NICKI POV
I woke up with a text from Lydia asking to call her when I got the chance. I wiped my eyes and sat up in bed, reaching for a notepad in case this was a business call.
I dialed her and she picked up on the 4th ring:
"Hey" she picked up.
"Morning." I replied groggily.
"How are you? Did everything go okay last night?" she asked.
"I'm good. And yeah, we figured things out.. and then things got really good." I hinted.
"Congrats." she hissed playfully.
"Thanks."
"That reminds me, Anita and I are going to be out of town next weekend."
"Ohh where to?"
"LA," she replied.
"Visiting mom?"
"Yeah, but I also got two emails about interviews next week." she continued, "One of them is on Saturday which means I can't make it."
"Oh okay, so we're just doing the one?"
"Unless.."
"Unless what?"
"We could see if they'd be interested in you doing the interview with Aubrey, or alone.. whichever you prefer." she suggested.
"I don't know.. it would be kind of weird not going with you." I twirled my hair between my fingers.
"They usually wanna know all about you anyways. And if there's anything about work, you don't really need me there to answer it. Its your business too." she reasoned.
"I'll tell you what. I'll discuss it with him first, and make sure he's even on board. And I will get back to you."
"Okay but hurry, I think they want an answer as soon as possible."
"Yeah yeah yeah."
"Are you going in to the office today?"
"Briefly why?"
"Same. I just have to check a few files that are on my computer and pre approve the samples for next week."
"Okay, we might bump into each other then." I bit my lip.
"We'll see."
I heard one of the triplets begin to cry.
"Alright babe, I have to go be a mom." I joked, "text me later?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Love you."
"Love you too."
"Bye." I hung up the phone after she responded.
"Good morning." Aubrey startled me.
"Hey, you scared me." I looked down at him.
"I did?" he planted a kiss on the outside of my leg.
"How'd you sleep?" I ran my fingers through his hair.
"Amazing." he grinned.
I bit my lip, "Me too."
I heard one of the babies cry out again so I got out of bed.
"I'll make their bottles" he offered.
I threw on a thong and one of his button up shirts before going to the nursery.
Oliver was out of his crib and standing next to Liam's. Liam and Ali were already inside his crib together.
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at them before taking out my phone to take a picture. I then decided on a video as well, narrating it, "I guess these guys were planning a party without me." I giggled as the video caught Oliver climbing up into the crib. Ali and Liam clapped as he lowered himself inside.
I put my phone away and approached them, "So, walking you won't do yet.. but this is cool?" I leaned on the edge of the crib.
They laughed at me.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"Ma-mma" Ali laid back, as he brothers continued laughing and covering their little mouths with their hands. I reached in and started tickling Liam.
I played with them a while more until Aubrey came in with the bottles.
"Ooh daddy brought you guys some milk." I announced.
"Da-d-da." Oliver attempted.
"Did you just say Daddy?" Aubrey got excited.
"Um, no way." I shook my head.
"Yes he did." he playfully shoved me to the side.
"Well I guess Liam will have to be our tie-breaker." I shrugged as I picked him up.
"I brought 3 bottles, but I wasn't sure if you were gonna breastfeed." he held a bottle towards me.
I groaned, "I was hoping to be done with that by now."
"You really don't like breastfeeding huh?" he pointed out.
"They have teeth now, it hurts." I ran my fingers through Liam's curls. "How long are you supposed to breastfeed for?"
"I don't know, the twins were breastfed until they were around 2 and a half." he shrugged and picked up Ali.
"Two and a half?! I can't do that." I shook my head. "I can go a while longer, but thats ridiculous. They're not even technically considered babies anymore at two and a half."
"Okay." he accepted.
"But I'm definitely not doing two at a time." I warned.
"So you haven't been breastfeeding them at all since..?"
"I was slowly doing it less and less." I explained, "like once a day or every other day for each of them.. I didn't want to stop completely without talking to you first."
"Even though its your body?" He raised an eyebrow.
"But they're also your kids." I reasoned, "And I know you feel like its an important thing for them to have. So its not my place to make the executive decision to stop, at least not without discussing it."
He smiled and hugged me with his free arm. I walked over to the rocking chair with Liam and pulled one of my breasts out for him. Aubrey sat Ali on the floor and gave her a bottle to feed herself while he grabbed Oliver. He sat beside Ali and began feeding Oliver.
"Before I forget, Lydia and I were wondering if you'd want to do an interview with me next weekend. Lydia and Anita are gonna be out of town." I mentioned.
"Do you want me to go with you?" he countered.
"Why wouldn't I want to show off my husband?" I winked. "But only if you want to do it.. I don't want to force you or anything."
"Okay." he shrugged.
"Okay?"
"Yeah, I'll go." He agreed.
"Oh this will be fun." I snickered.
We brought the triplets to the basement where they had a whole section to roam free without getting into anything. Aubrey and I laid on the couch together and turned on TV.
"Remind me to take a picture of you next time you get out of the shower." I requested.
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" He playfully nipped my neck.
