23. Sametra #3
“Hey.” Malik turned me to face him, his hands steady on my shoulders. “You gotta give my boy more credit than that. He’s turning into a man. Trust him. And we’re doing this together.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, and together.”
“Together,” he confirmed, kissing me softly just as Samaj walked in. I loved the sun coming through the screen, so it was always my first stop in the morning.
Malik went to get some clothes on while I finished plating the breakfast, my ring catching the morning light as I moved. In just a few minutes, we’d be telling my son that his father was dead and that I was engaged to the man who’d become more of a father to him than Ashe ever was.
“Ma!” Samaj’s voice carried through the house, full of energy and excitement. “Y’all better not be doing nothing nasty. I got something to tell y’all!”
I laughed despite my nerves.
“In the kitchen,” I called back. “And we’ve got something to tell you too.”
As I heard their footsteps approaching, Malik’s hand found mine, our fingers intertwining naturally as he made it back down.
“Did you have a good night at Deon’s?” I asked as Samaj rounded the corner and came into the kitchen.
“Yeah, it was cool, pizza, video games, and homie talk. Just chillin’.”
He came around and kissed me on the cheek before sitting down at the counter.
“Mhhm, y’all better not be talking or doing anything nasty.”
“Ma, I’m straight. Come on.”
“I know that and that’s what I meant.” I shook my head at him.
“Alright,” Malik said, putting Samaj in a headlock. “You good kid? Car riding good?”
“It’s perfect, I’m getting all the eyes. It’s a chick magnet.”
I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat.
“We’ll talk later. Me and you moms gotta holla at you about a few things.”
“Like that ring on her finger?” I covered my mouth, and that made it worse. “Damn, you put a mortgage on ma’s finger.”
“Watch your mouth,” I warned. “But yes, we got engaged last night, and we need to transition here to live. I know this is a lot all at once…”
“Ma, it’s fine, I already know which two rooms I want.”
“My man,” Malik said, “But there’s something else.”
He looked at me and allowed him to continue. “Remember we talked about your pops…”
“Ashe,” he corrected.
“Ashe,” Malik said tossing his hands up. “Ashe was attacked again, and this time he didn’t make it.”
I expected him to show some level of emotion, but he sat back in the chair and looked between us before shrugging.
“We live to die, right?” Samaj said with a shrug that broke my heart a little. Not because he didn’t care, but because I could see him trying to process everything at once.
The silence stretched between us for a moment. I wanted to say something, anything, to fill the space, but Malik squeezed my hand, reminding me to let Samaj work through his feelings.
“You okay?” I finally asked, studying my son’s face for any sign of what he was really thinking.
“Honestly? Yeah, I am.” He picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite. “I know that probably sounds messed up, but after everything we found out about him...I kinda already mourned whatever relationship we might’ve had.”
Malik nodded. “That’s normal, son. You don’t have to feel guilty about not being torn up over someone who was never really in your life.”
“Exactly. And Ma, you don’t gotta worry about me being all emotional about it either. That man made his choices.” Samaj looked between us. “Y’all are my family. This…” he gestured around the kitchen, “…this is what matters.”
I felt tears prick my eyes. “You sure you’re okay with all of this? The engagement, moving in here, everything changing so fast?”
“Ma, are you kidding me? I been waiting for y’all to get married since Alabama. And this house is way better than ours, no offense. Plus, I get my own bathroom.” He grinned. “And I’m gonna be a big brother. That’s pretty cool.”
“Summer or Blaze,” Malik said with a smile.
“Ooh, I like those names. Very unique.” Samaj reached for more eggs. “When’s the wedding? Because I need time to get my suit game together and maybe a date. The car got the girlies going wild, son.”
I laughed, the tension finally leaving my shoulders. “We haven’t even talked about that yet.”
“Well, whatever you decide, I’m happy for y’all. Really.” He looked directly at Malik. “Thank you for taking care of my mom. And for taking care of me too, even when you ain’t have to.”
“You family, Maj. That’s what family does. I’ve been calling you my son from day one. And we finna turn it up on ‘em. I’m at all the games, school functions, and more.”
“Preciate that. Ma, I gotta tell you something too.”
I raised an eyebrow, curious about what else my son had been keeping to himself.
“I know we talked about the streaming before, and I know you understand that I’m still going to college. But my channel has really taken off. Like, really taken off. I’m up to almost ten thousand followers now.”
My eyes widened. “Ten thousand? Samaj, that’s amazing!”
“Yeah, and I’m making decent money from it too. Not enough to live off of, but enough to help with gas and stuff.” He looked between me and Malik. “I just wanted y’all to know that I’m being smart about it. Building my brand while still focusing on school.”
“I’m proud of you for finding your passion and pursuing it responsibly,” I said, meaning every word. “What’s your streaming name again?”
“RecoveryKing17.”
Malik suddenly got a huge grin on his face. “Speaking of that...come with me for a minute.”
He stood up and gestured for Samaj to follow him. I trailed behind, curious about what Malik was up to.
He led us upstairs to a room I’d never really paid attention to before, one that had always been closed when I was here. Malik opened the door with a large grin.
“Holy shit,” Samaj breathed, then quickly looked at me. “Sorry, Ma. Bruhhhh, this is crazy.”
The room was top of the line; a sight to see. Professional lighting setup, a high-end gaming chair, multiple monitors, a top-of-the-line computer setup and mounted on the wall behind the desk was a custom neon sign that read “RecoveryKing17” in bright blue letters.
“Malik,” I gasped, “when did you do all this?”
“I’ve been working on it for the past couple of weeks. Did some research on what streamers need, watched some of your content to see your setup.” He looked at Samaj. “Figured if you’re gonna do this, you might as well do it right. But school is a requirement. You gave us your word.”
Samaj was speechless, running his hands over the equipment with reverence. “This is... this is professional level stuff. Like, what the big streamers use.”
“That’s the point. You got talent, you got the drive, and you got something important to say. Now you’ve got the tools to say it properly.”
I watched my son’s face light up as he explored his new setup, and my heart felt so full it might burst.
“Thank you,” Samaj said, his voice thick with emotion as he hugged Malik. “This is the best thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
“You’re my son now,” Malik said simply. “This is what fathers do. I’m always going to have your back.”
Samaj was immediately on the phone, probably calling Deon and Domino to show off his new equipment. We quietly closed the door and headed back down to the kitchen.
“You lowkey got us spoiled,” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“Yeah? Does big mama want something too?” he asked with that playful smirk I loved. “You know Dr. Big Daddy good for it.”
“Your love is enough. Thank you. Oh, Halo said deliver her Davinci Bryns, and we should be square.”
He laughed, and so did I, “I’ll see what I can do. That girl is crazy as hell.”
“That’s why I love that girl, and thank you, baby. Everyone deserves a love story.”
Leaning against his chest, surrounded by the evidence of Malik’s love everywhere, in every word, in every plan, in every thoughtful gesture, I realized this was what I’d been searching for my whole life without even knowing it.
Love, belonging, a partner, a friend, and a lover.
Malik was all that in one. I never believed in perfect men, but my man was pretty damn close.
I loved this man and couldn’t wait to give him the gift of fatherhood. Watching him with Samaj, seeing the way he naturally stepped into the role of protector and provider, I knew our baby would be blessed to have him as a father. And I was going to be blessed with the best husband. I’d won.