“We got to get you to listen to something else. Elmo?”
“Ugh no. He’s ass,” Sanaa protested.
“Butt. He’s butt,” Emani gently corrected. “How about let’s go jump on his bed?”
Sanaa hopped up grabbed Emani by the hand and pulled her toward the door. “Oh yes!”
Emani fumbled over herself to grab her phone and to keep up with Sanaa as her tiny feet shuffled down the hall into Andrew’s room. Andrew was still in the bathroom rapping along with a Sincere record. Pressing her finger over her lips to silence Sanaa from blowing up their spot, she roamed through her JoyMusic finding her debut hit “Where I’m From” and sync’d it to the Bluetooth speaker he had in the background.
The two climbed on the bed and started rapping along with the beat, jumping up and down on his bed.
“I’m from where the streetlights get knocked out. Where roses grow from concrete. I’m from Husten, where Azul’s be creepin’ and D-Boys be swingin’. Where you from, what’s your set?” Sanaah loudly recited.
Emani joined in, making Andrew run out the bathroom. “Say it with your chest!”
“E!” pure joy spread over his face as he fought with his shirt to run across the room, jump on the bed, and wrap his arms around her.
Emani grabbed him back and rocked him like she used to do. “You’re so big now!”
Andrew held her tightly like she’d bounce away if he let her go. His face was cradled in the crook of her neck. “I thought Sanaa was lying. You’re really here.”
“I’m here,” she hummed, rubbing the back of his head, nape of his neck, and back. “I missed you. I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” he sniffled. “So much.”
“I’m not leaving you again, I promise, okay?” Emani pulled back to wipe his face and smile. “Who told you to get so big? You’re taller than me and I don’t like this.”
Andrew smiled boyishly, letting his braces gleam.
“I told your sucka ass-” Sanaa started and Emani looked over at her as she stepped off the bed. “Butt. I told your sucka butt she was here, nigga.”
Emani pursed her lips and shook her head and Andrew shrugged his shoulders. “Her first word as a baby was shit. She’s been cussin’ since.”
“Yep and my favorite words are bitch ass nigga, muhfucka, and shit,” Sanaa stated proudly as they walked out of the room toward the stairs.
“You got your work cut out,” Andrew stated, throwing his arm over her shoulder.
“My work?” Emani feigned innocent.
“Oh yeah, we’re not letting you leave. We’re all stuck together,” Andrew assured as the trio eased into the kitchen. “Since you left me for seven years, I have a request…”
“Cream cheese and strawberry French toast?” Emani asked, already knowing. “You going to help make it?”
“Hell yeah!” Andrew cheered.
“I’m going to wash everyone’s mouth out,” Emani huffed.
“But you cuss,” Sanaa protested. “And daddy and Aunt Violet.”
“We are grown,” Emani replied back, sticking her tongue out and placing Sanaa on the counter. “We have to have nice mouths okay?”
Sanaa agreed with a subtle nod of the head before sweeping Emani’s hair out her face again. “Where that come from? That ugly man who gave you a ring?”
Emani tried to think quick on her feet. “I-”
Sanaa hopped off the counter. “I’m going to tell my daddy so he can beat him up.”
Before Emani could stop her, Sanaa was running out the kitchen, leaving her plastic heels behind.
