La Toya Hankins

Leah Tubman had no way of knowing the informational interview she had in 2008 with the shapely marketing manager would lead to her planning a same-sex Southern wedding, complete with a rabbi and rum cake, seven years later. She and Patricia Goldman may come from different faiths, but their love knows no bounds.<br><br>When the two women meet, they don’t need a Supreme Court decision to fall in love, but thanks to the split June 2015 ruling making gay marriage legal in the United States, they plan to make their interracial mixed love affair official with a fall wedding. It takes an allergy scare and a brunch complete with sex and syrup to bring them close to wedding bliss, but Leah wouldn’t have it any other way.

Challah and Callaloo

The same type of culture shock she felt going from the sunshine of her birthplace to the snow of her adolescence hit her hard when she headed south for the next four years. However, just as she acclimated to having to bundle up during the winter months, she grew accustomed to barbecue in her adopted hometown. After college, when she had opportunities to start new, Leah decided to stay in the Queen City. It was a decision she didn’t regret.


Leah looked at an engagement picture that sat on her desk. If I hadn’t decided to stay in town after graduation, I may not have faced losing a good job and meeting the woman of my dreams in the process.


“Excuse me. I’m here for a noon appointment with Patricia Goldman,” Leah said in a voice she hoped transmitted confidence.


“Ms. Tubman? Please take a seat, and I will let her know you are here,” the smooth-faced, baritone-voiced man said.


Chapter 4