In The Unlikely Event [updates begin may 3]

03 | whack-a-mole

a/n kay, kay. vote, comment, follow and all that jazz

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The door clicked, and I pushed it open. The sound of boisterous laughter trickled from the living room to the foyer. I kicked off my sneakers and followed the sound. Droplets of rain dripping down my box braids, and along with the footprints from my wet socks, created a trail on the hardwood floor. The smell of Thai food followed the laughing.

I heard Aunt Yvonne's voice first. "I don't even like"--hiccup--"Thai food!" she exclaimed and fell into another fit of laughter as I walked into the living room. Ma noticed me first, sitting on the brown carpet in the middle of the room, as she raised a spoonful of mint chocolate ice cream to her mouth. Aunt Yvonne sprawled out on the white sofa, face first, with Thai noodles trapped around her fork. Her Univerity of Toronto hoodie and sweatpant had become her new go-to for comfort, and I was pretty she hadn't washed any of them since Ma did last Sunday. Empty Thai boxes decorated the circular glass coffee table in the middle of the room. Just then, she lifted her head off the sofa and finally noticed me.

"Addy!" She threw her fork on the floor. "My favourite niece." She opened her arms out. "Come and give your favourite aunt a hug."

I walked around the white sofa and leaned down for a hug that ended at my waist. "I'm your only niece," I told her.

"And a damn good one too," she finished. She tapped the cushion of the sofa. "Sit. Talk to me. I feel like I haven't seen you in so long." She stretched out her hands to Ma, calling for the ice cream. Taking it, she scraped off a generous amount and licked it off the spoon. In the corner, Ma's lips curved into a smile as she helped herself off the floor.

On her way past us, she leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead. She made her way up the stairs, calling out over her shoulder, "Don't corrupt my baby, Yvonne."

"No promises," she returned before turning to face me, spoon tucked into the corner of her mouth. She wiggled her eyebrows. "Any boys your daddy ain't know you're sneaking off to the carnival with?" I swiped a finger through the ice cream and licked it off my finger.

Mint chocolate ice cream remained crowned the worst ice cream flavour.

I cracked a smile. "Nah."

"No handsy-pansy with the boys then?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Chile. As if I'd give those racist boys any time of the day." Aunt Yvonne's face broke into a grin, and she clapped down on my shoulder. She placed the ice cream atop the coffee table and placed a hand on her stomach, gingerly rubbing around in circles. She was barely showing yet, only four weeks into her pregnancy. 

She nudged her shoulder with mine. "Good girl. Gotta know your worth, baby." She grasped her mint chocolate again. "So what time are Tamara and Hakeem coming over?"

"Around 6 pm. We should get there by 6:30, 6:45--ish."

"Y'all are going to have some much fun. Elton's carnivals are superior to the lacklustre ones Warshaw tries to hold. Whatcha going as?"

"Princess Tiana flapper design with a Tamara original flip."

Aunt Yvonne scooped another generous amount of ice cream into her mouth then leaned back to turn on the TV. "That girl is so talented. I don't know what she's doing trying to pursue nursing. If I had that much talent, I'd be set for life." The ice cream in her mouth muffled her words.

"She's gonna save lives. Designing is her passion but nursing is the way she's going to leave her mark." I turned to take another spoonful of her ice cream. Mint chocolate might be ass ice cream but it was still ice cream regardless. "Y'all will see."