It was Sunday, and Nyeem and I were getting ready to head to my parents’ house for dinner. Kilo’s parents had arrived thismorning, and he and his brother picked them up at the airport and took them to breakfast. They would be meeting us at my parents’ house for dinner.
“You ready, Ma?” Nyeem asked when he entered my bedroom and found me sitting on the bench in front of my bed.
“Yeah.”
“You okay? The baby got you feeling sick?”
“No. I’ve been feeling pretty good this week. Thank you for being concerned, Son.”
“You know you’re my heart, Ma. That don’t change just because you got a man.”
He teased me often about having a man, but he liked Kilo and supported our relationship.
“It’ll change when you find a woman worthy enough to be your wife, as it should.”
“I’ll just have to make room because you’ll always have my heart. Can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“Why do you think Ambrose hates us?”
“You think he hates us?”
“You don’t?”
“He has no reason to hate us because we’ve done nothing but live our lives. I think he hates himself for missing out on what could’ve been his greatest blessing. I think he hates that I didn’t fall apart when he chose not to be in either of our lives. I think he hates that you became who you are despite his decision. I don’t think he hates us, though.”
“I guess that makes sense because he doesn’t know us to hate us.”
“Exactly. Enough about that deadbeat. Let’s go.”
He was shocked when I told him to drive and handed him my car keys, but he didn’t question it for fear I’d change my mind.
“Is Amani coming?” I asked once we were on the road.
“Yeah, but she’ll be a little late. She had to do something with her mom.”
“Have you two talked about your plans?”
He shrugged. “A little bit. She thinks we can do long distance, but I don’t even want that kinda pressure on her or me.”
Amani was going to school in Florida, so seeing each other outside of school breaks would be difficult for them.
“Don’t let her talk you into doing something you don’t want to do. Do what’s best for you, and if y’all are meant to be, you can reconnect after you graduate.”
“Yeah. I like Amani a lot. She’s cool, and I like spending time with her, but I think she likes me more. She has our whole future planned out, and I’m just trying to get through today.”
I laughed because he sounded very much like the eighteen-year-old he was.
“You’re only eighteen, so that makes sense.”
“I don’t want to be on bad terms with her, but I have a feeling that’s what will happen when we break up.”
“As long as you’re honest, polite, and respectful when you end things, you can’t control how she feels or reacts.”
We talked about his situation until we arrived at my parents’ house. I saw Kilo’s car and suddenly became nervous. Nyeem came around to the passenger side to open my door. When I hesitated to get out, he laughed.
“Ma, are you nervous?” he asked.
