Chapter 20
It was Friday, and football camp started Monday. Mr. Kurrie, Robbi, Knox, and I had just finished moving Nyeem into his dorm. He was blessed to have a single because, between his academic and athletic scholarships, he had an abundance of money.
Skye had finally agreed to go out with Knox, so he left a little while ago to get ready. Mr. Kurrie and Robby stuck around for a while to give Nyeem some last-minute advice, and I was the last to leave.
“How are you feeling about everything?” I asked him as he walked me to my car.
“Everything, as in school, football, moving into the dorms, or this interesting summer I’ve had so far?”
He’d been dealing with a lot of things most adults wouldn’t be able to handle.
“All of it, none of it, or whatever you want to talk about,” I told him.
“Honestly, I feel great about everything. I know what I’m capable of in the classroom, and I’m confident I’ll do well.
Ambrose being gone takes away all the stress I felt after I saw his name in that press release, and I’m glad the drama with him died down.
I couldn’t wait to move into the dorms because you and Mama aren’t as quiet as you think, but please don’t tell her that because she’ll be embarrassed. ”
“Oh damn, Nyeem. My bad. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
He shrugged. “I guess old people deserve to have fun too.”
We shared a laugh before I asked him another question.
“How would you feel about me marrying your mom?”
“You’re asking this after you got her pregnant with twins. If you don’t marry her, we gon’ have some problems.”
One thing Nyeem didn’t do was play about his mother, and I respected him so much because of it.
“I gotchu. We’ve talked about it, but she seems to think that if I propose too soon, I’m just doing it because she’s pregnant.”
“Is she right?”
“Hell nah. I think I started falling in love with her the first time I saw her. I’d never been drawn to a woman whose name I didn’t know or whose voice I’d never heard. I was ready to lock her down based on her beauty alone.”
“Are you asking an eighteen-year-old for relationship advice?”
“I guess I am. You know your mother better than anyone. I don’t want to propose to her, and she rejects my proposal for the wrong reason, or she accepts because she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings.”
“One thing I learned about my mother a long time ago is that she doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to do. If she doesn’t want to marry you or thinks you’re proposing for the wrong reason, she won’t accept your proposal. My advice would be to do what feels natural. Let it flow.”
We parted ways, and as I replayed the last part of our conversation, it brought me back to the conversation I’d had with my parents and, more specifically, something my father said.
Nyomi insisted on telling my parents about the twins in person, so last weekend, we took a trip to Chicago. I told my father we were coming because I wanted to make sure they were home and not traveling, but my mother had no idea.
Although we’d just seen them a couple of weeks prior, I was glad to be spending time with them in their space. It was a weekend of relaxation and reflection, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Once my parents got over the shock of our announcement that we were having twins, my mother wouldn’t let my father dismiss the idea of getting a vacation home. Before we left, she’d already begun her search and had a few she wanted to tour.
The night before we left, Nyomi had gone to bed early because she couldn’t keep her eyes open. I stayed up talking to my parents for a few hours after she’d gone to bed.
“Kilo, a deaf, dumb, and blind person can see, hear, and feel the love between you two. Why haven’t you proposed?” my mother asked.
“You don’t think it’s too soon for that?”
“When you’ve found your person, what does time even mean? Do you think she’s your person?” she pressed.
“I know she is, but we’ve been doing everything backwards, and I don’t know how to get us turned around.”
My father finally chimed in. “Who says how you’ve done it is backwards? Is it working for you?”
“It is.”
“There is no exact way love happens, Son. I don’t know how many people are in this world, but if you ask those in love how it happened, I bet you’ll hear a different story from each person, even two people who are in love with each other. Don’t question it, and continue to let it flow.”
My father, a man in his sixties, and Nyeem, a boy who wasn’t yet considered a man, gave me the same advice. Let it flow. Nyomi and I had already agreed to let our love flow, and my father and her son had unknowingly confirmed that we were doing the right thing.
“This is so nice, Kilo. Thank you for bringing me,” Nyomi cooed.
“You’re welcome, baby, but I still can’t believe you’ve never come to one of these concerts. Per my research, they happen every summer, all through the summer.”
It was the Sunday before football camp started, and I wouldn’t have very much free time for a while.
Aside from enjoying meals together at the local restaurants, Nyomi and I spent most of our time at one of our homes.
She didn’t complain, because she was very much a homebody, but I felt bad because we hadn’t done anything special.
Tonight, we were enjoying an outdoor concert in the park, and Jill Scott was the headliner.
When I told her, she damn near tackled me and planted kisses all over my face.
