Page 50 of Heightened Assurance
She laughed nervously and waved me off like I was embarrassing her. Embarrassment would have been me standing here and making her give me a hug in front of all her friends, but I let that shit slide and opened the door for her to get in the car.
After we left Aja’s school, we went straight to the mall to get Jade. I called her when we were a few blocks away, so she could be close to the exit when I got there. With the mall she had her second shop in, the parking situation was horrible. You either found a park right in front or had to park in one of those tall ass garages with congestion coming out. I hated parking in a garage, so I opted for the several blocks away option, which by the time we were leaving wasn’t the best idea.
“Dad, are we picking up Ms. Jade?” Aja asked, her small voice creeping into my eardrum.
“Yeah, then we’re going to dinner at her family’s house this evening.”
“Okay. I already did my homework at school,” she volunteered and I immediately felt like shit because wasn’t I supposed to have asked her about that? I was too caught up inmy own bullshit to think about it and that needed to change because Aja was my priority.
About thirty seconds later, I watched Jade exit the double doors of the mall. So of course I hopped out to open the door for her. What type of man would I be if I didn’t.
“Good evening, handsome.” She hugged my waist before standing on her tippy toes to give me a kiss which I returned and watched her get into the car. This life with Jade and my daughter was something I could get used to. Nothing about it felt routine, but instead it was natural. Everything felt like it was supposed to be this way.
“Hell nah,you know I’ma deal with my situations head on, so when she told me it was mine, I told her I wanted to be sure. How was I supposed to know that would have her running to the blogs lying on my name.”
We were all at Dimitri’s spot while Indiri explained how his name had found its way into the media months before his next fight.
Reminisce laughed. “I thought motherfuckers were supposed to sign NDAs and shit to be in your space.”
Indiri laughed. “Not all the time but believe it or not she did. She just didn’t care about the consequences because in her mind she has a valid gripe with me.” He shrugged.
“So, is it your kid?” Jade asked. I could feel her irritation from my lap. She was extremely protective of her family, so the thought of him being reckless had her face immediately drawn up from the moment Dimitri asked him about it.
“Nah. She has a man. Can’t be mine.”
The expression on his face was comical because he just knew that much.
“And how do you know, Indi?” Jade then asked.
“Because if she was pregnant by me, I’d know. Besides the fact that I ain’t never not wrapped it up I also know I’m too young for a baby right now. And judging from all the kids y’all got in the other room, and the couple in here, I don’t need to be thinking about it any time soon.” He turned his face up and shook his head.
Beyah held her hand up to disagree. “Um there is nothing in here, well shit, besides Caya, you good over there, sis?”
Their family time reminded me of my own, family just being family, ragging on one another, cracking jokes, and eating. Something about big families made me feel comfortable, like somehow when my brothers or I died the lineage would live on.
“Hold up on that. Don’t put that on me. I don’t have kids and I damn sure ain’t had no scares. All of us in here ain’t on that motion.” Reminisce’s hand was over his mouth like somebody coughed or something. “You just wished a fucking plague on me.”
More laughter ensued because he was so serious. We had long since eaten in the kitchen and dining room. Now we were all in the living room chilling.
“Then it will be just my luck that I end up with twins. Hell nah. Not me at all.” He shook his head.
“You don’t want kids, Rem?” Rennix asked, apparently trying to be funny because the expression on his face already gave his answer.
“Hell nah. Wait, let me fix that. I want kids, I just don’t want babies. They look like a lot and I’m not up for the job, but when they are older I could handle that.”
“So you want to reap the benefits and not do any of the work?” Caya questioned.
“Exactly, sis,” he agreed with the straightest expression he could muster. “Not everybody wanna argue with toddlers about vegetables.”
I clued him in on the secret “Not gonna lie, bro, they do that type of shit at all ages. The arguments just get more in-depth when they get older.”.
He threw his head back in confusion, thinking about what I had just said before he shrugged. “Well shit, I don’t want anything then. I’ll be the best uncle of my being, but I’m cool on all that other stuff.”
“But what if you want your lineage to live on? You can’t do that as an uncle.” Beyah responded.
“I can. I’m a twin and my younger brother, your husband, looks like me. That means y’all’s kids will look like me regardless, so hell yeah, my lineage is going to live on through y’all. Now if y’all will excuse me, I have some business to tend to this evening before my flight. I’ll see y’all later.”
Not long after Reminisce slipped out, so did Indiri. Then the women found their way into the other room with the kids while me, Dimitri, and Rennix stayed in the kitchen.
