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Finally back into Washington D.C., still ahead of the big traffic rush … and besides, it wasn't generally going where the Stepforths were going.

Washington D.C. is known for its small, concentrated area of power … few realize the “Chocolate City” it primarily is, of the homes and lives of Black people, rich, middle-class, and poor, largely shut out of that power through laws that did not allow D.C. representation in the House or Senate, for it is a district, not a state.

The Stepforths purposely, when in Washington D.C., concentrated their efforts on that side of town shut out.  Velma Stepforth had lived during the years of her divorce in a nice home and when not working on her blog spent time mentoring and tutoring young people.

Mr. Stepforth, despite his feelings about the divorce, acknowledged the good that she had been called to the city to do, and quietly put money into projects she made the world aware of through her blog.

It dawned on him that it would take a lot for her to leave all of the people she had come to love, especially the young people.

This is why the do-over, the reconciliation, was going to be so much order than how they met the first time … in their teens, it was cute to think of a chocolate cherub Cupid with his bow and arrow, hitting folks with love at first sight. 

50 years later, the matter was clearer: everything required sacrifice.  Coming back to Thomas Stepforth Sr. at 65 was going to cost Velma, and the people who she ministered to in D.C., heavily.

The whole fact that she was even thinking about doing that indicated how much she still loved him, because Velma Stepforth was not the kind of woman who marked time until something better came along.  She had made a full investment into her life in Washington.  

Mrs. Stepforth was staying with a friend in a neighborhood quite a bit poorer than the one she had lived in, but she had hardly gotten out of the car before she was spotted and rushed.

“Auntie Velma!  Auntie Velma!”

So many people had been worried about her … she was soon surrounded by the people of the last ten years.

Mr. Stepforth quietly got the bags out of the car for his wife and thought about driving off … all those people didn't know they were in his way … and he hated himself for the thought, but it was there, along with the thought that he had been a fool to let her get away and all of them into the picture in the first place.  But it was done.

He half expected that she wouldn't even acknowledge him.

But she did.

“Hey, y'all, quiet down for a minute – this is Tom Stepforth, my husband – we're getting back together, and he came to get me out of Washington until things cooled down and we could get over here!”

That crowd switched up all of the sudden.

“Hey, y'all, it's the Good Ex!”

“She ain't never had nothin' but good things to say about you all this time, man!”

“Well, come on!”

And that crowd basically carried both Stepforths off into the 'hood and the celebration.