Tippy’s note: Here is Part 6 of the series. Now everybody is in the same space and forced to interact. With so many strong personalities in one small space, things can be unpredictable. Once again, I saw their interactions going one way, everyone was like “Nah, Tippy. Don’t do me.” So they ended feeling the way I wanted them to feel but took their own journey to get there.
After this part, there are two more parts to the story. It’s winding down.
****
Liam looked at Halle. She looked the same, relaxed even. At least she was until she saw him. He wanted to immediately go to her and wrap her in his arms, but he held back. He was used to feeling several pairs of eyes on him at once and not being too overwhelmed by it, but this time was different. Maybe it was because he was with her family and not the same nobles and press that have been following him his whole life. Perhaps it was also because he cared about what Halle and her family thought of him more than the court or the press.
“Halle, are you just going to stand there with your mouth open like the jaw of the singing bass?” Joanne said breaking the silence. “That man traveled a long way to see you. The least you can do is say hello.”
She took a few silent steps towards him. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Liam didn’t need any nor did her have any to offer her in return. He closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly. The tension that he felt melted away as her curls tickled his neck. Halle relaxed in his arms inhaling his familiar scent that was part fancy cologne, part Liam.
Harrold coughed loudly to remind them that they were not alone. The couple separated.
Finding her words again, Halle spoke. “Liam? What are you doing here?”
“You left so distraughtly, I was worried. I wanted to see you.”
He didn’t add that he needed her and wanted her to come home. Liam couldn’t decide if he withheld that thought because he didn’t want to overwhelm her or because he wasn’t ready to hear her say that she was leaving him for good.
“I missed you too.”
“Why did you leave?”
Halle paused trying to find the words, “It’s… hard to explain.”
Before Liam could press for more, Joanne interrupted him.
“Halle, where are your manners? While you may know this man, some of us would like to be introduced.” She held her hand up pausing feeble explanations her daughter wasn’t going to give. “No matter, I will introduce myself.”
She moved her straight steely locks away from her face as she glided over to Liam and outstretched her hand.
“Hello, I am Joanne Berry. I see that you have met my husband, Harrold.”
He looked at the older woman and saw where a great deal of Halle’s “spirit” came from. Liam paused contemplating whether he should shake her hand or kiss it. He decided to go with the safer option lest he incurs more of Harrold’s ire by being perceived as being too forward with his wife.
“Hello, I am Liam. Halle’s fiance.”
“Welcome, Your Majesty,” Joanne said, gently taking his hands in her own. “I hope you are staying for dinner.”
“I do not want to impose.”
“I wouldn’t hear of it. I hope you like spicy. I am making jerk crab.”
Liam smiled. “I would be honored.”
“‘You would be honored.’” Joanne turned to her daughter. “See Halle, some people still have decorum. You should pick that up.”
Joanne quickly introduced herself to Bastien and Mara before she picked up the bags she and Rhon dropped and then went to the kitchen. Liam’s eyes followed Joanne and fell on the young man that entered with her who was now standing next to Halle. He instantly recognized him from the picture on the TV stand. The young man was taller than he appeared and has built some muscle over time. Liam walked over to him and introduced himself.
“Hello. Are you a friend of Halle’s?” He extended his hand for a handshake.
“You could say that. We were very close when we were younger. Less so now.” Rhon gave him a cautious but firm shake.
Rhon was still taking Liam in as he spoke. He always said that Halle should find a man that treated her like a queen when they were younger before they started dating. He never thought Halle would actually find a literal king.
He squinted his eyes as he continued to look at Liam.
“You know, you look hella Asian for a Greek dude.”
Halle gave Rhon a firm smack on the arm making him wince.
“Don’t mind him,” Halle apologized.
“What? I thought all Greek dudes are white.”
“Oh.” Liam shook his head. “Don’t worry, it’s alright. I can understand some of the confusion. I am Cordonian, but my mother was born in Korea. We do speak Greek in Cordonia.”
“I see.” Rhon nodded his head as the understanding came. Liam’s small smile faded.
