Chapter 38 Emani
“Oh, girl, your man is balling tonight,” Emani cheered, gently nudging Normani who was silently cheering for Tyris.
She offer Emani a faint smile. “I lowkey miss this.”
“What’s stopping you from having it again?
” Emani asked. All the nights they’d spent in the studio together, she and Normani had conversations at length about love lost and could it be renewed.
Normani revealed her pain of feeling like she’d lost herself in the light of who Tyris was.
That was something they shared. Emani could relate all too well to the pain but she could also testify to what happened when you ran from the love designed for you. Everything was a dead end.
All that sharing translated to beautiful tracks. Now Emani was going to see to it that Tyris and Nomani’s love story continued to the next chapter and this wasn’t the end of their story. Normani’s groan could be felt.
“Fear,” she muttered and it was loaded.
Emani held her hand tighter and wiggled against her. “We can get into the fear later. Tonight, let’s focus on all the happy things. I mean look at you, face beat, new hair, ass poking out your dress. Yeah, it’s going to be a good night for you.
Normani couldn’t help but smile. Yes she had her sister, but in this industry, finding genuineness was difficult especially from women. She was elated to stumble across Haddon and Lucci but now, to have Emani too. She felt like things were turning around for her.
The game ended just like Emani expected it too.
Jahlil put up fifty, Tyris put up forty and Waynesville fell short of the victory by twenty points.
Instead of waiting through the press conference, Emani accompanied Normani to the restaurant Jahlil made reservations at prior to the game starting.
They sat in the private room, sipped the signature cocktails and discussed the roll out for the EP.
“I want to recreate my mug shot. Like full glam, buss down wig, diamonds in my mouth. Savage season shit,” Emani shared, after taking a sip of her mango and crème martini.
“Ohhhh yess. That’ll be so dope with the charges scribbled on the wall,” Normani gushed. “Is Derrick doing the creative direction?”
“Yes. I know what he comes up with is going to be so amazing.”
Normani paused before starting, “I hate to even bring it up. But your old team, was this level of trust there?”
Emani shook her head. “No. This is the first time in my career I’m in control without having to micromanage or worry about how it’s all going to stay together. I guess the saying that it all falls apart to fall together is true.”
Normani smiled faintly and nodded in agreement. “I agree. I think that’s what’s happening with me. I want so much but I have to find me again first.”
“Aunt Violet told me I better not ever lose myself again. Not even behind no man I love. So I’m not and you aren’t either. You’re going to get yourself back and your man. But yourself first.”
The door of the private dining room opened and Jahlil and Tyris roamed in, both with a bouquet of flowers.
“How is it you played a game and I get flowers?” Emani cooed, giving Jahlil a triple kiss. “Thank you.”
“You looked damn good courtside. Had to chin one of those niggas but you looked great,” he muttered in her ear.
“I thought we agreed to no fighting,” Emani muttered back.
Jahlil kissed his teeth. “Nah, I didn’t agree to that. I told you no more. You order already?”
“Oxtail, curry goat, jerk chicken, rice and peas and cabbage. Oh and the mac n cheese bites,” Emani rambled off while Tyris and Normani sat in an intense silence. Jahlil cut Emani a low look and she returned the same.
“Nor…can we talk, please?”
Normani fidgeted with the flowers. “Are you going to beat on your chest and demand your way back inside or…”
“I’m going to listen,” Tyris shared. “I need to hear you this time.”
Emani watched Normani shift in her seat and she gently kicked her under the table. “I’ll have the kitchen pack this up. I’m tired anyway.”
Jahlil fake yawned and stretched. “You know what, Rose, me too, baby. Let me tell them we’re taking everything to go.”
Emani stood, grabbing her purse, drink, and flowers in the process. “I’ll come with you.”
She blew Normani a kiss and a wink on her way out the door ahead of Jahlil, hoping that they found their way back to each other sooner than later. With the food in tow, the couple headed back to the room and found themselves sitting on the floor, eating out of the containers.
“I can feel you staring at me,” Emani hummed. “Just say it.”
“I think the fact that you didn’t allow what you went through to harden your heart is beautiful. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Emani smiled. “You know going through hell costs you. And sometimes, when you get to the other side, you’re just happy that you made it but you don’t realize what it cost you in the process.
I refuse to lose my heart because life sucks sometimes.
I refuse to lose me. So even after all the bad, I choose to love. ”
“That’s how you win, you know. You keep going.”
“We can’t stop moving forward. Too much lost time and far too much to do. Plus, we got kids.”
Jahlil laughed. “Yeah, we got kids.”
