Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
TATIYONNA
“Tatiyonna, what is all of this shit?” Jah moved the balloons out of his face.
“Happy birthday, baby. Now get up, and I’ve got breakfast ready for you.”
Jah didn’t move. He pulled the cover over his head instead. This was the mask I was talking about, men wore. We weren’t ninety days in yet, and he was already showing me red flags. Instead of assuming, I crawled in bed and cuddled behind me.
“Jah, it’s your birthday, baby. What’s wrong?”
“It’s my mama’s birthday too, Tatiyonna.”
I felt like shit. I should’ve spoke to Lonni first before taking it upon myself to surprise him.
“I’m so sorry, Jah. I’ll get all of this moved out of here.” I hopped out of bed and went to grab the balloons and flowers.
I felt stupid. It showed that I didn’t know Jah after all.
What we had was sexual, and we still had a lot to learn about each other.
Once I cleared the room, I went downstairs and rushed to get the decorations down and in the outside trash can.
I looked at the breakfast that I had set up and started throwing it away.
“Tatiyonna,” Jah said softly behind me.
“Yes?” I said as I continued to wash the dishes.
“Thank you.”
“Jah, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” I kept my back to him.
“Turn around and look at me, Tatiyonna.”
I couldn’t for the life of me look at that man. Letting the dish water out, I attempted to clean the sink when he forced me to turn around.
“You didn’t know, and it’s my fault for not telling you.
I see that birthdays are important to you.
They were important to my mama, too. If she were here and met you, this whole house would look like a damn parade,” we shared a laugh.
“I usually just take this time and go give her some fresh flowers and clean her and my sister’s gravesite off.
You want to come with me? Then we can grab something to eat since you threw my damn food away. ”
“Yes, I’ll go with you.”
I hadn't been to a graveyard since we buried my mama. It was hard going to see her because I was young when she was taken from me. Jah grabbed my hand as we walked up to his mama and sister’s burial site.
I stood back as he kneeled and placed the flowers down.
He then placed the other flowers on his sister’s grave.
“Happy birthday, ma,” Jah said. “This is her, ma, and Miranda. This is Tatiyonna. I know if y’all were here, you would love her just as much as I do.
And man, the twins,” he stopped and sniffled.
“The twins love her. I get a little jealous sometimes because they’re always asking for her when she’s not around.
Miranda, she has taught the twins so much.
They would talk your ears off if you were here.
I’ll never let them forget you, sis. I love you both. ”
Standing here listening to Jah broke my heart. The love he had for his family was refreshing. I wrapped my arms around him and laid my head on his back to let him know I was here.
“This is how I spend my birthdays, but for you, I’m willing to change it. I’ll be better next year, I promise.”
“No, if this is what you do, then I respect it.”
“Tatiyonna, I said, for you I’ll change. Now come on, I’m hungry.”
We made it in time to enjoy brunch. I was in need of a mimosa after how my day started.
“How are you feeling about sitting down with him tomorrow? Do you feel like he’s going to agree and sign?” Jah asked.
“I believe he will. I was actually nicer than I wanted to be.”
I agree to let him have what he took out of our shared accounts.
The house was out of the question, and he had to pay me for all the valuables removed from my house.
I didn’t care about the money, because he was going to need it.
The house that he and Siya lived in was in his name and I used that in the case as well.
I requested that it be turned over to me since it was purchased during our marriage.
The only thing he could argue about is the damn house, but if his lawyer was smart, he would tell him to let it go.
“You’re leaving that nigga with nothing but some money. I hope he uses it wisely.”
“He still has his business firm,” replied.
“Yeah, he does, but when he can’t do business with me, he’s going to spend a lot more money hauling in concrete from another company. As a matter of fact, who was he using before me?”
“I honestly don’t know. I didn’t get in his business like he used to be in mine.
He was always trying to clock what I was bringing in.
It wasn’t my business what he was doing.
I was confident he was handling his shit.
But from his financials that were submitted, his company isn’t doing that great.
If he gets the right contract, he’ll be okay. ”
“I don’t give a fuck either way. Just come home after this shit as a divorced woman so I can kiss all on my wife’s pussy.”
“I got you, baby.” I blew him a kiss.
The next day, I woke up to Jah planting kisses all over my face.
“Good morning, beautiful. I want you to get your fine ass up, eat this breakfast I cooked, and put your best fucking business suit on. I want you to look so muthafuckin’ that you turn everybody’s head at the courthouse.
Let that fuck nigga know he lost a real diamond.
Because you’re the one, baby. You are the fucking prize, my love. ”
Two hours later, my lawyer and I walked in the conference room where Kileen and his lawyer were waiting.
My lawyer pulled my chair out for me, and I took a seat.
Yes, Jah told me to make sure I looked good as fuck when I walked in.
He wanted Kileen to see what he lost. Not going to lie, I was really feeling down in the dumps until Jah spoke life into me this morning.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Good morning, Mrs. McGhee,” Kileen’s lawyer spoke.
I looked over at Kileen, waiting for his greeting, but he never gave it. All I could do was smirk and nod for my lawyer to get this shit over with.
“Have you guys had the opportunity to look at what I submitted a few weeks ago?” My lawyer asked.
“Yes, we did,” his lawyer said. “Mr. McGhee agrees except for the house that does not have Mrs. McGhee’s name on it.”
“Well, as I told you over the phone. If we take this to court, more than likely, the judge would agree with Mrs. McGhee. The home was purchased for the mistress. A clear sign of his infidelity.”