Honestly, he was a little taken aback by Rhon’s comment. Liam hadn’t needed to address his ethnicity since he was younger. At that time he had to offer an explanation why he didn’t look like his father the way that Leo did. By the time he got older, most people he had encountered already knew or didn’t dare to ask, mostly the former.
While Rhon and Liam looked at each other awkwardly, Halle walked over to her father. She gave Bastien and Mara a small wave. They both nodded in her direction.
“How long has Liam been here?” She asked.
“For a while I guess. Let’s get the crab in the kitchen with your mother. You can do the interrogation while we do that.”
Halle nodded. They walked outside. The car was still unlocked so they could grab the cooler from the back.
“So what did you and Liam talk about?” Halle asked as she pushed the cooler closer to Harrold’s side.
“Life, love, cotillions. He was fixated on your cotillion photos. He thought you were part of some kind of royal court.”
“I can see that. Some parts of a cotillion are not unlike court life in Cordonia. However, you and Liam were quiet when I entered.”
Harrold pulled the cooler from the back seat as he waited for his daughter to finish.
“What were you talking about?”
“Nothing for you to be too worried about. I will admit that I have grievances with the boy–”
“Man,” Halle corrected.
“Man. I took the opportunity to address them. If you go back with him, it could be another decade before I see you again.”
Halle winced when her father reminded her that it has been a decade since they have spoken. The guilt still fresh.
“I have to take these chances as they come.”
“Grievances? You don’t know Liam.”
“I know Liam long enough to know that he doesn’t know you. Also, as much as I know you want to put certain things that happened to you in Cordonia behind you, you can’t ask a father to sit with that knowledge and hold that anger in.”
“Dad.”
“I’m not apologizing for a single thing I said to that young man.” Harrold firmly asserted. “He needed to hear everything I had to say.”
“Just what did you have to say?”
“I told him that he didn’t know enough about you or your experiences as a Black Woman, an American Black Woman, to begin to appreciate the demands he places on you.”
Harrold adjusted the weight of the cooler and headed towards the house.
“You had the race talk with him?” Halle said as she closed the car door for her father.
“You didn’t. He needs to know. While I know that you are in Europe and they, don’t treat things like that the way we do here, but it’s worth having.”
“I know. Did you have to scare him?”
“Yes. I did have to scare him.” He imitated the way Halle said scared.
“I scared him because I am scared for you.”
Harrold put the cooler back down and sat atop it.
“Dad?”
Her father took a deep breath as he looked at his only daughter.
“I love you so much, but I am terrified. What would happen to you if you go back with him, live that life? You would be exposing yourself to so much, and you would have little to no protection. Monarchy isn’t a family, it’s an institution. Institutions do not have room for nuance, acceptance, tolerance. They aren’t designed to protect you. They are designed to swallow you whole, suck out the marrow and spit you out.”
Halle’s head jerked back after he said the last few words.
“Liam and I could make it different.”
“If that is so, then why did you leave him?”
Halle sat down next to her father. She knew her father wasn’t entirely wrong. She already felt herself being lost to the Monarchy game. This trip was a mad dash to grab the sense of self she had left. All of her time in Cordonia was spent fighting to prove that she belonged as well as fighting for Liam. If she was going to go back, Halle had to be ready to fight for herself.
“Look, I am worried that you can lose yourself trying to fit in and be who the institution wants you to be when what they need is who you are. Who Liam is.”
Halle looked over to her father questioningly.
“I didn’t say that Liam is a terrible person. He seems like a kind, thoughtful young man. A ‘love-is-enough’ kind of man. It’s not bad, but I have to ask how much does Liam love you if he doesn’t know you? Or you him?”
“We know the stuff that counts.”
Harrold took another deep breath
“You say that now, but if you don’t know where they come from, how they are, what shapes them, what breaks them. You don’t have the full picture. Then you wake up in the bed married to a stranger wondering how you got there.”
Father and daughter eyes met.
“You and Liam have the chance to fix that, but that means you both have to stop hiding and presenting only your best. You marry for better or worse. It’s in your best interest to find out worse is.”
Harrold stood up. He extended his hand and helped Halle to stand.
