Chapter 9 #5
The sincerity in her voice landed somewhere deep in Monroe's chest. He'd built businesses, acquired wealth, and earned a level of notoriety that made grown men move carefully around him, yet nothing had ever felt as rewarding as seeing Monae’s smile directed at him.
"Are you hungry?" Monroe asked.
"Not at all," Sienna answered before Monae could. "Mama got her lil' but spoiled. Been cooking her all her favorites every day since we been back to New York."
"Is that right?" Monroe quizzed, his mouth naturally arching into his signature smirk.
Monae shrugged.
"Don't hate 'cause I'm loved like that," Monae jested, knowing deep down that she was, in fact, spoiled to the core.
That statement pulled an honest laugh out of Monroe. His girl not only had a sense of humor, she was naturally funny.
"A’ight then…Tell me all your favorite foods. I'm curious now," Monroe chimed in because after all his research, he still only knew what was documented. He needed the inside scoop on the details that would only came through spending time with his daughter.
"Tajin stew, beef tagine, and seafood brochettes," Monae answered, giving Moroccan dishes.
Monroe nodded, duly noting Monae’s cultured taste. "What’s yo’ favorite color?"
Monae immediately scrunched her nose. "Umm, can I pick two?" Monae asked, struggling to narrow it down to just one.
Monroe nodded as he and Sienna shared a laugh that came natural. Monae was quick-witted, smart as hell, and possessed an effortless aura some adults worked hard to maintain.
"Terracotta orange and bubble gum pink," Monae answered precisely.
"Terracotta orange, huh," Monroe stated more than asked.
"Yes, it's darker than regular orange," Monae clarified. "It's a pretty color though."
"It's a cool color," Mornoe replied. "I'm just tryna figure out how a ten-year-old young lady knows the difference," Monroe said. Intrigued.
"One that doesn't have much of a social life, I guess," Monae responded with a shrug.
Monroe heard her, but the tinge of sadness in her voice was louder than anything else. He didn't like it, and made a mental note to bring it back up later. Sienna hadn’t been talkative, but she hadn’t missed the exchange. She knew when Monroe’s jaw flexed something had pissed him off.
"We gon’ have to see about gettin’ you more active then," Monroe told Monae. "Let's make the best of our time here for now though. Is that cool wit'chu?" Monroe asked.
"Sounds good to me," Monae answered.
"Good," Monroe nodded. "They got a Michael C. Rockefeller Wing that's dedicated to the arts of Africa, Oceania, and the ancient Americans. Let's see what that's all about," Monroe said, reaching out for Monae's hand, praying she'd meet him halfway.
Without hesitation, Monae slipped her hand into his.
The simple gesture shouldn't have affected him the way it did, yet it did.
Monroe's heart smiled when Monae accepted his hand.
Sienna gave them space, using every ounce of willpower she had to keep her emotions under control because this moment wasn't hers... it belonged to Monae only.
Watching Monae beam under her father's gentle spell was a beautiful sight.
They were falling in love at first sight.
The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing had 1,800 prodigious works of art that spanned five continents and hundreds of distinct cultures.
The most celebrated signature piece is the towering collection of Asmat Bis Poles.
Carved from massive sago palms, towering nearly 20-foot-tall ancestral poles from Southwest New Guinea were personally collected by Michael Rockefeller in 1961.
Monae was simultaneously amazed and intrigued as she reached into her mini designer purse to get her journal and pen out to take notes. Monroe smiled, observing his daughter's response to African history.
"What you writin'?" Monroe asked, trying to get front row seats into his daughter’s mind.
"Stuff I don't wanna forget," she answered while jotting down notes.
The answer made him pause.
"What’chu you wanna be when you grow up?" Monroe inquired, looking straight ahead at the collection.
Monae didn't even have to think about it. "I wanna be an author, and someday I wanna produce movies," Monae answered, jotting down a few notes.
Monroe nodded, duly noting ways to start investing in Monae's future. His mind was already moving ahead, considering opportunities, resources, introductions, and investments. Her dreams and aspirations were important to him.
Monroe nodded slowly. He could see it.
The confidence.
The imagination.
The ambition.
He couldn't change not being there in the past, but things were about to change drastically in her future.
Monae didn't know it yet, but anything she dared to look at, Monroe was going to provide it for her without hesitation.
Not because he would attempt to buy her love or acceptance, but simply because he was able and that's what fathers did.
It was absolutely what Monroe intended to do.
"Did you always want to work for the government?" Monae asked without looking up.
The question caught him off guard. Monroe cut his eyes at Sienna, who quickly stepped forward.
"When we were younger, we were just trying to survive. When opportunities came our way, we just went for it, and prayed it would be worth the sacrifices we made," Sienna said, glancing at Monroe, then back at Monae.
Monroe had never been the type of man to let anyone answer for him, but in this case he allowed it because it wasn't the right time for him to have the conversation he knew was inevitable between him and his daughter.
This day was about building trust, and Monroe didn't know the depth of all the lies his daughter had been told concerning him, and if there was one thing Monroe wasn't a fan of–it was making Sienna look bad in front of their daughter.
However, lying to his daughter was something he was never going to do.
"Sometimes life takes unexpected turns, but people like us were made to conquer in all areas of life," Monroe told Monae.
"People like us? What does that mean?" Monae asked with squinted eyes.
"Yo’ last name Black ain't it?" Monroe looked Monae directly in the eye.
"Yes," Monae answered confidently.
"Your last name carries weight, my baby. Anyone connected to me won't ever be defeated. You royalty. Don't ever forget that." Monroe confirmed.
Charmin’ ass nigga, Sienna thought as a smile graced her face. Time had changed, but Monroe…He was still the man she’d fallen for years ago.
The trio continued to enjoy their evening, observing one piece of art after the other, and going from one exhibit to the next.
Monae was on cloud nine, and for the first time in her life, she was able to experience something she’d only been able to imagine before, wholeness.
She’d longed for it her whole life, but didn’t know exactly how to put it into words.
In this moment, however, she felt it deeply.
This was the one vision she'd prayed for every night that was finally coming to pass.
The smile on her face was proof of the joy Monroe had brought to her life.