Chapter 10
TEN
“We’re more alike than I thought,” Shiro says smugly as soon as Shuga and Mireya walk off. “She’s pretty and thick as hell.” I glare at him.
“Bruh, be glad Niya’s right here,” I warn and he smirks. “That’s my wife.”
“That you kept from us. But I get it. I get it now, bruh. If I was wrapped up in all that I wouldn’t bring her around no niggas, not even y’all,” he jests, and when I turn to curse his ass out, he laughs. “Damn, you ’bout to bite my damn head off!”
“Yo’ ass play too much,” I grit.
“It’s all love. But congrats for real. We gon’ chop it up about yo’ nuptials later. I’m ready to eat now.” He leans down then kisses the top of Niya’s head. “Come on. Let’s go tell yo’ nana you hungry,” he says, reaching for Niya and she climbs right into his arms.
Shuga is right. My baby is four and a little tall for her age but she’s truly a princess. If she doesn’t want to walk, she doesn’t have to. Her papa, uncles, and my nephews will carry her all around this damn house.
“Yeah, take her before I lay you out on this patio for talking reckless,” I joke but only a little.
My brothers and I talk shit all the time, especially me and Shiro, but his constant words about Mireya’s fine ass body really rub me the wrong way and have my chest tight as fuck.
I glare at his shit-talking ass again and he just shakes his head as he walks off.
Ace steps to me and reads my vexed face.
“Shiro being Shiro?” he asks.
“Every fucking day. But he goes too far sometimes,” I huff and Ace chuckles.
“Yeah. I know that tone. It’s your wife, so shit hits different,” Ace says knowingly. “I had to check all y’all when I married my bae, so I get it. When it comes to wifey, all bets are off.”
“All of them,” I agree. While I still don’t have a clear memory of how Mireya and I got married, the fact remains that she is my wife and Shiro has to tread lightly as fuck.
The night of the ball is still hazy for me.
I’m not really a drinker, but I can handle my shit.
I’ve replayed as much of it as I can recall and the only thing I can conclude is I fucked up by taking allergy pills at the office before I went.
I love my city, but during late summer and early fall, ragweed fucks me up.
That’s the main reason I played basketball in high school and not football.
Allergies kicked my ass and on Friday night they were on me bad.
I popped three pills before going home and getting dressed.
Mixing allergy pills with my drinks must have fucked me up.
That’s the only thing to explain my hazy memories.
“But the judge? You know I recognized her as soon as she stepped out on the patio. Bruh, what the fuck? I hope this ain’t about my case,” he says with so much concern in his tone.
“The marriage isn’t,” I admit, telling the truth about that at least. Having a drink with her at the ball was about the case.
Marrying her in my altered state and choosing to stay married is about her for me and the election for her but my brother doesn’t need to know that. “I’m with her because I want to be.”
“Bruh, marriage is about need not want. To make it work, remember that shit. You know what Asali always said, he needs Shuga and she needs him. The children, the house, the job are wants. Like he told us every damn day, we weren’t shit but bonuses that he and Shuga wanted,” he says and we both laugh.
Asali said that shit all the time and made sure we saw how much he needed Shuga.
It’s engrained in me and all my brothers and it’s how I knew Janis wasn’t for me.
I never needed her and she only wanted me.
My bonus is Niya. I’ve just been waiting for the woman I need and everything in me says that woman is my new wife.
“I think she’s my need,” I admit while nodding.
“You’re married; she better be. And where’s her ring? I know you gon’ come correct.”
Shit! I hadn’t even thought about a ring.
“I got her. I’m gon’ correct that ASAP.”
“I know you got that lawyer money but don’t make a nigga look bad. If she shows up with a banger, Sade gon’ be on my ass and moving furniture can’t do all that,” he says, fronting.
“Bruh, you move statewide and have a fleet of trucks. Tell that shit to somebody else.”
“You got that,” he says before tapping my arm. “Here comes wifey.” I look up and see Mireya heading toward me. Ace nods then walks off.
“What’s up? You good?” I ask when she’s in front of me.
“Yeah. I just need to use the bathroom before we eat. Your mother said there’s one to the right of the living room.”
“Bet but I’ll take you,” I tell her, then lead her back into the house. “This isn’t too much is it?” I ask when we’re in the living room. Meeting a family as big as mine can be a little overwhelming.
“No. It’s actually interesting,” she says, beaming. “Y’all are so close and look so much alike.”
“I don’t look like none of them niggas,” I tease because even I recognize Asali has some strong ass genes. Despite our age gaps, we all favor a lot.
“Yeah right. You and,”—she hesitates for a moment then continues—“You and Deuce almost look like twins. It’s crazy but I love how they named y’all.”