"Its for your album." I defended, before turning the selfie camera on and taking a few pictures of us laying together.
"Is that also for the album?"
"Yeah." I nodded before sending a text to Lydia confirming the interview.
I posted the video of the babies' 'party' with the caption: We're gonna have to line the floor with mats... GOODNESS.
Before checking the responses I posted the picture of Oliver standing at the crib: Not completely sure how I feel about it, but you can't say its not freaking adorable!
In came the comments, many of them expressing how big the triplets have gotten, how adorable it was, and stuff about how tough it must be to keep up with them. A few asked about milestones.
-No honestly, they have so much energy!! I think we only survive thanks to baby-proof play areas & naps lol.
- All of them can walk, they're just lazy af and choose not to 🙄 Not that I blame them.. I wish someone would carry me around 👀
- A lot of babbling on this side of the screen. Words? not so much.. Ali says Mama though and I'm claiming it! Ollie "said" Dada today (So I guess it counts).
I noticed a few negative comments about how unsafe it was for them to be climbing in and out of cribs, especially with the others inside. They mentioned possible speech delays and other shit about me calling them lazy.
- I usually ignore negative comments, especially irrelevant ones.. But here's to stopping bags.
- First, I can't STOP them from climbing. I'm not going to be policing the nursery 24/7. (This Mommy has a life remember? You should follow suit.)
- Second, I literally said we're going to get mats so the floor can be soft at least. 3rd, if I was so afraid of them being close to each other, I would've given them separate rooms.
- I love that my babies NATURALLY have a bond, and they play nicely (with each other.. they abuse the hell out of me lol).
- Dear parents: unless your child is like 3 and still not speaking.. you have nothing to worry about. Your child will speak when they're ready, language learning is innate- and it differs from child to child.
- And I can say whatever I want about MY children. YOU on the other hand may not. It was a joke, RELAX!
I read through the supportive comments that followed and mothers testifying about people who nitpick at their parenting skills.
"You're right you know." Aubrey interrupted me.
"What?" I looked up at him startled, it took me a moment to collect that he had been watching me type from over my shoulder the entire time. "Well, which time?"
"All of it." he kissed my cheek.
"Thanks babe."
"Back to that request you made before." He swiftly took my phone from my hand and placed it on the table beside us.
"Which one?"
"The picture you wanted." he hinted.
I felt my cheeks blush a bit, "What about it?"
"Last night I noticed you were a little-"
"I knoww." I rolled my eyes.
"So do I have to be dripping wet or is it like-"
"It has to be right after you shower. It has to be a hot, steamy shower. And the towel around the waist is a must." I cut him off, giving him the answer be desired in a way that was like ripping off a bandaid for me so I didn't have to milk it any longer.
"Interesting." He tapped his chin.
"Why do I feel like you're gonna use this against me?" I groaned.
"Because I probably will." he winked.
"Actually.. you can't do that." I poked his forehead.
"Why not?"
"Because, rewindddd to the earlyyyy stages of our relationship. You made me promise not to tease you sexually. And I have and will continue to hold true to that promise.. but it has to go both ways." I tapped his nose.
"Okay fine." he gave in. "But, at least I know a sure way to get you in the mood. Since you're usually the initiator."
We spent the rest of the day entertaining the babies, playing hide-n-seek, monster, and more. Most of the time it was all 5 of us but we separated a few times throughout the day. I spent some time alone playing dolls with Ali while Aubrey had the boys. I played trains with the boys while Ali was with Aubrey. I played kitchen with Liam, and did puzzles with Ollie.
Eventually, I had to go into the office. I ended up taking Ali with me, I figured I'd only be there for a bit, and OJ used to spend much time there. Ali and I dressed in matching grey sweatsuits, I pulled her hair into a little ponytail and struggled to get her all white adidas on. I found myself a pair of matching adidas in my shoe closet, and tied my hair up into a ponytail. Aubrey took pictures of Ali and I before I grabbed both of our pink fur jackets and headed out the door.
Ali attracted a lot of attention at the office, she was shy at first when people approached us but once she warmed up she would wave and babble something to them. She offered several people a smile even as she gripped my arm, pleading for me not to let her go. Lydia was leaving her office by the time I got upstairs.
"Well aren't you two adorable." she smiled, "I was wondering how long before you started with the matching outfits."
"I couldnt resist." I admitted.
"How long are you here for? I got in a few hours ago, I was just leaving."
"A few minutes. I'm just picking up paperwork so I can work from home tomorrow."
She pointed towards the stack of binders and folders in her arms, "Great minds think alike."
"Thats why we've always made a good team."
"That reminds me, you and Aubrey are all set for next Saturday." she informed.
"Great, and are you guys set for your trip?"
"Yeah, flights and hotel rooms are booked."
"I'll drop you guys off at the airport." I told her.
"Did Anita contact you? She said she had something she wanted to talk to you about in person."
"No, not yet. Whats it about?"
"She doesn't want me to tell you before she talks to you."
"Oh?" I was slightly concerned, but I'm sure if it were anything detrimental.. Lydia would've bypassed that little rule.
