“Why do you eat your chicken like that?” I asked Peace, noticing she still had a lot of meat on her bones.
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with the way I eat chicken?”
“You eat like our daughter. I know you see all that meat left on it.” I held up the chicken bone so she could see it.
“Are you judging me, sir?” She clutched her chest dramatically as I shook my head.
“You two have children?” Nadira inquired.
“Yes, we have a daughter. Her name is Promise,” Peace replied, pulling out her phone to show her a picture.
“Oh, wow. She looks just like you when you were this age.”
Her comment struck me as odd, and I couldn’t keep my thoughts inside.
“How would you know?”
The table grew eerily quiet, and I felt Peace’s hand on my knee. I wasn’t saying it to be rude, but she wasn’t around, so it didn’t make sense to me. Nadira placed her fork down and placed her hands in her lap.
“I guess I should address the elephant in the room,” she said with a sympathetic smile on her face.
“When I met your father, he was slightly older than me, and I was instantly smitten. When he told me about his woman, it threw me off, but I went along with it. I was young, dumb, and ignorant of the real world. We were all together for a while until your father and I grew closer. Doniese wasn’t happy, and she retaliated by lacing my weed with cocaine. I became addicted, and my life went downhill after that.”
“When I got pregnant, I did everything I could to get clean, but those drugs had a hold on me. When I gave birth to you, your father put me up in my own place, and we attempted to co-parent. Eventually, we started messing around again, and things took a turn. An anonymous tip was called into CPS, and the police were notified. They found baggies of cocaine in your diaper bag, and they took you away.”
“I tried to get you back, but they were the better family on paper. Dantae brought over some papers and told me they were an agreement for joint custody, but he tricked me. I had no idea I was signing over my rights, but no one believed me. After I lost you, I went back to drugs and remained an addict until my brother forced me into a facility so I could get clean.”
“So let me guess, you got better, started a new family, and decided you didn’t need the little bastard you gave away.” I retorted. My appetite evaporated as I got up from the table.
“Wait!” She yelled before I could leave the room. I hesitated to turn back around, but then I heard Peace’s voice in my head telling me to hear her out. Against my will, I reclaimed my seat.
“You have every right to feel the way you do. Trust me, when I asked God to reunite us, I was fully aware this wouldn’t be an easy road. Allow me to answer your questions, and then you can decide whether you want to get to know me.”
Peace reclaimed my hand the moment I sat back down. I wanted to be receptive to what Nadira had to say, but I wasn’t sure if I could.
“By the time I got completely clean, Dantae and Doneisha were married, and you were happy. I spoke to a few lawyers, and they all said a custody battle would be difficult to win, and it could be harmful to you because you were older and hadn’t been around me in years. I didn’t want to cause you any pain or disrupt your life, so I made the decision to let them raise you. Do I regret my decision? Of course, I do. It’s a decision that has haunted me for years, but I made the choice, so I had no choice but to deal with it.”
“When I gave birth to Nazeem and Jameer, I was clean, but still broken. I married their father, and he tried his best to love my pain away, but there was a void no one else could fill. I’m not expecting you to welcome me back into your life with open arms, but I would love the opportunity to get to know you and your family. I’m happy to go at your pace and on your terms. ”
“I appreciate you for filling in the blanks, but I don’t know how to process this,” I admitted.
“Take all of the time you need. The ball is in your court.”
The rest of the dinner went smoothly, and we kept the conversation light. After we finished eating, the ladies remained in the kitchen, and the men headed out to the deck. Since Unc was a pastor, I opted to wait to smoke my blunt.
“I know Momma said you could take all the time you need, but I hope you know that only applies to her. We have too much time to catch up on, and I don’t want to hear any excuses,” Jameer warned.
“What he said. I’m having a fight party next week, and I expect your ass to be there,” Nazeem insisted.
“I don’t have a problem with that. As long as I’m free, I’m down.”
“Good. You didn’t have a choice, but I’m happy to know I don’t have to put you in a headlock or no shit like that. My bad, Unc.” Nazeem apologized.
“What your brothers are trying to communicate is that we’re family, and we would like to build a relationship with you. We spend a lot of time together, and it would be nice to have you accompany us.”
I appreciated them for being welcoming. It would take a minute to adjust, but it felt good to know they wanted to include me.
“Before we officially start this whole brotherhood thing, I just have one question.” Nazeem gave me a mischievous smirk, letting me know he was about to say some bullshit.
