12. Major
“Rahkia is on her way with Maja,” I told Dynastie after reading Rahkia’s text.
“Okay. Is there anything I should know?”
Dynastie had been here for a few days, and I’d already gotten used to her presence. She’d be here for several more weeks, but the thought of her ever going back to Onyx City permanently made me sick.
“Maja has known about you for a few weeks, so she won’t be too surprised to meet you.”
“A few weeks? How is that possible? I’ve been here less than a week.”
“She asked me about getting married and her having a bonus mom, so I told her about you.”
“Even though we hadn’t spoken for years?”
“Speak those things that are not, as though they were. I was manifesting our reunion, and here we are. Ain’t God good?”
“Always. But back to Maja. Isn’t she only five?” I nodded. “And she’s asking about marriage and bonus moms?”
“I was surprised, too, but I try to be as honest as I can with her when it’s appropriate.”
“What did you tell her?”
I shared the full conversation I’d had with Maja, and Dynastie was even more stunned.
“The conversation was a few weeks ago, so she may not even remember,” I said.
“For some reason, I think she remembers every word. Now that I know that Maja is a grown woman in a five-year-old’s body, tell me about her mother.”
“We don’t talk much, but she’s cool.”
“Why don’t you talk much?”
“Unless it has something to do with Maja, we don’t converse. Ain’t no beef between us. That’s just how it is, and I like it this way.”
“I don’t have children, so who am I to judge. If y’all like it, I love it. Hopefully, she’s cool with me being here.”
“Don’t matter if she is or not. You’re not leaving, regardless.”
She’d been in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror, pulling her thick hair into a slick ponytail. I was leaning against the doorframe as we talked, waiting for her to finish.
When she was satisfied with her hair, she washed and dried her hands, and before she could turn around, I invaded her space. I stepped behind her, tucked my arms underneath hers, and wrapped them around her body. I buried my face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent before leaving a kiss there.
“I don’t want you to worry about anything. Maja will love you, and I already love you. That’s really all that matters here.”
We looked at each other in the mirror, and her eyes told me that she was still a bit weary of it all, but the doorbell rang, and there was no more time to discuss it.
“Let’s go,” I urged.
I took her hand, and we headed downstairs.
“I’ll wait in the family room,” she said, releasing my hand.
I continued to the vestibule, and as soon as I opened the front door, Maja rushed inside.
“Daddy,” she sang, wrapping her arms around my legs.
“Hey, baby girl. You seem excited to see Daddy. You’re not gon’ ditch me again for Nani and Papi, are you?”
I picked her up and kissed her forehead as she responded with, “No, not this time, Daddy.”
“Good, because there’s someone I want you to meet. Wassup, Rahkia? Can you come in for a minute? I want you to meet her too.”
I waited for her to step inside so I could close the door, but instead, she folded her arms across her chest and put all her weight on one leg.
“Are you serious right now, Major?”
“I am. Are you coming in or not?”
“You couldn’t give me a heads-up?” she questioned, still standing outside.
“Rahkia, either you’re coming in to meet my girl, or you’re not. It makes no difference to me.”
She hesitated long enough for me to close the door in her face, but she stopped it before her ass was locked outside. She entered more aggressively than necessary, and I almost sent her on her way.
When we entered the family room, Dynastie stood from the couch. She looked from me to Maja and smiled, but when her eyes landed on Rahkia, her smile faded a bit.
“Maja, this is Daddy’s girlfriend, Dynastie.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Rahkia mumbled loud enough for us to hear, but I ignored her comment.
“Rahkia, this is Dynastie. Baby, this is Maja’s mom, Rahkia.”
“It’s nice to—” Dynastie began before Rahkia interrupted her.
“Maja, go upstairs to your room. Mommy needs to talk to Daddy and his friend.”
I was still holding Maja, so I put her down so she could do as her mother asked.
“Mommy, Daddy said she’s his girlfriend, not his friend, and her name—”
“Maja, go to your room right now and hurry it up,” Rahkia said, more sternly this time.
Maja huffed but still rushed from the family room and went upstairs.
“Dynastie, do you mind if we talk for a few minutes?” Rahkia asked.
“Rahkia, you need to chill,” Major interjected.
“Major, Rahkia needs to feel comfortable with me being around your daughter, so if she wants to talk, that’s what we’ll do. I think you’re the one who needs to chill.”
“I’m actually very chill, considering the dots I just connected because I know damn well her name is not a coincidence,” Rahkia snapped.
Dynastie looked back and forth between us before asking, “Am I missing something?”
“You are, but I’ll get to that soon enough if Major stops interrupting me.”
“Fine, but Rahkia, don’t be on no bullshit,” I warned.
She rolled her eyes, dismissing me, but I was serious. If she’d connected the dots correctly, this conversation could go either way.
“First, let me just say that I’m not concerned about Maja’s safety. Major loves her too much to have someone around her who doesn’t have her best interest at heart. I’m sure she’ll be in good hands with you.”
“I assure you, she will be. Can we sit?”
Without answering, Rahkia sat in the recliner, while Dynastie sat across from her on the sectional.
“I won’t beat around the bush and get right to it. Do you and Major have history?”
“Rahkia—”
“She’s not talking to you, Major,” Dynastie scolded.
“She’s asking shit that’s none of her business.”
“If she asks something I don’t think she needs to know, I’ll respond accordingly.”
“Ask your questions so you can leave,” I told Rahkia, pissed off and ready for this little meet and greet to end.
“I don’t know why you’re giving me this negative energy when you know damn well, I’m the one who should be upset right now,” Rahkia said, and she wasn’t wrong.
“Can you please chill and let us talk? Damn!” Dynastie spat, giving me a look that let me know she was fed up.
