‘Are you seeing somebody else? Cos I’ve read in those magazines about men who sneak off to hotels pretending to be on business, only to be caught out later to be sleeping around.’
Darnell cracked up laughing. ‘I’m not seeing anyone else. Who would want me with this thing?’ He lifted his shirt and showed her the bag which hung from his protruding belly. Jasmine grabbed her chest with relief.
‘I’m sorry, I just worry.’ She embraced her husband and kissed him on the lips. ‘I can’t believe I managed to bag the most handsome man in the world!’
‘Who is he? I’ll kill him!’ They laughed and smooched. Their youngest son, Aaron walked into the room and made a regurgitating heckle at their affection. The couple broke from each other and giggled before taking their respective places in front of the television, the same seats they took every night. There was no question over which was Darnell’s seat; it had a groove in the cushion in the shape of his butt. ‘Oh we’ve embarrassed the poor little guy. Hey, your mom and I still love each other, you know. You’ll be the same when you meet the woman of your dreams, Aaron.’
The room had dark blue walls, broken in the middle by a stone chimney flute and an open fire. The hardwood flooring meant you could hear anyone walking through the house but Jasmine found it was easier to sweep up after everyone passing through their home, which felt as busy as Grand Central Station at times. In the middle, a yellow and grey rug sat beneath a coffee table. In Aaron’s hand was a brown paper bag and the scent of takeaway food radiated from it.
‘What’s this?’ Jasmine gasped.
‘I thought I’d treat us to Chinese seeing I’m going to be away for a while,’ Darnell replied.
‘Oh I’m so glad I don’t have to cook. Thanks, sweetie.’
Darnell took the bag and handed his son some cash before distributing the filled Tupperware amongst his remaining family with one noticeable absentee; Thomas. He’d not returned home since his father threw him out the day before.
He’d been staying at his girlfriend’s house, who Darnell had had the displeasure of meeting before. Courtney was what Darnell referred to as white trash as she dressed provocatively in short miniskirts and her chest was always on display. She wore too much make-up and looked like she’d been confined to a life in a trailer. She’d already mothered a child, which, when she could be bothered to look after him, was pushed around by Thomas in a stroller. They’d met down at the lodge where Thomas hung out with his Nazi friends. The Confederate flag, which had a blue cross filled with stars on a red backdrop, covered the windows so that any passers-by would be oblivious to the activities which took place inside. When they weren’t inside smoking pot, they were on the front porch drinking cans of beer, no matter what their age; the Over 21 rule didn’t worry them.
‘Have you seen that little punk today?’ Darnell asked his wife. The teacher usually came home for her lunch at midday and returned to the house after work at three-thirty. She spent more time in the family home than anyone else.
‘No I haven’t. Have you, Aaron?’ Jasmine shook her head and turned to their youngest son. Aaron silently shook his head before tucking into his sweet-and-sour pork.
‘He’ll come back begging soon enough when he runs out of money. He’ll see the error of his ways.’
‘He’s working down at the drive-in on Jefferson,’ Aaron defended his brother.
‘That lazy little punk won’t stick it out.’
They munched on their dinners while they watched the news. On the television, the anchor woman covered the latest election headlines as President Obama went up against Mick Romney as he battled for a second term in the White House.
‘Have you considered who you’re voting for this time?’ Jasmine turned to her husband with a curious gaze.
‘It has to be Obama again, of course.’ Darnell spoke with a mouth full of food as he tucked into his chow mein. ‘Who else would it be?’
‘You always voted for the Republican candidate before Obama came along,’ Jasmine replied.
‘And so did a lot of other people like me. As far as I see the competition hasn’t been amazing and to have a man just like me in the White House is something I could’ve only dreamed of as a boy. I think my parents would’ve killed me if I had voted any other way.’
The news went on to Obama’s promise to legislate equal marriage for same sex couples. He had changed his stance on the subject since his 2008 campaign for the presidency although he’d always stood by the equality act and had already removed the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, which had been in place since the Clinton administration, allowing LGBT people to be open about their identity in the army.
‘I just wish he’d leave those faggots alone.’ Darnell spat out his food and smacked his fist down on the coffee table. ‘They got what they wanted after Stonewall. What do they need now? Honestly, men marrying men, what’s next? I’ll be able to marry a goat at this rate.’
‘Darnell!’ Jasmine cried, her eyes widening like a deer in the headlights. ‘There’s no need for that. Love is love.’
‘I don’t give a damn, I don’t want those faggots ramming their agenda down my throat. They can do what they want in the privacy of their own homes but we don’t need to see them parading it down the streets.’
Aaron looked at the pork hanging from his fork. He let the meat drop back into the plastic container and placed the plastic cutlery on top of
