"It's going to be okay boo." I cooed, trying my hardest to comfort a distraught Ameer. His tear ducts released a heavy downpour the minute Lance stepped foot in the police car. My poor baby was a heaving mess and nothing I said seemed to pacify him. At this point I myself wanted to cry, I had no idea what to do so I held him tightly and rubbed his back until he got tired of crying or calmed himself down.
"Momma can I go to my room?" He rubbed the remnants of tears from his cheeks and looked at me with sad and pleading eyes.
"But your party isn't over. What about all your friends?"
He shrugged his shoulders,"They'll be alright. They're having fun without me anyway." I sighed heavily, mirroring the weight of my heart at the moment.
"I guess you can go. Let's open the gift from your daddy first though, I bet you'd feel much better." His face lit up instantly, his smile blinding. It was nearly impossible to tell that he was melancholy only minutes ago. Instructing him to close his eyes, I placed the neatly wrapped gift into his expectant hands. Once his eyes shot open, he wasted no time ripping the gift wrap to shreds, eager to find out what his father had gotten him. He groaned when he realized that he still to conquer a gift box before finally revealing his present. When the nikon d3400 graced his sight, an exaggerated gasp escaped his lips. Gently placing the camera on the coffee table, he excitedly broke out into the flossing dance. I quickly grabbed my phone to capture his delight.
"This is soo cool!" He exclaimed once he finally calmed down and examined the camera.
"Wait til I show TJ!" He raced through the house and out the sliding door as he rejoined his friends. I guess he forgot that he was suppose to be sad.
Joining my father by the grill, I noticed the crowd of kids that had gathered around Ameer. Judging from his hand movements and his confident stance, I had no doubt he was probably bragging to his friends that he already knew how to operate some of the features since Lance had an almost identical camera. It wasn't long before the kids were being arranged by Ameer as he geared up to take their photos. Some of the little boys tucked their hands under their arms, feet apart in an attempt to appear gangster while others threw up the peace sign. Most of the little girls placed both hands on their hips and slightly extended one leg forward, exuding poise. I smiled and shook my head at the serious look on Ameer's face, he was in genuine photographer mode.
Despite Ameer's earlier emotional meltdown, ultimately the day's event went well. Once the party had ended and the kids sang happy birthday and received their slices of cake, my father and I were left to return my backyard to a state of normalcy. His wife and my younger siblings also chipped in with task of cleaning up. Unfortunately, Ayisha's dance group had a recital out of town, of which Avery was also apart of. Had they been present, we'd definitely have some extra helping hands.
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Journeying to my father's house, Ameer was in an extra chipper mood. He talked nonstop about the number of goals he planned on scoring today. It was Sunday and his team was scheduled for a match later this afternoon. It was beyond me why they chose to have a game on Sunday. In my mind the day was created for two reasons only-- going to church and falling into deep slumber once the last forkful of food settled at the bottom of my stomach. Nonetheless, I was happy for the opportunity to cheer on my baby. This was his first game of the season and his first time being a forward. The coach usually assigned him to the midfield but his vast improvement earned him the striking position.
Pulling into the vacant spot in my father's driveway, Ameer was already halfway out of the car before I was even able to park properly. He was always excited to spend time with his grandpa and uncles. Walking through the front I could already hear the ruckus and smell the testosterone emanating from the livingroom. All of the men were planted infront the television engaging in an intense game of madden. My youngest brother had handed the controller to Ameer and he soon joined in with the trash talking. I took one last look at them and shook my head before I went in search of Anita. I was in need of her company to help balance out the madness that was occuring in the livingroom.
"Hey Mia." She greeted as she exited the bathroom.
"Hey Anita. How are you?"
"Trying to stay sane living with those men." She gestured to the livingroom.
I laughed at her comical yet serious statement, "Yeah I bet you are."
Our conversation continued once we were in the kitchen. I helped her put the final touches on the lunch before attempting to get the barbarians to take care of their hygiene so that we could begin eating. Nothing was effective in getting the rambunctious group to abandon their game. Anita yelled and even whipped out her trusty bell but no one even as much as batted an eyelash. She resorted to yanking the powercord from the TV which earned a series of complaints. However, the stern look on her face shut them up almost immediately. I laughed under my breath as poor Ameer looked like he was about to wet himself. Mama Anita played no games.
Once everyone was all washed up and seated my father led us in prayer. As the final amens left our lips we wasted no time digging in. Anita was a boss when it kept to prepring a good meal. Her food would have you craving more even if your stomach was brimming to the point of nausea. In between bites the room was filled with friendly conversation. My brothers as usual had to be the family clowns. At one point they had my father choking on chicken because of some nonsense they said. I often looked forward to the Sunday lunches. They usually set the tone for my upcoming week or helped me to relieve the stress from the previous one.
My father and I were now at the sink cleaning up the dishes. After what happened earlier with the video game he was trying his hardest to get back on Anita's good side. I knew she wouldn't stay mad at him for long. I admired them as a couple, they were the ones who worked through problems -whether trivial or serious- before they festered into something even bigger.
"So what's up with you and Mr. Lance?" He folded his arms and raised his brows playfully at me.
I shrugged, "Nothing?" Truthfully I was unsure how to respond to his question. There wasn't an appropriate word to describe the stage Lance and I were currently in.
"Hmmm. You think I didn't see you looking at him lovingly all afternoon at Ameer's party. On top of that I saw ya'll tonguing down each like you wanted to make another Ameer right there in the doorway." My cheeks turned crimson at his revelation. I wasn't aware my father was paying that much attention to me.