“Let’s get this crab to your mother so that we do not get sent to Cordonian jail for letting the king starve.”
****
Liam excused himself to go to the bathroom upstairs. He rinsed his face with cold water before leaving. As he exited the bathroom, he noticed the sign on one of the doors. It was purple and pink and spelled out “Halle.” He knew he should just go back downstairs but curiosity got the better of him and he opened the door.
The room was small. Liam wasn’t sure what to make of it. He knew it was Halle, but a different one. His eyes were drawn to the duffle bag by her bed. The bag she packed when she left. He looked away not wanting to revisit that night. He instead looked at the trophies and medals that lined the other side of the room.
Lots of first place medals in swimming. He thought back to the night after the beach party when Drake was still commiserating over Halle beating him at swimming. They both didn’t know at the time that Halle was an award-winning swimmer and Drake was defeated as soon as she accepted his challenge.
His eyes then wandered to her vanity where a few pictures lined her mirror. There was a photo of Halle when she was very young. She was in a clear blue ocean being held by Harrold. Another photo was of her and Rhon. They were under a big tree. Halle was hugging him from behind. Both of them had broad smiles.
Liam’s eyes lingered on that photo. It wasn’t because of Rhon, it was Halle’s smile. He had never seen her smile so wide. He thought he had seen her happiest and widest smile.
Liam jumped when he heard a small knock. Halle entered the room.
“I see you took a detour after your bathroom break.”
“I–,” Liam stammered.
“No need to apologize Liam. If I had the opportunity to peek into your teenage bedroom, I probably would have taken the chance to look too.”
Liam shook his head. “It wouldn’t have told you much. I wasn’t exactly allowed to decorate like you have.”
“Oh.”
“I see that you were a gifted swimmer.” He said gesturing to the medals lined up on the wall.
Halle glanced at the wall and shrugged.
“I liked it. I was fast. I have always liked the water. Ever since I was little. My dad would say that even as a baby I was always kicking as soon as I touched the water.” Halle mimicked her rapid kicking with her hands and Liam chuckled.
“It wasn’t until he took me to a father-daughter swimming class designed for children under 3 that my father realized I was trying to swim.”
“You talk about it like you do not like it anymore.”
She audibly exhaled. “I don’t like the competitive, performative aspect of it anymore. I do still like to swim for me every now and then.”
Halle looked over to the medals on the wall. Liam’s gaze was trained on her. He waited to see a smile or some kind of expression that showed that she was proud of those medals. It never came.
She shook her head, a soft smile growing on her face as she turned to her fiance.
“Well, this is my childhood bedroom. It’s no Royal Chambers but-”
“This was you. I wish I could stay here longer. Learn more about you. Maybe read your journal.”
“You would have to find it to read it.”
“So there is one?”
“Halle!” Joanne beckoned from the kitchen. “Come help me finish up dinner and make that salad dressing that you were talking about in the market.”
“Coming mother.”
Halle left Liam to meet her mother in the kitchen. He kicked off his shoes and laid back in her bed. He stared at her ceiling, wondering about the girl that slept her night after night. The girl with a big bright smile that loved to swim. How did she grow into the woman he loved now?
****
Halle helped her mother with the salad so she could put all of her energy towards the crab. Harrold and Rhon caught up and talked about going through “the princess phase.”
It wasn’t too long before everyone was called to the table to eat. Liam sat down next to Bastien who was at the end of the table. Halle had Liam on her right and Rhon on her left. Joanne and Harrold sat across from them with Mara on the other end of the table. Halle, her parents, and Rhon were standing.
Harrold coughed to get Liam’s attention.
“Liam, in this house we say grace before we eat,” Harrold said sternly. Rhon snickered to himself as Liam quickly stood, a flush on his face. Bastien and Mara joined him.
“Thank you.” He turned to his wife and affectionately asked, “Joanie, would you like to do the honors?”
She pleasantly smiled, “Of course, my dear.”
Halle’s parents joined hands, and everyone followed suit. Halle smiled as she grabbed Liam’s hand. He brought Halle’s hand to his lips and gave it a small affectionate kiss. Harrold scowled at the young man. Rhon shook his head, happy to not be the undesirable in the Berry household.
