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Part IV

“Em! Yo Em! Wake up! Yo man, I know your ass is in there, wake the fuck up!” Marshall jumped up from where he’d fallen asleep on the couch with Coral. She was slumped over the arm of the couch and slowly got up when she heard the banging on the door.
“I’m coming man!” Marshall shouted as he jogged towards the door.
“What the fuck is going on man! First I hear that you got drunk and had the bar tender get you a cab, and then I have to hear from Paul, not from you, that you got fucking married last night!” boomed a large and looming black man as he burst through the door.
“Nice to see you too Dre, come right in why don’t you?” Marshall said holding the door open as Dre raged.
“Do you realize, how much a press hiatus this is going to cause? And what she’s gonna do to you, going to the tabloids and shit, you know how much she can get for a story like this?” Dre asked as Marshall shut the door.
“Dre, chill all right, she can hear you, you know,” Marshall replied.
“She’s here? Don’t tell me you been fucking the bitch?”
“Uh hi? I’d be the bitch you’re referring to, hi, I’m Coral.” Coral stepped out of the living room and held out a hand as she introduced herself. The color drained from Dre’s face as he held out a hand and choked,
“Hi, yeah, sorry, didn’t know you were right there.”
“Look, we need to get a few things straight, and I think the best way to do that is over some breakfast. So what say you boys take a seat at the counter, while I whip up some eggs?” Coral asked brightly. Dre gave Marshall a sideways glance.
“Is she for real?”
“Man, just shut up and come get something to eat,” Marshall laughing pushing the taller man towards the kitchen.
While Coral was cooking Paul showed up, legal papers in hand, ready to get down to business.
“So, what is, this, whole thing here?” Paul asked as Marshall ushered him over to the counter to take a seat.
“Paul meet Coral, the new wife, Coral, this is Paul, my lawyer.”
“How do you?” Coral asked nodding towards him, spatula in hand.
“All right, but Em, but why is she? Are you two?” Paul asked confused.
“I’m a cook, it’s what I do, I cook, so, Paul you got everything drawn up? What do I need to sign, what can we do to get this through fast as possible?” Coral asked as she pulled out some more plates and silverware.
“Well, the initial divorce request, you both need to sign that, and then the disclosure agreements of course, and the agreement not to sue for alimony,” Paul started.
“I don’t go to the press, yada yada yada, just start explaining then hand over the pen. I’m sure you want this over with as quickly as I do,” Coral replied as she dished out the eggs and popped the toast off the griddle. She’d managed to mix up some jam and spread it over the toast and parcel it out to each plate.
“Here you go, growing boys need their breakfast, most important meal of the day,” Coral chirped placing a plate in front of each of the men at the counter. Dre and Paul gave each other questioning looks.
“So you must be, Dr. Dre, right?” Coral asked.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, but you’d know that already, wouldn’t you?” Dre asked.
“I don’t listen to rap music, so no. Like I was telling Marshall here, I haven’t bought a CD since 1999, and I listen to country music mostly. But if you’re implying that I have a problem with rap music, I don’t. I just haven’t ever really listened to it.” Coral added and Dre quickly shut up.
“Just eat you two,” Marshall laughed.
“So, how is it exactly that you two ended up married?” Dre asked after a few minutes of awkward silence.
“Met at the diner where Marshall broke my fall after my boss threw me off the porch, then we went to get a drink, and we got drunk. I’m guessing that we eventually found somebody who was willing to marry us at some place, and that’s as much as we know.” Coral answered for them both. Marshall was secretly grateful. Dre was his friend, though at times he acted like father figure, he wasn’t looking forward to the lectures HE was going to get as a result of his mistake.
“And I’m supposing that you two?” Paul asked.
“No, we didn’t,” Marshall answered this time.
“Look, gentlemen, let me make a few things very clear. I do not want to be married to Marshall. He is a very nice guy, and we get along, but I’d prefer to marry a man I’ve known at the very least a week. Now, I have no interest in going to the press about this, as far as I’m concerned, this does not reflect very well on me either. As my sister Pearl as already taken the liberty to tell me, several times. What I need is to get my own life on track and taking Mr. Mathers down because of a stupid mistake on both our parts is not part of that plan. I am not interested in his money, nor I am interested ruining his image. Are we clear?” Coral asked.