"Any big plans for tomorrow?"
"No.. but since theres not SO much work to be done, I figured I should work from home because if I come here, I'm gonna turn it into a full day." I explained.
"Same here. Hopefully Anita doesn't have to work, then we can have a chill day aside from caring for OJ and Aaliyah."
"I can take OJ if you want."
"Don't be silly, you have the triplets.. Besides, you know how much I love spending time with OJ." she denied.
"Are you taking him with you next week?"
"I wasn't planning on it."
LYDIA POV
That night, after OJ was tucked in bed, Anita had came over and Aaliyah was in the basement watching TV. Anita and I laid in my bed together, she was laying on my bare chest as I played in her hair.
"Did you talk to Nic about next weekend?"
"No.. not yet. I had to talk to my sister about it first."
"What did she say?"
"She loves the idea. But she wants to meet with Nicki first." she explained.
"How is she?"
"She's doing well. She hasn't been staying in bed too much and she has been eating." She told me, "Do you think Nic is going to say yes? Its such an odd request."
"Of course she will. She loves you and Zoe, and she loves to be able to help and be needed."
"I don't want to ask her over text."
"Take her for lunch tomorrow, she's not working. Ask her in person. You can probably take her to meet Annie tomorrow as well." I suggested.
NICKI POV
The next day, I was only slightly surprised to receive a text from Anita inviting me for lunch at her house. She served salmon with spinach and white rice.
"Fancy." I commented as she placed the plate in front of me.
"Only the best for my girlfriend's best friend slash business partner slash ex-fiancée." she winked as she sat across from me.
"I hear you have something to talk to me about." I stuck my fork into the corner of my salmon.
"Its more of a request."
"I'm listening."
"You know how my sister Annie, Zoe's mom is sick? So I often end up watching Zoe for a bit."
"Yeah?"
"Well, I'm sure you know Lydia and I are going away next weekend."
"So you want me to watch Zoe?"
"And one more thing, if its not too much."
"Okay?"
"Annie has a chemo session on Sunday, would you be able to drive her there? And also, just be on deck.. if she does need someone to take Zoe.."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Really?"
"I'd love to!" I nodded.
"Last thing."
"Uh- okay?"
"Do you want to meet her?"
"Yes."
"I can take you over there someday this week. That way you'll know where she lives and stuff. Plus she would really love to meet you."
"Yeah, just let me know when."
The rest of the week went smoothly, before I knew it, Lydia and I were in a dressing room getting ready for our interview.
The interview itself was going well, he asked about the upcoming clothing lines and projects, all of which Lydia and I managed to split the answers semi evenly.
"So whats the end goal?" he asked.
"Like for the business?" I questioned.
"Everything.. For the business, for life, your family, each other."
"For the business, we want to continue to expand it so that it can continue to do what it has done for so long." Lydia took the lead, "Which is, not only providing both affordable and high-end clothing, but comfortable and confident clothing. To slowly work towards having products for every occasion and demographic. We want to leave the company years from now at a place where the legacy of it will carry on even when the time comes that we can't run it ourselves anymore."
"Thats very well put." I smiled, "And you know, I guess I can speak for both of us when I say that in life.. we both just want to be happy, to keep our family happy and safe, to continue to inspire young women around the world, to continue to do what we love"
"For Nic, I want.. for her to doubt herself less. Recognize her worth and realize how special she is. I want Nic to get married of course, to her fiancé who she loves soooo much." she playfully shoved me, "I want her to find her happily ever after. And to never ever change how perfect she is."
"Lydia.. for you, I want pretty much the same things. I want you to share your story one day. I wish you all the happiness in the world. You're the most playful, snarky, caring and loyal person I have ever met. I want you to stay that way for ever and always."
We ended up hugging, which caused the crowd to "awww" and clap.
After the interview, Anita had finally taken me to see her sister Annie. We pulled up to a quaint house only 15 minutes away without traffic. The house was cluttered but clean, you could fit the first floor in my small kitchen. There was no basement, and upstairs held only two bedrooms and a tiny bathroom.
"Its a downscale from your place huh." Anita pointed out.
"You know, every time I go to someone's house.. they assume that I compare my house to theirs. Do you realize I moved into my house less than 10 years ago? Before that Lydia and I shared a studio apartment." I pointed out.
"Sorry."
"Its fine." I shrugged.
We entered her sister's room, who was just finishing a book with Zoe in her lap.
"Hi." she looked up at me and smiled. The first thing I noticed were her eyes, they were absolutely beautiful. Before, I had assumed Zoe had Anita's eyes, but seeing Annie now.. they trumped both Anita's and Zoe's.
"Hi- I I'm sorry.. you just have beautiful eyes. They're so perfect, and captivating." I approached her slowly.
"Thank you." she flashed a smile before sending Zoe and Anita away. "How are your kids?"
"They're good."
"When Anita first told me about your case, I remember how much I was rooting for you. Your story is inspiring."
"Thanks."
