She so easy to love. That’s why I call her Shuga Cookie. Her real name Joanne but, like sugar, flour, butter, baking soda and a lil’ vanilla, the simple things make her so sweet. We old now. My hair and beard look like powdered shuga and my hands ‘semble raisins, but my Shuga Cookie, she dun aged like a fine choc’lat wine. I known her since she was a lil’ girl. She wan’t so sweet back then. It was a day kinda like this when I first noticed her in that lil’ school skirt jumpin’ over that rope. I was in the middle of a ball game and I couln’t stop starin’. It wan’t til the ball bounced off the rim and hit me square in the nose that I came to my senses. When the recess bell rang I cut in line just to get nex’ to ‘er. Her hair smelled like coco butta and curlin’ iron. I was in such a daze that I slammed right in back of ‘er when the line stopped fast. My brown oxford caught the back of her penny loafer and she left it behin’. I bent over a like I’d dropped a hunnit dolla bill and went to pick it up. She pushed me and my bent body toppled right to the groun’.
I looked up at ‘er and yelled “What you do that for?”
She glared down and said, “You stepped on my shoe. I’m tellin’ Ms. Cane.”
My elbow hurt and I forgot I liked ‘er for a minute. I screamed back.
“Tell ‘er! And Imma tell ‘er you pushed me down.”
She threw ‘er hand in the air, “Ms. Cane, Robert stepped on my shoe!”
“And she pushed me down.” I tattled.
She screamed a “Shut up!” and I screamed a “You shut up!” right back.
Ms. Cane did a about-face and scolded us both. We ended up in detention togetha’ that day. I admit I was happy. The room was mostly empty but I sat right nex’ to ‘er. She rolled her eyes in directions I ain’t know you could. I tried sayin’ sorry but that jus’ made ‘er eyes roll even further back in her head. Ooooo wee that girl was mean. I ain’t care. I did everything in my power jus’ to get ‘er to notice me. I pulled ‘er hair, took ‘er pencil, tripped ‘er in the hall and all she did was hate me mo’. At least I had ‘er ‘tention. I even got bold ‘nuf to write a note one time. I wrote “do you like me yes or no” in my 5th grade chicken scratch. I put lil’ boxes where she could check ‘er answer. I folded it up like Japanese origami and dropped it on ‘er desk on my way to the bathroom. When I got back to my seat that letter sat there all creased wit’ the biggest red X I’d ever seen in the box nex’ to no. She broke my heart a million mo’ times after that. She wouldn’t dance wit’ me at the Junior High sock hop and she chose John Donald over me for Junior Prom. It wan’t til’ 10th grade, when my daddy gave me his ’75 Thunderbird, that she gave me any time of day. That car was clean. It was the only thing I thought might be prettier than her. Silver on the outside with red leather interior. When I pulled up in that thing all the girls looked my way. I’d kinda given up on Joanne cuz I had so many other girls at my doorstep. When she knocked on my window in the High School parkin’ lot I was barely fazed. I grabbed the window handle and turned it a few times so it was halfway down. Her eyes were battin’ and she was chewin’ ‘er gum like it was goin’ outta style. Real sweet she said,
“Hey Robert, my ride lef’ me. You mind takin’ me home?”
I ain’t even know she knew my name. Of course I said yes. She climbed in the passenger seat and threw ‘er bag in the back. She asked me some questions and we talked about some things I don’t even ‘member. What I do ‘member is when she reached over to the arm rest and put her hand on top of mine. I was so excited I could barely steer. She kept it there ‘til we pulled up to ‘er house. I wanted to kiss ‘er but I was a gentleman. She opened the door and stepped out the car. I watched ‘er skirt walk away ‘til it disappeared on the other side of the front door. I mean, I coulda screamed. I drove ‘er home every day from then on. And we fin’ly did kiss. One day I thought I’d surprise her wit’ a picnic in the park on the way home from school. I snuck my momma’s old picnic basket and used our last pieces of bread and baloney to make sandwiches. I didn’t care that my momma was gon’ have a fit. The only blanket I had was my old Garfield comforter, so I used that. We sat there and talked, laughed and ate baloney sandwiches ‘til the sun almost set. I knew ‘er daddy’d kill me if I brought ‘er home after dark. We pulled up just as the sun hit the ground. She said thank you and turned to open the car door. I said ‘er name softly to get ‘er to turn back. Til this day I don’t know how ‘er lip gloss stayed so fresh, but I knew I wanted some on my lips. I took a breath and asked could I kiss ‘er. She smiled and leaned in. It seemed like there were fireworks when our lips touched. They was just as soft as I thought they’d be. I wan’t really thinkin’ ‘bout getting’ married yet, but I knew I wanted to kiss those lips for the rest of my life. She hit the front door just as the street lights came on. I drove home smilin’ like the Kool-Aid Man.
