Chapter 19 #2
After my wonderful Friday night with my girls and later with my husband, we slept in Saturday then Jae came over to braid Niya’s hair.
We spent the rest of the day just relaxing.
This morning, Niya and I are lounging on my sectional, looking at furniture on my iPad.
We are going to turn my guest room into her room.
We are living between two homes, and just like I’m making myself home in Diamond Falls, she needs to be comfortable here.
“What about this one?” I ask, pointing to a canopy bed on the Goode Furniture website.
“It’s like mine. I want a big one,” she says.
“Big? Like what?”
“Like the one I sleep in.”
“So you want to keep the bed in there? It’s Queen size.”
“I like it,” she says while nodding. “I want pink and can I draw in there, please?”
“We can do pink and I’ll talk to your dad about your drawing wall. He knows how to do that,” I say and her entire pretty face lights up. I open the Vid Share app and type pink girl’s room in the search bar. Several videos pop up. “Let’s see if you like any of these.”
Right when I start the first video, Quintus walks into the living room with a peculiar look on his handsome face. He walks right past us without even looking, prompting me to stand.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Niya, then place my iPad in her lap. I follow Quintus into the kitchen. He’s standing in front of the fridge with the door open, staring blankly, so I step beside him. “Baby, are you okay?” I ask and he closes the door and looks at me.
One arm snakes around my waist and he pulls me into him. “I am now,” he says before kissing me. “Good morning. How long you been up?”
“About an hour. Niya got up first; I heard her and got up. But what’s wrong? You look upset or something,” I tell him, concerned because his forehead is slightly wrinkled.
“I’m tripping on Shuga,” he utters while shaking his head.
“Why?”
“For one, she hasn’t been calling or texting like normal. I noticed that after our dinner but I brushed it off. Then I just got off the phone with Tre and he said he’s been peeping the same,” he says and it triggers a thought.
She hasn’t been sending her normal texts.
“And yesterday, Niya wanted to FaceTime her after Jae finished her braids. We did and Shuga didn’t answer. I texted her a picture too and she didn’t respond either. I just brushed it off since we have Sunday dinner today.”
His forehead becomes even more wrinkled and his eyebrows knit tightly. “Not anymore. She canceled it. We all just got a text and Shuga never cancels Sunday dinner. I don’t know. Something’s not right.”
“What about Asali? Did you call him?” I ask, trying to mask my concern. He’s clearly worried enough; I’m not trying to exacerbate that. I’m trying to be the calmer one.
“Yeah. He didn’t answer but he barely does anyway.”
“Then tell one of your brothers to go to the house.”
“Them niggas acted like they were concerned, but when I mentioned that, they all had something to do or were doing,” he grits.
My hands caress the sides of his tight face and I suggest, “Then we can go.” I see his eyes and eyebrows visibly relax. So I chill as well.
“Nah. You and Niya stay here. I don’t want y’all making a blank trip, especially if I get there and it’s nothing.”
“I’m hoping it’s nothing.”
“Me too,” he admits before kissing me. “I’m going to just go now.” He pecks my lips again. “Did you two eat breakfast?”
“Not yet. We’ve been looking at stuff for her bedroom.”
“What’s wrong with her bedroom?”
“With the one at the house, nothing. It’s the one here. We’re going to make it hers. Get ready for hot pink,” I say and he just smiles.
“You two handle that. Just tally the bill for me.”
“I’m doing this for her. Me. I got this. Go check on Shuga.”
“I’ll grab y’all something to eat and bring it back first.”
After lovingly pinching his trimmed beard under his chin, I say, “Baby, I can fix us something or just order. You get to Shuga and call me as soon as you get there and see she’s fine.” Holding his chin, I pull his face to mine. “She’s okay. So, go. I love you.”
“I’m going and I love you too,” he says before kissing me.
When we walk out of the kitchen, he checks on Niya and kisses her forehead.
Then he grabs his keys and phone from my porcelain and gold trimmed bowl on the small table by the door and leaves.
I say a quiet prayer that we are all overreacting about Shuga then Niya and I get back to looking at pink bedrooms. After about five videos, I get a general consensus of what she wants: the side wall as her painting wall, two pink furniture pieces from Goode, a cute, tall dresser with a clothes rack, an adorable vanity table set with a crown-shaped mirror and touch-activated, three-color LED lights, and hot pink bedding and drapery.
The bathroom will be decorated with this cute Black girl princess with wings complete set we found online.
“Whew! I’m tired,” I say exaggeratedly, then dramatically fall back on my sectional.
“Me too!” she exclaims, mocking me, and we both laugh.
Just like her daddy has captured my heart, so has she.
I adore everything about her— her creative side, her curiosity, and especially her own little personality.
She’s still very much a four-year-old girl but she has attributes of someone older.
I had the same. Being around grandparents a lot does that.
I was raised by mine so I see those same nuances in her.
If she wants to know something, she asks, and she picks up on everything.
She’s truly a little ball of joy and I’m so blessed Quintus trusts me enough to have me in her life.
“Are you hungry yet?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says while nodding.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Pancakes and strawberries,” she answers quickly.
“I have the stuff for pancakes but no strawberries. Let’s make a grocery order and you can pick some things you like to eat.”
“Oh, can I have legs?” she asks excitedly. This little girl loves crab legs.
“We can get some,” I say with a smile.
“Can we keep on our jammies?” she asks.
“Absolutely. Jammies are my favorite,” I tell her.
“Mine too,” she gushes.