𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗵
Between running around Cumberland Mall in July's heat or running around the mall with a mini fashionista — there was no telling which was causing me to crave a bed more than the other. Nonetheless, I was tired, hot, and ready to be done with Mimi's school shopping. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning with APS opening their doors in ten days.
I waved to Mimi, our way of acknowledging that we saw one another before she waltzed away inside Forever 21. This was our fourth stop at the mall and we had been here for almost two hours now.
The main reason I agreed to come shopping was for some hot and fresh pretzels from Auntie Anne's. The popular pretzel shop was our first stop and I knew the second those nuggets hit my taste buds, it'll be my last stop on the way out also.
"Ya' know, Mimi said some funny ass shit this morning."c KD said, reaching for two pieces of my sea salt and cinnamon sugar bites.
"What's that, Dafii?"
"That I....manifested you." His tone was low as if he was afraid of mispronouncing the word, but also like he was trying to figure out if my little sister's analogy was correct.
It was no secret that Milan was smart beyond her years. She turned fourteen in March and was blessed with not only quick reflexes in her studies but also some street smarts. The teenage girl could read a chapter back and forth, and then remember every detail for a test the next morning. Not to mention she's already proven to be intelligent enough to handle tough situations.
I think that same intelligence may be the reason both of her biological parents wiped their hands clean though.
She picks up on things and this is no different. Besides, even without Milan's statement, the idea wasn't far-fetched. By the definition of the law of attraction, KD had done exactly that. However, it's argued by Jessy that she's the reason for the connection.
"Manifested...I could see you wishing on a star for me, bookie."
"Putting ya' picture on my mirror, type shit?" He asked playfully using the famous Fantasia lyrics.
"Aye. You said it. Not me."
Stepping inside the clothing store, I heard Ka'Dafii laugh, following behind me closely.
Immediately, I scanned the storefront. Finding that Milan wasn't too far. Her attention was stuck on the rack of chino pants in different shades. There were already two pairs draped over her arm. Soon, I found collar button-down shirts, which she would need with the school's four-day uniform policy.
"I wasn't wishing for shit. I seen you, I got you. End of story."
"Mm, kinda cocky much. Especially if I remember correctly." Zay huffed with a grin on his face, not believing a word I said.
"What you forgot about how I had you squirting the first morning at-"
"Have some damn decorum, Zay. We are in public." In a rush, I covered his mouth from revisiting the nasty memory. Yes, I remember. Hell, I can't forget. That doesn't mean he needs to give a refresher inside of the Forever 21 department store.
"Oh. I was wondering how you could forget how easy it was for me-"
"Say some else," This time he only laughed it off, with his hands in a surrendering motion. "And easy? So I'm easy now, Zay? Wow. It's crazy how the truth always comes out at the end."
"We both know that ain't what I mean. It took me a year to get next to you. Ain't shit 'bout that easy."
Licking my lips, I occupied myself with the shirts. Heard his words, but not trying to partake in the staring game he was playing after the double entendre.
"I was wondering where y'all went," With only five minutes under her belt, Milan found us with three pairs of pants draped over her arm and a plaid skirt. The untimely surprise gave the perfect segway. "Aren't these cute? They're the pants I sent you yesterday."
"Those are cute. The skirt isn't too bad either," Picking it up, I did an eyeball measurement of the piece. Just to make sure it wasn't too short. "This the only one they had like this?"
"I think so."
KD mentioned the shirts that originally had my attention and like a kid in the candy store — she was all over them.
And to think we haven't even tackled shoes. Part of me feels like that should've been first, but that's backwards.
"How much did you spend at the last store, Milan?" I asked, seeing her pick up two different options.
"Like two-something. It wasn't no more than two-fifty for sure."
Shaking my head, the humor missed me, but Ka'Dafii caught it. Laughing lowly at my credit card bill. "You just swiping my poor card. Can't even remember how much the total was." I can't believe I talked myself into making her an authorized user on one of my accounts.
The little fashionista was reaching her limits.
"What are you talking about? Most of the stuff I got has been your idea to buy, Pooh."
Eh?
"She has a point."
"Didn't ask you, lil' nasty." Zay made a face at me before stealing my last pretzel bite.
"Love you too, mama."
"Anyways, I saw some sweater vests and thought they'd be cute. It's like six different patterns and colors," I told Milan, immediately forgetting the conversation from two seconds ago. "Get a few to go with your Polos and to go over some of those long-sleeved button-downs," Mimi stepped in the same direction.