"Daddy! Why you snooping?"
He laughed at my embarrassment. As old as I was he didn't need to be seeing me like that. I was to remain his innocent princess.
"I just happened to see."
"Hmmm, if you say so. I can't put a label on Lance and I right now. I mean we love each other but I guess we'll see what happens once he gets out." I said with a shrug.
"Well you know how I feel about him. He's a little rough around the edges but he's a good guy. Just don't put yourself in an uncomfortable situation simply because you love him. Sometimes being in love doesn't mean you're destined to be together." He gave me a fatherly pat on the shoulder and kissed my forehead. I found myself getting teary eyed for some reason, I'd forever be a daddy's girl. After wrapping up our conversation I had to pry Ameer away from his uncles and their video game in order for us to leave. We had less than two hours to be ready for his soccer match.
Thirty minutes had passed when we finally pulled up to my house. With some time to spare I decided to take a nap, which didn't last very long as Ameer jotled me out of my sleep thirty minutes prior to his expected arrival time. He was bouncing around excitedly, fully decked in his royal blue uniform, matching socks and a pair of Adidas slides.
"Come on momma! I don't wanna be late."
"Can I at least fix my hair first and brush my teeth?" He stopped bouncing around and looked at me suspiciously.
"For what? My daddy ain't gon be there. Lemme find out you cheating." My jaws unhinged at his bold statement. Rendered speechless, I got up and got myself together before we headed out the door.
Pulling up to designated soccer field Ameer gave me a quick hug and raced to where the rest of his team was before I was even able to wish him luck. Checking my appearance in the mirror I ensured that I looked decent enough to be seen in public. Ameer had complained the entire time I was trying to fix my hair so I wasn't sure if it came out satisfactorily until now. Deeming myself presentable, I hopped out the car and took a spot in the bleachers by the rest of the parents.
It wasn't long before the supporters of the opposing team started trickling in. The match was scheduled to start in ten minutes, which flew by quickly. With the blow of a whistle the match was on. Both teams came out fierce and defended their goals stoutly. However, in the seventh minute there was a blunder in the opposing teams defense and Ameer had broken away and got pass two of their defenders. I quickly whipped out my phone to video tape as he encountered the final defender. Pullling back the ball, he paused, faked as if he was going to the left-- ultimately tricking the defender. The poor little boy had stumbled and Ameer glided pass him. Outwitting the keeper, he fired a powerful shot and placed the ball in the left corner of the net. He and his team erupted in jubilation, that goal was only one of many. By half time his team was up four goals to nil.
As I waited for the second half to kick off, I sat minding my own business, however my peace was soon interrupted by one of the moms who scooted close to me. I inconspicuously rolled my eyes as I noticed it was Janine. Of all the soccer moms, I could stand her the least. Her exterior exuded poise and professionalism as she always appeared well put together but I knew firsthand just how messy she could be. Scooting away from her a bit, I sized her up. She was always so extra for no reason, I thought. Who comes to a soccer game well tucked in wearing heels and having a face well made up?
"Hello Mrs. Jordan." A smile faker than silicone breasts plastered on her face. She knew damn well I wasn't married anymore. I glared at her.
"Oops I forgot you're divorced now." I openly rolled my eyes at her now.
"What do you want Janine?" I tried my best to remain calm.
"I was just curious, is the dreadheaded prisoner I saw at Ameer's party your new love interest?" She had struck a nerve but I wasn't about to let her know that.
"Have a blessed day love." I said before relocating. Just as I had found a new seat I spotted Shawn making his way over to me. It wasn't unusual that he was in attendance. His nephew was also on Ameer's team. As he got closer, he appeared as though he had lost weight. The last time I had seen him was the day we finalized the divorce. Despite what had happened between us, we were cordial so I didn't dismiss him once he sat beside me. He seemed to be a shell of his former self as he offered me a small smile and handed me a gift bag. I took it hesitantly.
"What's this?"
"I couldn't forget Ameer's birthday even if I wanted to." He offered a genuine smile this time. Part of me felt bad for him.
"I'll be sure to tell him when the game's over so he can thank you himself."
"So how have you been?" He rubbed upperarm nervously.
"I've been good, and yourself?"
"Maintaining." Unwilling to prolong the conversation, we watched the rest of the game in silence. From the corner of my eye I saw Janine watching us like a hawk and whispering to another mom. I had no idea why she was so obsessed with other people's business.
The second half flew by quicker than I had anticipated. The opposing team had fought back tremendously but in the end Ameer's team came out victorious. The game ended six goals to three. After their on-field mini celebration I learnt that the team was going out for pizza but Ameer opted not to go.
"Why you don't wanna hang out with your friends?"
"Because we're gonna stay long and then I'll miss my daddy's call and I gotta tell him how the game went." He stated enthusiastically. I ruffled his hair and was about to tell him to go thank Shawn for the gift but once I scanned the spot where Shawn was only minutes ago, I found no one. As much as we didn't end on ideal terms I hoped that he'd be able to bounce back and get himself together.
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😭😭😭I love Ameer man (yes I'm going to continue to talk like I'm not the one telling the story😂)
Shout out to my pooh OeuvreofMani for helping me out on this chapter.
As always, feel free to drop ya thoughts my loves 👇🏾👇🏾.
Love n Respect
-
Z.A.
PS: One my fav artist Buju B is free!!!🤸🏾♀️🤸🏾♀️🤸🏾♀️ Only to free my G Lance now😂
Bye freal now👋🏾.