"Oooh. I wanna get on this ride. Mommy get on with me."Aaliyah cooed, grabbing her mothers hand pulling her towards the roller coaster.
"Oh no honey. I don't do roller coasters."Damita replied shaking her head. "Your daddy likes things like that."She laughed.
Aaliyah rolled her eyes and walked behind her mother. "You want me to make her get on?" Amaru chuckled.
"Uh no. It's ok. You don't have to."Aaliyah replied nervously. She didn't even look at him when she spoke to him. She wasn't comfortable around him.
Amaru just kept trying to make conversation with her. He need that it probably wasn't going to be easy for her to accept him, but he was going to try.
"Watch this."He smiled and winked at her. She smiled back awkwardly and he walked behind Damita and picked her and threw her over his shoulder.
"Amaru stop! What are you doing?"She yelped trying to get out of his arms.
"Do y'all want her to get on the roller coaster?"He turned around to the kids, laughing. They all said yes laughing.
He ran up the stairs and put her down right at the front of the line. There were people waiting, so she had to get on. She was already up there.
"I'm not getting on this ride Amaru. I'm not playing with you."Damita snapped trying to walk off the dock.
"Ma'am, you can't exit that way. The exit is at the end of the ride."The ride operator cautioned.
"Looks like you're riding a roller coaster baby." Amaru whispered in her ear and chuckled.
The ride came to an end, and it was time to get on. "Who's riding with who?"Amaru Jr. asked as he sat down in the middle car.
"Aaliyah, come ride with me. I think daddy should sit with momma cuz she scared."Amaru laughed.
"Dang, Who's gonna sit next to me?"Amari sighed.
"Hey. I'll ride next to you, my friends don't want to get on."A young girl chuckled. She was a slim, brown skinned girl with long curly honey brown hair that looked blonde in the sun and she had Amaru's attention.
"How about you come ride with me?"Amaru cut in, before Amari could answer. Aaliyah turned around and cut her eyes at him, before getting out to accompany her sister in the car in front of them.
"Alright."She chuckled lightly, pulling her into low ponytail before the ride started. "I don't want my hair to hit you."
The ride operator came up to check everybody seatbelts and pull down their bars before starting the ride.
"You scared baby?"Amaru chuckled,last lightly tapping Damita on the thigh. "Stop talking to me." She replied, rolling her eyes at him.
The ride started slowly, only moving straight forward. It then started to move up slowly, staying in the air for about 5 seconds before dropping really fast.
Damita had a fixed grip on Amaru's forearm as the ride progressed. She wouldn't let go. The ride them turned upside down and she buried her face in the inside of his arm. "Oh my god. Oh my god."She whispered to herself breathing heavily.
The ride then took off once again going slowly into a dark tunnel. "Baby, you good?" Amaru asked, wrapping his arm around her upper body then leaning over to kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be this scared."He whispered, rubbing his hands slowly across her back.
Amari and Aaliyah were enjoying the ride, they rode with their hands up the whole time. Amaru laughed throughout the whole ride to refrain screaming. He didn't want his mystery girl to think he was a punk. Finally the ride came to a close and everyone started to get off.
"Hey. I didn't get your name."Amaru called before she walked off.
"Destiny."She replied with a sweet smile. "What's your name?"
"Amaru."he replied with his hands in his pocket.
"How about you text me sometime?"She replied, handing him her phone to insert his number. "I'll text you...tonight."She winked and handed it back to him.
"Cool."he replied with a small smile.
"Amaru. Bring yo' ass." Damita snapped, causing her to laugh.
"I think your mom is calling you."she chuckled, moving her head in that direction. "Oh uh yeah. Bye."He laughed nervously then walked away, catching up with his family.
"Amaru. Didn't you say you have a girlfriend? What are you getting that girls number for?"Damita asked with an attitude.
"Baby leave that boy alone. He still young. I was like that at his age."Amaru chuckled. "Ohhhh Yeah?"Damita replied quizzically.
"Damita. You back on your bullshit. Don't start."Amaru laughed.
"I got your bullshit nigga."Damita chuckled and kicked him in the back of his leg and started to walk off. "Ima beat your ass bro."He chuckled and tried to grab her hand.
"Anyway though, Amaru the most important thing is to never get caught. You always gone have to choose one in the end but for the time being. Don't get caught." Amaru explained.
"Wow. You're teaching our son how to be a whore. Don't listen to your daddy. You gone end up on fatal attraction." Damita laughed. "Always be faithful sweetheart. You won't get anything but drama from breaking girls hearts."