“So Shuga told you our crazy history. I’m just glad they didn’t name my ass Cinco,” I admit.
When Ace was born, Asali wasn’t with having a junior.
He believes that a man has to stand on his own and make his own name.
According to him, too many sons are punished for the sins of their fathers when they carry the same name, so we all got unique names based on our order of birth.
Ace because he’s the first. Deuce and Tre for two and three, then Shiro and me.
Shiro means fourth son in Japanese and Quintus means fifth with Latin origins.
“Yeah. You’re definitely not a Cinco. Quintus fits you,” she says.
“You think? Why?” I ask curiously.
“I don’t know really; it just does. I like saying it,” she says and damn.
“And it sounded sexy as fuck. I like how you say my name,” I admit honestly and she smiles.
“Is this it?” she asks.
“What?”
“The…bathroom,” she says while shaking her head. I was so caught up in her that I temporarily forgot our final destination.
“Oh. Yeah. That’s it.”
“I can find my way back out,” she insists.
“Bet. I’ll fix your plate. I know what everything is.”
“Perfect. It all smells heavenly. I can’t wait. I’ll be right out,” she says before walking into the bathroom.
When I make it back to the patio, Niya is with her aunt Sade. She quickly abandons Sade’s lap the minute Hussain stands behind his mom. She loves the twins, especially Hussain’s locs.
“I like her,” Shuga says from behind before stepping in front of me.
“I just don’t understand why she was such a secret.
We knew nothing about her, then boom, you tell me you married her on Friday.
” Her soft hands raise to my face and she caresses the sides.
“You are my son, my baby boy. I know you. So what’s going on? ”
“Nothing’s going on, Shuga.”
“Mmhm,” she utters, then rolls her eyes. “Well, I didn’t know about an engagement and I missed the impromptu wedding.”
“It wasn’t anything big,” I interject but she isn’t paying me any attention. She has her own agenda.
“I still missed it, Quintus, but I’m not missing this celebration dinner. I told Mireya and I’m telling you, I’m a part of every step of the planning.”
“Did she agree to that?” I ask and Shuga sighs loud as hell.
“Yes, she did. She understands me,” she says before lightly tapping the side of my face. “Like I said, I like her.”
“I’m glad you do.”
“Well, let me fix Asali’s plate so we can eat. Shiro ’bout to drive me to drinking about this food,” she says before walking off. I head toward Hussain and get Niya.
“My stomach hurts ’cause I’m ready to eat, daddy,” Niya says.
“Me too. Let’s go get your food,” I say, then caress her back. “But hey, why won’t you talk to my friend?” I ask and she shrugs. “Well, she’s going to eat dinner with us and I want you to at least say hello.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to her,” she says, then laughs.
After placing her feet on the floor, we walk to the food table and join the line. Shuga already fixed Asali’s plate and he’s eating. Right when I grab the plates, Mireya walks up beside me. My nephew Travon steps back to allow her space. Niya touches her leg and Mireya looks down.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Mireya says.
“Hi, my name is Niya,” she says with a smile.
“I know. You have a very pretty name. I’m Mireya and I love your shirt.”
Niya grabs the bottom of her shirt then looks down at it. “It’s Bluey,” she says. “You don’t know Bluey?”
“No. I don’t.”
“She’s funny,” Niya explains.
“I’m going to have to check Bluey out then.”
“You gon’ like it. I want two chickens, Daddy,” Niya says, looking up at me, referring to the chicken Suya skewers.
When Mireya sees me trying to juggle three plates, she grabs one. “Just tell me what everything is and I’ll fix mine. Just take care of the princess,” she says.
“Both of these pans are Suya, chicken and this is sirloin,” I point out. “And this is croaker fish.”
“The fish looks good but I don’t want a whole one,” she says but I put a whole one on her plate anyway.
“Niya likes the fish too. I’ll cut it at the table,” I tell her. “And this is jollof rice, beans with red stew, fried plantains, and lettuce salad.”
As I fix mine and Niya’s plates, Mireya gets a little of each item then follows me to the table. Shuga waves us over to her and Asali, so we sit with them and my brother Deuce. It’s getting late and he’s about to head to his nightclub, Deuces. Sunday nights are one of his busiest nights.
Once we are seated, Niya says grace and I remove her skewers and cut her chicken. She starts on her beans. I glance at Mireya, and when she smiles after tasting her sirloin, I nod.
“You like the eyes?” Niya asks Mireya.
“Do I like the what?” Mireya asks with questioning eyes.
“These,” Niya says as she points to the fish head.
“Oh no. I don’t. I’m going to cut this head off.”