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“Ryleigh.”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to your grandma’s house until tomorrow. Why does each baby have so many outfits?”

“They have to bathe and change clothes,” Ryleigh said.

I looked up at Shameek and laughed.

“I can’t even argue with you,” I said.

“Ryleigh, take some of the outfits out so we can zip the bag. Can you do that for Uncle Meek?” He asked.

Ryleigh looked at me with sad eyes, and I looked at Shameek.

“You mean.” She grabbed the bag and took off running.

“Please don’t ever have kids,” I told him.

“My nieces and nephew are enough for me. I wasn’t ‘bouta have all that shit all over the place. She got six big ass dolls in a bag and seventeen outfits. Where the fuck are they goin’ to the damn club?”

“Meek.” We both laughed.

Ryleigh finally made it back down, and the bag was zipped.

“I’m hungry,” Ryleigh said.

“I’ll fix you something real quick,” I told her.

She ran off to the den while I made her turkey sandwich and fruit.

“You remember when your brother took her to eat ice cream for breakfast.” I laughed.

“Nigga had my mama hot ‘bout that shit. Then gonna have the nerve to say ‘ice cream got milk in it’. I knew then Ryleigh had his ass wrapped.”

“He would argue any point. It was times I just stopped talking because he was going to be right,” I said.

“Usually he does be right.”

“Yeah.” I drifted.

“I miss him.”

“I do, too.”

We went silent after that. I gave Ryleigh her sandwich and fruit as Shameek texted away on his phone. Once she was done, I packed her up some snacks and kissed her on her cheek, letting her know that I would see her in a few weeks and she could dress her dolls up with as many outfits as she liked. As I walked them to the door, Shameek stopped.

“You good?”

I sighed. “Here we go.”

“I asked one damn question.”

“And I know where it’s going.”

“It ain’t goin’ nowhere. You straight?”

“Yes, Shameek. I’m straight.”