Chapter 19 #2
Every woman in my family came up to hug her, and every man came to dap me up and joke about how they thought I was havin’ a girl ‘cause Toni was lookin’ too soft and too sweet in the face. I laughed ‘em off but deep down I felt it was true. I had been sayin’ it for weeks… My daughter was in there.
Me, Pressure, Renza, and Blaqson had been eatin’ good and drinkin’ even better.
We stepped off to the side for a lil’ smoke break, talkin’ low and laughin’ while the liquor warmed us up.
It felt good bein’ around my brothers like that, just kickin’ it and waitin’ on the moment that was ‘bout to change my whole life.
After a while, I almost forgot what we was even celebratin’ until I looked across the room and saw Toni talkin’ to my mama, smilin’ so soft.
That was when I knew I was ready. It was time.
Pressure must’ve felt it before anybody said anything ‘cause he clapped his hands loud and damn near shook the whole room before shoutin’, “A’ight man, bring yo’ ass on, Kay’Lo. We got somethin’ outside for you.”
The family cheered and laughed, and my heart started thumpin’ the way it do when I feel somethin’ big comin’. I looked at Toni and she nodded at me with that soft smile she saved for just me. I reached for her hand and brought her with me toward the back of the house.
When we stepped outside, the whole backyard was lit up with gold lights that reflected off the pool and the polished marble paths.
Then I saw six targets came into view, lined up across the grass like a challenge made just for me.
I started laughin’ ‘cause I knew my cousin was behind this foolishness.
Pressure stepped forward holdin’ a big rifle like it was a birthday gift. He held it out to me with a grin that made me shake my head.
“Since you love shootin’ shit up, nigga… here.”
The whole crowd laughed, and Toni covered her mouth behind her earmuffs like she couldn’t believe this shit. Even my mama shook her head and fanned herself like she been prayin’ her son would grow out of this part of himself one day.
I took the gun from Pressure, and he nodded toward the targets while passin’ out earmuffs to everybody else. Even the babies got some put on they lil’ heads. Toni adjusted hers and gave me that look she give me when she half embarrassed and half in love with how crazy I am.
I leaned down and kissed her, slid my hand across her belly, then turned toward the yard. I could hear Renza talkin’ behind me already.
“Look at this nigga. He ‘bout to act up.”
“Bet he don’t miss nothin’,” Pressure said like he was announcin’ a championship game.
Toni stood close to me with her hands tucked under her stomach while I held the gun. I squared my stance and looked at the first target. My breathin’ was calm and I felt steady in my fingers ‘cause I knew how to control a weapon, and I knew exactly what I was doin’.
I shot the first five targets quick, hittin’ dead center on every one while my family cheered and laughed.
Then I looked at the sixth.
The one that mattered…
The one that held the answer to everything my heart been tellin’ me these past months.
I lifted the gun, placed my finger on the trigger, and felt every single person behind me go quiet.
My eyes flicked to Toni ‘cause I couldn’t help it.
She was watchin’ me with her mouth open and, tears already fillin’ her eyes before she even knew what was comin’.
I bit my lip ‘cause she looked too damn good standin’ there holdin’ my baby.
I turned back to the target. I pulled the trigger…
And the whole thing exploded in a giant burst of pink.
Pink dust shot into the air and floated around us like glitter fallin’ from heaven. Pink powder rushed toward the pool and across the grass. Pink smoke curled upward like a signal.
My heart dropped then lifted all at once.
A girl…
My daughter…
Before I even processed it, Pressure and Renza ran up on me so fast I barely got a breath out. Pressure grabbed me around the waist and literally picked me up and took off runnin’ across the yard with me like we was kids again, yellin’ loud as hell.
“Nigga you havin’ a girl! Kay’Lo got a damn baby girl!
Renza jumped around us hollerin’ and cussin’ like he couldn’t believe it either, and Blaqson was somewhere behind us yellin’ while the aunties screamed and the cousins cried and my mama covered her mouth like she been waitin’ for this day her whole life.
The whole backyard exploded in joy.
When I finally got my feet back on the ground, I ran straight back to Toni.
She was cryin’…Hard.
Her hands was over her face and the tears kept fallin’ even while she tried to wipe them away. She looked overwhelmed and beautiful and soft in a way that made my chest ache. I slowed down when I got near her ‘cause somethin’ inside me got real calm all of a sudden.