I lifted my hands in surrender. “Y’all got it.”
“To answer your question, Rahkia, Major and I have known each other since high school. We dated for a while after we graduated, but things got complicated, and we broke up.”
“You make it sound so simple, but I’d be willing to bet there is a lot more to your story. I’m not asking you to share, but I’d like to share a few things with you, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know how much he told you about us, or me, but regardless, I want to give you my version.
I don’t follow sports, much less boxing, and I hate social media.
When we met, I had no idea who he was. It was just sex for both of us at first, and even though he made it clear that it would never be anything more for him, my dumbass caught feelings.
I’d already peeped that he was emotionally unavailable, but I thought I could get him to open up.
After a few months, I accepted that he was just using me for sex when the condom broke, and he demanded I get a Plan B.
I did, and after that, I stopped taking his calls and responding to his texts.
“Then I found out the Plan B didn’t work, and I was pregnant.
I reached out to him, and he agreed to meet me at my apartment, something he’d never done.
When I shared the news with him, he wasn’t happy and begged me to get an abortion.
I wasn’t surprised by his request. I actually expected it, but I was shocked that it came with so much anger and so many tears.
For a moment, he forgot I was in the room.
He paced back and forth, talking to himself while crying, punching the air, slapping the sides of his head, and apologizing to someone for ruining everything. I honestly thought he’d lost his mind.”
Rahkia and I had never discussed that night, and she’d never shared her thoughts, but listening to her recount what she witnessed gave me a different perspective. I’d apologized to her before Maja was born for asking her to have an abortion, but that was as far as the conversation went.
I’d never thought about how she perceived me, or the thoughts that may have been running through her head that night as I completely unraveled in front of her. She cursed me out for asking her to abort our child, but she didn’t mention anything else.
“Wow. Thank you for sharing, but—” Dynastie began but was interrupted by Rahkia.
“I shared that with you because, finally, everything makes sense. To this day, I’ve never seen a man so angry with himself.
It was the first time I’d seen him show any emotion.
You were the one he was apologizing to and the reason for his tears.
I always felt like his heart belonged to someone else, but I was too afraid to ask. ”
“What makes you think it was me?” Dynastie asked, knowing damn well it was.
“Because this nigga named our daughter after you.”
“He did—wait a minute! Major, you didn’t!” Dynastie turned to face me, eyes wide with disbelief.
All I could offer was a shrug and a weak smile because my daughter’s middle name was definitely Dynastie, spelled the same way my first and only love spelled her name.
“It’s a nice name,” I said in my defense.
“While I appreciate the gesture, what you did was disrespectful as hell. How would you feel if y’all had a son and she named him after an ex?”
“You were never my ex, so it’s not the same.”
“You’re delusional, because we were not together in any way, shape, or form.”
“Listen, I wasn’t trying to cause any problems. Maja is almost six, and I have no interest in changing her name.
It is what it is. I assume you two reconnected recently, so please don’t let what I shared mess up your reunion.
I mean no harm, and if nothing else, I hope what I shared shows how much Major loved you back then.
I pray everything works out between you, but it’s time for me to go,” Rahkia said before standing.
We stood as well, and when we reached the stairs, I summoned Maja to say goodbye to her mother. She rushed from her room and came down the stairs as fast as her little legs would let her.
“Mommy, Daddy’s girlfriend has the same name as my middle name,” she said excitedly, as if she’d been holding that in since she was sent upstairs.
“She does. Isn’t that cool?”
Maja nodded as her mother picked her up and kissed her cheek.
“Are you mad at Daddy because he has a girlfriend?”
“No, and why would you ask that?”
“Because my friend at school has a bonus mom, and her mommy is mad at her daddy.”
“Why in the world are you and your friend—you know what, it doesn’t matter. Mommy is not mad at Daddy because he has a girlfriend. Miss Dynastie seems like a very nice lady, and she has the same name as you, so you make sure you behave. Okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Maja wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, kissed her cheek, and wiggled out of her arms. She went back upstairs to her room while Dynastie and I walked Rahkia to the door.
“It was nice meeting you. Thank you for what you shared, and for trusting me with Maja.”
“It was nice meeting you, too, and as I said, Major don’t play about her, so you’re all good with me.”
“Baby, do you mind if I talk to Rahkia alone for a minute?”
“Not at all. I’ll go upstairs and see what Maja is up to.”
I watched until she disappeared around the corner before turning to Rahkia again.
“You deserve an apology,” I told her.
“For what?”
“For the man I was six years ago. I shouldn’t have named Maja after another woman, nor should I have used you to fill a void I knew you could never fill. I’m sorry.”
“Naming her after the ex you were pining over was fucked up. A few years ago, I would’ve handled this much differently, and the police might have been involved. As far as you using me, you told me it was just sex, and I should’ve believed you.”
“I shouldn’t have expected that of you, and I apologize.”
“We were young, and you couldn’t help that you were in love with someone else. It was a long time ago, and I forgive you.”
“Maja has been my why since I laid eyes on her. Thank you for not listening to me and giving me my greatest blessing.”
“I guess we should be thanking each other because she’s been that for me too. I’ll see you on Wednesday, and soon, I’ll introduce you to Taj.”
“Taj? Who the hell is Taj?”
“My man, and don’t worry. Maja knows nothing about him.”
I was a bit stunned as she opened the door, stepped outside, and took a few steps before turning around to face me again.
“I’m glad you got her back. Don’t fuck it up again.”
“I won’t, and I’m looking forward to meeting Taj.”
I chuckled as she continued to her car, closing the door once she was inside and backing out of my driveway. I wasn’t prepared for anything that occurred over the past twenty minutes, but I was grateful it went as well as it did.