𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐈
Mahalia Reign Clark
22 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝
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"Come on, my love. You have to wake up." Mahalia softly spoke, rubbing her daughter's small back.
Mynazja raised her head, frowning with her eyes still closed. Her brown, chubby cheek was painted with slobber.
She started to whine, not wanting to get up at all.
"I'm sorry pooh. You have to get up for daycare." Mahalia continued quietly. She grabbed her daughter's small body, placing her on her hip. Mynazja laid her head on her mother's shoulder.
Mynazja was only two years old and, of course, she had trouble waking up. When she was sleep, she was sleep. No amount of noise or ruckus could wake her up. The only thing or person that could wake her was her mother.
"Mama." Mynazja called out in a hushed tone.
"Yes, baby?" Mahalia responded as she walked into the bathroom. She sat Mynazja on the counter, wiping her face with a wet rag.
"Go back sleep?" Mynazja asked in a hopeful tone, but Mahalia shook her head no.
"You have to go to daycare, pooh. Mommy has work." She told her and Mynazja pouted, wanting to sleep more.
Mahalia grabbed some hair product, rubbing it in Mynazja's wild and curly hair. She used a soft brush to prevent harshness on her hair before brushing Mynazja's hair up into a puff.
Mahalia always loved to do her daughter's hair. For a two year old, her hair was very full and thick, so Mahalia made sure that she took care of it as best she could. Mynazja didn't mind, either. She loved the feeling of her mom playing in her hair.
"Look in the mirror, pretty girl." Mahalia told her daughter as she put away all the hair products.
"Oooooh!" Mynazja exclaimed, looking at her reflection. Mahalia chuckled before handing Mynazja her kiddie toothbrush that had a little bit of toothpaste on it. Mynazja began to brush her small teeth while Mahalia looked at herself in the mirror. Her blue scrubs clung to her body a bit, and her knotless braids were up in a ponytail. She had woken up early this morning because she wanted to be ready before she woke Mynazja up.
"All done!" Nazja squealed and Mahalia took the toothbrush from her. She took her off the counter, walking hand in hand into Mynazja's room and making her way to the closet. She picked out black biker shorts, a pink Burberry shirt and some pink sandals before dressing Mynazja. She slipped on Mynazja's gold bracelet.
"Can mommy have a kiss, pooh?" Mahalia asked and Mynazja nodded, wandering over to her mom. Mahalia bent down and Nazja attempted to pucker her lips but ended up slobbering all over her mom's lips and chin. Mahalia didn't mind, though.
"Thank you, my love." Mahalia picked her up and grabbed her baby bag. It had pull ups, wipes, extra clothes, a blanket, her sippy cup, and some snacks. Mahalia always packed snacks for Nazja although she got fed at daycare, just in case. If Nazja didn't eat the snacks then she gave the caretakers permission to feed them to some of the other kids who might need or want them.
Before leaving her apartment, Mahalia grabbed her Louis Vuitton tote bag and her car keys. She grabbed Mynazja's small hand before leaving her home.
The family of two lived in a luxury apartment near Spring Garden. It wasn't the best neighborhood, but it wasn't the worst in the city either. She loved her apartment, but she knew she didn't plan on staying in that neighborhood for too long. She used to live in the Northeast before she moved to Delaware when she was 14 years old after her father's death. The only reason she came back to Philly was because of a bad situation with Mynazja's dad.
She felt like coming back to the city would free her of the emotional bondage that Jamir had her in during their relationship. She wanted a fresh start for herself, and even more for her daughter. She felt like they both deserved it.
"Hold my hand, Nazja." Mahalia said as she held her hand out for Mynazja to grab.
"Red and white and grey and black and white and.." Mynazja said in her little voice, calling out the different colors of the cars that drove by. Mahalia walked up to her car, opening the door and quickly putting Mynazja in her car seat. She then put the baby bag on the seat next to Mynazja as well as her Louis V bag in the front seat. She walked over to the driver side before hopping in.
The drive to Mynazja's daycare wasn't too far from their apartment, so Mahalia didn't have to rush. They drove off from their home, listening to Find Your Love by Drake as the sun shined through her tinted windows.
"I better find your loving, I better find your heart
I better find your loving, I better find your heart
I better find your loving, I better find your heart
I bet if I give all my love then nothing's gonna tear us apart"
It wasn't long before Mahalia was pulling up to Mynazja's daycare center. She got out of the car, unbuckling Nazja along the way and grabbing her baby bag. She grabbed her daughter's hand before walking up to the building.
"You ready to go to daycare?" She asked, holding her hand as they walked into the daycare.
Mynazja shook her head, her small curls moving with her. "I w-want stay with you, mama?" She said in a questioning tone and Mahalia pouted.
"Not today, but tomorrow we can spend all day together. You want to be with mommy all day tomorrow?" She asked and Nazja smiled, nodding her head eagerly.
