Tonight was my turn to cook for family dinner and luckily my mom thought us all how to throw down in the kitchen.
I connected my phone to the speakers and shuffled my playlist before I washed my hands to start preparing everything.
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The rumble of the car engine in the garage gave way to the creak of the kitchen door, and then my mom appeared, a warm smile on her face.
"Hii my baby" she spoke coming around the island to place a kiss on my cheek making me smile as I leaned into her.
"Hi mommy, how was your day?" I asked and she sighed.
"Girl, it was very exhausting, but everything's looking good - the shops are running smoothly and customers are satisfied" she spoke grabbing a water from the fridge as I fried the lamb.
"That's good, I need to come do more piercings again" I told her while she nodded and soon disappeared out of the kitchen to greet the kids.
It was now an hour later and everyone slowly started arriving while I finished up in the kitchen. I just got done cleaning up the pots and pans I was using and now I was just wiping the counters before I take out plates and glasses.
"Set the table Kamari" I told him when he walked into the kitchen. He acting like this something new to him.
"Damn can I get a hey first" he mugged me making me roll my eyes. I placed all the plates on the island along with forks and knives.
"I'm hungry as thee fuck" Ej mumbled walking into the kitchen with Cruze in his arms making me get excited.
"Hi Cruzie" I held my arms out for him and he smiled reaching his arms out for me to grab him. The front door opened and my mimi and papa walked in with Armias next to them.
"Is everyone hea'? I'm tryna eat" Uncle Jah complained and everyone agreed, walking into the kitchen so we could pray.
I looked down when my leg was pinched making me chuckle seeing Armias staring up at me with a frown.
"You jealous Mias?" I asked laughing when he crossed his arms and walked towards my dad for him to pick him up.
"Okay, let's pray" my mom spoke making everyone quiet down and bow their heads.
"Dear God, we're grateful for this time together as a family. Thank you for the blessings you've bestowed upon us, for the love that we share, and for the opportunities to grow and learn together. Bless this meal and our conversations. May our time together strengthen our bonds, deepen our understanding, and fill our hearts with joy. Thank you, God, for your unwavering love and presence in our lives. May we honor you in all we do. Amen" Aunty Nova blessed us with a prayer.
Everyone scattered around the kitchen to make plates while I helped my mom make plates for the younger ones.
Once I was done, Ej asked me to make a plate for him too so I did that and took a picture of my work of art before going to sit on the couch with him since the table was full.
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"Yea, 'dis definitely Leilani daughter" Ej spoke making us all chuckle. All you could hear was plates scraping.
"Mazi called you?" Ej asked making me glance his way and nod my head while he raised his eyebrows.
"Yea, he needed help with calc" I explained and he nodded his head thoughtfully. The rest of the night unfolded into a joyful blur of laughter and cherished moments, forever etched in our memories.