In one of our conversations, we talked about which artist was most likely to be number one on our most-played list at the end of every year.
Hers was Jill Scott, so when I saw that she would be in town, I had to get us tickets. Unfortunately, I didn’t become aware of the concert soon enough, and the only tickets left were on the lawn, but at least we were in the front.
“I like being in the comforts of my home, reading a good book, and you won’t make me feel bad about it.”
I laughed. “I would never make you feel bad, but it’s okay to go outside sometimes.”
Since we were on the lawn, I did my best to make it nice and romantic. Of course, we had our lawn chairs, but I also ordered a big, cushy blanket for us to use. There was a deli that prepared baskets of food for outdoor events, and I ordered one with all her favorites.
“As long as I’m with you,” she said, then kissed me on the cheek.
The singers that came up before Jill Scott were good, but we weren’t fully engaged, just enjoying the music.
“How do you feel about Nyeem being gone?” I asked.
She sighed, but her smile let me know her response wouldn’t be sad.
“Not nearly as bad as I thought I would. I’m glad I didn’t go with y’all to set up his dorm, because I would’ve been a mess. When y’all left, I went in his room and cried for an hour.”
“I knew your eyes looked puffy, but you played it off like you were just tired.”
“I was tired of crying, especially when my son was only twenty minutes away, and I’ll probably see him every day.”
“Today was the last time you’ll see him until two weeks from now.”
She gasped before whining. “Kilo, you can’t keep him away from me like that. I’m his mother.”
“I can and I will. You don’t get any special treatment because I love you.”
“I can’t believe you. I thought—”
“If you thought I would let you break the camp rules, think again. He’ll be all right, and so will you.”
She folded her arms across her chest and pouted. I let her give me the silent treatment for a few minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore.
“You ready to see what kind of food is in the basket?”
Food always did the trick. She finally unfolded her arms and turned to me.
“Yes, please.”
I sat on the blanket and asked her to join me. I put the basket between us and opened it. We had her favorite flavors of sparkling cider, fresh strawberries, pineapples, and grapes, an assortment of cheese and crackers, pasta salad, and chicken Caesar wraps.
“This is amazing, baby. You did all of this yourself?” she asked.
“I can’t lie to you, baby. There’s this new deli downtown that hooked all this up. One of my office assistants told me about it.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. I love it.”
“Good.”
We enjoyed the food and music for a while, and when the lights dimmed, we knew it was showtime.
“Here she comes, baby,” Nyomi said with excitement.
She was focused on the stage, but I needed her to look at the huge screens on either side for a moment. Thankfully, whoever had the mic told everyone to do just that. When the video of Nyeem appeared, I heard Nyomi gasp, but I didn’t look her way.
“Hey, Ma. I love you so much, and I want to thank you for raising me to be who I am. I’m so proud to be your son, and I appreciate every sacrifice you made for me.
I’m in college now, and it’s time for you to live your life.
I’ll always need you, but it’s your time now.
Coach Kilo wants to marry you, and I think you should say yes. ”
Next up was Mr. and Mrs. Kurrie, followed by Robby, then Skye. They all had beautiful, meaningful, and emotional words for her, and by the time the messages were over, Jill Scott took the stage.
“Mr. Kilo and Miss Nyomi, where y’all at?”
I stood, took Nyomi’s hand, and helped her up. Her face was covered in tears, and I could tell she was trying not to ugly cry, but she was as beautiful in this moment as she was the day I first laid eyes on her.
“Somebody go give my brother a mic,” Jill said.
A light beamed down on us as I got down on one knee and pulled a small blue box from my pocket. Nyomi covered her mouth and tried to take a few steps back, but I held onto her hand. Someone with a mic appeared out of nowhere and was gracious enough to hold it near my mouth.
“Nyomi, my beautiful baby. I don’t have the words to express how much I love you, but I’ll do my best. From the moment our eyes first locked, I knew there was something special about you.
I felt like God’s favorite when he put us in the same space again.
You tried to run, you had your guard up, but God allowed you to see me, to know my intentions were pure, and I’m so grateful you stopped running.
We did everything backwards, but the love between us flowed naturally, and if we could start over, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Nyomi Gabrielle Kurrie, will you marry me? ”
She gave up on fighting the ugly cry and boo-hooed her little heart out as she nodded her head. The man with the mic put it near her mouth, and she said, “Yes, baby. I’ll marry you.”
The crowd gave us a five-minute standing ovation that led right into Jill Scott’s first song, which happened to be Nyomi’s favorite song by her, “My Love.” We danced the night away in each other’s arms.