Happily Ever After?

"So, you're really leaving?" She asked as she watched him place another item in his suitcase.

"Why you keep trippin' like you didn't know?" He asked growing irritated.

"You need to stay here! I can't believe your leaving me to hang out with them."

"Nicki, I'm going to New York for business."

"At a strip club?"

"I'm going for business and once business is taken care of I'm going to hang out with my friends. Yes." He was speaking calmly but she knew that it was only because he didn't want to argue. The irritation was all in his body language and voice. "You never have a problem with me going any other time so-"

"Because we go together, Safaree. As a couple."

"Either you trust me or you don't. Either you wanna be with me or you don't."

"Excuse me?" She asked angrily. "If I didn't want to be with you then we wouldn't be here, now, having this conversation."

"Oh? This a conversation?" He chuckled.

She sighed and walked up to him. She looked down then back up at him. He shook his head already knowing what she was about to do. It took him almost ten years to figure out the difference between her real tears and her 'get my way' tears but he knew now.

"Faree, I'm just scared."

"Your mom is coming today."

"And the baby could come any day!"

"Nicki-"

"Safaree, I can deal with you possibly missing my birthday but I won't deal with you missing the birth of our child. Figure that shit out." She began walking away. "I'm not doing this again!"


Ten Years Ago

"Oh. My. God!" Nicki screamed with tears flowing steadily. "Is it supposed to feel this bad?"

"Yes, Nicki." Her mother looked into the back seat at her.

"Candi, drive faster!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Nicki. We'll be there soon, babe."

"I need to be there now! Oh my God!" She cried out as another contraction hit her.

Her water hadn't broke yet and she was seven and a half months pregnant but she knew that it was time. The hospital kept sending her home and everyone dismissed her complaints as false labor but she knew that something was wrong. Just because it was her first time having a child nobody wanted to take her seriously but she knew that it was time and she wouldn't leave the hospital until her baby was delivered.

"We're here." Candi said. "I'll go get the wheel chair, Ms. Carol."

"Ok." Nicki's mother sat her up in the backseat and then got her out once the wheelchair was brought to them.

Candi went to park the car while they went to check in. Nicki began doing her paperwork with the help of her mother. The pain was too overwhelming for her to concentrate on one thing.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I need you to try calling him again."

"Ok." Nicki's mother got up and left the waiting room to get a signal to call Safaree.

"These young girls be in and out of here." Nicki heard an older lady say. "Don't know nothing about raising a kid-"

"Cause they kids themselves." Her friend chimed in and they both laughed.

"Got they mamas up here stressed. Baby daddy else where."

"If they even know who the father is." She laughed.

"Excuse me?" Nicki said. "My baby is good. Worry about you and why you sitting over there damn there 50 years old and about to go into to labor. Where's your man? Oh. Ok." She rolled her eyes and just then she felt a contraction.

"Nicki." Her mother said. "He's on the way."

"I'm going to kill him."


"Nicki," He quickly walked over to her and grabbed her arm. He turned her around and placed his hand on her chin. "Baby, I'm gone be back before the baby gets here."

"But the doctor said-"

"That he's in position but the earliest he will come is two weeks before the due date. I'll leave on the seventh to be back for your birthday."

She sighed, "We didn't think Caiah was gonna come that early."

"And MacKenzie took forever coming. Its gonna work out fine. You keep stressing and he's gonna come tomorrow." She laughed and he kissed her forehead.

"Ok."

"Ok?"

"Yeah. Do you need help packing?"

"Almost done, actually. Thanks though."

"What time do we need to go get my mom?"

"Um, we should leave in an hour. I'm gonna just stay at the airport. My flight leaves at three."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Did you order everything for my baby's party?"

"Yes, babe."

"Do I need to check behind you?"

"No, Nicki." He said dully.

"Is it gonna be a party befitting of a princess?"

"Nicki, please." He laughed.

"What?" She laughed. "Its her first birthday."

"Which she won't remember."

"But I will. It has to be perfect, Faree. I'm counting on you."

"I can't believe you let me plan it."

"Me either." She laughed. "Don't fuck this up." She kissed his lips.

"I won't!" He said as she walked out of the room. He knew that she was beyond serious since she still felt bad for missing Micaiah's first birthday.

Ten Years Ago

"Pick up. Pick up." Nicki mumbled as the phone rang. This was her forth time calling and him.

"Yo!"

"Safaree?"

"Yeah. Where are you?"

"I been calling you."

"Oh, its storming pretty bad here so-"

"Thats why I was calling."

"Nicki, dont do this."

"The snow storm is really bad. They said if I fly out now that I'll have a delay in like timbucktwo."

