"Aww, my baby." Brooklyn said as she watched Nicole walk towards them in her gold cap and gown.
Nicole just graduated from high school with honors and she would be going to Texas to attend Baylor University in the fall. Everyone was proud of her and was looking forward to her future.
"Hey, guys!" Nicole exclaimed.
"Hey, baby! I'm so proud of you!" Brooklyn said, allowing her tears to flow. "You daddy would be so happy."
Nicole began to cry as well when Brooklyn engulfed her in a hug. She worked so hard to get where she was. She felt like giving up sometimes, but she kept going. "Thank you, mommy."
"Don't hog the girl, Brooklyn. We gotta take pictures." Shayla said.
Val pinched Shayla, making her wince. "Let them have their moment."
After Brooklyn and Nicole shared their special moment, they began taking pictures. Shortly after, they went to a restaurant for dinner to celebrate Nicole's accomplishment.
"We'd like to make a toast." Duke said as he and Claude stood up. "To our one and only granddaughter. We're so proud of you, baby. You remained focused and kept your eyes ahead, even when the world around you was breaking into pieces. You're going places, baby girl."
"And to our daughter, Brooklyn." Claude chimed. "Without you, Nicole wouldn't be here—none of these kids would be here. Over these past ten years, you've shown us how strong and resilient a black woman is. You've carried so much on your back and you've handled it well. We're proud of you too, baby."
At this point, everyone was in tears. It has been hard since Cleo was murdered and no one has recovered from his death. It's just been easier to cope with.
-
"Hey, daddy. I did it. I graduated." Nicole said as she sat down at the tombstone. "I'll be leaving for Texas in August to go to Baylor. I'm really excited and I know if you were here, you would be more excited than me." Nicole wiped away the couple of tears that fell from her eyes. "Auntie is going to help me decorate my dorm and—I want you back, daddy!"
Nicole's body began to tremble as she broke down in tears. The thought of her father not being there for the greatest day of her life was finally getting to her and it pained her heart.
"Baby, are you okay?" An older gentleman asked. He looked to be in his late forties.
"I—I just miss my daddy." Nicole said through the tears. "I graduated from high school yesterday and he wasn't there."
The man squatted down next to Nicole and began to rub her back. "I know how you feel. I lost my mother when I was eleven. Losing a parent is hard—even when your other parent is still living. You feel lost when you lose one of the people who gave you life. You may feel like your daddy wasn't there, but he was. He was watching you walk across that stage from his seat in heaven. Your daddy will always be with you." He glanced at Cleo's tombstone and smiled. "I went to high school with your dad. I graduated two years before him. He was a good guy."
Nicole nodded and smiled. "Everybody loved him. It's just so hard sometimes." Nicole looked up at the man and wiped her wet face. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, young lady." The man said as he helped Nicole up. "Keep your head up."
Nicole stood there and watched the man walk towards his car. She found it odd, but it seemed like he came right on time. Nicole looked back at her father's tombstone and smiled. "Thank you for sending him, daddy. I really needed that." She kneeled down and kissed the stone. "I'll see you later. I love you."
-
"Nicholas, stop!" Eleven year old Nigel yelled at his ten year old brother.
Nicholas sucked his teeth. "Stop acting like a little bitch." He whispered.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Brooklyn asked her sons.
"Nicholas keeps pulling on my locs." Nigel said angrily as he pushed his hair out of his face.
"Nicholas, chill out—seriously. You've been acting up all day. I'm about to send you to Grandpa Claude." Brooklyn threatened. Nicholas sat back on the couch and crossed his arms. Twelve year old Hassan was sitting on the other couch, laughing at the scene before him. "I don't see anything funny, Hassan. I'll send you to Grandpa Duke, since you wanna laugh."
Hassan stopped laughing and folded his lips. Brooklyn went back to the kitchen to finish making dinner with a smirk on her face.
Nicole walked into the house with a smile as she dragged twenty six year old Theodore behind her. "Mommy, look who I ran into outside!"
Brooklyn turned around as the two of them walked into the kitchen. "If you don't have my further daughter in law, then you can go back where you came from."
Theodore laughed. "You know she's eight months pregnant and tired. Besides, you just saw her yesterday."
"Yeah, whatever." Brooklyn scoffed. "Are you hungry? Dinner is almost ready."
"I'm good, mama. Thank you. I just came to steal my game back from Hassan." Theodore replied.
"He's in the living room." Theodore nodded before walking out of the kitchen, leaving Brooklyn and Nicole alone. "You went to visit your daddy?"
"Yes, it was kind of weird." Nicole said.
Brooklyn furrowed her eyebrows. "Weird how?"
"I was talking to him and I burst out in tears in mid-sentence. Then, this man came and asked me if I was okay. I told him how much I missed daddy and he talked to me about how hard it is to get over a parent's death because he lost his mother at a young age too. It was like daddy sent him to me." Nicole explained.
Brooklyn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he probably did. I wouldn't doubt it."
"Mommy, I have a question."
"Ask me."
"Do you think you're going to remarry?" Nicole asked.
"I'm not sure, Nicole." Brooklyn answered truthfully. "Would you feel some type of way if I did remarry?"
"No." Nicole replied. "Everyone deserves happiness—especially you. It's been ten years since daddy died and I don't want you to be lonely. I'm not rushing you to find someone else. I just want you to be happy."
"I understand and I am happy. I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. I will when I feel like the time is right." Brooklyn said.
Nicole smiled and nodded. "I hope that I find someone who makes me happy like daddy made you happy."
"You will find that someone—and when you do, hold on to him and don't let go."
-
-
-
-
-
Okay, that's it for book 1 of the Thug Love Series. I didn't expect it to be THIS short. I will publish the first three chapters of the second book tomorrow night around 9:30 (EST). It is called Life After. Be on the look out!
