was it ever real?

22. a new reminder

as dad invites us in, i take in everything different and similar about the house. the new paintings hung on the wall, the new couch set, but the same layout with plants surrounding the corners.

temptations play from dad's speakers, so softly. from the living room, the kitchen faintly smells of sweet plantains and curry chicken that makes me wish i came sooner.

i assume jamila made it.

speaking of, she's upstairs helping lana get dressed.
she said she would be down in a bit.

once the five of us get seated on the couches, dad gets right to it.

"so, when were you going to tell me the both of you are engaged." dad asks, wasting no time getting to the topic he wants to talk about. he doesn't even ask me how we're all doing or how the traffic was.

but more importantly...
how does he know...

i glare at vinnie and he's as surprised as me. in the peripheral view of my eyeballs, i see both amorah and aaron in sync, clapping their hand to the front of their
mouths.

great.

"where'd you get that idea from...?" i worry, still throwing nervous glances at vinnie. dad's eyes soften and the little wrinkles form in the corners like they always do. "that's why you should've answered my call earlier, coconut." he weakly chuckles while shaking his head.

"one of your cousins was at the restaurant that night,"

shit.

"jenae. why didn't you both just tell me? did i make vinnie feel unwelcome last time or-"

"of course not" vinnie interrupts.

"then why didn't anyone tell me." the corners of his mouth turn down and he sort of frowns.

i feel so bad when it comes to hurting his feelings. i do. just as much as i feel bad for lying about all of this. but i'm too deep in. and now, my cousins are popping their gums to the rest of the family.

"i'm sorry dad it's just..."

for a second i take time to reflect. do i fully lie...or tell a white lie? if i tell a white lie (which is easier), then the family might still believe otherwise...

the living room's quiet and im still searching for the answer.

what do i do?

"it was supposed to be a surprise mr. scott." amorah interjects. "they wanted to share their news after your birthday party! of course, they didn't want to keep it from you!"

note to self: amorah's a lifesaver!!!

"oh...OH," dad's face lights up like a little kid, and he doesn't seem offended anymore. "well i'm still very happy for you coco. we definitely have to celebrate." he suggests, clapping his hands together.

"yes," i nod. "but i don't want it to overlap your birthday-"
"of course, it won't steal my spotlight," he laughs his joyful laugh.

amorah saved the day.

but suddenly, the sounds of little feet pitter-patter on the stairs and a child pops down into the hallway. "aunty jenny!!" lana shouts, sprinting down the hallway, towards me with open arms and a big display of her beautiful smile. her delicate arms wrap around my leg and her chin rests on my thigh.

"hi solana" i smile back, lifting her into my lap and resting her on the side of my hips.

her glossy dirt brown eyes bat as she looks over my shoulder. her tiny fingers twist her natural and tightly twisted coils with beads at the ends.

as soon as solana noticed the other three unfamiliar people beside me, her personality went shut and the introvert came out.

"guys this is solana, my niece. lana these are my friends and my boyfri- i mean fiancé." i clear my throat. the three of them wave and i take her palm to initiate a wave back.

"what's a fiancy." she wondered, mispronouncing it.

"my fiance, vinnie is who i'm getting married to."

vinnie raises his hand to show her which one he is. "hi solana," he greets her with an inviting smile.

"you're getting married?" her head tilts.

(surprise-surprise)

i nod.

"solana," jamila stands at the bottom of the stairs with one foot resting on the last step and a headscarf in her hand. "aunty jenny and her friends drove almost 2 hours. that's a long time and they're probably tired. you get to see them tomorrow though." she warmly smiles.

"awe man.." she pouts, bringing her low lip in front and puffing her cheeks.

jamila really is an amazing mother though. through all of the shit she's been through, still, she's an amazing role model for her daughter.

"i'll be back tomorrow and all week" i tickle her stomach causing her to laugh uncontrollably.

"okay-okay," she giggles. "can we have cookies? or can you pick some at the store?"

I lean back and force an I'll think about it smile. "maybe" i say before continuing to tickle her again.

and for a while, we sat in the living room all laughing together. vinnie and lana interacting, amorah and aaron teasing, and dad helping me plan the wedding. for a second everything was so peaceful.

i almost forgot what previously happened in the car or the dream i have in the car that reminded me of what this house was to me.

it's no longer a reminder that my mom left us for some guy, but it's a reminder that my dad stayed. that although our mother figure was absent we still laugh on like a real family.