Fate Unchanged (Quinah & Norminah)

Chapter Two

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QUINCY

"...and then Ronnie shared her snack with me while we made our science poster!"

"She did? That was nice of her! Sounds like you had a great day at school today, huh?"

"Yes! Justine liked the picture I drew for her during our brain break. She said she's gonna hang it up on her wall."

Quincy gasped dramatically, causing Adeya, his six-year-old daughter, to let out a giggle that always warmed his heart.

"What about me?"

"I made you one too, daddy!" the little one giggled. "I'll give it to you as soon as you come home, okay?"

Quincy smiled as he listened to his little girl's sweet voice.

"Okay, baby girl. Daddy will be on his way home soon, okay? How about I pick us up some pizza for dinner? We could have another daddy-daughter movie night before bed. How's that sound?"

A little squeal sounded from the other end of the line, causing Quincy to chuckle as he brought his phone away from his ear for a second before bringing it back.

"I'll take that as a yes. Can you give the phone to Justine for me?"

"Okay!"

There was small commotion heard on the other end before Adeya's babysitter got on the phone.

"Hey, Q."

"Hey. How was study time?"

"Good! She's learning her times tables really well, and her spelling is getting a lot better. We're still working on sounding out big words. But other than that, she's a very smart cookie."

The little one's progress report always put a smile on Quincy's face. Before she passed, he and his late wife made sure that their baby girl would have a top-notch education. They worked hard to be able to afford enrolling her in one of Pennsylvania's top private schools – St. Martin of Tours School. When Adeya turned four, the family of three moved from Philadelphia to New Hope – a beautiful, historic town whose charm sucked Quincy's wife in immediately upon first sight.

The people were very welcoming to the new family in town. And once the couple moved into their new home, they hosted a summer barbeque for everyone in their neighborhood. It was a magnificent turn out, and a few people from the neighboring housing development came to the party. Among those people was a couple who lived about a few minutes away from the neighborhood – Luke and Justine. The couple had lived in New Hope for six years now, Luke being a high school music teacher, and Justine a part time nurse at one of New Hope's local clinics. The two couples hit it off well, and as it turned out, they had a daughter who was the same age as Adeya. Her name was Ronnie. After finding out the two had met at school upon Adeya's first day, the couple knew that their friendship would be a meaningful one.

"That she is," Quincy smiled. "I'll be on my way home in a couple minutes. Gonna make a couple stops first. So, if I'm not back by the time Luke gets off work, tell him he's more than welcome to come over and spend some time with ya'll for a while."

"Will do. Come here baby girl! Daddy wants to say goodbye."

Quincy waited a few minutes before hearing that sweet little voice again.

"I hope you get home safe, daddy! I love you!"

"I love you too, lil' mama. I'll see you soon."

And with that, Quincy hung up the phone. After sending a session to one of his studio's audio engineers, he powered down his mac and shut off the lights in his office. He made his way over to the elevator, passing by the sign that read Q-Music Studios in shiny, gold letters against an all-black interior. Quincy was a musician just like his father, and after a while, he followed in his footsteps of becoming a successful music producer. His studio had started growing when Adeya was two, giving him plenty of time to save up for the move to New Hope. He checked his time as the elevator made its way down from the very top floor to the lobby. The time was five forty-five on the dot.

Perfect...

He smirked as he thought of arriving to Tango just in time to catch eyes with his favorite bartender. He could imagine her big, beautiful eyes lighting up at his arrival, the dimples deeply set right under her eyes popping out as she smiled. When he first laid eyes on her, she was a blonde. But once she became a brunette, all bets were off for him. The twenty-nine-year-old could admit that, after the death of his wife, he found it pretty much impossible to view another woman remotely the way he viewed her. It wasn't until he laid eyes on the cute bartender that things had started changing.

He remembered their first meeting clear as day. It was his first time in that part of the city. He figured he'd have a drink to ease the stress from work. The woman approached him from behind the counter. The two of them paused as they took in one another's presence. It was like time stopped as soon as they locked eyes. She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair, at the time, was abundant in blonde curls, her big eyes a deep color of brown. Her lips were full and inviting as they slowly spread into a smile, one that showcased a set of dimples directly under her eyes. He was instantly head over heels for her just by the way she looked at him – as if she was looking deep into his soul. But it was when she opened her mouth to speak that Quincy knew he was already in deep.

He didn't know how, but there was something about the honey-like silkiness of her voice that reminded him of his late wife. God knows he missed her like crazy, but just by looking at the woman before him, there was a sense of familiarity that comforted him every time he saw her. That was the big reason why he kept coming back for a drink every day. He just knew he must've been getting on the young woman's nerves by constantly showing up. But he thought better of it when, at times, he was presented with his regular drink free of charge.

As he made his way to his Harley, he couldn't help but think that tonight would be different. Tonight would be the night that he would finally ask her out. He had spent quite a few months pining for the young woman – having small conversation with her as he doted over her and watched her work. But this time, he was going to grow a pair and ask the beauty on a proper date. Was he nervous? Hell yes. Though he was labeled as a pretty boy and could bag any woman he wanted, he never had the "lady's man" mentality. Once he fell for a woman, he fell hard. He would already commit to her before making anything official, which was the way him and his late wife began sparking their relationship.

He had dealt with her loss for a while now, allowing himself to feel every wave of emotion no matter what random time they came. He was now at a place where he could not only just live life going through the motions, but do so where he was yearning to start living every day to the fullest again, even if it had to be without his better half. His mother, now passed, had always told him that life was about second chances. He took meeting the brunette as life giving him a second chance at finding love, and he'd be damned if he didn't take it. So, with a positive mindset, he revved up his bike, secured his helmet on his head, and sped down the busy streets of Philly to see the striking brunette.