We ended up chatting for a while, I couldn't even remember the full extent of our conversation, but I remember reminding her how mesmerizing her eyes were. We exchanged information before Anita and I left. I drove Anita and Lydia to the airport that night. Returning home to help Aubrey get OJ and the babies to bed.
The next morning, I woke up to a missed text from Lydia, informing me that they had made it to Cali safely. I wished them a happy trip before waking Aubrey.
"Babe, get up we have that interview this morning." I nudged him awake. He rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom.
I went to twitter while I waited:
- I thought dating a guy would mean my s.o. wouldn't hog the bathroom... I was wrong lol. Anyways, good morning loves!
I received a lot of good mornings in return.
- Don't forget to tune into the interview this morning.. its LIVE. Hopefully I'll be ontime.
Aubrey returned and laid on top of me.
"Babee... come on, you it takes me a while to get ready." I groaned.
He ended up letting me up after a quick make out session.
I dressed in a black one-piece with matching boots. I slicked my hair into a low ponytail and began doing my makeup.
"Ew you dressed like me." Aubrey came back into the room after checking on the triplets. He was wearing a black button up and black jeans with black shoes.
I started a live video on my phone after setting it up on my vanity.
"I was going to make a video and tell them about the interview, but I just went live instead." I warned, "So don't do anything stupid."
"yeah yeah yeah." he crouched beside me and looked into the mirror at me as I did my eyeshadow.
I paused and stared at him.
"What?"
"Undo the top two buttons." I suggested.
"I am totally capable of dressing myself." he obeyed reluctantly.
"I know, but I have to look at you all day.."
"I have to look at you all day." he defended.
"Do you want me to change?" I asked.
"I cant tell if you're gonna fight crime or race cars."
"Find me something else to wear then. Something black because I already started my make up."
"Why do I feel like you just wanted to force me to pick your outfit?"
I rolled my eyes jokingly as he left. I read through the comments on the live while he was gone.
- I would never let my husband pick my clothes
I giggled at the comments, "Wait you guys are forgetting that I met him through work.. he knows fashion okay?"
"You guys are slowing me down" I shook my head as I continued to put on makeup. By the time I had finished, Aubrey had entered with 3 outfit choices.
"You really don't like what I have on?" I asked.
"Its fine." he shrugged.
"I'm not seriously going to change, we're gonna be late." I turned to face him.
"Fine." He approached me. "Are you ready?"
"Are you ready?" I bit my lip. "Should we tell them?"
"You haven't yet?"
We both turned and looked into the camera, Aubrey stood behind me and crouched down so his chin rested on my shoulder. We both somehow got distracted reading the comments as they popped up. A lot were guesses on what we wanted to tell them, others were comments on how good we looked together.
"Why do all of your fans assume you're pregnant?" Aubrey lightly bit my ear.
"We both know thats not happening." I rolled my eyes.
"You said that last time."
"Well, I spend a whole lot of money on birth control. So it better not happen."
"I'm just saying-"
"We're not having this conversation right now." I cut him off.
"Alright." he backed off.
"Thank you."
"Yeah." he shrugged.
I turned back to the phone screen, "Since you guys managed to bypass all the wrong guesses, I guess we should just tell you what it is."
"You were all not even close." Aubrey added.
"But, since Lydia is away this weekend. I will be doing the interview tonight with my loving fiancé Aubrey Graham." I announced.
When we did finally make it to the interview, the host Jackson LeBlanc informed us right away as we sat on the couch on the stage, "You made a big mistake coming here as a couple. I am notoriously known for probing relationships so much the whole world will know how to tear you apart."
"Hi." I responded.
"Scared?"
"Terrified." I replied.
"You should be."
"why?" Aubrey asked.
"I noticed you two posted a video on live before you came here today."
"Yeah so?"
"Well there's a conversation that was left unfinished." He introduced.
"Oh?"
He directed everyone's attention to the screen above us and it replayed Aubrey and I's quick mini pregnancy spat, "So, I think we should deliberate right here, right now."
"There's nothing to deliberate. I'm not pregnant, and I'm not getting pregnant any time soon." I stated.
"But there's a possibility?"
"I mean, accidents happen." I shrugged.
"But you seemed pretty confident in your birth control." he probed.
"Its improbable to assume accidents don't happen."
"You were really quick to have their baby though." Aubrey pointed out.
My eyes widened, "We're not doing this right now."
"Okay." Aubrey took the hint.
"Thank you." I nodded, staring into his eyes.
"Are you guys in like marriage counseling or something?" Jackson interrupted.
"No, we just communicate." I faced Aubrey as I spoke, "And we're just learning how to work with each other and meet each other halfway."
"You guys are engaged right?"
"Yes." Aubrey nodded.
"So, when's the wedding?"
"We dont have a set date yet, we want the triplets to be big enough to be apart of it." I explained. This rendered an awww from the crowd.
"So if you could change one thing about your partner, what would it be?"
"Her confidence." Aubrey responded almost too quickly.
"What do you mean?" I squinted.
"You should have more confidence in yourself." he elaborated.