My momma didn’t play, so when I told her I was followin’ Joanne to Atlanta she wan’t happy. Joanne was ‘cepted to Spelman. Now, I wasn’t no Morehouse man but I was good ‘nuf for Atlanta Metropolitan State College. I went to school and worked two jobs so Joanne ain’t have to worry ’bout nothin’ but school. She was studyin’ to be a nurse and I was willin’ to do anything to make sure she ‘chieved it. We were young and in love. We’d stroll through Piedmont Park hand in hand, stopping to kiss ‘long the way like lovers do. Her smile was brighter than the sun and I jus’ wanted to keep it shinin’. Times wan’t always easy though. In her las’ year of school, Joanne got real sick. I was scared to death. I ain’t even know you could catch pneu-monia in a hot city like Atlanta but she sho did. We had a ‘partment up on Peachtree and when I came home from work she was wrapped up in the covers coughing, sweatin’ and shiverin’ like she was naked at the North Pole. She kept sayin’ “I’m fine, I’m fine” but I got her up and took her straight to Grady anyway. They got in there and started workin’ on ‘er and I thought I’d lose my mind. I don’t know what I was thinkin’ ‘fore that, but marryin’ hadn’t crossed my mind much. We was livin’ together and I was providin’ so it didn’t seem to be that important. She ain’t really pressure me either. When I saw ‘er layin’ in that hospital bed wit’ those tubes in ‘er arms and nose I knew I had to make it official. Woulda proposed right there if I ain’t think she deserved more.
I worked a lil’ extra over the next few months. A lotta women woulda been mad and start askin’ a buncha questions when you out a lil’ later, but not Joanne. She trust me and I trust her. That’s jus’ how it was. Her fam’ly came to Atlanta for ‘er college graduation so I thought it a good time to ask ‘er to marry me. I asked ‘er daddy first of course. He knew how good I been takin’ care of his daughter so he gave me his blessin’. When she walked out that Convention Center wearin’ that cap and gown I’d never been more sure of anything in my life. She hugged me and ‘er fam’ly and we took some pictures. She turned her back and I got down on one knee. She ain’t but bout 5 feet on a good day so when she turned back t’ward me we was still ’bout starin’ eye to eye. I told her how much I love ‘er and asked ‘er to be my wife. She was so surprised it took ‘er a while to say yes. Finally she did and came jumpin’ into my arms before I could even get the ring on ‘er finger. Everybody was cryin’ and carryin’ on. I’ll never forget that day.
Now, Joanne never needed me to take care of ‘er but I did anyway. I got so busy workin’ that I never finished community college. I was workin’ in construction and she was workin’ at Grady. She made enough to make it on ‘er own but she never made me feel less than. I guess that’s ‘cus I used all my money to make sure she had ev’rything she needed. She respected me for that and she ‘llowed it. I never held it over ‘er head neither. When she got pregnant with Bobby Jr. we was both over the moon. Now she was moody, don’t get me wrong, but watchin’ ‘er carry those extra pounds on her tiny frame and deal wit’ all the aches and pains jus’ made me love ‘er more. I took over the cookin’ and made sure the house was always clean. I was still workin’ but so was she and her body was workin’ overtime. She always let me know she ‘preciated it. She’d always say “Robby” (that’s what she call me), “you ain’t gotta do all that” but I ain’t listen. When she had the energy, she’d cook me a good meal or rub my back. One day after work I was jus’ sittin’ on the couch and a commercial came on. It was for some of them Pillsbury cookies. I thought in my head “I sho’ could go for some cookies ’bout now” and that thought came right out my mouth. I ain’t even know she was listenin’ but Joanne got right up and carried her and her 8 month pregnant belly over to the kitchen. She went rustlin’ through the cabinets, clangin’ pots and pans. It sounded like she was auditionin’ for symbol player in the Clark Atlanta band. I got up to see what was goin’ on. She had the nerve be steppin’ up on a step stool to get some flour off the top shelf. I ain’t want to shame ‘er like she couldn’t do it, so I jus’ gently took ‘er hand and led ‘er back down. As soon as her feet hit the flo’, she busted out in tears. I ain’t know what was goin’ on so I jus’ took her in my arms. Once my shirt was good and wet and she pulled herself together some, she looked at me with her sweet eyes and said “we ain’t got no chocolate chips”. I wanted to laugh but I ain’t want no trouble. I asked her to come back and sit wit’ me on the couch but her mind was set. She asked me to pull down the flour. It was jus’ us so we ain’t have much food in the house. She found some butter, shuga, bakin’ soda and a lil’ vanilla and whipped up the best tastin’ shuga cookies I eva had. That’s how she got her name.
After Lil’ Bobby was born we ain’t really have the problems some couples do. We took turns wakin’ up in the middle of the night and changin’ diapers. I couldn’t b’lieve how she nourished that baby to be so big and strong with milk from ‘er own body. Workin’ together to take care of Lil’ Bobby was so easy that we had 3 mo’. I miss those days when our house was filled wit’ lil’ voices and foot steps. Now they all grown and got kids of they own. They babies call me Paw Paw and it make my heart smile ev’ry time I hear it.
These days I know me and Shuga Cookie got mo’ days behind us than ahead. That’s ok tho’, ‘cus we done made the best of ’em. Livin’ in her sweetness ev’ry day, I’m su’prised I ain’t got the shuga myself. They say you should give folks they flowers while they livin’. Well Shuga Cookie hate flowers. She say they make your house smell like a funeral home and, I gotta say, I agree. Instead I send her cookies from the bakery every Friday. She sho do d’serve it. Ya know, when you treat a good girl right , she gon treat you right back. Tha’s how me and her been together so long.
Well, that’s our love story. It don’t get much better. Let me get on outta this old rockin’ chair and in this house. I smell somethin’ in the oven and I move slower than I used to. I wanna get to it while it’s hot.