“We thank you our heavenly father for this bounty that we are about to consume. Please bless the hands that made it as well as those who are about to consume it. Finally, please bless the manager at the Oceanaire Crab Company for allowing me to negotiate for the improved pricing on the crab and that no one has gotten arrested. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone repeated and then sat down to eat.
The conversation flowed as crab-leg shells were piled in the middle of the table. First, there was the conversation on the food.
“Mrs. Berry, these jerk crab legs are everything that Halle has said and more. I can see why when they were on the menu there was nothing that could make her miss them.”
Liam frowned when Rhon said that. Halle never told him about her mother’s jerk crab. He smiled when he caught Halle’s eye.
“Yes, this preparation was exceptionally delicious,” Liam complemented.
“It’s not too spicy for you Liam?” Joanne asked.
“No, I can handle spicy foods and even enjoy them.”
“Well that’s good to hear Liam, Halle is a hothead and loves spicy food,” Rhon said.
“I have come to enjoy subtler flavors now,” Halle defended.
“Well you do usually ask for chili oil or flakes to be added to your ratatouille,” Liam added.
Halle glared at her fiance.
“Did I mention that this dressing on the salad reminds me of the dressing we have back in the palace.”
“That was Halle’s touch.”
Liam smiled at Halle. The small reminder of home, their home, was nice for him.
The conversation naturally flowed into other topics from there. Liam tried to get as much information as he could about Halle, but also her parents. As much as Constantine and Regina would be Halle’s family, Joanne and the seemingly more hostile Harrold would be his. He should at least get to know them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Berry, how did you meet?”
“Well,” Joanne started. Halle and Rhon groaned in unison. They have heard this story many times.
“Excuse the peanut gallery,” She shook her head at Halle and Rhon. “It looks like they are up to their old tricks again.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Berry.”
“We just both know the sorry so well.”
“It was 1975,” Rhon and Harrold said in unison. Rhon doing a fairly accurate impression of the elder Berry. Harrold’s voice dropped off as Rhon continued in character.
“The time of bell bottoms and Afro-Sheen commercials with the Frederick Douglass. I was an Alpha at Howard University, the best HBCU there is.”
“HBCU?” Liam asked.
“That is Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” Halle clarified.
“I was walking with my Alpha brothers when I stopped at this table of the finest collection of Deltas. There was this loud Delta arguing with this young brotha. Giving him the full Riot Act.”
“Well, it was a bake sale for the Deltas to rent a nice banquet hall for the annual semi-formal,” Halle interrupted imitating Joanne.
“He was trying to scam me and my sistren. He wanted to get a dozen cookies for 1.50. Half-price!” Halle imitating her mother’s brand of outrage perfectly. Liam laughed. “I couldn’t allow it.”
“Of course, he tried to get forceful,” Rhon continued. “And I couldn’t stand by and let that happen.”
“You two seem to know it really well, do you just want to tell it?” Joanne interrupted.
“No.”
Harrold picked up the story where Rhon left off.
“I could not stand idly by and watch someone tear down a Black Woman in public,” Harrold said focusing his gaze on Liam. “I wasn’t raised like that.”
Liam gulped. Harrold relaxed his face and continued telling the story.
“I had to intervene. I walked up to that brotha and told him ‘these ladies have set their prices for a reason, so pay what they ask or leave.’ That brotha looked at me, and I gave him ‘the eye’ to let him know that I was not asking him, I was telling him. He got my message and left. I then apologized to the beautiful but feisty lady, and she got mad at me.”
“I didn’t need to be rescued. I was handling the situation fine.”
“I bought all of the cookies from her that day and apologized.”
“It was the least he could do,” Joanne defended.
“Two weeks later, the Alphas were going to meet with the Deltas since we decided it would be better to pool our resources together on one really fancy formal than two okay ones. The Alphas did not have as much funds as the Deltas, but we did have access to better vendors. So we joined forces. I was made the head of the committee for the Alphas and when it was time to meet with the Deltas to start planning and guess who came in the room?”