"You don't think I'm confident?"
"You think you're confident?" he shot back.
"Fair enough." I shrugged.
"What about you? Onika?" Jackson asked.
"You already know mine." I looked at Aubrey. "I would have you get along with Lydia, and to trust her."
"Thats technically two things." he pointed out.
"If you trusted her, you'd along a lot better." I tightened my ponytail, "Next question."
"Okay, what was the moment when you realized your significant other was the one?" Jackson read off an index card.
"Easy, the day we met." Aubrey fixed his collar.
"Okay and for you?" Jackson pointed the card at me.
"Definitely wasn't right away." I bit my lip.
"Yeah, we all learned that the hard way." Aubrey rolled his eyes.
"I guess for me it happened in stages, I realized I liked you which is when I told you Lydia and I were dating.. because I cared about you a little bit."
"Wasn't that when you said you fell in love with me?" Aubrey shook his head.
"If I said that back then, I was lying." I fidgeted with my fingers, realizing the impact of my words, hating that all of this had to come out on live tv.
"Figures." he scoffed.
"That shouldn't be a surprise to you." I rolled my eyes, "Anyways, I don't remember the exact initial moment okay? I just know there have been several moments and I don't know which had the biggest impact or which happened first. But it was definitely after we started officially dating."
"Next question." Aubrey requested.
"Who has the largest body count?"
"Like who has slept with more people?" I squinted.
"Precisely."
"Well, I don't even know how many people he's slept with. And I don't see how knowing that would mean anything to our relationship." I cocked my head to the side.
"Are you just being reluctant to tell us yours?" Jackson asked.
"Nic, its not that hard."Aubrey touched my thigh.
"Not to have to be the stereotypical feminist lesbian," I brushed his hand away, "But for you, this question isn't that hard. You're a guy, so no matter the number, it gets spun positively. If you have a high number, then you're 'cool' or whatever, and if its low then you're 'charming and sweet'."
"Do you consider yourself a lesbian?" Jackson interrupted.
"Thats a whole other conversation." Aubrey put his hand up to ignore Jackson and turned to me, "You're right. We're skipping this question."
"Fine, back to my other question. Do you consider yourself a lesbian?"
"Yes."
"You do know what a lesbian is right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"You're in a heterosexual relationship, with however many kids. Doesn't that, i don't know, go against the whole only liking women thing?" he leaned forward.
"I'm not attracted to any other man. Not emotionally, and not at all sexually. Never have been. Aubrey, is a special case." I stated.
"But you are attracted to women?"
"Yes."
"But he's not a woman.."
"Yeah, I've noticed."
"Don't you have a son from before this relationship?" he asked.
"At the time, it was cheaper than having a sperm donor." I shrugged. "And we actually got to see the biological father."
"So you weren't attracted to him?"
"Not at all. It took a little over a week for me to actually get pregnant, and it was hell. I remember wanting to puke and just being so uncomfortable and disgusted every time we had sex." I fidgeted in my seat at the thought of it.
"How many more kids are you guys going to have? in total?"
"Zero." I replied.
"That was quick." Aubrey remarked.
"We've talked about this." I folded my arms, "We had this conversation so many times Aubrey."
"Yeah but-"
"But what? I told you in the beginning I didnt intend on ever having more than one kid. You said you wanted us to have one or two together, and I gave you three. What more do you want from me?" I crossed my legs to try to hide how upset I had become.
"I get that, but to take it completely off the table-"
"Fine, its on the table." I shrugged.
"Its on the table? Just like that?" Jackson asked.
"Its on the edge of the table." I elaborated, "If you bump into the table, it will definitely fall off."
"You two are more of a joy to have on the show together than I anticipated." Jackson leaned back in his seat and offered a smug grin.
"Not quite feeling the joy on this end." My leg began to shake in frustration.
"I did mention I'd probe right?"
"Next question." I rolled my eyes.
"Which one of you gets more jealous?"
"He does." I replied, "Next."
"No rebuttal?" Jackson asked Aubrey.
"No." he shrugged.
"Who makes more money?"
"I do. Next."
"How does that feel? To make less than her." Jackson gained interest, "I'm assuming this is due to your recent fall from power in your company?"
"No, she actually has always made more than me. And now, considering I don't make anything.."
"You are making absolutely no money right now?" His eyes widened.
"What's wrong with him not working? Its per my request that he took a break for a while anyways." I interrupted.
"So you're like a stay at home dad? You watch the kids, do the laundry, clean the house and make dinner, while you wait for her to come home from a long day of work."
"Our family, doesn't actually require two working parents. But something we need more than additional money lying around, is for one of us to be home to care for the babies. Now, if I were working minimum wage and trying to support a family of 7, I'd say yes of course he needs a job. But I love my job, it pays well, and I love knowing my fiancé is home with our children. Especially since we've already had an incident where one was taken from us, I feel assured knowing he is keeping an eye on them." I explained, "Its not really anyone else's business to say whether or not that choice is suitable. It works for our family, and if he wants to get a job, he can."
