Chapter 18
A’yanna Joseph
A Few Weeks Later
I knew Niko and his brothers were close but I didn’t realize how close they really are.
It was actually beautiful to see the bond between the brothers and all their kids.
What was supposed to be a chill day for Niko, Zuriyah and me turned into an improved family gathering.
Nakeem was the culprit behind gathering everyone at our house.
He came over with his twin four year old daughters, Naiyah and Kamiyah, as well as his two year old son Kamari.
Along with his nanny Reya, if that’s what you wanted to call her.
Reya helped Nakeem with his kids because his baby mama was in jail or something like that.
Reya seemed cool, she didn’t seem to care for Nakeem for whatever reason.
Anytime he said anything to her she’d ignored him but she was nice to me and his kids obviously adored her.
Nakeem came with a bunch of stuff for Zuriyah as if she needed anything else.
Seriously Zuriyah had more stuff than I did after only being alive for a month.
She had clothes and all kinds of other baby stuff sitting at my house that she’d never probably ever touched.
I will say Nakeem had enough sense to buy clothes in bigger sizes.
Zuriyah had enough clothes to wear for the next year without ever wearing the same outfit twice.
Nakeem liked to pick with all his other brothers so childishly he FaceTime Titon, and Yaro showing them all the stuff he’d gotten Zuriyah with her in his arms. To Yaro and Tition that was a challenge somehow.
Next thing I knew Titon came with his girlfriend Tianna and Yaro came with Frankee and their two daughters.
Both brothers had bags full of gift for Zuriyah as if she needed anything else.
From there Niko order a bunch of food for everybody.
Nakeem started making drinks for everybody and we all were vibing and chilling.
I enjoyed watching Niko unwind with his brothers.
Seeing them all taking turns cracking jokes on each other was refreshing.
Niko smiled a lot more when he was around his family.
Eventually the brothers separated, they wanted to smoke so they all headed up to Niko’s man cave.
Leaving Frankee, Reya, Tianna and me with al the kids.
For the most part the bigger kids were in the playroom area Niko had attached to the living room.
While I had Zuriyah sitting in front of me in the swing that Nakeem had gotten her.
He literally made me use the swing he bought her.
I wasn’t even finna argue with Nakeem, I just did what he said.
I had already been around Frankee a few times so we easily began talking like two old friends.
Tianna was kind of quiet she didn’t say anything unless one of us spoke to her first. She kind of got an attitude because she tried to go with Titon and the rest of them but Frankee shut that down.
Since then Tianna had been quiet. Reya, was cool, she talked more than Tianna and had a calming aurora around her.
Although her focus was mainly on the kids.
You could tell she really cared about them.
“Reya,” Frankee said looking at Reya as she came back from checking on the kids for the millionth time.
“Why you don’t fool with my little brother Nakeem.
You be looking at him like you hate him?
” Frankee curiously asked. I noticed Frankee wasn’t the type to hold her tongue.
If she had something on her mind she had no problems saying it.
Reya made a funny face twisting her lips to the side. “I don’t hate him per say. I just don’t like the shit he do. He’s a ho and he doesn’t have any respect for females. He thinks females are supposed to worship him like he’s the best thing on this planet.”
“Not my Nakeem. He’s always been respectful towards me,” Frankee replied with a confused expression.
“Right, cause he knows Yaro will fuck him up if he comes a you crazy. Honestly aside from when he deals with the girls, today was the first time I ever saw Nakeem having any manner towards females.” Reya said seriously.
“I barely made it through the last year. I been hanging on for the kids. They need some kind of structure. Between Nakeem and Joi, they don’t stand a snowball chance in hell. ”
“I don’t see Nakeem not taking care of his responsibilities,” I chimed in. Nakeem didn’t play behind taking care of his kids.
”I never said he didn’t. He is an amazing father and takes care of his kids.
However, when Joi’s around they’re toxic as hell.
They expose their kids to way too much between them fighting each other in front of the kids and a bunch of other stuff they used to do.
It was a mess before Joi went to prison.
” Reya sighed explaining the entire situation
“I remember when Yaro and me first started creeping him and Joi got into a real bad fight but I didn’t care forreal cause I wasn’t serious about my relationship with Yaro.” Frankee said.
”If it’s the fight I’m thinking it was that’s why Joi got sent to prison.
She tried to kill Nakeem. Stabbed him five or six times.
