Fiona burst into laughter. “Tell us those twins whipping your ass without telling us. I get it though. I had toddler twins at one point too.”
We all laughed. “It’s not that they’re whipping my ass. I just want to be able to get some dick in peace. It’s like four-year-olds can smell when fuckin’ is about to happen.”
Frustration laced her tone to our amusement. My laughter subsided when I noticed Pea’s attention on Warrior and Shanae. I walked next to her and bumped her shoulder. “Do you see the same thing that I do?”
Shan came over and bumped Pea’s other shoulder. “What do you think that they’re talking about?”
“As much as they be on the phone, they should be out of things to talk about. I poked my head into his room the other night, and they were asleep on a video call.” She giggled before she shook her head.
Shan’s and my heads bucked back. “Oh, I didn’t know they were moving like that. Earlier when I asked her about her crush, she said that she only crushed on the old men on the money. Chile, that girl is too much.”
Everyone mingled, got their food and drinks, then settled in to our assigned seats for the movie. Travis and Maggie’s seat was next to mine and Mega’s. Kellie sat strategically where she could record Maggie’s reaction to what was about to happen.
My body leaned into Mega’s. “Are you ready for this?”
Mega’s eyes were soft when they landed on me. “Am I ready to hear a lil boy ask my baby girl to be his girlfriend? Hell no, but I know this is a new chapter in this book of parenting life.”
The screen flickered, and a very special movie started. Everyone was quiet until the first scene popped up. A few gasps were heard. Kellie’s phone recorded Maggie and Travis as the movie played.
“Wait, what’s going on? What’s this, Travis?” Maggie asked him. Her voice was low but audible.
The short film that Travis produced carried us through different interactions of his and Maggie’s. In between, he had what I would call confessionals where he told the audience what he liked about her. When he mentioned the cluster of freckles that was just below her left eye, I felt a tear fall.
It was like God decided that he wanted our baby girl to have freckles, but he wanted them to be very particular. Just one little cluster under her left eye. It was a facial feature that she hated. Maggie couldn’t wait for the day that she could wear makeup to cover it up. The fact that Travis mentioned her freckles as something that made her beautiful warmed my heart. Her fingers went to her freckle cluster, and her smile was deep.
The short film was about fifteen minutes. At the end of the film, Travis asked Maggie to not only be his valentine, but his girlfriend as well. Everyone’s attention went to Maggie. Travis reached in his pocket, then pulled out a small box. My baby girl gasped when he opened it.
I leaned toward Mega. “What’s in the box? I didn’t know he was getting her a ring.”
Mega’s face scrunched. “That’s a necklace with his jersey number on it. No nigga is giving my daughter a ring until he’s ready to make her his wife. We don’t do promise rings over here.”
When Maggie nodded her head, all the women celebrated with shouts and claps. My baby had a Valentine and a boyfriend. Travis put the necklace on Maggie. When she turned to face him, he softly kissed her lips.My eyes closed tightly.Oh, shit!
The World Has Gone Crazy
See,this was a prime example of why you couldn’t give these little niggas not even a fourth of an inch of rope. I told this boy that I was cool with this little girlfriend proposal. At no time did that permission include public displays of affection. If I went over there and picked that boy up by the four strong chin hairs that he had, I would be wrong as hell.
I leaned forward to speak over Ruth. “Aye, lil boy. Ease up on all that!”
Travis raised his hands with softened eyes. “Sorry, Mr. Manfield. I got caught up.”
“Well, that caught up is about to get your lil chin hairs snatched. Stop playing with me.” I swear he had me messed up.
Ruth hit my leg hard. “Mega, rose. You’re doing too much.”
With slitted eyes, I glared at my wife. I spoke loud enough that only she could hear me. “Ruth, I don’t give a damn about that rose right now. Matter of a fact, I’ll hold it for you to make sure you get that nut.”
Fiona tapped the top of the microphone. “Alright! We got a new couple in the mix. A new young couple that will remember that they are young. There is no rush for anything. I’m saying that to Travis and Maggie as well as another two, but I’ll move on.”
“I’m on your head, Warrior!” Ned’s outburst caused everyone to erupt into laughter. Well, everyone except Warrior and Shanae.
Ned was the first to notice how friendly the two were during our Christmas stay. This girl dad thing was hard. As a parent, there were core lessons that you taught your children regardless of gender. You protected your children with all of you. You wanted them to keep their innocence for as long as they could.
My boy Ned struggled with Shanae because she was a good girl who loved a risqué profession. I remembered when Ned told me that she wanted to eventually take over her mother’s pole dancing studio. He was not happy, but he admitted that it was more so because of the stereotypes that would be put on her. There were a lot of dickhead niggas in the world. The second that one of them knew that my niece’s career was as a professional pole dancer, it would be equated to be nothing more than a stripper.
“Man, y’all are tripping. Always in someone’s business,” Warrior mumbled. He said all that, but his ass didn’t make any attempt to create space between him and Shanae.
Shanae sat there with embarrassment on her face. Warrior leaned over, then said something in her ear. Her little ass giggled before she buried her face between the back of the couch and his back. He laughed as well.The world has gone mad!
