An American Marriage

For the first time, Dre speaks. He and Celestial have moved in together—they live in the house Celestial grew up in, the house she shared with Roy during their marriage, the house next door to Dre’s childhood home. Dre recounts how he could not remember a time he did not love Celestial. “My affection for her is etched onto my body like the Milky Way birthmark scoring my shoulder blades” (95). Growing up, they had a closeness, like brother and sister (when Dre’s parents divorced, Celestial’s father assumed the role of Dre’s surrogate father). That closeness, Dre admits, had never translated into serious dating. After Celestial returned from Washington and matriculated at Morehouse, Dre introduced her to Roy, a frat brother. He knew immediately there was a spark: “They were good together” (102). Now, with Roy imprisoned, he is determined to make Celestial his wife, to make their relationship “legit, aboveboard” (108). It is not easy for him. Pursuing Celestial, for Dre, is like courting a widow, an emotionally vulnerable woman haunted by ghosts, uncertain over any new commitments.

Now, the day before Thanksgiving, Celestial shares with Dre the news of Roy’s early release. Dre planned to ask Celestial to marry him during her family’s holiday meal even though Celestial was legally still married to Roy.