see you again |ongoing|

prologue part one

15 years ago...
Florida

Omniscient

A 27-year-old Khadija placed her child into her car seat fighting not to get the overly fluffy yellow church dress stuck in the buckles.

"No mama" a three-year-old Milaya whined.

"No ?" Khadija smiled softly.

"mm mm," the toddler shook her head.

"You don't want to go see granny ?"

"mm mm"

"Baby, you don't wanna see granny or you don't wanna go to church ?"

"church" the three-year-old pouted.

she was too cute

"I know bubs, I promise if we go today, you can have some cupcakes that I made for this week" She was a caterer. Her goal was to open her little cafe one day, and have her building, with a bay window so when the sun rose, it would shine through and light up the whole place, but for now, she worked part-time at a bakery and filled orders from her at-home business. Somedays, she was too tired to function. But it would all be worth it in the end.

It had to work out.

It will work out.

She trusted in God that i will work out.

The small child's eyes lit up as she nodded, "Okay, mama."

Khadija let out a small laugh "okay baby, let's go to church with granny, then we're gonna eat eat eat eat" she tickled her child making her let out continuous giggles.

After fully buckling her child in, she placed a peck on Milaya's forehead and closed the door. She double-checked that the house door was locked and that they had everything they needed for the day.

okay okay okay, let me go before mummy buss a fit.

At fifteen years old Khadija moved to the US from Barbados to be with her mother after the passing of her father, she had the option to stay with her paternal grandmother and family, but she was tired of having to see her mother every two years, plus she was not so close with her father's side, they always seemed to look down on her, maybe it was because her mother left after two years of her being born.

Her father's mother never saw what Alysha, her mother did the same way she did, she always saw that she left her father, but that was never what was relayed to her through her late father, he always made sure to explain to her that her mother loved her and left to make a living, a safe and secure living and that he would never resent her or stop respecting her because of it, and so when the time came, he made the big jump of moving to Florida with her mother.

She finished off her high school education, achieved her associate degree in culinary arts and her bachelor's in sociology, and while working with an adoption agency, she met her child's father, James, he wasn't a bad man, he just wasn't as present as she wished him to be, but he still tried, and for that, she was eternally grateful.

As Khadija was about to step into her vehicle a Ford truck pulled up into the driveway of the house that was recently sold, which was right next door. The door to the truck opened and a woman around her age hopped out, next was a man who got out of the passenger seat and opened the back door to let out a small boy who looked just a year or two older than her baby girl.

The woman looked over and waved with a friendly smile, and Khadija returned the gesture.

When Khadija finally pulled out of her driveway, she was met with a large moving van which stopped right at her new neighbour's house.

She looked at her child in the back seat "see that lil mama, we got some new neighbours, think they're nice ?"

Milaya smiled "yeah mama."

"I hope you're right baby"

*****

Later that evening when Khadija and Milaya returned home from their day with Alysha the lights in the house beside them were on an old dub blasted through the open windows and screen door. 

"I'm too experienced to be taken for a stroll..."

Khadija carefully unbuckled her sleeping toddler, while humming, she was more concerned with getting Milaya inside a comfortable bed before she dealt with everything else.

"Too experienced for someone to rock and roll..."

She opened the door with the music fading into the warm summer night and flipped the switch revealing the open plan of their one-story house, she walked passed the living room and kitchen doorway which sat adjacent to each other. 

She walked straight down the corridor into Milaya's room which was barely used because she always somehow ended up in her mother's bed.  Khadija placed the small child on her toddler-sized bed that James set up for his daughter when they moved.

When she successfully set her down without movement she head back outside to grab their bags and food that was shoved into Khadija's hands when they left Alysha's house earlier that evening. 

As she stepped onto her porch she heard the front door from her new neighbour's open and a voice called out making her turn "Hi !"

"Hi" Khadija waved at the lady with a warm smile.

"Well I'm Marisa, my husband Jared and my son, Nehamiah just moved in, I wanted to introduce myself" Her accent flowed through her words, it was too familiar but Khadija couldn't place her finger on which one it was.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Khadija, and my little girl is inside knocked out, hope you like it around here."

"Thank you, love, well I know we just met but I wanted to invite you..and well your baby girl over for dinner sometime this week, if you don't mind"

"Oh! yeah, that's no issue, we might be busy this week but next Saturday is cool."

"Great to hear, can we exchange numbers ?"

"Sure" Khadija answered placing the items in her hand down on the porch swing moving to meet her new neighbour halfway between the two properties. 

"Okay great" Marisa smiled. "I saw your flag and that encouraged me to come over." Explained while they looked back at the small Barbadian flag that flew on the bannister post.

"I'm glad it did, I heard your accent but couldn't place where it was from" Khadija explained.

"St.Lucia." Marisa smiled.

"Oh sweet, well let me get back in, nice meeting you, hope to see you soon"

"Same to you" Marisa smiled before walking back to her side.

As Khadija closed her door she exhaled a deep breath and rested her back against it, she was absolutely exhausted, but she had to get herself together for the entirely busy week she had ahead.

It will all pay off in the end

It will all pay off in the end

It will all pay off in the end

She made sure to reassure herself, she had to reassure herself, it got hard sometimes, but that was all part of the process.

__________________________________________________________

Hello hello hello my lovies, I'm back and I feel good about this one, yes yes yes.

You know i had to include my beautiful Caribbean culture, its who i ammmm!!!

Anyhow, very excited to have this out for you all.

Next is the second part of the prologue which WILL be a little shorter but i want people to see my babies in action!!!!and then off to chapter one !!!!!!! kisses kisses, see you next time <3