Eventually, we made our way over to the bar where Niema and Khadijah were. “Y’all look beautiful. Nice to have you guysback in the city,” Ahkeem said to them, making our presence known.
I offered to stay behind to allow him to have a private conversation with his sisters, but he insisted on me coming with. “You clean up nice too, baby brother.” Khadijah smiled before pulling him into a hug. “Did you grow a foot taller or something? Wow.”
“Last time you saw me, I was 22. Young, dumb, and grieving Mommy bad.”
The last part of his response to her prompted the smiles his sister had on their faces to fall. Niema quickly picked her smile back up and pulled Ahkeem into a hug. “I’m proud of you, Keem. Mommy’s proud of you.”
“Yeah… I hope so.”
“This must be Mrs. Hendrix? Our new sister-in-law!” Khadijah quickly pulled me into a hug. “You are gorgeous. Thank you for reaching out.”
“You are too! No problem. I’m glad you guys could make it.” I proceeded to hug Niema.
“You married our snotty-nosed little brother. You know he used to think he was Michael Jackson and moonwalk around the house in just his drawls, right?”
I busted out laughing at the thought of my man moonwalking in his undies. He quickly cut his eyes at Niema before smacking his lips. “Don’t believe that shit, Lovey. Yo man ain’t never do no sucka’ shit like that.”
“Baby, you do get a little hype when “Thriller” come on,” I reminded him.
“Who you gone believe, yo husband or my two hating-ass older sisters?”
“Oh, he can do the whole eight-count to “Remember the Time,” too. Ain’t that right, ‘Dijah?”
“Hell yeah. Mama bedazzled that white glove for him, and he kept that shit on for months.”
By now, I was doubled over in laughter alongside his sisters. He shot us a stale face, ready to no longer be the butt of our jokes. “It ain’t that damn funny.”
“Daddy, Daddy, can I get some cake?!” Saphir sped over to us from the dance floor. He was full of energy from dancing and was ready to fill himself up with some sugar.
Ahkeem chuckled as he reached down and lifted him up in his arms. “We gone chill on the cake for a little minute. I want you to meet some of Daddy’s biggest haters.”
Both Niema and Khadijah gasped once they realized Saphir was their nephew. He’d always been a little shy when it came to meeting people, so he grew meek and rested his head on his father’s shoulder.
“Keem, he looks just like you! Hi, munchkin! I’m your auntie Khadijah, but you can call me KK.”
“Hi, KK.” Blue waved at her.
“And I’m your aunt Niema. You can call me Ni.”
“Hi, Ni.”
“He’s so precious.” Niema gently squeezed his cheeks.
“How was the labor? He has his father’s head,” Khadijah jokingly asked me.
“O-oh, I’m n-not-” I began to stammer, but Ahkeem quickly cut in.
“Jazzy is Saphir’s stepmom. Silent on the step, though. She loves him like she had him.”
“Damn, boy! How much did we miss?”
He chuckled before dropping a kiss on Saphir’s forehead. “Not much. Y’all made it back for the best part, though.” He then pulled me closer to him by the waist. He was so proud of the little family we had, and he never shied away from showing it.
Khadijah and Niema got to know Saphir a little more. He was the best judge of character, so when he allowed them to hold him and give him a hug, I knew Ahkeem’s sisters were good people. They just distanced themselves because they all grieved differently and couldn’t handle watching their father’s downfall right before their very eyes.
“You good? I gotta take this call. Somebody blowing me up,” Ahkeem whispered in my ear while fishing in his suit jacket for his ringing phone.
“I’m good. Take your call. It just better not be a hoe trying to give you no birthday pussy,” I whispered back to him teasingly.
