All of Me

XIX

"Amaru Lamar King!" Big Mama shouted. "If you bring yo yella ass in this kitchen one more time, I'm putting this wooden spoon to yo ass! Quit messing with this girl while she in here cookin! I'm not playin with you today! Go help Arman finish the decorations, dammit!"

Heather, Cynthia, and Dear laughed as Amaru rushed out of the kitchen after being fussed at by Big Mama. He's been playing around since they arrived there at noon. It was now three thirty and Mya and Shakur are arriving at four.

All of a sudden, a balloon popped and it startled the ladies. They heard Arman fussing as Micah and Killian ran into the kitchen.

"What'd y'all do?" Dear asked the boys.

"Nothing." They both said quickly, which means they did something.

"Sit down at the table. I'm about to give y'all a snack." Cynthia said as she wiped her hands and they did as told.

Within fifteen minutes the ladies were done with the food and Amaru and Arman were done with decorations. They were currently relaxing and waiting for Shakur to send Amaru a text to let them know they were pulling up. Amaru picked up Cynthia and Dear after dropping Heather, Micah, and Killian off so it wouldn't look suspicious with all the cars outside.

"Daddy." Killian said as he sat on his father's lap. "Can I have a surprise party for my birthday?"

Amaru chuckled. "Yeah, I got you son."

"Remember, my birthday is July 10th." Killian told him, making everyone laugh.

Amaru sucked his teeth. "Boy, I was there when you were born. How am I supposed to forget?"

"I was just making sure, daddy."

Before Amaru could respond, he received a text from Shakur saying they were turning into the neighborhood. Amaru told Arman to turn off the lights and everyone got into position.

"I just gotta pick up something from Big Mama." Shakur told Mya as they pulled into the driveway.

"Okay, I'll come in with you. I know my baby boy is in here—I can feel his presence." She replied, referring to Killian.

The two of them got out the car and walked to the front door. Shakur opened the door and turned on the light before he allowed Mya to step in.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted, startling Mya.

"Y'all scared the shit out of me!" She exclaimed. "Y'all threw me a surprise party?!"

"Yes, auntie! This is for you!" Killian said and Mya began to cry. "If you didn't like it then just say that, auntie."

"It's tears of joy, little man." Arman told him as he pushed Shakur out of the way to hug Mya.

After receiving hugs from everyone, Mya sat down at the head of the table and everyone else sat where they wanted. There was a variety of food to choose from: short ribs, baked chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, turnip greens, green beans, yams, cornbread, and Dear's famous pound cake.

Mya was so overwhelmed by the love, she found herself crying during dinner. If you would have asked her at the age of ten where she would be at twenty five, she would have told you she wouldn't be alive. At the age of sixteen, she failed her fourth suicide attempt—that was when she realized she had to stay alive.

After dinner, everyone sat around the living room as Mya opened her presents. Heather got her a customized Starbucks cup and a $100 gift card to Starbucks. Amaru got her a Pandora charm necklace that was filled with charms—including Micah and Killian's initials. Arman got her a variety of candles from Bath & Body Works. Big Mama got her a pair of diamond earrings with a bracelet to match. Dear and Cynthia got together and bought her a Steve Madden purse with the shoes to match. Killian and Micah gave her a homemade book filled with pictures that they drew and colored.