Another Lifetime

Chapter 55: First Birthday part 1

Cesar's POV:
When I wake up it takes me a second to remember I'm home. Monse's wearing one of my shirts and holding Mona on her lap. "Morning." I yawn. "Hi." She leans over and kisses me. I roll over on my stomach and wrap my arm around Monse's waist. "You forgetting something?" She asks and I sit straight up. "Happy birthday princesita!" I tell Mona. She leans over to hug me and pick her up. "Don't worry, I didn't forget." I kiss Monse and she rolls her eyes. "I'll literally never forget. Traumatized doesn't even cover that shit." She tells me. "Wasn't she hella small when you gave birth?" I ask and I can tell I shouldn't have said that. "You think that made it easy?" She gives me a chance to save my ass. "Hell no! That's why I got you something for Mona's birthday." I get out of bed and leave my baby sitting on Monse's lap. "I didn't get you anything." Monse laughs. "Yeah, and I didn't make a person." I hand her the small box. "Cesar." She smiles when she opens it. "I love it." Monse puts on the gold bracelet with Mona's name on her wrist. "So I'm not an ass?" I laugh. "Not right now." She puts her hand on my cheek and kisses me. "Mmm I wanna hanging out in bed with you guys all day but I gotta get her party ready." Monse tells me. "She doesn't even know it's her birthday." I remind Monse. "And?" Monse crosses her arms. "I'll go make coffee." I smile. "Smart." Monse nods.

I watch Mona take little steps between me and Monse while we drink our coffee. I wish I saw her first steps. Monse tried telling me she started walking early or some shit. It doesn't change the fact that I was in jail and Mona was growing up. I stop letting myself sink into that depressing place and I stand up. "How do I help?" I ask Monse. "You don't have-" I cut her off. "I want to." I say. "I hid Mona's presents in my... our closet if you wanna wrap them for me." She suggests. "I don't know how to do that." I laugh. "You wanna go buy some food and shit?" She gives me something she knows I can do this time. "Yeah. When do you wanna go?" I ask and she looks at me weird. "I'm gonna take care of stuff here." She explains. "Damn, I've been back for less than a day and you're already trying to get rid of me." I pretend to be hurt. "Exactly." She laughs. "Can you take Mo with you?" Monse asks. "Anything to spend time with la princesa." I hold Mona's hands. I know I can handle watching my own kid alone but I still have a pit in my stomach. I get my baby ready but the second I grab my keys, Lola and Ky come in. "Where you going?" She asks. "Store." I explain and she nods. "Can I come?!" Kyrie sounds excited. Maybe Lola can see the scared look on my face or something but she stops him. "He's already taking Mona, y'all are too much for him at once." She laughs but he looks disappointed. "If it's cool with mami you can come." I tell him but I look at Lola. "Can I?" He asks. "You still got the booster seat?" She asks. "Kyrie still needs that?" I joke but she doesn't find it funny. "We have one in my car." Monse walks over to us. "Hi Monse!" Ky gives her a hug. Sometimes it feels like he's more her son than mine. "If anything happens to my baby I'm gonna rip off your balls." Lola promises. "Let's go before she changes her mind." I tell Ky and he laughs.

"Grab whatever you want hombrecito." I mess with his hair. "Cesar, can I ask you something?" He follows me. "Yeah, what's up?" I ask. "Why weren't you my dad when I was a baby but you're Mona's dad and she's a baby?" He asks and I freeze up. "I've always been your dad. I just made a few mistakes and we didn't know." I explain. "So you like me as much as Mona?" He asks and the pit in my stomach gets deeper. "Come here." I get on his level and sit Mona on my leg. "I love you just like I love your sister. You ever feel like I don't and I want you to come right back and ask me again. I love you mijo." I kiss his cheek and my son hugs me and his sister. "Are you gonna come to my birthday?" He asks when I pay for everything. "Every single one." I promise.

I put my kids in the car but Ky keeps looking behind me. "You gonna tell me what's wrong?" I whisper. "There's a girl staring at you." He keeps looking. I turn around and it's Vero. "Heard you got out." She says. "I can't talk about this right now." I nod back at my kids. "Hi." She waves at them. "Don't talk to my son." I narrow my eyes. "You remember that girl I told you about who works at the Joint and her man's in Nineteen?" She asks. "I said I can't-" she cuts me off. "Cuete's dead." Vero tells me. "Fuck!" I scream. "It's my daughter's birthday I can't deal with this shit." I slam Ky's door. "Come by later and we can talk." I say before I drive back home.

"Damn y'all work quick." I look around and everything's almost done. "Or maybe you just took forever. Give us our kids back, we missed the little nerds!" Lola picks up our son and kisses his whole face. "Hi mommy." He laughs. "Hi birthday girl!" Monse gets Mona. "When we were in the parking lot, papi was talking to a girl." Kyrie tells them. At first they both look at me but then we all look at Ky. "Let's go see what Jamal and Ruby are doing outside." Lola tells our son and they walks out. "It was just one of the Santos trying to-" Monse cuts me off. "You hear what he said?" She asks and I just stare at her. "Yeah." I nod slowly. "He called you papi!" She points out. "It was probably an accident." I don't let myself get excited. "It doesn't matter!" Monse smiles. "Can y'all help back here! It's not even my kid's birthday and I'm doing all the work." Ruby yells. "Going!" Monse rolls her eyes. "Don't think I forgot the part about you talking to girls." She kisses me before she goes.

The backyard is covered in pink, purple, and white decorations. There's a wall covered in balloons with a table in front of it. A giant picture of Monse with Mona in the NICU is on a stand. She looks so small and fragile and Monse looked happy but scared. She looked younger than she really was. There's a few other smaller pictures and I look at all of them. The older Mona got the more Monse looked like who she is now. "Is it too much." She asks me. "No." I smile. "What, no jokes about how she's a baby and won't remember this tomorrow?" Monse laughs. "We'll remember it." I kiss her cheek. "Are you just being nice 'cause your son told me about your parking lot girl?" She's joking but she's a little serious. "That's exactly why I'm doing this. You think I'm just nice now?" I furrow my brows and she rolls her eyes. "Remind me why I came back?" Monse asks. "Come on, I reminded you a few times last night and I'm gonna remind you again tonight." I whisper. "Cesar, we don't have to hear you to know you're saying some nasty shit!" Lola yells from the other side of the yard. "Don't you have a baby daddy to lie to?" I yell back. "Did I forget to lie to you today? How about this, you're good enough for Monse!" She tells me. "Jamal get your fiancé!" I laugh. "Not getting in the middle of this and that's sexist." Jamal kisses Lola. "It's ok baby, I still love you." Monse jokes. "Not as much as she loves me!" I still don't get how we got close enough for me to knock her up. "Do you and mommy not like each other?" Kyrie asks. "What?" I laugh and look at Monse. "This one's on you." She shrugs and helps Mona walk away. "You see that?" I ask Ky. "You're trying to change the subject." I love that my son is so damn smart but it's a lot when he asks questions. "I love Lola 'cause she's your mami, but she's my friend and I still gotta mess with her sometimes." I tell him. "Oh like when Monse told me you-" Monse walks back out with someone. "So this is the parking lot bitch?" She asks