“Very,” Paul nodded looking towards Coral and then Marshall.
“Good to hear,” Dre replied.
“Good, now we can enjoy our breakfast.”
Paul worked quickly and they had all the disclosure agreements signed within an hour as well as the divorce petition.
“So, is that all?” Coral asked.
“If there is anyone you want to have copies of this? Your lawyer?” Paul asked.
“Just me, for this process, Paul you are my lawyer. The quicker you get this taken care of, the better.” Coral replied handing him the pen.
“You sure? I mean, I know I explained all this to you, but you might want some outside legal council,” Paul replied.
“I have plenty of legal council on my own side. All four of my grandparents are lawyers, so are my parents, and my four sisters, and one brother. One is an expert in divorce court, you might have heard of her, Onyx Matthews, of the Matthews, Daughters and Sons?” Coral asked and Paul’s eyes nearly turned to saucers.
“The Matthews? The Matthews! Of all the people in the world Em, that you had to marry, Jesus Christ!” Paul exclaimed.
“Chill Paul, Coral is not a lawyer, and she purposely did not call her sister because she didn’t want her interfering,” Marshall replied.
“And besides, the papers are all signed, what else can I do now?”
“Are you sure?” Paul asked again.
“Yes, I am. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to move my things to my sister’s place until I can find a new job and a place to live.” Coral replied standing up.
“Well, thank you, for making this go smooth,” Paul replied putting a hand out to shake hers, which she did readily.
“No problem. Like I said, it was a mutual mistake, and I’m not one to take advantage of people like that.”
“One of the few that won’t.” Dre replied.
“So you’ll let me know when it goes through, right? Just in case I find another one I want to get drunk and marry within the next twenty-four hours?” Coral laughed.
“I’ll let you know. Nice meeting you Coral,” Paul chuckled and turned to Marshall.
“Take it easy, and stay out of the bars for a while would ya?”
“I will, thanks man, take it easy yourself.” A few minutes later he was gone along with Dre.
So there they were. Alone, again, in the house. Divorce in progress. What were they going to do now? They stood a few feet apart, in entryway from where they had said goodbye to both Paul and Dre. They looked at one another.
“So, you need a ride to your sister’s right?” Marshall asked, though he really wasn’t looking forward to how quiet the house was going to be without Coral’s constant stories, the smell of her cooking, just the sound of her damn voice. God he hated that house.
“Uh, yeah, Pearl’ll be sending out the army reserves soon, you know,” Coral chuckled and Marshall laughed along with her, weakly so.
“Um, I’m just gonna get my keys, and we can head out.”
“Sure,” Coral said and he turned to leave the room to get his keys, “And Marshall, thanks.” He looked at her and nodded, not able to say anything at all.

The ride to San Francisco was comparatively silent from the past hours they had spent together. Coral didn’t feel compelled to speak, and Marshall for the most part didn’t give any indication that he was interested in hearing any more stories.
Once they arrived at the apartment complex where all of Coral’s family lived it was around five o’clock. Marshall helped her unload her things into the storage area that was reserved for her sister in the basement of the complex and then proceeded to get right back in his car.
“Well, uh, it’s been, something, huh?” Coral asked as he stood at his car door, fiddling with his keys.
“Yeah. But I got to say, if I had to marry somebody overnight, I’m glad it was you, it was fun, and now I know who to call to cater, and you’ll have plenty of business, you know, with my friends and such,” Marshall trailed off, he felt like he was losing his best friend in the world. Now he’d be alone, again. Great, just what he needed. Shit. Alone, that was what he was worrying about? God dammit, he needed to get out of here and grow his dick back.
“Yeah, sure,” Coral bit her bottom lip. God, why was this so awkward? It wasn’t like they were anything to each other, right? A drunken stupor and vows taken without knowledge, weren’t enough to connect two people, that much right?
“Uh, look, here’s my cell number, and the house number, and my pager, the studio phone, I think that about covers it.” Marshall laughed handing her over the paper where he’d copied out his numbers earlier that day. She took the paper gingerly.
