Epilogue

Derrick and Carrie did what they set out to do. They made the best soul food restaurant in Chicago, and raised their children. Carrie had her white daughter from Edwin, Claire, and her two black children from Zo, Derrick Jr. and Harriet, after Derrick's mother.

After Derrick and Carrie finally retired, Carrie thought back on life, as they moved south to California. It'd been a turbulent ride. From Junior, to his father, to Jerome, to Slim, to prison, to Derrick. She still had the large tattoos of Africa and Black power on her ass. And really, that commitment had defined most of her sexuality. All of her children were in relationships with strong Black partners, and none of them had really even thought about a different path of their own. It was one of the rougher paths she could imagine, but as she settled between Derrick's thighs to suck his large clit at the truck stop, her regrets were muted.

For your part, you never had children. The fit between you and Edith was poor. You'd made occasional trips to Chicago to have lunch at D's Soul Food, but you'd never had the courage to embrace your true sexuality. As you fell asleep next to Edith, your mind drifted to Marco once more.