"So you call the shots, it sounds like." Jackson suggested.
"She doesn't call the shots." Aubrey butt in.
"From the outside standpoint, it just seems as though you're more of an accessory in her closet. She gets to go out and do whatever, and when it's convenient for her or when it matches her outfit on a particular day, she brings you out." Jackson observed.
"What the hell does that even mean?" I took offense.
"You only brought him out today because Lydia was out of town, and you didn't want to come alone." he pointed out.
"I'm glad I did. Luckily for you, Aubrey actually keeps me grounded. I probably would've left after the first ridiculous question." I spat.
"Do you have any questions that aren't exceedingly personal and derogatory?" Aubrey intervened.
"Fine," Jackson gave in, "earlier this week you responded to some negative feedback on your parenting skills. What caused you to lash out, since you are usually known to ignore negativity?"
"I didn't lash out, lashing out.. will be what I probably will do after this interview." I corrected.
"I think, she handled the situation quite well, and her responding was in adherence to the many parents who get ridiculed on social media for minor things." Aubrey stepped in.
"I also don't like being accused of anything. Call me names, insult me, do whatever, but don't accuse me of anything." I added.
"Next question."
"The rest of these are fan-picked questions for the two of you." he informed.
"I'm already liking them." I exhaled.
"Okay, Do you two have date nights? And if so, how does it all go down?" he read aloud.
"We do date night a lot." Aubrey answered.
"Date night, Date afternoon, date whatever." I added.
"Its usually spontaneous, would you count it as spontaneous?" Aubrey clarified.
"Well yeah." I shrugged, "I'll be at work and we'll be texting or whatever and its just like 'hey lets go for dinner tonight'"
"What about the kids?"
"We usually just drop them off at Lydia's. Or we'll put the triplets to bed and let Aaliyah stay home with them." I replied.
"Do you have a go-to restaurant?"
"Yeah." Aubrey scratched the back of his head.
I blushed slightly as I watched him, "You want to tell them the one place we go to so often I don't even need a menu to order?"
"What's the place called?"
"I don't know." I shrugged and giggled, "Anyways, its a french restaurant and he likes to go there because he likes when I speak french to the staff."
"Okay, whats your partner's biggest turn on?" Jackson read the next card.
"God.. he actually just learned the answer to this question last weekend." I clasped my hands together.
"That recently?" Jackson exclaimed. "And how long have you known his?"
"Like right away. He was easy." I rolled my tongue.
"Are you two gonna answer the question?"
"How do I even-?" Aubrey whispered slightly to me.
I shrugged, "I can't help you."
"Her biggest turn on, is when I first get out of the shower." he stated.
"With the towel." I added.
"Can I ask, how you managed to just now notice this? I mean, were you not showering before?" Jackson questioned.
"Yeah but how often am I actually in the room or paying attention to him coming out of the shower?" I reasoned.
"Fair enough, and his?"
"Lingerie. Especially if its red, black or gold." I stated.
"So.. who has the higher sex drive?"
"She does." Aubrey pointed to me.
"Okay, what is your spouse's most irritating habit?"
"You don't really irritate me." I shrugged, "Okay.. wait, I guess you have a habit of reopening cans of worms we have already closed together. And that's irritating, like you did earlier."
"You run away."
"Like physically?" Jackson pried.
"Yep."
"I've gotten better." I defended.
"Where do you run to? Why do you run? I'm very much intrigued." Jackson leaned forward.
"Its a defense mechanism, for mental health... I leave to clear my head, I always come back.. and we talk things through. I used to go to Lydia's or a friend's, but since I know it's irritating to him, I've met him halfway and I run to another part of the house." I explained.
"Which of you apologizes first after a fight?"
"I think its equal."
"its definitely me." I scrunched my nose.
"How?"
"I literally apologize even if we don't argue." I put my hand on my chest.
"So you just randomly apologize?" Jackson was slightly amused.
"Like, I'll be thinking randomly to myself about something, and I just feel the need to apologize." I shrugged.
"I need an example."
"Okay... I'll say something like 'I'm sorry you have to deal with me and my shit all the time'"
"With no pretext? Like any time of day?"
"yeah.. she says that a lot." Aubrey seconded.
"Last question of the day, Onika, I know you're glad to hear that."
"I sure am."
"Whats the top 3 best qualities of your partner?"
"We should alternate." I suggested.
"Okay." Aubrey agreed.
"Aubrey is an incredible father."
"She is compassionate and always trying to care for others."
"He's really forgiving even if he doesn't always let things go."
"She is resilient."
"He isn't afraid to call me out when needed."
"She has a charm to her that comes so naturally, she doesn't even realize it."
After the interview, Aubrey and I found ourselves in bed with a napping OJ.
"That, was a really shitty interview." I exhaled, it being the first time we spoke of the interview since we left.
"Yeah." he agreed.
"I'm sorry.. about how it turned out." I looked at him.
"It wasn't your fault. You didn't ask the questions."
"Yeah, but I didn't realize the weight of some of my answers until after I said them."