Everything I ever cared about was standin’ right in front of me, and feelin’ my family, my daughter, and my wife all tied together in this moment hit me so hard I had to breathe through it.
I picked Toni up slow and gentle and lifted her off the ground, kissin’ her while the pink dust floated around us like we was standin’ in a dream.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight while the family cheered and hollered behind us.
When I put her back down, I stayed close and dropped to my knees in front of her.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the pearly white box I been keepin’ on me for weeks now. My hands ain’t shake but my heart damn sure felt too big for my chest.
Toni covered her mouth again when she saw it.
Then I opened the box.
The diamond ring sat inside, big as hell, bright, flawless, and costin’ me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ‘cause my wife deserved nothin’ less.
“Toni,” I said while lookin’ up at her, “I love you more than I ever been able to explain, and I know I been hell in a lot of ways, but my love for you never changed. When I was locked up and away from you, that shit broke me in ways I ain’t wanna admit, and it made me think about everything I wanted with you.
We already married… but we ain’t never do it the right way.
We ain’t never give you the moment you deserved.
So, I wanna propose to you again. I want you to have a big weddin’.
I want you to walk toward me dressed like a queen while everybody I love watch me take you in. ”
Toni started cryin’ harder. Her shoulders shook. Her chest rose fast, and her lips trembled. She looked overwhelmed and loved and shook at the same time.
“Marry me again, baby,” I whispered. “For real this time.”
She nodded fast through her tears and choked out, “Yes… yes, ‘Lo…”
I took her old ring off real slow, placed it in the box, then slid the new one on her finger. It looked perfect on her hand.
Everybody clapped and screamed and cried.
I went right back to Toni’s stomach, settin’ my hands on her and kissin’ her soft, then lookin’ up at her with a smirk.
“I already got a name picked out,” I said.
Toni blinked through her tears. “When you do that?”
“I been thinkin’,” I said as I kissed her belly again. “My’Love Toni Mensah. I’m callin’ her Lo’Lo.”
Toni covered her face. “You really wanna name her My’Love?” she whispered.
“Yeah. She my love, baby,” I said. “She my whole heart. I’m namin’ her after what you been to me. And I feel like she should have your name ‘cause it’s you givin’ her a part of yourself you ain’t get to have when you was a lil’ girl.”
Toni covered her face and broke all the way down, her shoulders shakin’ hard while her tears rushed out like she been holdin’ ‘em for years. I stood and pulled her straight into my chest, wrappin’ my arms around her while she shook against me.
I held her close and rubbed her back slow while she tried to breathe through all that emotion hittin’ her at once.
That’s when my mama pushed through the crowd with tears runnin’ down her cheeks, like she couldn’t stay where she was no more.
She wrapped her arms around Toni and held her tight, rockin’ her like she been waitin’ to love on her in this moment.
Toni turned into her and cried even harder, and seein’ both of them like that damn near knocked the breath outta me.
I swallowed hard, tryna keep my own tears from fallin’ ‘cause I could feel them hoes sittin’ right there. My whole family was cryin’, the air was full of pink dust, Toni was in my mama’s arms, and my daughter had a name that felt like heaven.
Before I could let myself get swept up in it, I took a deep breath and yelled across the yard, loud as hell, “Say! I need another drink and somethin’ to smoke!”
Everybody hollered and laughed, and the moment stayed perfect.
A nigga had his baby girl, and everything in the world felt right.
The day turned to night, and me and people was still goin’ strong as hell.
The whole yard still smelled like rose petals, liquor and gunpowder from where I shot them targets up, and my body still felt warm from Toni cryin’ in my arms while I put that new ring on her finger.
It was supposed to be a gender reveal, but the shit turned into a celebration for everything, from my baby, my proposal, my mama cryin’, Pluto and Sha’Nelle cryin’, and me drunk as hell tryna act like I wasn’t two minutes away from cryin’ too.
All the aunties and uncles had dipped out so the crowd got smaller, and the whole energy shifted into a night vibe.
The lights glowed across the backyard and the music bumped, and everybody who stayed felt like the people who really understood me and Toni.
Pluto and Sha’Nelle was glued to Toni ever since she broke down earlier.
They kept fussin’ around her like she was gon’ fall apart if they moved too far away.
Me, Pressure and Renza had been sittin’ at one of the long tables with dominos out, bottles lined up, cigars and blunts everywhere, and I felt loose as hell.
My body felt warm, my heart felt full and my whole life felt good.