"Not all the time." Amaru challenged.
"You wanna tell them how YOU almost ended up on fatal attraction?"She asked, dropping her head. "Right then. Shut the fuck up."
"I think I wanna hear that story."Amari laughed. "Me too."Aaliyah added.
"Don't hype her. She's crazy." Amaru laughed, pushing her out of the way.
"Where we going next?"Aaliyah asked, placing her hand on her hip. "We're just walking."
"I want to get on more rides." Amaru jr. Replied, sitting down on the bench.
"Yeah, me too."Aaliyah agreed, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I'm hungry. I don't want to ride anything else."Damita sighed, sliding her sunglasses on her face. "I'm hungry too."Amari said.
"Ok. So we'll go eat. You guys can go ride whatever you want and meet us when you're done. Cool?"Damita asked. They all agreed and they part ways.
Amari walked awkwardly on side of her mother. Thinking about a conversation to make. She looked up at her as they walked along side of each other, studying her features, noticing things she hadn't noticed before. Like her molasses colored eyes and high cheek bones. The way her eyebrows furrowed from the son beaming on her face.
"Mom....you're so pretty."She gushed, breaking the silence.
"I mean. You had to get it from some where."Damita replied with a slick chuckle. "I know you didn't think your daddy was this fine."
"Did you have a lot of guys trying to date you when you were my age?"Amari asked, winded from laughing at her.
"Girl no. I was too busy chasing after your bald head ass daddy. By the time I was 20, we were living together." She explained, throwing her sunglasses to the top of her head.
"Wow. 25 years right? That's a long time."Amari sighed. "I hope to make it that long."She smiled.
"Oh, you have a boyfriend?"Damita asked, turning to look at Amari.
They finally approached the food stand and got in line so they could wait to be served.
"Oh uh no..I don't like boys."She replied nervously playing with her shirt.
"Oh. You're a lesbian?"Damita asked, looking down at her phone screen.
"Yeah."She replied, tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth.
"Soo you have a girlfriend?"Damita asked.
"Yes ma'am."She replied.
"Oh. That's nice."Damita smiled.
"Y-you're not mad? You're okay with it?"Amari asked.
"Not at all. Why would you being with a woman bother me? The only difference between you being with a woman and being with the man is the way you have sex. Quite frankly I don't want to think about any of my children having sex."Damita chuckled, still looking down at her phone. "What's her name?"
"Erin. She's so amazing."Amari smiles brightly.
Damita approached the ordering window and looked up at the menu. "What do you want?"She turned around to Amari.
"Chilli Cheese Fries."Amari replied.
"Ok. Give me Chilli Cheese fries, two of them. Large. With two large lemonades. The souvenir cups."Damita ordered. The cashier handed her the two cups and they sat down at the nearest table.
"You should invite your girlfriend over tomorrow. I'm going to cook." Damita smiled, still looking at her phone.
"Okay. I'm sure she'd like that. I'll let her know."Amari blushed. "What are you doing on your phone."
"I'm playing Candy Crush. I'm addicted to this game."She chuckled, putting her phone down then locking it.
"Are you glad that daddy is back?"Amari asked.
"Yes. I'm very happy. I've missed him sooo much."Damita beamed.
"How did you meet him?"Amaru asked.
"I met him in college. We were like best friends and we fell in love."She shrugged. She had left out the rest of the story. She was through talking about that.
"So how did you know he was the one? Like what was it that made you want to be with him 25 years?"Amari asked.
"Oh wow, where do I start. I loved how much fun we had together. I loved how he always protected me and made me feel safe. He always made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Not to mention he is so sweet, when he wants to be."She gushed and blushed. Her cheeks were red. "I knew he was the one for me when your grandfather tried to keep me from him and he came to get me. He told me that nobody could stand in the way of what he felt for me and that he wanted me to be his wife one day. After that, I got all of my stuff and left with him. I never came back."
"Did you guys get married after that?"Amari asked.
"No, he gave me a promise ring. We didn't get married until I was 22. I was 4 months pregnant with you when we eloped and 6 months pregnant when we had the wedding."She explained, looking down at her ring.
Amari was very happy to be rekindling her relationship with her mother. She saw her in a totally different light now.
"Can I come help you cook tomorrow?"Amari asked, with a toothless smile.
"Of course, I don't see why not."She smiled.
"Alright I'll be there after class."
She had loved this newfound love she had for her mother. She finally found what was missing on her life ....her mother's love.
I just want y'all to know, shit finna get real. Real quick 🙃