Mahalia planned on taking Nazja to the park tomorrow and going to Surreal Creamery so that they could have a cute ice cream date. She had been itching to have a mommy daughter day.
"Good morning Mynazja and mom!" Ms. Karlie, one of Nazja's teachers, greeted at the door.
"Hii Ms. Karlie." Mahalia waved politely. "You say hi to Ms. Karlie, baby?" She looked down at Mynazja who began trying to retreat behind her mother's legs. Mynazja gave a small wave before hugging her mom's calf.
"She's a little upset that she can't stay with me today." She informed and Ms. Karlie pouted.
"Aww, it's okay Nazja. We're going to have so much fun and your mommy will be back before you know it!" She got eye level with Nazja. "You can go play with the toys if you want sweetie." She said softly and Nazja ran off, going to play with a bin full of huge building blocks.
"I left her some snacks in her bag just in case she wants something other than the food here. But, if she doesn't want them, you could give them to some of the other kids who might want them. I don't mind." Mahalia spoke as she put Nazja's bag in her cubby.
"Thank you for always looking out for the other kids." Ms. Karlie smiled and Mahalia mirrored her smile. Mahalia was one of those people who looked out for everyone, not just her kid. Whenever the other children at the daycare had birthdays, she made sure that she brought in a treat for them. She also always contributed to class parties among other things.
"I'll see you later Ms. K." She said. "Bye my baby!" Mahalia slightly raised her voice so that Mynazja could hear her. Nazja looked up, quickly putting the toys down and running to her mom.
"I love you." Mahalia said, holding Nazja's body to hers.
"I luh you, ma. K-kiss!" Nazja demanded and Mahalia chuckled before kissing her cheek.
"I'll be back later." She pulled away from the hug, frowning. She and Mynazja were attached at the hip, so she hated having to leave her for too long. Her daughter was her everything.
Mynazja sensed her mother's slight sadness and frowned her face up. Her eyes started to well up with tears and she began to rub them.
"It's okay, baby. I'll be back so soon." Mahalia assured and Nazja shook her head no, holding onto her mom again except she held on tighter clinging to her scrubs.
"No, mama." She whimpered and Mahalia sighed before pulling away from the hug. She didn't want to make it harder than it had to be. She stood up, waving one last time at Mynazja who had tears staining her cheeks, before leaving towards her car.
"Time to get this money." She huffed, starting her car and driving off. It wasn't that Mynazja disliked her job because she loved it. But, it was just that she would much rather spend time loving on her daughter. Through all her trials and tribulations the past two years, her daughter was the only constant person in her life.
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Mahalia was currently in the OB unit for a patient in labor having decelerations with contractions and pushing. Her care team was concerned about the decelerations, so Mahalia was on standby just in case the woman needed a C section.
"We're going to have to do a C section." She heard one of the labor and delivery nurses say.
Soon enough, they were in the operation room prepping the patient.
Mahalia was a certified nurse anesthetist at Temple University Hospital, so her job was to dose the epidural with a local anesthetic. She genuinely enjoyed her job. Working in a hospital was one of the most gratifying things for her. She loved the atmosphere and how fast paced everything was. She also loved to be the one to help people.
After she supplied the patient with an algesia, monitored her during the C section, and made sure she was okay, she went on her lunch break. There were halal trucks up and down Philly, but Mahalia felt like the best ones were in North and Center City.
Mahalia made her way into the break room and grabbed her purse from the locker. She walked out of the hospital, heading to the halal truck that sat on the corner. When she got there, her mouth was practically watering as she got a whiff of the food.
"I'm gon' tear this upp!" She squealed to herself.
The man working the truck greeted her and she politely greeted him back before ordering chicken over rice with extra white and hot sauce. She waited for her food to be done before paying for her meal.
When she got back to the break room, she saw Kadiyah, a nurse who she grew to become really good friends with since she started working at the hospital.
"Haliii! Look at you looking fine as hell on the job." Kadiyah grinned, complimenting Mahalia who was blushing at her comment.
"Girl please, that's you!" She replied back, opening her platter ready to tear it up.
"How is my baby? I miss her. You been keeping her from me." Kadiyah pouted and Mahalia playfully rolled her eyes.
"She is fineee. My baby at daycare right now, and I ain't been keeping her from you! You don't come to see my baby nomore. But it's fine, she don't need you." She joked and they both chuckled.
"Yeah okay, I love my tee tee baby. The hell you talkin' about." Kadiyah exclaimed.
"You making me miss my baby." Mahalia told her. Saying that the mother and daughter both had separation anxiety wasn't an exaggeration.
Mahalia couldn't wait to spend the weekend with her daughter with no distractions.
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𝐀/𝐍:
𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 :)
𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦. 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐨.
𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.
𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞.