ʜᴇʀ ᴀꜱꜱɪꜱᴛᴀɴᴛ | ᴛᴀʀᴀꜱɪᴀ

ꜰᴏʀᴛʏ ꜰᴏᴜʀ

ᴛᴀʀᴀᴊɪ ʜᴇɴꜱᴏɴ
ꜱᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 13, 2020

i don't remember everything we said after that first hug.

it was way too many voices and too many emotions rising up all at once but what i do remember is that my daddy didn't let go until i did, and even when he did, he stayed close like he was scared to blink and find me gone again.

i walked over to the table. laila was already sitting between fantasia and tab giggling with a cupcake in each hand.

"laila, slow it down baby."

"but mommy i haven't had cupcakes in a long time" she spoke with a mouth full.

"you done had three already" i said with a smirk while wiping a dab of frosting from her lip.

"let her live, baby. it's a celebration." tasia interjected.

"alright but don't let her get too carried away or she'll be up all night."

she leaned closer to my ear, "don't worry. she's gonna be up all night with tab."

i raised a eyebrow, "that's fine with you? like are you two good now?"

"yeah, we're alright. she's still my girl and we still have things to work on, but i trust her with our baby and besides, i have another surprise that no one is gonna be able to see but us so that's a good thing." she winked and then walked away leaving me clueless. i just stood there and smiled.

the food finally came out. that good old soul food, just how i like it. cornbread. fried catfish. greens with turkey necks. peach cobbler already heating in the back. i haven't had this in decades.

seconds later, fantasia got up and cleared her throat.

"before y'all get too full and sleepy," she said, tapping her glass with the back of a fork, "i need y'all to give my soon to be wife your attention for just a little longer."

my heart skipped a beat. "soon be to be wife" i'd never heard that.

she walked around the table and came back with a small white box, flat and square, tied with a delicate satin ribbon. my heart did that thing where it started beating in my ears. she sat the box in front of me.

"this is from me and laila. open it slow."

i looked at our daughter. she was grinning hard, legs swinging under her seat. "we picked it together, mommy!" she exclaimed.

"you did?"

she nodded and bit the icing off the cupcake.

i swallowed, laughing a little as i untied the ribbon. the box was soft. when i opened it, the breath left me. there was a silver locket. i opened it slowly and inside was a photo... of me, laila, and ms. martha.

ms.martha was smiling wide with her head wrapped in that same scarf she used to wear every morning in the shelter. her arms sat around me and laila on the steps outside, the last photo we ever took with her before she passed.

i stared so long my eyes blurred.

fantasia touched my hand. "i know you think about her a lot. figured maybe... this way, she could stay with you and laila."

i closed the locket and pressed it to my chest.

"you remembered" i whispered. i let my tears roll.

she kissed the side of my face. "course i did, baby. i remember everything that ever mattered. whether it mattered to me or you... i always remember."

my hands were shaking as i clipped it around my neck. the entire building was quiet. i saw a few glossy eyes and some with their hands over their hearts.

tab raised her glass. "to ms. martha"

"to martha" i echoed, voice cracking.

laila raised her juice box. "to martha!" everyone laughed.

i turned my full attention to fantasia, wrapping my arms around her waist. her hands flew to my eyes to wipe them as if it was an instinct, "thank you. for all of this. i didn't deserve th–"

she put a finger on my lips, "stop. stop saying what you don't deserve. you deserve the world, baby. you deserve it all. not just the materialistic things, but you deserve to be loved and appreciated. i'm going to be the one to do that every single day until the breath in my body is no longer there."

i didn't get a word out, she just pressed her lips against mine and hugged me tight. i wrapped my arms around her and just took it all in.

"i adore you" she whispered against my neck.

"i adore you more beautiful." she and i kissed again before going our seperate ways.

the night was moving smooth after that. more food. more music. some of the girls from back in the day even danced a little in the open space near the wall. my daddy took a photo with laila and called her "his second chance." she didn't understand, but she smiled anyway and held his hand like it made perfect sense.

i thought that was it. i thought fantasia played every card she had but when the music dipped again and she reached for my hand with that same spark in her eyes from earlier. i knew something else was coming.