Epilogue
FIVE YEARS LATER
Since Elise secured her position as the girls’ wrestling coach, winter and spring had been filled with wrestling for her and track for Nash in our family.
Right after Elise’s wrestling season ended in February, Track season was ramping up.
Nash graduated from high school the year prior, and I thought we would have Saturdays back to ourselves when wrestling season ended in mid-February. However, that wasn’t the case at all.
Essex’s oldest daughter, Nova, loved wrestling as much as her aunt, so my wife decided to start her own wrestling club.
It was something personal for Elise. She had to sneak and scheme to participate in the sport that she loved, and the joy Elise experienced guiding the younger kids on the wrestling mat was immeasurable.
I could see the endorphin boost she got every day after wrestling practice with the littles.
We sat in the stands watching Elise and Nova near the judge’s table, waiting for her name to be called.
RJ, our four year old son, sat next to me with a pack of fruit snacks in his hand, waiting for his cousin’s name to be called.
His mama tried to get him into wrestling, but my boy wasn’t with it.
He was into soccer, so we had him kicking a ball year round.
“Liza, you still mad?” RJ questioned Essex and Nariyah’s younger daughter, Eliza, who sat next to him with her arms folded across her chest and a pair of pink Barbie shades covering her eyes.
“Leave me alone, RJ,” she whined, throwing her head back, sending her glasses tumbling behind us. “My glassesssssssss!” Eliza sobbed.
She was the bratty child, didn’t want to participate in sports, just wanted to have everything her way or the highway. Eliza complained about having to come to the wrestling tournament when she wanted to go to the park. What her ass really needed was a nap.
Nariyah and Essex sat next to Eliza and her dramatics.
Then Ms. Candace, Faith, and her two boys were seated in the stands behind them.
Khalil was twenty-three and Marlon ten. Khalil completed undergrad the year prior and went straight to grad school, working towards his master’s at FAMU-FSU’s chemical engineering program.
The siblings had grown close over the years, but things were still shaky with their parents.
Essex and Faith closed that chapter. However, Elise still conversed with them from time to time, and sent pictures of RJ and the other children, but her boundaries were strict, and I didn’t play about her parents pushing them.
We were too grown for their half dead asses to be meddling in our business or trying to run her life.
I’d respect them as much as they respected me.
Since they still refused to make amends with Faith, she was invited to everything, and they were excluded, which was just fine with me.
However, RJ would never set foot in their house or church.
They still had trouble respecting Elise’s boundaries; I knew they would cross the line with my son.
My mama’s church was our home base. We were there every Sunday unless one of the kids was sick or we just needed a break. Between RJ, his soccer, and all of Elise’s wrestling business, we were very busy and missed church once in a blue moon.
Nash jogged into the gym, and Nariyah stood, waving him over.
Jit was eighteen, graduated high school a year early, and was attending the University of Florida on a track scholarship.
The two hour drive meant he was basically home.
Any free time Nash had, he would pop out for Nova’s wrestling tournaments or RJ’s soccer games.
When Nash reached us, he didn’t say shit to anybody. He grabbed Eliza’s bratty ass, and that was exactly why she acted the way she did.
“What they in here doing to my baby? Who do I have to beat up this morning?” Nash questioned her.
“RJ won’t leave me alone,” she whined, pointing towards him.
“Nuh uhn! I didn’t do nuffin’,” RJ argued, shoving another fruit snack into his mouth. He wasn’t phased by Eliza’s antics just like the adults.
“Put her down, Nash. Nobody did anything to her. She just wanted to go to the park instead. We are going to take all the kids to the park for a little while before we go to the tournament Elise has tonight,” Nariyah scolded him.
Nash sat down with Eliza in his lap, promising her ice cream and some more shit, I’m sure. That NIL money was flowing, and he was already business minded, investing and saving. I was proud of his lil bad ass.
“Next up, we got Nova Hunter versus Caiden Nicks,” the announcer called.
“Let’s go, Nova!” Eliza cheered louder than anyone in the gym as if she wasn’t just having a full meltdown. Essex placed her glasses on her face, and she pulled them back up to make sure she had the full, unobstructed view of her sister’s match.
Nova ran to the center of the mat in her pink two piece wrestling set, her bare feet tapping against the black mat.
This was Nova’s second match, and she took an L during the first match two weeks ago, so she boohoo cried until we bought her ice cream.
Nova worked hard over the last two weeks and even called Elise to have her watch her practice a few moves over FaceTime before she went to bed twice that week.
