Page 190 of Shâhzâdeh

“Here is the thing. You decided that you were going to take all hope of me having a table set like this. One that was filled with the laughter of my children. But my son has brought me a magnificent daughter-in-law. One whom I love as though she were mine. So even when you succeeded, you failed.”

“What was I supposed to do? He threatened to kill me. My wife was pregnant with our second kid and I needed—”

“You needed to do your job! To live up to the oath that you took that you clearly didn’t abide by:First do no harm. You harmed. Me and my husband. My son and the siblings he could never enjoy. But thankfully, he wasn’t robbed of the ability to have brothers or sisters. Were you?” Her watery brown eyes turned to me still shining with hope no matter what she had endured.

“No,maman. My brozers have given me many sisters and an abundance of nieces and nephews. And soon, you will have grand babies filling your table.” I glanced at Vanya and she smiled and I was glad she wasn’t furious that I had revealed the news.

“A baby? You’re going to make me agrand-mère?” The stunned look on my mother’s face almost made me tear up again. Vanya wasn’t holding back and was already crying.

“Next Eid zhere will be a new blessing to celebrate around zhe table. She is due in spring.”

My mother walked over to us and kissed both me and Vanya on the cheek. “Even more reason to take care of this old business. I told you all would be well, did I not?” She put a hand over Vanya’s belly and smiled at her as Vanya tearfully nodded.

“I’m a father with grandchildren. Please, have mercy on me.”

My mother whirled around, and even Vanya looked angry at the doctor’s hypocrisy. “Mercy onyou? You mean the mercy that you didn’t show for me? The mercy that you aren’t even requesting for the people that are here because of you!”

“They wanted me to kill your son. I couldn’t do that to an innocent child. So I did the next best thing! That was mercy! Why can’t you have any for my family? They didn’t do anything.” Dr. Seawell was pointing at the full table of people as though we hadn’t put them there.

“And zhe innocent children are absent from zhis table aren’t zhey? Only your children are to be made to suffer zhe sins of zheir father. It seems only right based on vhat you’ve done zhat you have zhe same pain inflicted on you. I mean, how else will you be able to empazize since you haven’t even apologized for vhat you’ve done? Only made excuses for zhe harm you caused my wife. I held her as she cried. Vhen she vept wiz every milestone of our son because it vas zhe only chance she would have to see a baby grow. Because of our life ve couldn’t adopt ozer children to fill zhe void. You vere supposed to care for her and instead you hurt her. Turn about is fair play because it is clear you haven’t learned from your mistake.” Bâbâ was furious and maman was now rubbing his back to get him to calm him down.

“The more wrong a person can get away with, the easier it is for them to commit the next bigger wrong.” Maman was thoroughly disgusted by someone that would commit a crime selfishly. Sure we were criminals, but it was normally for the greater good.

“Isn’t that what you’re doing? Being wrong by having us here?” His wife was trying to save herself and her children and I couldn’t blame her.

“This, my dear, is karma. What your husband has sown coming to roost. If you want to be angry with anyone, discuss it with him when you meet again in hell.”

“You could always kill yourself and save zhem.” My father posed the alternative as a gun was laid down on the plate in front of the doctor.

He stared at it, and then to his children before he exhaled. “If that is what will save them. I’ll do it. Do you promise to spare them?”

“Yes, as soon as the bullet enters your brain, we will release them.” Maman smiled brightly as the thought of his death lightened her spirit.

He looked at the gun, and he glanced around the table again. “I’m so sorry I let one mistake ruin everything. I just wanted you to have a good life and I knew that with the money we could have that.”

“Do you know what you sound like? You sound like the slavers that brought my ancestors from Cape Verde and Liberia. The ones who dragged us from Haiti and put us to work in New Orleans making it the French powerhouse it was then. I’m sure that they were rationalizing with themselves the entire time that they were doing this for the betterment oftheirfamily. The families they were destroying never played into their calculations. No, no, their selfishness was more than enough to keep them warm at night while my ancestors starved and suffered unimaginable pain.”

Barbra blinked at my mother taking in her obviously affluent lifestyle as though she shouldn’t care about her ancestors’ suffering. “But look at you. Look at the money—”

My mother slammed her hand on the table in front of her rattling the china and forcing Mrs. Seawell to keep her mouth shut.

“Was through the kindness of someone else. Someone who had to give my ancestors freedoms they were denied at birth. That wealth built up from the dirt until my family could make something of themselves. What, you think I have this accent for fun? No, my ancestors were raped, their offsprings sold to fancy girl houses because of how they looked. Those lighter children were conceived through violence off the plantation as well as on. Free women having to keep their heads high and do what they needed to because no one would bring them justice. Those children born enslaved sent into the fields and only by God’s grace were they allowed to end up on a benevolent plantation where they were freed. But you think money makes up for all that evil? It doesn’t. See, I speak the way I do as a reminder. A reminder to them of what their ancestors did to mine. And a reminder to my ancestors that the culture that harmed them is now mine to flaunt. I don’t praise the French. Revered as revolutionaries to the rest of the world but are the same people who brutalized others. No, I remember my heritage because no one is going to erase me from it. You forced it upon us so don’t try to take it away now that our inability to be kept down is evident. Besides, I make this shit look good.” My mother tossed her ponytail flippantly and my pride for her strength couldn’t be contained.

“You damn sure do,eshgham.And later on, I will remind you of how proud I am of you.”

“Sir, for the sake of your family, you should probably do what she asks. My husband is not a patient man when his mother or his wife are upset and I’m getting angry being in the room with someone who could do something so evil.” Ziba attempted to give the doctor good advice but his stupid wife ruined it by speaking.

“But your father isn’t evil for making my husband kill himself?” It was like she’d forgotten the man had put a hit out on her on his way home. Priest already had the money in his account and I’m sure it would be donated to some worthy cause.

“Your husbandchosehis fate the second he assaulted this woman without remorse. Even now he’s offering excuses instead of apologies. He lacks empathy and that makes him a very dangerous person. And people like us don’t allow dangerous people time to find another victim. As it is his files are probably being combed through to see how many other perfectly healthy women ended up needing senseless hysterectomies after dealing with him. I’m sure it’s far more than her.” Seeing my sweet wife boss up right now had me feeling like my father wanting to reward her in one of these people’s bedrooms.

“It’s fine, I’ll do it. I don’t want anyone else to suffer for what I did. If it gives you all any peace, I am sorry for what I did.” He held his hands up in surrender as he was forced down into the seat where the gun was laid out on the dinner plate like it was the main course.

“Less talking, more shooting, please.” My mama clapped her hands and said that shit so smoothly I couldn’t help but laugh at her. Dr. Seawell didn’t even think about shooting any of us because he knew his fate would be far worse no matter who he hit.

Dr. Seawell put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger, causing everyone at the table to gasp. When nothing happened, he looked between me and my mother, confusion and fear on his face.

“What happened?”

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