fault. It's theirs."

We'd been married about six months when I missed my period and started throwing up in the mornings. I was sleepy practically all the time, and the aroma of certain foods, especially meats, made me feel queasy.

"What's been ailin' you, Lindy?" Andre asked me one evening when he returned from his job as a field laborer. "You just ain't been yourself lately. Are you sick?"

"I think I'm pregnant, Andre."

He looked startled at first, and then he grinned from ear to ear as he picked me up and gave me a big hug. "Well, how 'bout that!"

"I need to see a doctor," I told him. "I can't go back to my old one. He knows...well, he knows..."

Andre nodded in understanding. "I'll talk to Dr. Fountain. He's been takin' care of all of us since we was babies. I'm sure he'd be willin' to see you."

Dr. Fountain turned out to be a slight, soft-spoken man of about sixty with very dark black skin and short, curly white hair. After the first few awkward moments, I felt quite comfortable with him. He confirmed what I already knew and set a date for me to return in a month's time. Andre paid him and we left.

"This calls for a celebration!" Andre exclaimed.

"Where we gonna celebrate?" I asked.

"We'll make our own party," he told me. We bought deli sandwiches and potato chips and lemonade and fruit and took them to an isolated spot in the woods beside a stream. It was a gorgeous, sunshiny day, with chirping birds and chattering insects. We spread our quilt underneath a big shade tree and laid out the food.

We ate our fill, and I lay back on the quilt and closed my eyes. After what seemed like only a few moments, I felt Andre shaking my arm and opened my eyes to look into his laughing face.

"You gonna sleep all day?" he asked me.

I looked at the setting sun and gasped in surprise. Hurriedly, we gathered up the remnants of our picnic and headed home. We almost made it before the rain started.