Joanne explained, “I was the chapter treasurer and co-chair for planning the event. Harrold was there and gave me this big, goofy grin.”
“Joanne was as cold as ice.”
“I was not.”
“The joint planning committee was awful. I would have these big ideas and Joanne, and her co-chair would shut them down.”
“Well, you did want to blow the whole budget on the location which would leave next to nothing for all other aspects of the formal.”
“I didn’t know it at the time, but Joanne was an accounting major and a math whizz. It was why she was the Delta’s treasurer until she graduated. Joanie was always good for staying on a budget.”
“The joint planning committee ended with nothing set in stone. We could only agree that we needed to see some locations in person. I was elected to go as the Delta representative,”
“I had a car, and I knew that we may need to venture outside the city, I offered to represent the Alphas. From there we were spending more time together.”
“Over the course of planning, I started to find Harrold less… irritating and more endearing.” Smiling at her husband.
“When Joanie wasn’t stiff she was resourceful and caring. Not to mention funny.”
Harrold draped his arm over his wife’s shoulder and pulled her chair closer. Joanne rested her head on his shoulder.
“At the formal–which was an astonishing success. It was lovely, just under budget, and we had a professional DJ from New York, and beef wellington was served as an entree. – Your father asked me to dance.”
“I just had to. ‘Always and Forever’ was playing.”
Rhon hummed some of the notes to the song. Halle joined in for the last few.
“We have been dancing to that song together ever since. Even at our wedding in ‘79.” Joanne sat back in her chair. “Speaking of which, you and Halle must be in the thick of wedding planning now that you are engaged.”
“We are. Our wedding is in just about two weeks.”
“Two weeks? Halle. You didn’t tell me that you were going to be married in two weeks.” Rhon said.
“I knew your wedding was soon,” Harrold added. “I didn’t think it was that soon.”
The room fell silent. Halle could see the heartbreak in her parents’ eyes when they realized that she could have gotten married and never told them. At all. She looked over at Rhon, and he was similarly stunned and hurt.
Joanne shook her head and took a breath.
“S-So, have you picked your colors yet?”
“Umm–”
“Blue and Gold,” Liam answered. “There would be some red accents to represent Halle’s duchy of Valtoria.”
“Duchy? Halle, you’re a Duchess?” Rhon asked.
“Yeah, I became one when Liam and I got engaged. It’s something I am still adjusting to.”
“Yes, Halle’s official title is Halle, Duchess of Valtoria.”
“Is this going to be high profile?” Harrold asked.
“Obviously, Harry. More important than that, is Michelle Obama going to be there? I have always wanted to meet Michelle. She could give you tips Halle.”
“Ahhhhh–”
“No, Michelle Obama wasn’t invited.–”
“Well, I guess I could meet Barack. We all know Michelle is the important one though.”
“We didn’t think they would be interested in attending. Also, we had to move up our wedding date considerably.”
“Really?” Harrold leaned forward resting his arms on the table. “Why would you do that?”
Joanne’s eyes went wide as she looked at her daughter.
“Halle Yvette Berry are you pregnant?”
“Mother–”
“Did you come here because you are having a pregnancy panic? It’s perfectly normal to be worried about becoming a–”
“I am not pregnant!” Halle shouted.
Liam turned to Halle and shot her a look that asked, are you sure?
Halle mouthed not pregnant.
“If Halle isn’t with child, why the haste?” Joanne asked.
“It’s complicated,” Halle started.
“Not that complicated,” Liam interrupted. “Cordonia as a country has seen some hard times these past few months.”
“Hard times? That is the understatement of the year,” said Harrold.
“Since there has been so much that has happened we thought that our wedding could be a positive event for our people.” Liam laced his fingers with Halle’s. “A unifying moment for us, our families, and Cordonia.”
“So it’s just for show?” Rhon asked. “A stunt.”
“Is this a political union?” Harrold asked.
“No, we love each other and want to get married. Our wedding being sooner is just as good for Halle and I as it is for the country. Right, Halle?”
Halle weakly nodded. “Yeah. We were going to get married either way. We just wanted our wedding to help the country.”