KD wasn't too far behind — something like a personal bodyguard with two or three bags in his hand.
"Are we still going to Target when we come back from the trip with Jessy?"
"Yeah...," Picking up one of the vests, I test the style with a pair of her chino pants and a long sleeve shirt. The Polo collar shirts were in a bag that Ka'Dafii held from Macy's. I was too lazy to go through and pull everything out.
"We might go before the trip, but I don't know. If not I'm sure they got a Target in Myrtle Beach." I explained, referencing the birthday trip for Jessy.
"You're enjoying this dress-up game a lil' too much, Pooh." KD and Mimi laughed at the observation. I was truly too blinded by my designs to pay attention to anything happening outside of the clothes in front of me.
"Girl, please. I know you ain't complaining about me trying to make sure you look like something at a new school, in a new city...," Milan gave me one of those, you're right looks and I nodded, picking two more options for her. "Now go pay for this stuff and give them my phone number when they ask."
"K."
"And make this next stop, the last store. I'm tired."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
two days later:
It was going on ten o'clock and everyone seemed to have grouped up. Well, besides Milan. She had gone into her and Jessy's bedroom of the beachfront vacation home to have a 'private conversation'.
I was trying to grant her as much privacy as possible. So I wouldn't indulge — just yet.
As for myself? Jessy and Khadi were my guests by default. Along with Sunshine of course. With the vacation being only four hours away in a three-story home, there was plenty of room for each adult and our adult Corso to be comfortable.
Even if his comfort is always where I am.
We made it to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina around five o'clock. After checking in with the owner, everyone oohed and ahhed while walking around the seven-bedroom home. From the interior design to the building of the home — it felt like a vacation. A feeling that made me leave my MacBook alone, even when I had the urge to do a little work.
After the first forty minutes, I was ready for a perk up so I hit the shower. Leaving Milan to finish the task of washing and drying the linen on our beds.
Jessy was the birthday girl, the first to turn twenty-four out of our friend group. And indeed, we wanted the trip to be perfect. With Ms. Deborah still dedicated to her treatment, celebrating was the last thing on Jess's mind, but with some planning and secret group chats —she was presented with a getaway that only a fool would turn from.
Of course on her big brother and cousin's tab.
So tonight we got dinner at her restaurant of choice which was none other than Noizy. The first surprise on the list was a three-tier cheesecake and a Melissa and Telfar small jelly bag in the color pink. Khadi found the purse for under two hundred bucks, which was cheaper than the third gift of the night: the popular Black Box of Lavender & Pink Candy roses from The Million Roses of Los Angeles.
Our visit at Noizy ended about an hour ago and since getting back, the second group consisting of Ka'Dafii, Kai, KaMari, Mike, and Dakota, also known as the smoking crew was on the balcony. All of us in clear shots of each other. The view is so perfect I would catch Ka'Dafii staring as he pulled on a blunt that was almost the same size as his finger.
"You do know I'm having a girl and a boy, right?"
Khadi's shoulders fell at my confirmation of the twin's sex. I really didn't mean to rain on her parade, but she was excitedly showing me such beautiful, yet overly girly room options for their bedroom. I had no choice but to intervene.
Pretty sure, my son wouldn't enjoy waking up to fuchsia pink and teddy bears everywhere.
Well not after a few months.
Two days ago we returned to Dr. Turner's for my twelve-week checkup since the turnover time was closer than originally anticipated and we needed to complete ultrasounds. There, she confirmed that the twins were in separate sacs and had separate placentas. Which was a clear indication of our twins being a boy and a girl or fraternal twins.
Dr. Turner also informed me that my conception date was during the week of April seventeen, which made complete sense. With that conception date, my delivery week was December twenty-fourth. Only a month shy of Ka'Dafii's birthday.
"Ah, heifa!" Kay slouched back in the chair while crossing her arms. Clearly, the news was upsetting.
"What did you think I was having?"
"Two girls!"
"I thought it was two boys," Jessy intervened, taking a seat on the U-shaped sectional of the living room. In her hand were three foam plates with each a slice of the cake. "But a girl and boy is the perfect answer, honestly. At least now Godmommy can spoil them in different ways."
"Godmommy? Who is the Godmommy, bookie?" Khadi raised an eyebrow at Jessy before standing up from the couch, making me roll my eyes at her. I cuddled up with the faux fur blanket as I took my first bite. Sunshine rounded the corner of the living room, making Jessy move out of his way as he came to lay on the floor next to me.
