Fate Unchanged (Quinah & Norminah)

Chapter Sixteen

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QUINCY

"Hi babe! Sorry I'm calling you so late. I just got back in the city."

"It's alright, baby girl. No worries."

Quincy was in bed, FaceTiming Dinah while he looked over the notes from his earlier meeting back at the label. Today was a little more strenuous for the twenty-nine-year-old, but every event that transpired withered away from his mind when he saw Dinah's beautiful face.

"Was work okay, today?"

"For the most part, yeah. Had a big meeting with the promotions team for one of my artists. Being detail-oriented is both a blessing and a curse."

The brunette let out a giggle as she kept her eyes on the road. Quincy smiled at the sound as he doted over how gorgeous she was just driving.

"What about you? What brought you out of the city?"

"A friend of mine had a little get-together in Gettysburg and wanted me to come. It was nice. I had a great time."

"Nice! Did you get me a plate?"

Quincy chuckled as Dinah playfully scoffed.

"I didn't actually. But don't worry, I have a solution for that. My mom came over to the bar earlier. She wants to meet you. So, she invited us to have dinner with her and my mother this Sunday."

Quincy's eyes widened.

"Oh wow! Should I be nervous?"

"With her? No. My mother on the other hand...just...be prepared to answer a lot of questions."

Quincy let out a small chuckle before doing away with his notes and putting all of his attention on his girlfriend.

"Don't worry. I'm used to being put on the spot. Mani's mom did the same thing when I first met her."

"Aww! What was that like?"

"Her dad is real cool. We bonded over sports easily. Her mom was a little tougher. I helped her with the food to try and get on her good graces, which worked for the most part. But she ended up loving me by the time the night was over. Her family's, in general, cool people."

"Do you still talk to them? You know, since she passed?"

"I do. They check in on Adeya as much as they can. Her and I try to go down to NOLA once every year to go see them, too. They took her passing really rough. One of her sisters took a year-long break from college because of her depression. Her mother never left her bedroom for months. And Derrick would drink himself silly just to get rid of the pain. But they're doing better. We try to be there for one another."

Quincy observed the brunette as she parked her car. He could tell that she was thinking hard about something, judging by the slight crease in her forehead and the little far-off look she had in her eyes.

"Maybe you'll get to meet them one day," he said, trying to relieve her mind of whatever she was thinking about. "I'm pretty sure my dad'll invite them to the barbeque. I know they'll love you."

He smiled once he saw Dinah's expression lighten.

"I'd love to meet them. And I'm looking forward to meeting your family. I just hope I make a good impression."

"I have no doubt you will, babe. Just be yourself. Your true self. You won't have to dim down or hide who you are from them. I promise."

Quincy felt comfort in knowing he could put the brunette's mind at ease. It was times like this where he was grateful for being so good with words. He suddenly heard tiny feet approaching his door and beamed at the sight of his little girl in the doorway. Her bear was dangling on the floor as she held its paw, her free hand rubbing her eyes as she slowly made her way over to the bed. Quincy picked her up and put her on his lap.