Her response was, “I don’t want to get to know her. Reason, something about her ain’t right.”
“Mama, come on. Give Saje a chance.”
“My answer is final. I don’t trust her, and those sneaky eyes of hers aren’t sitting right with me. Don’t bring that girl around me anymore.”
When I left her house that day, nothing I said or did ever changed her mind.
Thinking I had a solution to the problem. I surprised them both with a trip to Hawaii before my wedding day. I wanted Mama to get to know Saje because I had already decided I wasn’t going to end my relationship. I still don’t fully know what happened during their weeklong trip, but Saje expressed that Mama had no problem letting her know and anyone else who listened that she would never accept her.
They had a nigga stressed out during that time in my life. Mama stopped talking to me for months, but not before cursing me out and telling me she wasn’t attending my wedding. I had never heard my mother use some of the words she used that day, but I felt her wrath in my soul. It was something that had me fucked up for a while, but I still loved her.
Years later, my mother still felt the same way about Saje, maybe even stronger. She and Saje stayed away from each other. A daughter-in-law and mother-in-law relationship didn’t exist between them.
I shook my head when I remembered that tough time in my life. I wished things could’ve been different, but I deemed it to be safer to keep them apart. Now that we were going to be parents, I hoped Mama would finally come around to building a bond with Saje.
“Son, I’m just saying. Have you really thought this through? Since that woman cannot get pregnant, don’t you want to look for another wife?”
I had no words for my mother.
I should’ve known she wasn’t going to understand. I didn’t have to tell her about our decision until the baby was here, but I did it all out of courtesy. I loved this woman with everything in me. She was always so understanding and supportive. But it seemed like ever since Saje entered my life, my mama changed. Her dislike for Saje took over everything.
The back door opened, and her husband, Omar Brooklyn, who I called Doc, entered. I remember the reservations I had when they met, but just like I expected from Mama, I got to know him before making any final decisions. Their love story was one I would never forget because they made sure to retell it every chance they got.
A while after my father died, Mama got into traveling to help her cope. When her birthday rolled around, I sent her to Paris for two weeks. Paris was a place she always talked about visiting, so I wanted to make her dreams come true. As if luck was on their side, Doc was there for his friend’s wedding. Mama said she was out walking and exploring when she ran into him at the Eiffel Tower, where he and other groomsmen were having a photoshoot.
Doc stopped in the middle of the shoot when Mama walked by and began to court her. Since that evening, she never left his side. When she found out he was a heart surgeon in Miami and had been divorced for five years, she said she knew their fate was destined. She ended up being his plus one at the bachelor party and the wedding.
When it was time for her to return home, Doc wasn’t ready for her to leave. He paid for her to extend her trip, and they spent another week together, exploring and getting to know each other. They became two fifty-something-year-old strangers who fell in love on a trip after thinking they would never fall in love again.
When she first told me about him, I almost lost my shit. I was protective over my mama. I was ready to fly out to Paris, but she made me promise to stay put because she was good. How she knew that was beyond me; he was a stranger.
I made her give me all his information, such as his first, middle, and last name, all the addresses where he’d ever lived, social security number, driver’s license number, passport number, license plate number, his parents’ names, names of his siblings, and anything else I could think of.
Basheer and Mama tried to say I was extra, but I didn’t care. I would go above and beyond for her safety.
Doc chuckled at first, but when he realized how serious I was, he quickly provided everything I requested. I had all his information, but I still made Basheer get a background check done on him. When it came back clear, and his entire life history was in my possession, it wasn’t enough for me. I had one more thing to do.
I flew to Paris on the next flight out because I wanted to look Doc in the eyes. Wanted him to know his new interest had a son who would go to war behind her. A man’s eyes will tell it all. I needed to find out if he was trying to play games with Mama.I didn’t need her to become anyone’s prey after having a good marriage with my father years prior.
To my surprise, Doc didn’t back down. He answered every uncomfortable question with direct eye contact. By the time I left, I felt better about Mama spending the rest of her week with him. He knew I wasn’t playing when it came to her, and I found out he wasn’t either.
“Did I interrupt something?” Doc asked, entering their home and shaking me from my thoughts.
“Honey, can you believe this boy came here to tell me he’s having a baby?” she blurted while pointing at me.
“That’s good news!” he said excitedly. He had expressed how much he wanted to become a grandfather too. Since he never had children, he never thought it was possible until he gained a stepson.
“The only thing good about it is that Saje isn’t carrying my grandbaby.”
Doc looked confused. “Huh? Did you get someone else pregnant?” He arched a questioning brow in my direction.
“Nah, Doc. I would never cheat on my wife.”
“They are going to have a surrogate carry their child. A total stranger,” Mama said, telling all my business before I could say anything.
Doc’s eyebrows shot to his hairline.
He glanced at Mama. “Dumplin’, I’m sure Reason and Saje have their reasons for choosing this path.”