Halloween was here and the rental house was the replica of a haunted house but somehow with pink ponies and unicorns. Sanaa’s touch. Emani dressed in an all pink outfit, again Sanaa’s choice, stood in the kitchen next to Normani and Aunt Violet.
“What are you supposed to be again?” Aunt Violet questioned, looking at Emani with puzzlement.
“A Cuddle Buddy. From that book she’s had me read every night? It’s a pink cloud with rainbow hair. She’s the yellow cloud. I’ve irritated the hell out of Derrick to make these,” Emani shared, uncovering the trays.
Donnée, dressed as the green cloud, walked in stopping short of the trio of women to ask, “Sanaa, what the hell you got on?”
Emani, Aunt Violet, and Normani looked into the open space, finding Sanaa in one of Emani’s wigs, a pair of her heels, and a princess dress. The magic markers she was using to chain smoke doubled as her makeup brushes. Over-outlined red and blue lips, green eyeshadow and heavy black eyebrows.
Carson, Kyrie and Ashton walked in behind Donnée. Carson jumped, Kyrie tried to muffle his laughter, and Ashton awed, encouraging her costume. Emani cleared her throat as Jahlil and Andrew walked inside from setting up the games in the backyard of the rental.
Andrew said what everyone was thinking. “What the hell did you do?”
Sanaa flipped the hair of Emani’s wig over her shoulder and grinned. “I’m a bad bitch.”
“You look like you got hit in the face with quarters and permanent marker,” Andrew grumbled.
“I think you look so cute, Sanaa,” Ashton shared.
“That’s because she look like you, nigga,” Kyrie grumbled and Donnée nudged him.
“He think she cute cause he lent her that dress and wig to wear tonight,” Carson muttered.
“Sanaa, what happened to your costume E got you?” Jahlil asked.
Emani saw Sanaa’s confidence falter and hurried to her side. She squatted down in front of her and smiled. “Were you trying to surprise me?”
Sanaa nodded. “You don’t like it?”
“I love it,” Emani praised. “I really like how you did it all by yourself.”
Sanaa’s smile pinned the corners of her mouth. “You promise?”
“Promise, promise. Can you do my make up like that?” Emani asked. “Where’s the markers?”
She held up Emani’s designer purse. “Right here.”
“Can I have those eyebrows?” Emani posed.
“For real?” Sanaa and Andrew asked both in a different tone.
Jahlil popped Andrew across the back of his head. “Boy, shut the hell up.”
“What? Her eyebrows are like two inches thick and connecting,” Andrew winced.
“Babygirl, after you finish Emani’s, Andrew wants some too,” Jahlil said.
“How about you, Daddy?” Sanaa asked happily.
“Nahhhh. I’m good but Ashton can’t wait to look just like you and Mani,” Jahlil stated, making Kyrie and Carson laugh.
“Nigga, I’ll-” Ashton started.
“What, you ashamed?” Carson posed. “You had that same outfit on last week.”
“I thought I saw his ugly ass out on the track last week,” Kyrie added.
“If Babygirl wasn’t watching, I’d fuck both you up,” Ashton quipped.
Carson kissed his teeth. “Fuck you gon’ do to us? Bite our ankles. Man, get the fuck on.”
Emani rolled her eyes at the banter behind her and focused on Sanaa with a face full of badly drawn makeup with markers. “You wanna know something?”
“What?” Sanaa asked as Emani took her hands in hers.
“I think you’re absolutely beautiful. With the marker but I think you’re breathtaking without it. But for tonight, you do my face like yours and tomorrow, I’ll do something special for you.”
Sanaa’s face lit up at Emani’s encouragement. “For real. You not being a lying ass nigga are you?”
“Nah, I’m not good at being a lying ass nigga,” Emani replied. “Come on, make me pretty and then make Andrew, Ashton, Kyrie, Carson, and your daddy pretty too.”
“Hey!” they all sounded off.
Sanaa peeped over Donnée’s shoulder. “What about DonDon.”
“DonDon is okay,” Donnée spoke up, attempting to move from Sanaa’s line of sight.
Emani chuckled as she stood. “You know what, DonDon should go first. Don’t you think?”
“Yep!” Sanaa cheered. “Let’s go be bad bitches.”
“I thought you said she couldn’t cuss,” Andrew grumbled, and Jahlil popped him upside the head again. “Ow!”
“Hush. If she’s distracted, we get off the damn hook. Don’t be slow, boy, you starting to act like Ashton,” Jahlil replied, watching as Emani and Donnée followed Sanaa out to the room she appeared from.
After Emani’s small gesture livened Sanaa back up, the party went on. Laughs, joy, dancing and love flowing through the space. This was what Emani longed for all of her life and she finally had it – family.