Joanne furrowed her brow. “How much of this wedding is royal and how much of this is about the two of you?”
“There will be plenty of personal touches to let the both of us shine through,” Liam reassured.
“Halle are you even part of the planning or does Liam suggest a few things and whisk himself away, if he even bothers to do that?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Halle has been an active part of the planning process, Mrs. Berry.”
“Really? Halle, have you tried on your wedding dress?”
“Uhhh…” Halle kept her eyes on the table in front of her.
“Have you seen it?”
Halle didn’t offer an answer.
Joanne inhaled.
“I have to say, Halle, this is not how I imagined you jumping the broom.” She paused as another thought came to her. “Dare I ask if you will actually jump the broom? I assume that will not be part of the program due to the nature of this function.”
“Well mother, Liam isn’t Black.”
Liam jerked his head back in offense.
“Halle, plenty of interracial couples jump the broom.” Harrold offered.
“I’m not sure if it’s right for us.”
Liam narrowed his eyes and looked at his fiance. “Right for us or right for me?”
“Liam.” Liam ran his fingers through his hair.
“Please excuse me,” he said before he got up and left the table.
Liam swiftly walked through the front door and let it slam shut behind him. The cool evening air hit his face. He placed his hands on his hips and took a deep cleansing breath. Shortly after that, he heard the door slam behind him.
“Care to tell me what that was about?” Halle said.
“What everything here has been about. That I am not fit to be your husband.”
“That was not was that was about.”
“Really?” His eyes widened in the darkness as his outrage consumed him.
“Your father seemed to think quite differently. He was quite explicit with his qualms.” He started counting them off on his fingers. “I can’t protect you, I don’t know you, or anything about courting a Black Woman.”
“Liam. My father has doubts, but–.”
“He is not wrong, Halle. I have failed to protect you. I know nothing about courting a Black Woman. Up until today, I thought I could at least say I know you. I cannot even say that.”
“That’s not true.”
“I didn’t even know that you were not born in New York. Or that one of your favorite foods is your mother’s jerk crab. Or that you used to swim competitively. I thought I was going to come here to assuage your fears about us.”
Liam’s eyes met hers. “Your doubt in me.”
“My doubt isn’t in you Liam.”
He exploded. “Then why are we here and not in Cordonia planning our wedding? Why did you leave?”
Liam turned his back to her so she can not see the frustration.
Halle stepped back. Everyone was asking if she was so happy with Liam, why did she leave. She was scared of losing herself, but right now she was secure but her relationship wasn’t. The panic that Halle felt when she left she saw in Liam’s eyes now.
“I left because I do feel like I am losing myself because I am trying so hard to fit into your world. There is so much of me that is under scrutiny, and I have to change. Even when I do, I am just asked to change and give up more. At the end of all of that, I am still the American commoner.”
He turned to look at her again. Her curls blew with the gentle night breeze.
“Liam, you are mad because my father expressed doubts about our relationship. At least when my father had concerns, he waited until he could address you directly to your face. Your father hid behind a fake-ass smile the entire time while he planned on having another man assault me. He did that up until the night of your Coronation.”
Liam winced when Halle brought up his father’s part in the scandal.
“You had a few people doubt you, tonight. I have an entire nation that questions me.”
“I have never doubted you, Halle.” He said, his voice becoming hoarse. “I have always loved you.”
“Liam I love you, and I know you love me. It’s just, sometimes when you look at me in awe I wonder if you are genuinely impressed with me or that you are surprised that a lowly, commoner waitress could do something other than take your order.”
Liam turned to leave, but turned back.”
“I see now. You do think I don’t know you.”
He turned to leave towards his car. Bastien and Mara quickly followed behind him. Halle watched Liam’s car pull out of her driveway and go. She stared into the empty street after that. After a minute or two, she turned to enter the house. Rhon and her parents were in the living room. Their silence told her that they heard enough of the argument. Halle didn’t want to discuss anything with them. She ran up the stairs to her room. She closed the door behind her and flung herself onto her childhood bed. That when the few pieces that were holding her together gave way and sobbed into her pillow.