YAYA
T h e s c e n t o f citrus, buttercream, and soft incense swirled through the room in a perfectly balanced harmony. It was just sweet enough to kiss the air but soft enough not to choke it.
I stood near the entrance of the event space, belly full and round in the most beautiful baby blue off-the-shoulder gown my girls forced me to wear. My locs were pulled up in a goddess braid crown with little gold cuffs tucked between. My wooden earrings brushed my collarbone, and my feet, which were already threatening to revolt, rested in the comfiest pair of gold-laced flats I could find.
“Bitch, you’re glowing,” Dianna whispered, handing me a mocktail in a fancy glass rimmed with sugar.
I smiled, brushing a hand over my bump. “It’s either that or the fact that I haven’t had to cook in two days.”
Erin laughed behind us, adjusting the extravagant balloon arch framing the dessert table. “It’s the glow. Oh, and maybe the hormones. Or maybe it’s because your man has been acting like you’re made of literal gold lately.”
I turned toward the mirrored wall just to peek at myself again. I really was glowing. Ezra kept saying it every day, every night and every time he bent down and kissed my stomach.
The space was everything I didn’t know I needed. Warm ivory drapes framed the windows, and soft purple lighting lit the corners. The theme, “Little Light, Big Love”, was penned in gold script across a giant floral sign behind the gift table, and the place was filled with so many faces from different parts of my life. Coworkers from the hospital, my old nursing school classmates, my aunts, cousins, and some of Ezra’s folks I’d met at the block party.
Of course, my parents were there as well. They stood near the drink station, my mom in a royal blue pantsuit with hair freshly blown out, and gold studs twinkling under the lights. My dad was stiff, as always, in slacks, a navy blue sweater and brown designer loafers. His smile was real though, especially when he glanced at Ezra. Which was wild, considering where we were just six weeks ago.
Ezra and Mekai arrived fashionably late but when my man walked in, tall, fine, layered in a baby blue jacket and an ivory turtleneck with his chains tucked underneath, the whole room kind of paused. He knew how to take up space without even trying. He greeted everyone and then made his way over to me holding a bouquet of blue tulips and a smirk.
He leaned in and brushed his lips against my cheek. “You look beautiful, baby.”
“Thank you, babe. You match my fly effortlessly.”
The afternoon continued to be a vibe. We played games I didn’t think I’d enjoy such as onesie decorating, baby bottle chug races, and “Who Knows Mama Best?” trivia. Ezra teamed up with Dianna and lost, badly.
“I thought I knew you,” he groaned after missing my favorite midnight snack.
“I’ll make you some flashcards,” I teased in a whisper.
The food was elite. There were lemon pepper wings, rice and beans, grilled shrimp skewers, and deviled eggs with little gold flakes on top because, as Erin said, presentation was everything. There was even a DIY waffle bar, a tower of pastel blue cupcakes, and fruit in the shapes of little rattles. My favorite part, though, was the speeches.
Dianna took the mic first, eyes glossy. “You’ve always been the one we watched, not just because you had it all together, but because even when you didn’t, you still moved like anything was possible. You made it possible for us, too.”
Erin followed with a story from college about me tutoring a pregnant classmate and staying with her in the hospital overnight just so she wouldn’t feel alone. “You’ve always been that girl,” she said, gesturing toward my belly. “Soft, brave, and full of life, light and love.”
Ezra stood last and when he did, the room got still. “I ain’t prepare nothin’,” he started. “I gotta say this, though.” He walked toward me, eyes locked on mine. “I didn’t know what it meant to feel grounded until I met you. I thought the only love I would know was my love for spittin’ on the mic. But then God showed me love could be somethin’ else. You. Watching you carry our son like it’s holy. It’s buildin' a home I didn’t know I needed wit’ someone who never asked me to be anything but myself. I love you, Yaya.” He kissed my hand when he finished and my heart almost melted onto the floor.
Everyone clapped, and Mekai yelled, “Damn, bro, I almost cried. Why you always gotta poet the moment?”
I laughed. We all did. And then, my body froze as a warm sensation spread through the bottom of my belly. Then, the feeling hit me lower before flowing between my legs.
My father’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yavanni?”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “No… no, no…” I grabbed Ezra’s arm just as another wave of liquid gushed down my legs.
“Oh, shit!” Dianna screamed. “Her water broke!”
The whole room erupted and my mother rushed over. “Ezra, do something! Yavanni, sit down!”
“I can’t sit!” I shouted, gripping Ezra’s sleeve as the first real contraction slammed into me. “I need to go. Like now!”
Everything blurred. People were talking, cheering, crying and moving. And in the middle of the chaos, Ezra held my hand and kissed my temple. “You ready, baby?”
I looked up at him, breath shaky, belly tightening. “No,” I whispered. “But I’m about to be.”