“I can definitely see traits of both of them in her.”
Mikayla already had a lot of personality. I could only imagine how it would change the older she got.
“For sure. I know I’m going to need a nap after this.” Janiyah yawned, then laughed.
“You and me both. I don’t know the last time I did something like this. Probably never.” I chuckled.
“It’s not the same as medical school, is it?”
I shook my head and laughed.
“Not at all.” I covered my mouth as I yawned.
Even though I had gotten the best sleep I had in months since Janiyah’s been back, running and playing all day had me beat. It was still fairly early, so I decided we could play a few more games.
“I think baby girl and I are going to play a little basketball. You can stay here and rest,” I told Janiyah as I stood.
“Have at it. I’ll be right here.” Janiyah sat back and got comfortable. She pulled her phone out of her bag, and knowing her, she probably was going to try to write a little.
She would write anywhere she could when given the chance. I hadn’t seen her write in the last couple of days, and I needed to check in with her about that. She could have just been doing it in her room at night.
“Let’s play some basketball.” I had the urge to kiss Janiyah as I reached over her to pick up Mikayla, but I wasn’t sure how receptive she would have been to it.
Mikayla clapped her hands as I held her close and walked toward the basketball game.
The joy she expressed as we played made my chest loosen. I couldn’t help feeling happy the happier Mikayla was.
We stayed at the playground for another two hours, and by the time we got in the car, baby girl had fallen asleep.
The day turned out better than I expected, and it had put a lot of things into perspective for me.
“She could barely keep her eyes open.” Arsel chuckled as he stood in the doorway of the bathroom.
I turned to find him leaning against the door, arms crossed over his chest. His bodywash floated in the room. For a second, I stared at the muscles in his forearms because I missed being in them.
“I know. We tired her out,” I said as I turned to finish bathing Makayla.
We had a long day, and baby girl was tired. I was tired myself. When we got home, Arsel played with Mikayla while I took a shower. Then he took his while I started her bath.
Our routine was pretty much the same every night. I bathed her while he did whatever, then we would read her a bedtime story together.
“Shit, I’m tired myself. Do you need my help with anything?”
“No. I’m about to get her out.” I glanced over my shoulder at him, and the way he looked at me made my insides warm.
“Okay. I’ll meet you in her room.” He winked, then walked away.
I exhaled when I heard his footsteps go down the hall. Arsel’s presence overwhelmed in a good way every time he was around. It was one of the things that made me fall for him. He was confident in anything he did.
All day, I watched him with Mikayla, and my heart soared. The day had been bittersweet. On one hand, I felt happiness because we had finally gotten the one thing I wanted. At the same time, I felt sad because we lost our friends, and this baby lost her parents. Arsel and I would do everything we could to give her the best life we could, but we could never replace her parents. My eyes watered, thinking about it, but I quickly wiped the fallen tear away.
“Let’s get you to bed, pretty girl.” I let the water out of the tub, then wrapped Mikayla in a warm towel, and carried her to her bedroom. The poor child’s eyes were closed by the time I stepped foot out of the bathroom.
Arsel sat in the rocking chair with her favorite book. Every night, we readMy Melanin is Magicby Katrina Anderson to Mikayla, and she loved it. It was a book that was meant to help boost little black boys’ and girls’ confidence and self-esteem. Mikayla was a beautiful chocolate drop, and I wanted her to always be proud of her skin, no matter who tried to make her feel otherwise.
“You think she’s going to even be awake for the story?” Arsel whispered as I moisturized Mikayla.
“Probably not.” I giggled. “Homegirl hasn’t budged since I took her out of the tub.”
