"Yeah, I think I wanna do the blue Versace number." Nicki said to Terrence.
"With a black wig?"
"Yessss." She smiled.
"Mommy, Micaiah won't play with us!" MacKenzie ran in and whined.
"Leave him alone Kenz."
"But-" The five year old looked at the stern look on her mothers face. "Fine."
"What are you nominated for again?" Terrence asked while working on the wig she was wearing tonight.
"I'm not. I'm being honored." She smiled and playfully rolled her eyes. "You know that."
"I know." He laughed. "I just want you to get more excited, brag about it, something! Shit!"
"Two dollars in the swear jar Uncle T." MacKenzie smiled. They bought the swear jar into their home when Micaiah was five and Nicki couldn't control her cursing. Now, he was 14 and still making a decent profit.
"Go get the jar." He sighed and Nicki laughed as her daughter skipped away. "Stupid jar."
"Learn to watch your mouth." She laughed.
"You talk to Safaree?"
"Not yet." She glanced at her phone. "Oh, you're coming with us on the eighth right?"
"Nicki, don't change the subject."
"Mama, Tiffany ate my cookies!" MacKenzie stormed in without the jar.
"Is Tiffany a new friend?" Terrence asked in reference to the child's many imaginary friends.
"No, that's what she's calling Kay this week." She laughed and Terrence shook his head. "Are you sure she ate them?"
"Um, hmm." She nodded.
"Last time you said she ate your candy but you hid it in-"
"My drawer!" She smiled and ran out of the room.
"Ma!" Micaiah walked in angrily. Everytime Nicki heard him speak she wanted to gush over him because he sounded like a man now.
"Yes, babe?"
"Get them!"
"Get who?" She looked confused.
"Your child and her imaginary friends! She keeps coming to my door and messing with me and Vanessa."
"Just look at her like a chaperone." She shrugged.
"Are you-"
"Dead serious. The last time yall were alone her father damn near tried to kill you and put you in jail."
"But-"
"Door stays open. You know the rules."
"Can you just get her?"
"Tuney!" Nicki called her by her nick name. They gave it to her because she was always humming or singing something, even before she could talk. Wayne thought Nicki got the nickname from him, even though Micaiah came up with it, so she let him think that.
"Yessss!" She came running into the bedroom with her two pigtails bouncing off her shoulders.
"Why are you bothering your brother and his company?" She pushed her little shoulders upward. "You know why."
"I just wanna play." She said innocently.
"But he has company. I'm sure that when Vanessa leaves your brother will play with you. Right?" She looked at Micaiah with raised eyebrows.
"Of course." He smiled. He had no problem with spending time with her, she was just unbearable sometimes because she was going through an annoying phase.
"Nuh, uh." She looked at the ground sadly.
"Why you say that Tune?" Micaiah got down on one knee and placed his hand on her back.
"Cause when Anessa-"
"Vah-nessa." Nicki corrected her.
"When VAH-nessa leaves its gonna be time for bed and tomorrow you go back to school and you're gone all day and I never see you." She began to cry. She was hard on the outside and soft on the inside, just like her mother. She was also a Sagittarius like her mother which made parenting easy for both Nicki and Safaree because she was almost just like Nicki.
"How about I walk Nessa home early and me and you can go watch The Princess and the Frog?"
"Really?!" Her eyes lit up.
"Yup."
"And you'll act all the parts out with me and dress up?"
"I don't -"
"Pleeeeeasssssse?" She begged and pouted like she'd seen her mother do to her father millions of times.
He sighed, "Ok."
Nicki smiled at the scene before her. If someone would have told her five years ago that her life would have been this way she wouldn't have believed them. She began to think back to all the things she had been through with her family.
*Five Years Earlier*
Nicki looked down into the crib at her five month old daughter. It took four years of trying to concieve, three attempts with in vetro fertilization, and two miscarriages to get her little girl and she thanked God for her every morning. She still couldn't believe she was here. They, her mother and Micaiah, named her MacKenzie Grace. Micaiah wanted the baby to have a name similar to his and Nicki's mother said that it was "by the grace of God" that they had her so that was that.
"Hi mama." She smiled and the baby started kicking and smiling.
"Come on baby girl." She lifted her up out the crib. "Lets get you changed so we can go."
She was about to embark on a two week tour to promote her first book, which was an autobiography, and her family was coming along. It didnt need the promotion, it was number one on The New York Times Bestsellers list, but she wanted to see her fans. She had stepped away from the music industry two years ago and the only thing she missed was seeing her fans constantly. She did features every blue moon, wrote songs for other artist, ran her label, and occasionally did appearances but that was it. After releasing six original albums, two re-releases, five mixtapes and touring every corner of the world she felt she'd conquered it all.