"You were apparently more of a liar than I thought back then."
"Things were different then." I defended.
"Really?"
"I don't lie to family.. or people I love Aubrey. I didn't know you back then, and for a while I didn't even like you." I explained.
"Yeah its whatever- We're pass that now." he shrugged.
"Its not whatever. Do you trust me?"
Before he could answer, my phone rang, "It might be the office." I reached for it.
Annie
I answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Miss Nicki?" Zoe's little voice questioned me.
I grinned, "Yes babygirl, is everything okay?"
"Mommy says to call you and ask if you can come and get me. She is really really tired, and she wrote you a special note in her journal just in case she is sleeping when you come." She informed me.
"Okay, I'm on my way." I started to get up, "Make sure the door is locked okay? I have a key to get in so don't open the door for anyone." I warned.
"Okay, I will wait for you." she chimed.
"Be there really soon."
"Okay."
"Bye."
"Bye."
I hung up, "I have to run to Annie's and grab Zoe."
"Thats Anita's sister right?"
"Yeah. Have you met Zoe?"
"No, I haven't." he replied.
"I'm bringing her over, she said Annie was too tired to watch her and asked if I can come get her."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, Annie has some chemo therapy thing tomorrow. She probably needs to rest for that, its pretty draining." I nodded as I got ready to leave.
"Drive safe."
"I will."
I shot Anita a text before I left out: Hey hun! I'm gonna go pick up Zoe, Annie is feeling a bit tired apparently. Just giving you a heads up. Hope your weekend is going great!
I got to Annie's soon later, being the middle of the day there hadn't been much traffic. I opened the door and found Zoe watching cartoons in the living room.
"You came!" her face lit up, reminding me of the times OJ had tested my promise to come whenever he called.
"Of course I did!" I hugged her.
"Mommy says you have to read the note in her journal before we leave. She is sleeping now." she told me.
"Is it upstairs?"
"Yup." she nodded.
We went upstairs to Annie's room where she was sleeping. The apparent journal was open on her nightstand. I approached her and touched her arm, she felt... different. Not cold, but definitely not warm. I touched my fingers to my neck to try to remember how health class had taught us to check someone's pulse. I leaned over her and felt for hers, putting my ear by her face to listen for her breathing. Nothing. I brought my ear down to her chest to listen for her heartbeat. Nothing. My eyes widened, realizing Zoe was standing there watching me inspect her mother, not saying anything at all. I realized what all of this meant. I felt my heart start to race as I tried to plan the next order of events.
Call 9-1-1.
No.
Talk to Zoe.
No.
Call Anita.
No.
Wait, yes. Thats the order!
Wait, call them and say what? How do you make this call? Do I leave the room? Do I let Zoe hear me? Should I make her leave? She shouldn't be here right? No. She should. Ugh!
I pulled out my phone and walked over to Zoe, "Do you have a special toy or anything you want to bring?"
"How many things can I bring?" she questioned.
"As many as you want." I offered her a smile.
As soon as she left, I made the call.
"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"
"My friend is.. dead, or dying. I really don't know."
"Are they breathing?"
"I don't think so.. she has really bad cancer and I couldn't find a pulse. She has a young daughter and they live alone." I informed.
"Do you have an address?"
I gave her the address and she told me to wait for help to arrive. I hung up the phone and went for the journal I was supposed to read.
"Dear Onika,
I'm actually so glad I got to meet you. When my sister first took your case, I was so intrigued by your story. It was one I had never heard of before, I did some research on you as well, I watched your interviews. The ones where you talked about your childhood, I'm sorry you had to go through that. So much death in one lifetime, at such a young age. But you prospered nonetheless, and I am sure your family would be very proud of your decisions and your lifestyle. You carry yourself in an amazing way, and you should never apologize for that. I have to thank you as well for taking Zoe to Mexico, something even if I had lived longer, I would've never been able to do for her. Zoe and Anita both talk about you and your family so much, and with so much joy. I can rest peacefully knowing they're happy and with people who care for them. I'm sorry you had to find me this way, although something tells me you already knew. When we met, you mentioned my eyes, how they resembled Anita's and Zoe's, except I lost that color a while ago. My eyes are brown, dark brown. But somehow, you saw them in the way that they were.. when I was healthy. Maybe Anita didn't tell you this, but I was a writer. If I had the time, I would've based a character off of you. Her name would have been Temperance, she'd have been strong-willed, passionate, caring and intuitive. I would've given her a backstory like yours, almost identical probably. She'd've had a gift, a special trait in her that allowed her to see the purity of people before they pass. Like you did in me. Onika, I hypothesize that you have a gift. You are not cursed, and nor was your family. Instead, each of them were blessed, graced by your presence, your positivity, your compassion, your ability to see the beauty in everything and everyone, and your gift. From what I know of you, I can predict that immediately, you blamed yourself for my passing. Correct? But you did not cause anyone's death, and certainly not mine. They were all destined to happen, and you were meant to bear witness of them. It is because of this, that I would like for you to be there for Zoe. You've been in her shoes, not my sister. The only way for you to fully begin to grow past you old way of thinking, is to put a new way of thinking into motion. Use your experience, your losses, to help Zoe. And in the future, you'll find you can help many others as well. Learn from this, from your past, and from whatever the future holds for you.
