Alijah Khali Dawson
Damn, what the hell am I about to put on? This is a regular family event, so why am I overthinking my attire? Low groans force me out of the closet as I stare at the toffee-toned woman lying in bed, gripping her stomach with a grimace on her beautiful face.
“Man, this is why I need to stay here with you. You’re clearly in more duress than you led on.”
“Oh, stop. It’s just PMS. It’s not anything worth you missing out on spending time with your family. I’ll be here when you get home.”
I shake my head and walk toward the bed, where I drop to my hunches before my hand automatically strokes Monika’s cheek. Monika Scott is the love of my life, and she has been for the past four years. She and I met at my previous employer during new-hire orientation and somehow clicked. She’s the woman I see myself committing to for life, and the one my mother adores.
“PMS or not, if you’re in pain, I should stay with you. I can run you a warm bath and then massage you once you get out. Hell, I can feed you some of that nasty ass chocolate peanut butter ice cream you like during this time.”
My face wrinkles as I stare at Monika, and I frown at the thought of deserting her in her time of need. Going to a cookout when Monika isn’t feeling well doesn’t sound appealing to me. I have been raised to cater and care for the woman who holds my heart. But Monika won’t let me. According to her, it’s nothing serious, but to me it’s no different than if she had pneumonia. I stand for a second before I lean and kiss Monika. It’s something light, but a kiss that makes my pulse race and my heart beat faster.
“I love you, bae. Leaving you is about to break my fucking heart. Let me stay with you.” My voice is pleading and soft as I stare into Monika’s bright brown eyes.
Monika connects our lips again, and it feels like she’s only trying to pacify me when she speaks again.
“No need. I’m a big girl and don’t need you to hold or coddle me. This happens every month.”
I grumble before I express the only rebuttal I have in my arsenal at the moment.
“Yeah, but this is the first month that you and I are under the same roof.”
Monika and I moved in together a month ago, after her lease expired. Since our relationship hasn’t shown any signs of ending, this is just the next step in progressing our future.
“Then you should understand that there will be many crampy months in our future. Go to the cookout. I’ll be in this same spot when you get back.”
I caress Monika’s cheek again as I communicate my adoration for her through my eyes. After a minute, I nod subtly, despite the tinge of pain in my chest. It takes me less than ten minutes to settle on a pair of jeans, a black tee, black socks, and a pair of slides.
“Do you need anything before I bounce?”
Monika smirks and shakes her head before answering.
“No. I’ll be okay.”
“Fine. But text me if you need anything.”
“Will do. Tell your mom I said hi.”
I nod before I plant a quick kiss and back out of our bedroom. My stomach knots with each step I take away from her. Monika isn’t my first serious relationship, but she is the first woman to win my heart. Never have I ever fallen in love with a woman. I think my love came easy once I saw Monika effortlessly interacting with my parents and siblings. They love her just as much as I do. My phone rings as I descend the steps toward my ride, and I pick up the pace because I already know it's Ma checking to see where we are.
The minute I’m in my vehicle, I retrieve my phone and smirk when I see the missed call from Ma. I hit the button and pull out of my spot as the phone rings around the interior.
“Where are you at, boy? Everyone is here but you. You know Tiny’s fat ass will inhale your father’s ribs without caring who has eaten. I swear that girl needs to find something other than food to enjoy.”
“I’m on my way, Ma.” If I hadn’t cut off Ma’s rant about my cousin, she would have beaten my ears for the entire drive to her house.
“I’ll see if I can body check Tiny’s hungry ass until you get here.”
I laugh hard when the call ends because my cousin always seems to get under Ma’s skin when there’s a get-together. The drive to my parents’ is uneventful, and traffic is nonexistent, so it takes me fifteen minutes to arrive. As soon as I’m out of the vehicle, I hear music blasting from the backyard. Before I head that way, I send a quick message to check on Monika.
Me: Hey, bae. You still good?
“Yo, bring your ass, big bro. Ma has been bitching for thirty minutes because her golden son ain’t gotten here yet.” My brother Aaron’s voice makes me chuckle, and I drop my phone into my pocket without waiting for Monika’s reply.
“Don’t be a hater all your life, little nigga,” I say before I make my way toward my little brother.
Once we’re an inch apart, I pull him into my body for a one-arm hug. Having younger siblings used to make my ass itch when we were kids. But now, I can appreciate the bond between my brother and sister, although Aaron and I interact more than I do with our sister Gianna. Gianna doesn’t communicate with me much, but I blame that on the fact that she hated how our parents used to assign me to babysitting and keeping up with her. Ma used to call her a fast tail heffa who needed a strong arm because she wasn’t about to be raising any grandkids.
