“I got you, boo. See ya!”
Nova and Kiaya locked hands and raced over to Pretzel Time. I shook my head, laughing as the two flailed their free arms.
Keyaire paid us no mind as he played on his iPad. I went ahead and pulled out my phone so I could have something to occupy my mind while we waited. There were several confirmations for new appointments, so I made sure my schedule was correctly blocked off for the correct times. Everyone swore I worked too much, but there was no such thing when you were a hustler. As long as I made time for my kids, I would never turn down the opportunity to make some money.
Once I made sure everything was set up the way it needed to be, I scrolled on social media. A scoff left my mouth the moment I noticed my baby daddy’s face plastered on several of the teapages and blogs. The blue-eyed, chocolate lyricist who had taken the world by storm. Yuck. I may have been a hater, but I didn’t care.
My eyes landed on a magazine article, and I’d admit he looked incredible on the cover. He was sitting in a chair with his shirt open, and all I could do was focus on how much his body had changed since the last time we were around each other. Keynauri used to be tall and skinny, but his body had transformed, making him look like an Adonis. His six pack was covered in tattoos, and his smooth skin was reminiscent of a Hershey’s chocolate bar. I always found it funny when he called me Cocoa Puffs because we were a similar shade. He looked good enough to eat although there was no desire to do so. A part of me had hoped he would have gotten fat and sloppy. At least it would have made me feel a little better. Instead, he looked like he could have been a model, and I hated it. How could he go on with life as if I never existed? The question plagued me, and I wanted answers.
“At least the lines are moving. If we can’t find the shoes, maybe we can see if Uncle Mire can order them for you.” I didn’t want to get his hopes up in case things didn’t go as planned.
“They are limited edition, Momma. I have to get them now.” He held his hands in a prayer position with his iPad tucked under his arm.
“You are dramatic. If we’re being honest, you don’t need another pair of shoes. You’re gonna grow out of all of the ones you currently have before the year ends.”
The twins were in the 98th percentile for height. Both of them could easily pass for eight-year-olds because they were so tall. I was only five-feet, six-inches, so they didn’t get it from me. Still, it amazed me to see how much they grew over the years. A part of me missed the infant stage at times, but only because I didn’t believe I would ever experience it again.
Que wanted to have more children, but I let him know upfront that I didn’t want any. I expressed it multiple times because I didn’t want us to get too deep into the relationship, only for him to think I would change my mind later. The twins were enough for me. My mother and Nova insisted I would change my mind once I met the right man, but I doubted there was such a thing. While I enjoyed my relationship with Que, I wasn’t certain if we would be able to go the distance. He was still in his party boy phase, while I wanted to settle down and find new ways to create generational wealth. Don’t get me wrong; Que spoiled me rotten, but there was a part of me that still wasn’t sure if he would be my future husband.
“We’re getting closer,” I whispered to myself. As soon as we got inside, I planned to take a seat on one of the wooden benches because my feet were hurting.
“What did we miss?” Nova quizzed as she rejoined us. As soon as they made it back, a group of people filed out of Champs. I breathed a sigh of relief as we moved into the store.
“Your timing was perfect.”
I grabbed my pretzels from her, popping two into my mouth. I skipped breakfast, so the pretzels tasted like a gourmet snack.
“Mmm, it doesn’t matter how old I get, these will always be delicious.” I stuffed another pretzel into my mouth, but this time, I made sure to dip it in the icing. My eyes were closed as I relished the taste.
“Momma! There goes the shoes right there! We gotta see if they have my size!” Keyaire gripped my hand, yanking me further into the store. There was another line where the display was. Internally, I groaned, anticipating another wait.
“Oh, Momma, I want some shoes too,” Kiaya whined with cinnamon sugar on her lips.
“What kind of shoes do you want, love?”
“I want pink ones!”
I chuckled because she was a girly girl through and through. She loved everything pink, purple, and sparkly. She was the opposite of me, but I loved it. She loved to dress up and express herself through her clothing, so I allowed them both to create their own style.
“Go over there and pick out the ones you want.” I pointed over to the display that was in front of us. It was close to us, so I would still be able to see her while we were in the line.
Kiaya raced over to the display to grab the shoe when, suddenly, another little girl raced over to the same pair of shoes. The two of them tussled over the shoe for a moment, which caused me to step out of the line with Keyaire. As soon as I opened my mouth to say something, a man stepped in to break them up. Everything happened so fast, and when I made it over to them, it felt as if I was going to pass out.
“Daddy, I had them first!” the blue-eyed beauty squawked. Recognition settled in, but she was much bigger than she had been the last time I saw her.
Kiaya stood there with her arms folded, tapping her little foot on the ground. I kneeled down to her level and grabbed the display shoe that had fallen onto the ground.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” I asked, even though I could tell she was visibly upset.
“No, Momma. That girl is mean.”
It was at that moment I realized the other adult hadn’t uttered a single word. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I glanced up at him. There was a mixture of emotions displaying on his face, but the one I recognized initially was anger.
“No fucking way. I know you ain’t do me like this, Naiari.” He huffed. I was slightly caught off guard by the way he addressed me, but I shrugged it off. Now wasn’t the time for this conversation, and I damn sure wasn’t about to do it in front of my children, in the middle of a shoe store.
Keynauri continued to split his attention between Kiaya and me. I grew more and more uncomfortable under his gaze.
“Momma, the line is moving!” Keyaire shouted from behind me, reminding me of our original task.
