Redemption

Chapter 15

[5 Weeks Ago] Birnin Zana, The Royal City, Wakanda

The palace was silent as the royal family sorted through the work in the office. "I am going to get some lunch. Did either of you want anything?" Shuri stood filing away the papers she had sorted through. "No," Ramonda glanced up sadly at her youngest child, "Thank you though."

"Brother," the teen pulled the newly coronated king out of his thoughts. "No, I am fine. I want to get through this safe before I take a break for the day." The king stood from his father's chair and walked over to the desk, looking for the holographic keypad. "Very well. I am gonna head down to my lab after I eat, if I am excused, mama?"

Ramonda nodded silently and the teen kissed the crown of her head before leaving. The Queen watched her son fiddle with the safe before speaking," Try your ring," She stood and glided over to where he stood. "One time, Your father asked me to grab something from the safe, and that is when I realized the keypad and lock did not work. Place your ring under the lock projector." With an eyebrow raised, T'challa let the light flow over his ring before the door clicked open. His mother smiled as the king pulled the small safe open. "You are welcome," the Queen Mother laughed. T'Challa chuckled and grabbed the surprisingly small stack of papers out of the metal box. A small stack of letters caught his attention. "Will you take your father's office? Or remodel your own?" The Queen asked, looking up when she did not receive an answer. "T'Challa?"

"I am sorry. What did you ask Mama?" The king continued to shuffle through the envelopes, his frown deepening with each subsequent pass. "What on earth are you reading?" The Queen frowned and reached for an envelope. "These letters, I know this address. I saw a deed for it the last time I sorted through these papers with baba."

"Well, what did he say about them? I am sure it is just a war dog-" The queen is cut off as T'Challa shot out of his seat. He slipped his shoes on and ran out of the room. "For Bast's sake," Ramonda sighed and grabbed the letters her son dropped. A picture of a small boy and a pair of graduation tickets fall out of the envelope. In the photo, the child was smiling, holding a backpack and grinning, his smile just like T'Challa's. The longer she stared, the more obvious the connection became. The mother flipped over the picture and read Aiden's First Day of School. Her heart sank as she opened the letter and saw the signature at the bottom, "Zari. Oh, my love, what have you done T'Chaka?" Tears formed in Ramonda's eyes as she began to look around for more clues as to what had transpired all the while her mind kept repeating. My son has a son.

The roaring of a jet caught her attention as it shot past the palace window. She sighed realizing her son left to walk into a situation he hardly understood. Ramonda plopped back into her husband's desk chair. "I thought we promised not to hide anything from each other?" Her hands ran over the desk before she found the compartment latch she was looking for. The wooden top popped off and she reached in. Sorting through the papers, she found the deed to the townhouse and started to connect the dates. The more she searched her husband's files the picture became even more clear. "But what is a marriage without secrets," the woman sighed, dropping her head into her hands.

[Present Day] New York City, New York, United States of America

"What are you doing?"

Zari looks up to find Melanie frowning from the doorway. "I'm just," she stutters as her partner walks in, "Supposed to be on a flight back home with your son and boyfriend," Melanie drops her bags and raises an eyebrow. Zari's gaze flits between the door, her phone, the costumes, and Melanie. "Does T'Challa know you are here?"

Tears form in the young mother's eyes before she can stop them. A sob forces its way out of her throat and soon Melanie's arms engulf her in a hug. "Okay okay," the brown-skinned seamstress soothes her best friend. "Tell mama all about it child," Melanie sings. A laugh mixes with a sob as Zari tries to catch her breath. A few minutes later her breathing evened out and the two women were rocking together slowly. "You ready to tell me what that was all about?"