Page 91 of Quasim: King Inferno

When they finished, we all clapped, as Aimee and Capella took their mics. ‘Gonna Love Me Remix’ by Teyanna Taylor played.

Aimee rotated her hips as she walked back and forth as she sang the words. She didn’t sound too bad, but she didn’t need to quit her day job, either. I could tell as she sang the words that there was a time where they resonated with her and Capella.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel…” she sang to him, as he looked down at her, and rocked to the music.

Even with the traumatic journey the two of them had been on together, you can see the love and determination that they had for their marriage. Added with all of us here to support them. They were the youngest couple, and I was so proud and happy to see them both coming into their own separately so they couldcome together for their little family. He put the mic to his mouth, and rapped Ghostface Killah’s verse.

“My boy… rap that shit.” Cappadonna cheered on as Capella pinched Aimee’s cheek after finishing the verse.

“Who the fuck thought these two would even be here after last year?” Meer burped, and Capri pulled his beard.

“You better keep it quiet or I’m not doing that thing you like.” She whispered. He did the zipper motion with his mouth.

Jeffie didn’t want to participate in the singing, just watching us all make a fool of ourselves. Core went up there and sang ‘Superstar’ by Usher.

“Oh, fuck no,” Meer muttered when he hit that infamous high note Usher sang when the song started.

Jeffie was tuned in, watching Core sing to her, though he sounded horrible. The man could probably hack into Usher’s security system, but singing his song was something hecouldn’tdo.

Quasim sat in the chair that was next to the couches, and he motioned with his finger for me to come to him. I abandoned the couch, and went over to him, sitting in his lap as I danced along to the song.

I felt his lips on the back of my arm as I quietly sang along with Core. Jeffie had pulled her phone out and was recording him. Even with tears in her eyes, she smiled and encouraged him.

After all the fussing she did, and sabotaging Meer and Capri, Erin opted out of singing tonight, so Capone took her place. ‘Cupid’ by 112 played, and Erin looked down at her wedding band, before looking back up at her husband.

“Winston, this song,” she whispered, emotion laced within her voice. “Feels like yesterday I walked down the aisle to you.”

Capone did that infamous two-step as he sang the words to his wife. A song that was so special to the union that they sharedtogether. She watched him as he sang, not sounding all that bad. I saw tears fall down her face, and Cappadonna squeezed her shoulder while her eyes never left her husband.

The love this man had for his wife was so strong, I could feel it all the way over here. Both of them never broke eye contact as he sang straight to her. If she could, she would remarry him a thousand times because their love for one another was that strong.

Capri was crying as she watched her brother, and Meer kissed her temple while wrapping his arms around her. She fell back into him and allowed him to hold her as we watched Erin and Capone. I felt Quasim wipe my face, and that was when I realized that I was crying. True love was something that I had always wanted for myself. Someone to love me, accept me for me, and show me that I meant something to them. When I turned to look at him, he was already staring at me.

How did I miss that look?

It had been there all along and I needed to find it and pull it out of him. “What song are you going to sing?”

“I’m not fucking singing.”

“Sim, please… for me? I want to hear this voice Meer was clowning.” I snorted, and he pinched my ass.

“You wanna clown me.”

“Let’s go, Sim… I got my ass up there.” Cappadonna called him out, as he laughed. He stood up, putting me where he was just sitting and went to grab the microphone.

Nobody said a damn word because this wasn’t like Quasim at all. “I’m gonna borrow a song that you two played before… shit resonates with me a bit.”

Meer nodded his head.

“Minds well, you got him drunk.” Capri laughed, excited to see her brother-in-law sing to us.

I sat Indian style in the chair, hanging to the end of the chair, waiting. Quasim took a sip of his water and then looked at me before he scrolled the phone connected to the machine and hit the button.

He closed his eyes as the beat for ‘Long As I Live’ by Jahiem played and tears clouded my eyes. It was the song that was played at the gender reveal, and I went onto the dance floor with him. As we danced, I remember him looking into my eyes, as if he was feeling every word that Jaheim was saying in the song.

When he opened his ember-green eyes, he looked directly at me as he sang the words. We were all quiet listening to him sing. “You sound flat, Sim… Gams would be on yo ass.”

He cut his eyes at his brother and adjusted his voice. Meer and Sim both could sing, there was no doubt about it, but their voices and range was very different.

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