We sat in silence, just staring at each other. He knew if I took that house, they had nothing but that little ass one-bedroom he rented to make me think he wasn’t with that girl during our separation. That was not my fucking problem. Kileen leaned over and whispered something.
“Are you willing to take the money from the accounts for the house?”
My lawyer already knew my answer. The money in the accounts didn’t add up to the value of the house. I wanted the fucking house. Jah’s money was endless, and money was not what I wanted.
“She’s not willing to take the money. It’s the house or take it before a judge,” my lawyer said with finality.
Again, we had a staring match. He wanted to see the bitch in me; here she was.
I wasn’t folding, and he must’ve forgotten who my daddy was.
He taught me the importance of not backing down when eye contact is involved.
The weakest one would fold first. I wasn’t the weak one today.
For over ten years, I was weak for this man.
Today, it came to an end. He blinked a few times and leaned in to his lawyer.
When our lawyers made eye contact, my lawyer slid the documents over for Kileen to sign.
Kileen picked up the pen and scribbled his name on the paper. It was then passed to me. My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to pass out. I signed my name and put the pen down. I was no longer a McGhee. I was now Tatiyonna Cole again.
“I appreciate the cooperation. I’ll get this filed as soon as we walk out of here,” my lawyer stated.
I didn’t spend another minute in the room with him. I walked out of that courthouse and smiled big as fuck all the way to my car.
“Tati!” Kileen called out.
I kept walking.
“Tati! Hold on, for real. I just need to say this.”
“One minute, Kileen.”
“I…I want to say sorry for hurting you. You didn’t deserve any of this shit. I really didn’t want anything out of this divorce, but do you know how it felt for me to see you getting fucked by a man that shook hands and did business with?”
“It didn’t feel good, did it?” I asked.
“Hell, no, it didn’t feel good.”
“Well, that’s how I felt when I sat in that car and watched you be a father and man to another family.
To walk in that house and you got family fucking pictures of you hugging and kissing her belly.
Walking in that room and seeing you naked.
Washing off your family before you came home to me. That’s how the fuck I felt, Kil.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Oh, it is! The only thing is I didn’t have a baby on you. I had more sense than that.”
“You’re really taking the house from my baby.”
“You want the truth?” I asked.
“Please, this is our moment.”
“Fuck your baby, Kileen McGhee,” I said as I got in my car and pulled off.
I hadn't been to my house since Kileen stripped it of everything. Jah’s house had easily become my home.
He never made me feel like I was crowding his space.
Now that I was on the way back to him, I was thinking about renting out both of them or selling one and making the other an Airbnb.
I was going to run it by him first. If he wanted his space, then I would just move back into my spot, and we would date from two different houses.
I pulled in, and Jah was waiting at the door for me.
I got out of the car and ran right up to him.
He picked me up and spun me in a circle.
“I’m all yours, baby,” I told him as I kissed him.
“That’s all I needed to hear. Come up out of this fucking suit.”
I stripped right at the door, and Jah lifted me on his shoulders and licked my exposed pussy. The man was always full of surprises. He made sure to keep things spicy between us. After he made me cum, he slowly put me down and got down on one of his knees.
Pulling the ring out of his pocket, “Ms. Cole, will you marry me?”
“You know I’ll marry you, Jah.”
He slipped the big ass rock on my finger, scooped me up and walked me up the stairs.
Jah made love to me like he was trying to make a damn baby.
I hadn’t told him that I hadn't had my period in over two months. I put it on stress, but I wanted to be sure I got the divorce over with before I took a test. I didn’t want to find out I was, and then the stress of the divorce made me miscarry.
That was only going to strain my relationship with Jah.
A few hours later, I was waiting for Jah to walk through the door with the test. I sat in the den biting my nails.
I had been infertile for as long as I could remember, then, when I did get pregnant, I laid my ass on that table and got rid of it.
If I wasn’t pregnant, I don’t know if I would be able to take the disappointment.
He rushed back in the house and emptied a bag full of pregnancy tests.
“Jah, why did you buy so many tests?”
“I’ve got to be sure. Don’t worry about how many I bought, go piss in the cup and dip that stick in there.”
I grabbed one of the tests and went to the bathroom that was connected to the kitchen. Jah was right behind me.
“Really?” I looked at him.
“Tatiyonna, I’ve seen everything you got. If it were up to me, I would live in your skin. Piss in that plastic cup and hush.”
I peed, dipped the test, and washed my hands.
“What do we do now?” Jah asked nervously.
“Let’s just walk away and come back in five minutes.”
“Five minutes! That’s too damn long.”
“Boy, come on.” I pushed him out of the bathroom.
Jah paced the floor and kept looking at his phone. It was cute, but he was making me nervous. As soon as the timer on his phone went off, we both rushed to the bathroom.
“Wait, Jah! What if it’s negative?”
“Tatiyonna, please don’t be negative right now. Everything we’ve been through, we’ll just try again.”
“What if there is never again?”
“Man, I’ll look.” He walked in the bathroom and picked up the stick.
There was silence. No celebration from him or anything. I picked my head in to see him staring in the mirror with tears in his eyes. I didn’t know if it was because it was positive or negative.
“What does it say?” I asked.
“We’re having a baby!”
“For real?”
I snatched the test and fell to the floor. This was my second chance that I knew I didn’t deserve. I was not about to mess it up.