Love,
Annie"
There were three envelopes with Zoe, Anita and Lydia's names on them. I didn't realize I was crying until Zoe interrupted my thoughts.
"Why are you crying? Was Mommy's note mean?" She approached me.
I knelt down and looked in her eyes, "No, she wrote really really nice things."
"Then why are you sad?"
"I have to tell you something, very important. Can you be a big girl for me?" I touched her little hands.
"Okay." She nodded.
"Mommy is taking a nap, she was really really tired remember?"
"I knowww."
"The only thing is.. mommy isn't going to wake up from this nap." I told her.
I watched her face as she deciphered what I had told her.
"I called an ambulance, they'll take her to a hospital. Then, she'll go to a special place where someone will dress her in pretty clothes. And we'll have a party for her-"
"Like a birthday party?" she tilted her head.
"Almost, just a lot of people might be a little sad. There won't be any balloons or games or anything." I shrugged, "But your mommy will be there, and you'll get to see her sleeping in a special bed for people who take these kind of naps. Its called a casket."
"A casket?"
"Exactly. Sometimes, they'll be really pretty. And you can put flowers on them. And it will have a lid on it. So after the party, we'll take the casket and we'll put it underground and bury it. That way, no one will bother Mommy while she sleeps."
"What if she does want to wake up?" she asked.
"She will. But when she wakes up this time, she'll be right here." I touched my finger to her chest where her heart was, "and here." I touched her forehead.
"In my heart?"
"Exactly."
She smiled softly, "When she wakes up in my heart, will she still be very sick?"
"No." I shook my head, "Her nap will make her all better."
"What if.. I miss her before she wakes up in my heart? Before the party?"
"At any point where you feel like you miss her too much, you'll have me, and your Auntie and a lot of people who love you. We'll help you get through it, so you can feel better." I told her.
"Who is going to take care of me?"
"I think.. Auntie Anita." I guessed, "But I'm not sure."
"But she's away.. with Miss Lydia."
"Yeah, but she'll be back soon. In the meantime, I think you'll be allowed to stay with me and OJ and Aaliyah, and my family. Would you like that?"
"Yes." she nodded. She hugged me and I hugged her back, tightly.
I heard the ambulance, police and firetruck arrive outside.
"Here, you can say bye to Mommy for a second before the ambulance come to take her to the hospital." I instructed. "I'm gonna go let them in the house okay?"
"Okay." she nodded.
I kissed her forehead before leaving her in the room. I opened the front door just as the first responders were exiting their vehicles.
"We received a call to this address?" One of the policemen verified.
"Yes, my friend passed. Her daughter is saying goodbye at the moment though." I replied.
"When did you get here?"
"Not too long ago. I made the call almost immediately."
"What were you doing here?"
"Her daughter had called me from her phone, she said her mom was feeling too sick to care for her and wanted me to come and pick her up." I explained.
"Do they have additional family in the area we should call?"
"Not that I know of. Her sister is in California for the weekend. I haven't told her the news yet." I replied. "I was supposed to have her all day tomorrow until her sister came back anyways, she can come with me."
"That's not standard protocol." He sighed.
"I understand that, but I care a lot more about her well-being than I do protocol. Hopefully you do too." I pleaded.
I did end up being able to talk him into releasing Zoe into my custody. I called Anita the second we got back to my house.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey hun, are you busy?"
"Uh no.. we're just about to start a movie." she replied.
"I have Zoe."
"Yeah, I got your text."
"When I got there, Annie- she didn't have a pulse babe.. she wasn't breathing."
There was silence.
"Anita?"
"Are you saying-?" I could hear her tears approaching.
"Yes hun.." I sighed, "I handled everything, Zoe is with me and she is taking it pretty well. I talked to her and explained it to her. You do not have to cut your trip short, Lydia is there for you. And Zoe is safe and okay."
"Okay."
"Make sure you take care of yourself okay? We're all here for you right now. And I want you to let me or Lydia know if there is anyway we can help with funeral arrangements or anything. Do not hesitate to ask us for anything, both of us would bend over backwards to make this process easier for you in any way." I assured her.
"D-do you think she knew?"
I took a deep breath, "Yeah, she did. She wrote us all individual notes, and in mine she did say that she knew. She probably didn't want you to cancel your trip on her account. Coming back early is not going to make things better. I do suggest you stay there until tomorrow as planned, I think Annie would agree."
"Okay."
"Call me, or text me if you need to."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
I hung up the phone.
Ahh!! What a chapter?!?! Our girl is growing!!! Also, that interview ?? Annie?? What'll happen with Zoe?
Side note: Guys wish me luck, I'm trying to apply for Nursing School even though I'm not qualified and its an extremely difficult (near-impossible) thing that I am trying to do.
Anything cool or interesting happening in your lives???