Chapter 4 Moses
MOSES
Iwasn’t surprised when I woke up and Kahlani wasn’t in bed. That was normal for us. Since I was usually up late in the studio, she was always the one who got up early to get Trent ready for school.
I stretched and rubbed my eyes, but I was still drained from staying up until three in the morning writing. But the smell of sausage and bacon was strong enough to drag me out of the bed even though my body wanted another couple hours of sleep.
Sliding to the edge of the mattress, I reached into my top drawer for some shorts and pulled them on.
Our house had an open-concept layout, so as soon as I stepped out of the bedroom, I could see Kahlani in the kitchen, standing at the stove in one of my oversized tees with her hair tied up. Trent was in the living room, dressed for school with his eyes glued to the cartoons on TV.
But then I noticed the rest.
The whole living room was filled with blue, silver, and black balloons. Streamers were across the walls, and a big “Happy Birthday” banner was hanging over the window. I had to stop for a second, just taking it in.
Trent looked up and spotted me. His face lit up and he jumped off the couch.
“Daddy! Happy birthday!”
I laughed and bent down, scooping him up. “Thank you, man.”
Kahlani turned from the stove, cheesing like she’d been waiting for me to see all of this. She walked over and leaned in to kiss me. Her arms wrapped around both me and Trent.
“Happy birthday, baby.”
I glanced around the room again. “When did y’all do all this?”
“Me and Trent got up early so we could decorate before you woke up,” Kahlani explained as she went back to the stove.
I looked at her, then at Trent, feeling my heart strings pull.
I’d been grinding for so long, chasing this music dream, that most days felt like nothing but work.
But moments like this were the payoff too.
I had a woman who loved me without needing a price tag on it, a son who thought I could do no wrong, and a house that actually felt like home.
“Y’all really went all out for me,” I said, adjusting Trent on my hip.
Trent nodded fast, grinning. “Uh-huh! And you gotta open your presents!”
I chuckled, kissing the top of his head. “Bet.”
He started to squirm in my arms, like he wanted me to put him down.
So, I did, and he led me to the couch. Kahlani turned off the stove, went to the island and dug inside one of the drawers.
Then she walked towards us holding two gift bags.
She handed the first one to Trent so he could pass it to me.
“This is from me, Daddy,” Trent told me proudly, watching me like he was handing me the keys to the city.
I sat on the couch, reached into the bag, pulled out a custom, iced out silver chain with a small microphone charm on the end. I ran my thumb over the mic, already knowing this was actually from Kahlani.
“You like it?!” Trent asked excitedly.
“Like it? Man, I love it.” I leaned forward and let him put it over my head, then pulled him in for a hug. “This is official, lil’ man.”
Kahlani handed me the second bag. Inside was a black leather-bound notebook with my initials engraved in gold on the front.
When I opened it, the first page had a photo of me, Kahlani and Trent taped on it, with a handwritten note in her pretty cursive writing: For every bar you write, every beat you kill, and every dream you chase, remember why you started.
Emotions made it hard to swallow, and I had to blink back the emotions a couple of times before I looked at her. “Damn, baby…You don’t even know what this means to me.”
Her lips curved into that knowing smile. “Yeah, I do.”
I leaned back and just looked at them. Trent was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, grinning like I’d just won a Grammy, and my woman was watching me with that quiet, ride-or-die pride in her eyes.
I felt blessed. But right under that was the burdens I carried every day.
Yeah, I took care of home. The bills stayed paid, food stayed in the fridge, Trent never went without, and Kahlani didn’t have to ask me for anything.
But I knew I wasn’t giving her the life she deserved, and I was slaving in the streets to provide for them.
Kahlani deserved more than a house in the hood. She deserved vacations whenever she wanted, the car of her dreams, and the security that money buys in a city like ours.
I thought about the way I’d been bustin’ my ass in the streets to close that gap, how last year, I got caught up and ended up on probation.
I’d promised her and myself that I’d move smarter.
But deep down, I knew I’d risk it all again if it meant putting her in the life she deserved.
Yet, I hated that the only way I could take care of my family was to constantly put my life and freedom at risk.
I looked at her again, still holding that notebook, and told myself, One way or another, I’m gonna get us there.