Forgive Me (Sequel)

•Chapter Thirty Nine•

"It's going to be okay boo." I cooed, trying my hardest to comfort a distraught Ameer. His tear ducts released a heavy downpour the minute Lance stepped foot in the police car. My poor baby was a heaving mess and nothing I said seemed to pacify him. At this point I myself wanted to cry, I had no idea what to do so I held him tightly and rubbed his back until he got tired of crying or calmed himself down.

"Momma can I go to my room?" He rubbed the remnants of tears from his cheeks and looked at me with sad and pleading eyes.

"But your party isn't over. What about all your friends?"

He shrugged his shoulders,"They'll be alright. They're having fun without me anyway." I sighed heavily, mirroring the weight of my heart at the moment.

"I guess you can go. Let's open the gift from your daddy first though, I bet you'd feel much better." His face lit up instantly, his smile blinding. It was nearly impossible to tell that he was melancholy only minutes ago. Instructing him to close his eyes, I placed the neatly wrapped gift into his expectant hands. Once his eyes shot open, he wasted no time ripping the gift wrap to shreds, eager to find out what his father had gotten him. He groaned when he realized that he still to conquer a gift box before finally revealing his present. When the nikon d3400 graced his sight, an exaggerated gasp escaped his lips. Gently placing the camera on the coffee table, he excitedly broke out into the flossing dance. I quickly grabbed my phone to capture his delight.

"This is soo cool!" He exclaimed once he finally calmed down and examined the camera.

"Wait til I show TJ!" He raced through the house and out the sliding door as he rejoined his friends. I guess he forgot that he was suppose to be sad.

Joining my father by the grill, I noticed the crowd of kids that had gathered around Ameer. Judging from his hand movements and his confident stance, I had no doubt he was probably bragging to his friends that he already knew how to operate some of the features since Lance had an almost identical camera. It wasn't long before the kids were being arranged by Ameer as he geared up to take their photos. Some of the little boys tucked their hands under their arms, feet apart in an attempt to appear gangster while others threw up the peace sign. Most of the little girls placed both hands on their hips and slightly extended one leg forward, exuding poise. I smiled and shook my head at the serious look on Ameer's face, he was in genuine photographer mode.

Despite Ameer's earlier emotional meltdown, ultimately the day's event went well. Once the party had ended and the kids sang happy birthday and received their slices of cake, my father and I were left to return my backyard to a state of normalcy. His wife and my younger siblings also chipped in with task of cleaning up. Unfortunately, Ayisha's dance group had a recital out of town, of which Avery was also apart of. Had they been present, we'd definitely have some extra helping hands.

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Journeying to my father's house, Ameer was in an extra chipper mood. He talked nonstop about the number of goals he planned on scoring today. It was Sunday and his team was scheduled for a match later this afternoon. It was beyond me why they chose to have a game on Sunday. In my mind the day was created for two reasons only-- going to church and falling into deep slumber once the last forkful of food settled at the bottom of my stomach. Nonetheless, I was happy for the opportunity to cheer on my baby. This was his first game of the season and his first time being a forward. The coach usually assigned him to the midfield but his vast improvement earned him the striking position.

Pulling into the vacant spot in my father's driveway, Ameer was already halfway out of the car before I was even able to park properly. He was always excited to spend time with his grandpa and uncles. Walking through the front I could already hear the ruckus and smell the testosterone emanating from the livingroom. All of the men were planted infront the television engaging in an intense game of madden. My youngest brother had handed the controller to Ameer and he soon joined in with the trash talking. I took one last look at them and shook my head before I went in search of Anita. I was in need of her company to help balance out the madness that was occuring in the livingroom.