I could see the boost in Nova’s confidence in the way she approached her opponent and the referee.
Once they were in the center, both girls got in positions, knees slightly bent, hands up in front, and eyes on each other.
“Ready. Set. WRESTLE!” The referee called out.
The girls got right to it. Slowly circling each other until Nova lunged at Caiden’s legs, sending her tumbling back. They rolled and flipped for a second.
“Put her on her back, Nova!” Essex shouted, bouncing around.
“Back Nova! Her back!” Eliza screamed, following her dad’s lead.
Next thing I knew, Caiden’s lil legs went up in the air, and Nova was on top, holding on for dear life as she tried to break free. The referee blew his whistle, then dropped to one knee and did his count.
“ONE! TWO!”
“Go ‘head Nova!” Nash shouted.
“Let’s go, Nova!” I celebrated. “Ice cream on me, baby girl!”
The referee raised Nova’s hand, and both girls were given ribbons before they rushed back to their coaches. Nova ran up to Elise and leapt into her arms. Elise spun her around, bouncing her in her grasp. Ecstatic to have helped Nova bring home the win.
It took about ten minutes before Nova and Elise rejoined us. “Mom! Dad! I won!” She bubbled, raising the ribbon in their faces. I spread my legs as Elise came closer to me. Swiftly pulling her into my arms, I placed a kiss on her cheek.
“Congratulations, Coach Williams.”
“That was all of Nova’s hard work paying off. You saw my girl calling to show me she was practicing her moves before bed,” Elise snickered. “She wanted to bring home those medals like her big brother,” she explained, nudging Nash’s shoulder. “When did you get here?”
“Right before the match started,” Nash replied, smacking on a mouthful of fruit snacks.
“I know you not eating my son fruit snacks,” I questioned.
“See TT, this why Ion stop by y’all crib when I come home. All Unc does is complain.”
“All you do is eat up everything,” I shot back.
“I’m still growing,” Nash laughed. “Plus, I woke up and got right on the road so I could make the match.”
“Give my baby his fruit snacks back,” Elise laughed, snatching his pack back.
“See, my wife on my side lil nigga.”
“Ohhhh, Uncle Rashawn said a bad word,” Eliza tattled.
“Rashawn,” Ms. Candace scolded me.
“My bad,” I raised my hand in surrender. “See Nash. You come in here getting it started.”
“Ain’t my fault you don’t know how to talk around the kids. I still remember how you used to talk to me. Eliza, he used to talk to me real bad. Still do when y’all not around,” Nash told her.
Eliza cut her eyes at me. She didn’t play about her brother or sister. “Man, you wanna box, Eliza?” I fake took off my jacket.
“Daddy!” She shouted, tapping her dad’s shoulders.
“Wassup, baby girl?”
“Get Rashawn for me,” she pointed over her shoulder.
“You messing with my baby girl?” Essex questioned, pulling Eliza into his lap.
“Eliza, Ion buy snitches ice cream,” I shook my head.
“Nash will.”
“That’s right, baby girl. I buy Capri Suns, fruit snacks, ice cream, and I don’t complain about it,” Nash nodded.
“Alright, we have to get going if I’m going to eat lunch with y’all before meeting my girls,” Elise announced, looking at her Apple Watch.
“Let’s go,” I said, kissing her cheek and helping her up from the bleachers.
The entire gang was herded out of the gym and packed into various cars because certain kids wanted to ride with other people.
I didn’t mind. RJ wanted to ride with Nash, giving us a moment alone.
The breezy March air allowed me to ride with the windows halfway down.
The fresh air felt good against my face.
“Did you see how fast Nova took that girl down?” Elise inquired. She was still in her element, and I loved watching her do something that brought her so much joy.
“I did,” I nodded. “I knew from the moment she stepped out there, all confident and shit, that she was taking the win.”
“Yes, my Niecey Pooh just had to work off those jitters during the first match. She had her stride today.”
I glanced at Elise while we stopped at a red light, and she caught me. A grin instantly spread across her face.
“What?”
“Nothing, just admiring my wife. You’re fucking perfect. An angel walking among us. Nothing and no one on this earth could ever tilt your halo,” I leaned over and pecked her lips, but Elise squeezed the sides of my face and deepened the kiss.
“Get off my sister nigga!” Essex shouted as he passed us. I pulled back, knowing that the light had turned green since he drove past us.
I reached over and grabbed Elise’s hand, brushing my thumb across her knuckle. We had one hell of a journey to reach our happily ever after, but I’d do it all again to experience that blissful moment with Elise.