It wa right after she had Kamari. She caught him cheating or something like that.
She ended up getting charged with felonies assault.
Only reason Joi only got five years was because Nakeem refused to press charges against her. ”
“How you know all this?” Frankee inquired with squinted eyes.
“I used to live next door to them. I had to take the kids so they wouldn’t get taken the night all that stuff went down.” Reya answered, shaking her head. “They were so ghetto. All they did was fight and fuck.”
“It sound like he ain’t learned nothing from that. If you say he hella disrespectful.” Tianna said. “He don’t sound likes he’s grown up at all.”
”Mmm, I won’t say he hasn’t matured because he hasn’t had a choice but to becoming a single father. However, I think he has an unhealthy attachment to Joi that stunts is growth.” Reya replied with her lips turned up into a frown as she looked at Tianna.
“I supposed. I can’t see it. But I also don’t care.” Tianna said carelessly as she scrolled through her phone. “An ain’t shit nigga gon’ be an ain’t shit nigga.”
“Okay then don’t speak on Nakeem or his situation if you don’t care.” Reya defensively said.
“Right, that negative energy needs to be taken somewhere else.” Frankee add in scrunching her face up at Tianna. Her sudden attitude caught us all off guard. “You here with Titon?”
“Sure is, that’s my nigga.” Tianna snidely replied.
“Oh, I could have sworn he was just with Tameka yesterday but go off boo keep claiming that nigga.” Frankee messily said rolling her eyes at Tianna.
“Fuck Tianna and fu-”
“How is it my sons have a get together and I’m not invited,” A snobbish voice said coming into the living room.
This older woman had to be none other than Priscilla.
She was dressed in a navy pantsuit. Pricilla was actually beautiful , her sun-kissed skin had a few wrinkles but she still looked good.
Her long black curly hair had streaks of grey in it and it looked to be all hers.
She had the same black charcoal colored eyes as Niko, full lips, high cheekbones, slim petite stature.
I expected Frankee to speak however she looked straight ahead not acknowledging Pricilla’s presence.
“Uh hi,” I stood up to shake Pricilla’s hand. “I’m Yanna.” She looked at my hand like it had shit on it.
”You must be the alleged new baby mama.” Pricilla said with her nose in the air.
I had to look around the room to see if there was someone else Pricilla could be talking too. I don’t know who this old bitch was talking to because it couldn’t be me.
”Alleged?” I made a screw face dropping my hand back to my side. “Zuriyah is a hundered percent Niko’s daughter. I do-“
Pricilla laughed at me as she said cut me off. “We’ll wait until we get DNA test before we start claiming babies form side bitches. You are aware he has a finance he’s deeply in love with and a legitimate child on the way.”
“Ma what you doing here?” Niko said coming up behind Pricilla with his brothers trailing behind him.
“Oh, nothing just telling me how Zuriyah isn’t yours and you have a pregnant fiancé.” I cut Pricilla off the same way she did me.
“Ma what the fuck. Didn’t we already talk about this shit,” Niko angrily spoke to him mom.
“You talked I listened. I never agreed to anything you said. Just because you want to go in blindly claiming babies doesn’t mean I have too.” Pricilla said, turning to face Niko.
“So what you here for then ma? If you not fucking with my seed why you here?” Niko asked, leaning against the doorway as Yaro walked past Pricilla without speaking to her.
“You really are going to let this woman come between us Yaro? I am your mother.” Pricilla tried to grab Yaro but he moved out of her reach.
”I’m cool ma. You disrespected my family. Ain’t no coming back from that.” Yaro replied sounded uninterested. His focus was Frankee and once he got to her he sat down next to her placing his arm around her. I could see his lips moving but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
“I’m here to prevent another situation like this,” She motioned between her and Yaro. “From happening again. I see how these women get into your heads and make you all turn against me.”
“You sound crazy as hell,” Nakeem said as he messily came up with a piece of chicken in his mouth.
“No, I'm stating facts. All of you let pussyside track you. You see what happened with Sonni. If Sonni hadn't messed with that bitch he would still be here. She had his head in the clouds. Sh-” Pricilla dramatically clutched her chest.
“If Sonni wasn’t a bitch ass nigga he’d still be here. You had that nigga beleving he was something he wasn’t. That’s why he’s not here.” Titon bitterly said cutting Pricilla off.