"Like I said."
"Like I mothafuckin' said. Who the god mama, Miss. Mamas?" I laughed at Kay's tone, knowing she was dead serious.
It was also funny to watch them argue about something that was already figured out in our minds. Ka'Dafii already said that Jessy and Khadi wouldn't be able to pick who was the godmother and surely, I couldn't. So we made both of them the godparents also with his longest friendships, Michael and KaMari.
Kai already said, 'being an uncle was enough' for him.
"Me, ho. You must wanna fight 'bout it? Loser ain't shit but a family friend."
"Oh, baby I been passed that. Lynn ass don' sold crack to my uncles and shit." Kay shrugged off her own words, before sitting down next to Sunny. His big head moves to lay on her thighs. Sunshine's way of asking for you to massage and play in his shiny coating.
"Can both of y'all hush? Dang. There are four God Parents. Y'all are two of them."
"Four?!" They exclaimed in unison.
"Baby these are twins inside me! Okay?! You heard me? That's two kids crying and hungry. Two teenagers fighting later on. I need options. Somebody gets this one, somebody gets that other. Then y'all can flip-flop."
"It's giving dead beat."
"Not you acting like, you gon' be a single parent during this." Khadi said.
"Girl, shut up. I was joking...kinda," Jessy laughed at my words, both of us amused by the look on Khadi's face. "Us being in the same house is why I'm trying to get as many responsible God Parents, as possible. You know I listen to the stories from when Mama Kota used to have the twins by herself. She got me scared low-key, y'all."
"Chy, don't mind Auntie ass," It was like Jessy's slick response could be heard through the walls and glass doors of the home. Dakota Keiz turned her head to us. However, she waved happily, with her second refill of the frozen mango margarita in hand. "You're already a great big sis to Mimi. Ion think being a mommy to your own kids would be much different, boop."
"Right....plus we got you. Ka'Dafii got you and even Mimi is excited. You got this."
"How y'all go from fighting to agreeing with each other?" I asked, interrupting the mushy moment. I couldn't handle those emotions, but both of them knew I appreciated their kindness.
"Please, Khadi know she don't want no shit with me."
"Girl, I'll fold dat' ass up like a sleeping bag, bookie. And we all know that." Unfortunately for Jessy, I found that honestly hilarious because yes — Kay could handle her weight and her opponent's. I saw it all too many times and even learned techniques for the crazy woman.
"We can get it cracking right now, K."
"Can y'all hush? Again." Without us asking, Jessy passed out some Phase 10 playing cards, giving us something to do for about another hour. Which was perfect because we had an itinerary to build.
The screen door opened and Sunshine looked up before I could pull away from the latest rule on the list, a conversation about Jessy's actual birthday activities at our forefront. Incoming were the five amigos, finally. Marijuana flowed in briefly before Kai shut and locked the glass door.
"Aye, it's some more cake left?"
"Y'all niggas came back hungry?"
"Ain't yo' ass got cake. What's yo' excuse?" Jessy and I tried to stop ourselves from laughing at Kai and Khadi. It was cute to witness before he walked off with Mike right behind him.
"You alright?" KD came to sit down in his original spot, his words close to my ear as if they were top secret.
"Yeah. You?"
"I was just checking." Smiling, I kissed his cheek before tucking some of the congos that had slipped from his rubber-band free style. He never uses any kind of ponytail holder and yet, the dread never seems to move unless he does something to them.
"Thank you."
"Mimi went to bed?"
"Nope," I grinned when he nodded. It was that phone. "She on the phone with somebody, chy."
"Ain't nun' wrong with her being on the phone. Let her live."
That was honestly his mentality and I understand why. Sometimes I wondered if that would change when our twins were Milan's age and our daughter was finding her attraction. I know for sure, KD won't hound Mimi because Mimi's not his child.
On numerous occasions, he's explained his role with Milan is to be a representation of what a man is expected of. She analyzed our relationship, even if she never speaks about her observations. That meant something.
"You ready to go to bed?" He whispered and I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. Go to bed my ass. He wasn't trying to sleep at all and we both knew that.
"No."
"You got ten mo' minutes. We got all weekend with these niggas."
I opened my mouth to dispute his words, but he only shook his head before leaning up to play with Sunshine. The dog left everyone alone after KD was in the room.
"I just wanna say," Jessy said, looking over at us with a goofy smile. "I did that! If I ain't did nun' else right? I did that!"
She had.