“I’ll call you as soon as I figure out who I’m staying with,” she nodded, looking at the paper.
“Well, I guess I should get going,” Marshall said glancing towards the ground.
“Coral! How lovely, and this is the young man Pearl has been telling us so much about, please, please, you must come upstairs and join us for dinner!” Coral turned to see her grandmother marching across the parking lot with a smile on her face.
“I was just getting ready to, I mean I have to,” Marshall stuttered.
“Oh nonsense you can make time to have dinner with the family, after all you are her husband for a few days now aren’t you?” the woman laughed. Coral smiled genuinely so Marshall figured that it must be okay.
“Uh, sure, all right, I guess so,” he replied.
“Marvelous! Come along, come along.” Marshall looked over at Coral as the smart and sharp looking gray haired woman marched back across the parking lot to the elevator.
“And she is?” he asked.
“That’s my grandmother Margaret, she’s one of the nice ones, don’t worry,” Coral laughed as they hurried to the elevator and hopped inside.
“I hope so.”

Marshall got the distinct air of being the slimy frog in the midst of the beautiful koi pond when he’d been introduced to Coral’s family. Everyone was dressed to the nines with suits and expensive watches so he really felt out of place in his baggy jeans, T-shirt and baseball cap. The consensus of feeling was that they were all being nice because they were being watched and it wasn’t polite to scream at the guests. Marshall hadn’t met so many fake people since he’d been forced to go the last Jive party and meet the whole of both of his most hated enemies, Nsync and the Backstreet Boys.
Coral went around and quickly introduced the entirety of Matthews law firm to him, and the only genuine hellos he got were from the grandparents and her sister Turquoise. Pearl was looking particularly vindictive as did the black haired woman that Coral introduced as Onyx. Marshall could only imagine why.
They sat down to dinner almost immediately and were served by the housemaid, this was getting too surreal for Marshall. Sure he was rich, but what they called ghetto rich, he had money but he didn’t spend it on a troop of servants and such, things he’d never grown up with and didn’t see a need for. Besides, when he was living by himself, there wasn’t much to do anyway. And even if Hailie was living with him, he would not have hired a nanny, he enjoyed taking care of his own daughter too much, aside from that, he hardly ever got to see her. It was going on two months now, and he missed her so much it hurt.
“So, how did you two meet?” Onyx asked with an obvious chuckle.
“Excuse me?” Marshall asked.
“How did you meet, Pearl only said that Coral had gotten a new boyfriend, she didn’t tell us anything else,” Grandfather Albert asked, and Coral nearly choked on her bite of potato.
“Boyfriend?” Coral asked with wide eyes.
“Yes, boyfriend,” Pearl repeated. Coral looked at Marshall and then back at her Grandfather before slowly putting her fork down. Marshall sensed there was going to be a big blow out, and felt Coral tense beside him.
“Pearl was lying. Marshall is not my boyfriend, he is my husband, as a matter of fact,” Coral looked back at her sister and narrowed her eyes, let the battles begin.
“Husband, husband?” Albert coughed.
“Yes, I met Marshall yesterday night, we got drunk, and got married. So yes husband.” Coral repeated, Marshall felt his face heating up.
“You got drunk and got married!” Cordelia, Coral’s mother, shrieked standing up from the table.
“Yes indeed I did mama,” Coral replied.
“Of all the stupid, irresponsible things, Coral, do you realize, what this is going to do to your life?” Jasper, Coral’s father, shouted next.
“Jasper, now calm down,” Margaret said quickly, she’d obviously thought that everyone knew about what happened, but then again, that was Pearl and her way of lying as usual.
“You see? You see now mother, this is why I wouldn’t allow you to pay for that infernal schooling that she wanted to go, some half shot bakery where she could learn how to make pigs in a blanket!”
“The Cour Don Blue is the top cooking school in the world and don’t you dare try to discount all the efforts I put into getting accepted!” Coral shouted.
“Well, it looks like you’ll be able to go now, now you found yourself a rich husband, am I right?” Onyx interrupted with a half-cocked grin. Coral was seething.
“We are getting a divorce thank you very much and no thanks to you Pearl,” Coral snapped.
“Please tell me you didn’t sign anything?” Mica asked surprised.
“I took care of everything myself, I don’t need anyone’s help.”
“No, of course not, why would you need any of our help, not when you only have a divorce lawyer in the family,” Cordelia said shaking her head.
“I took care of it. I’m not as inept as you all think,” Coral replied quietly.
“We don’t think you’re inept sweetie,” Grandmother Louise added quickly.
“Oh don’t defend her mom,” Cordelia snapped.
“You should have went to law school, and you know it. Why do you have to question everything Coral? Why? I mean look around you, obviously you were meant to be a lawyer,” Jasper began to rant.
“Dad, leave her alone,” Turkey said loudly.
“You stay out of this, you’re not the gem of the family either, personal injury law bullshit, you waste our firm’s time,” Jasper snapped.
“Don’t scream at her when it’s me your mad at dad,” Coral retorted.
“Never mind about your sister, it’s you we’re talking about here. You are going to stop this foolishness right now. You are going to take a job in the office and you are going to start classes right away. Onyx will take care of this divorce and you will finally get your life on track.” Jasper smacked the table once as spoke, making Coral jump.
“Your father is absolutely right. You can be my secretary, and you’ll get right over this cooking thing. I mean, look at you, living out of those dumpy apartments, slaving over a hot stove in hash joints and diners for minimum wages. Coral, you’re a smart girl, why do you insist on acting so stupid?” Cordelia asked looking over at Coral who was busy staring in her lap, tying her napkin in a knot.
Marshall wanted to say something, but upon Coral’s request that he not say anything, he didn’t. He had a feeling that this sort of dinner was not uncommon for Coral, and maybe she was right, it was time for her to stand up to her own family.
“I’m not going to law school,” Coral said quietly as her parents continued to rant and scream at her.
“Yes you are!”
“NO I’M NOT!” Coral jumped up from her chair and was nearly screaming.
“I am sick and tired of listening to you discount what I want to do with my life. I do not want to be a lawyer, I’ve never wanted to be a lawyer, and I never will be a lawyer. I got accepted into the highest accredited cooking school in the world, when I was just seventeen. Now in a lot of house holds that is nothing to sneeze at. I want to cook, it’s what I’m good at and I don’t care if that makes me the black sheep of the family because I don’t want to spend my time, keeping criminals out of jail like you Pearl, or rip families to shreds like you Onyx. I am a person too god dammit and I deserve to be treated with some decency and respect!” Coral’s eyes were spilling angry tears as she yelled.
“How dare you speak to us like that?” Cordelia roared. Coral looked like she was struggling to find her words and finally screamed, “FUCK OFF!” before dashing from the room. Marshall looked around at the table and said as he stood,
“Thanks for dinner, nice meeting you all.”

Coral choked and sputtered on her tears all the way down the elevator to the parking garage under the building where found her boxes of things and collapsed into them. Muttering to herself and wiping tears away roughly, she wrapped her arms around herself and sighed.
A few minutes later she saw some headlights coming towards her and she watched as Marshall’s car pulled up, then backed in towards her. He hopped out of the car, popped open the back and didn’t say anything as he started to load the boxes he’d unloaded only an hour ago.
“Wha, what are you doing?” Coral asked watching as Marshall heaved the first box into the car.
“Well, you need a place to live, right? And you obviously can’t live here,” he replied shoving the box in as far as he could. She stood up off the box she’d been sitting on and looked at him confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“You need a job right?” Marshall asked looking up at her from where he was doubled over to pick up another box.
“Yeah, so?”
“I need a cook, so you’re hired, you get three hundred a week, room and board, use of the kitchen of course and full access to the house, you accept?” he asked, pushing the next box in the car. Coral laughed and wiped a few more tears away.
“You’re kidding right?” she asked.
“No, you’re a good cook, I’m a bad cook, and well, I got to eat, and I’m getting fat eating take out so, you want the job or not?” he asked, keeping out of eye contact as he kept picking up boxes.
“Marshall,” Coral laughed.
“What?” he turned and no sooner she’d planted a kiss on his cheek.
“You’re just the sweetest guy on the face of this planet, that’s all.” She grinned at him and he felt his cheeks start to heat.
“I’m just gonna finish loading these boxes.”