"Morning." She felt Safaree's arms wrap around her and his lips on her cheek but that was all that she had felt.
"Morning." She replied nonchalantly as he released her. Everything was so routine in their relationship now. She knew he was going to ask if Micaiah was up and then about packing and, if he was in a good mood, he'd ask about her.
"Micaiah up?"
"I told him to get up but you know how that goes. Can you check for me?"
"Sure."
It got awkwardly quiet between the two of them. Nicki snapped together Mackenzie's onesie before picking her up and turning towards Safaree who was staring at her. She stared back for a while trying to read him but it was impossible.
"You done packing?" He finally ended the stare down. He was sure she had him figured out even though she showed little interest in him lately.
'Like clock work.' She thought.
"Yup." She walked pass him and placed the baby in her crib.
"Oh. Alright." He said awkwardly.
"Yup." She forced a smile and went to double check Mackenzie's luggage as he walked out.
Safaree made his way two doors down to Micaiah's room. He knocked twice on the cracked door before opening it. Micaiah sat on the side of the bed rubbing his eyes.
"Yo, get up and get ready like she told you."
"I'm up, dang." He huffed and threw the cover back that was resting on his thigh.
"Make sure you got that summer reading stuff."
"I know." He said with an attitude.
Lately Micaiah had been very standoffish towards his father and gave him nothing but attitude. Both Nicki and Safaree contributed it to Safaree's busy work schedule. He owned a chain of auto body shops that did custom work on cars in California and was now branching off to Georgia, Florida and Texas. He was also meeting with people who were interested in buying his t-shirt company which was still thriving. He was aware of the strain he was putting on his family but he needed, for himself, to be the provider.
"Micaiah." They both looked up at Nicki who was holding MacKenzie and bottle feeding her.
"Yes?"
"All that attitude you got, dead it." She turned away. "And I mean now! Yall got fifteen minutes to get on this bus." She said sternly as she walked away.
Sticking to the schedule, Micaiah and Safaree made it to the bus with all of their luggage in fifteen minutes. After making sure everything was underneath the bus in an order that Nicki would approve of he got on. He said 'hello' to everyone he passed on his way to the back of the bus. He felt little attachment to the situation and didn't feel like faking it.
"What's wrong with him?" Terrence said loud enough for just Nicki to hear.
"He didn't really want to come."
"Why'd you make him?"
"I didn't but I'm not gone beg a grown ass man to tell me how he really feel."
"Yall need to stop."
"Whatever. He needs to grow up because Micaiah is starting to act like him and I don't like that shit."
"What do you mean?" He followed her eyes to her ten year old son who had earphones in his ears to tune out the people in his surroundings. "Oh."
"Yup. The only person who loves me is my princess." She turned the baby towards her and held her under her arms while she bounced her. "Ain't that ri-" Before she could continue gushing over her, MacKenzie spit up on Nicki.
"Was that a yes or. . ."
"Shut up Terrence!"
She placed MacKenzie in her carseat which was secure in one of the individual seats before making her way to the back of the bus. When she got there she glanced at Safaree who had his back on the headboard and his feet up, watching a movie. She pulled the soiled shirt off and went into her carryon bag for another. When she stood she noticed Safaree staring at her chest. She cocked her head to the side and smiled.
"Its not polite to stare."
"Its not polite to tease." She smiled at him. "Come here."
She crawled onto the bed and straddled him. They looked at each other for a moment before beginning to kiss. It felt strange to both of them. As Safaree tried to pull her closer and deepen the kiss she pulled away.
"We can't. Everyone is up front." She said.
"That never stopped us before." He smiled and tried to pull her back down but she pulled away. He frowned. "When did you get like this?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. Just, just get up." He began trying to sit up but she pushed him back down.
"No, become like what Safaree?!"
"Take a look in the mirror."
He said coldly before standing up, causing Nicki to roll off of him. She watched him walk to the front of the bus. She sat and tried to piece together the moment when they had fell apart but she couldn't. Soon MacKenzie began to cry. She knew if she didn't get to her soon that it would only worsen. Lately she was clinging to Nicki. Everyone said she was just spoiled but Nicki knew that there was more to it. Just like every other complicated thing in her life, she just hadn't figured it out yet.
I know this isn't much but I wanted to get this started. Just so there is no confusion, the story is taking place with MacKenzie as a baby and Micaiah ten years old. I started with the flash foward to the future just to do something different.
