Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

Epilogue.

"Hit it on the counter like this," Joseph instructed, holding Kash's little hands in his. Within Kash's hands— an egg.

Joseph helped him crack the egg over the bowl before placing the cracked egg shell back into the carton.

"Can I try by myself?" Kash asked, turning to look at Joseph who was washing his hands in the marble basin sink.

"Gone head— I'm watching," Joseph nodded in approval, drying his hands poorly on one of Grace's good dish towels, picking a fussy Cataleya up out of her seat on top of the counter. She'd now learned how to crawl and ever since she can no longer sit still— she had to be in the action.

Joseph leaned up against the counter, holding Cataleya in one arm watching Kash carefully demonstrate what Joseph had just shown him. Since becoming a father he'd been forced to pick up some new tricks in the kitchen. Back when it was just Grace and Joseph, Joseph just wouldn't eat until Grace came home because he'd probably burn the kitchen down if he tried to make anything other than a sandwich.

"Da-da-da," Cataleya mumbled repeatedly while simultaneously slapping Joseph in the face with her little hand.

"What I do next?" Kash asked turning on his step stool, holding his hands up awkwardly as a little of the egg whites had gotten on them.

"Take that bowl with the seasonings I poured out for you and that cup with the milk in it and pour it in there with the eggs and mix it,"

"Why you hittin me mama?" Joseph asked, scrunching up his face as she continued to slap him, clearly getting some type of amusement out of it. "Yo mama teach you how to do that— how to beat your daddy up?" He questioned, nibbling on her neck making her squeal loudly showing all her three teeth and the one coming in.

"And I pour it in the pan?" Kash asked.

"Yup— gone head," Joseph reassured, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips— a proud one.

Proud that Kash had watched Joseph make him breakfast so many times that he practically knew what to do on his own— proud that he was setting a good example for Kash and Kash was paying attention. They even had on matching pajamas— shirtless with plaid pajama bottoms that Grace had bought them randomly one day, and matching black durags to protect their hair.

Joseph was the coolest person in Kash's life, he wanted to be just like his pops— Joseph.

Cataleya squirmed in Joseph's arms in nothing but a diaper and one sock. Her thick black curly hair now frizzy and messy from rolling around in her crib in her sleep. Grace and Joseph thought Kash was going to be their problem child but it was proving to be their nine month old daughter. The older she got, the more she grew into her personality. Joseph guessed right— she was indeed her mother's daughter.

How an infant can be so opinionated and not even able to speak yet Joseph will never understand. Her mother's sassy attitude and her father's anger issues— the perfect mix of both.

Joseph held Cataleya in one arm while he helped Kash assemble the breakfast they made for Grace.

"Are we going to eat this too?" Kash asked as Joseph tried to make the plate more 'aesthetically' pleasing. Knowing his wife as well as he did, she was going to take a photo of this to post on her Instagram story when she woke up.

"Cereal— today about yo mama," Joseph answered. "Carry her flowers and her cards,"

"I don't want no cereal," Kash mumbled.

Joseph gently smacked Kash on the back of his head. "What I just say,"

Instead of taking the hundred steps up the grand staircase, they took the elevator up to the second floor and quietly snuck into the room as Grace slept.