"Nicki-"

"Safaree, Im really trying to make it but-"

"Its always so shit, yo! If Wayne told you to get your ass-"

"Safaree, this isnt in my control. Im trying to be there but-"

"Thats alright. Just stay where you at. We good, Nic."

"Safaree-" All she heard was the dial tone. She sighed and grabbed her lugguage and found her way back home. She was officially done with trying anymore with him. It was very apparent that neither him or their son needed her.



After picking up her mother, dropping Safaree off and doing some running around they were finally home. Nicki's mother went to clean up MacKenzie who had gotten her hands on Micaiah's chocolate bar and made a mess. Nicki put away the rest of the groceries and then went and sat on the couch with Micaiah. He looked at her and she smiled.

"Come here." He scooted closer to her. She wrapped both of her arms around him and he rested his head on her chest. "You know that I love you?"

"Yes."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"I know your dad talked to you about that stuff you said and made you apologize."

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Saying that stuff."

"Is that how you felt?" He didn't respond. "Be honest."

"No. . . Well, some of it."

"Which parts?"

"The part about Bash. I don't hate you, Mommy. I love you."

"I know." She stroked his cheek. "I understand why you were mad and I don't want you to feel sorry about that. The way you said it was disrespectful but what you felt wasn't. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Do you know why I left you?" He shook his head no.

"Nobody ever told me."

"Ok. So, when I was really young Grandma and Grandpa left me and your uncle in Trinidad for about two years so that they could build a better life for us in New York."

"Really?"

"Um hmm. So, when I had you and an opportunity came for me to give you better I didn't think that it was wrong to do the same thing that my parents did. The reason that I stayed away so long was because I started to feel bad, like I wasn't good enough for you."

"But you are." He looked at her.

"Micaiah, you and your sister are the best things in my life." She tried to blink away the tears that were teasing the rim of her eyelids. "I don't want you because I'm with your dad. Sometimes, you guys are the only thing that keeps us going. I didn't want to put Bash above you. I just wanted him to feel like he had a home. When I left you, I left you with people who would love and take care of you. Bash, he didn't even know us. Imagine how scary it was for him."

"I didn't think of that."

"As far as things changing because of Kenzie they have but not necessarily because of her. You're getting older and I expect more from you. You can go live with Carol if you want and I promise you gone be doing more shit than you do here." She laughed.

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you more." She kissed his forehead.

"Look who's all clean!" Nicki's mother said as she entered with MacKenzie.

"My baby." Nicki opened her arms and her mother handed her over. "What time is it?"

"Um, almost seven thirty."

"Oh! Caiah, go get my laptop. We gotta call your Dad."

"Ok."

Nicki sent Safaree a quick text before she called him on Skype. She placed the laptop on the coffee table and she and the kids sat in front of it.

"Sup, yall?" He asked.

"Hey babe."

"Sup?" Caiah asked.

"He just too cool for me." Nicki rolled her eyes and laughed. "What are you doing? Where are you? Do you miss us?"

"Dang, Nic." He laughed.

"What?" She smiled.

"I ain't know we was playing 21 questions."

"Oh. My bad."

"Kenzie, you aint talking to Daddy?" He asked but she had Nicki's phone in her hand and that occupied her attention.

"Kenzie?" Nicki said as she took the phone away. "Say hi to Daddy." Nicki pointed at the screen. "Say Daddy."

"Dadadada." They all laughed.

"Yo, I love hearing that." He smiled.

"Yeah, well she aint gone be allowed to speak if she don't start saying my name soon."

"Hater."

"Whatever."

"Caiah."

"Yes."

"I ain't forget to get that thing you asked for. Silver, right?"

"Yeah." He smiled wide. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"What?" Nicki asked.

"Mind your business."

"Safaree, you gone keep trying me and come home to not one bed to sleep in."

"What's SJ up to?"

"What else would he be doing?" Micaiah asked seriously and Nicki laughed.

"He's sleep." She said as she rubbed her stomach.

"Oh."

"What trouble are you about to get into?" Nicki asked. MacKenzie suddenly got a burst of energy and began to scream. "Shhhh."

"You know." Safaree said.

"And what business have you taken care of?"

"Don't start."

"I can't ask a question?" She asked with an attitude.

"Is MacKenzie walking yet?"

"You just left like four hours ago, Dad." Micaiah laughed.

"I left the room for a minute and she was standing."

"Really, Safaree?" Nicki asked now actually upset because he completely ignored her.

"Yo, you tryna start trouble, son. Chill."

She sighed, "Well, we have to get ready for our busy day tomorrow. Say bye, Caiah."

"Bye, Dad."

"B-" Nicki hung up the Skype call. Micaiah looked at her funny.

"Ok. Time to get ready for school."

"But, Ma-"

"No buts. I want you in the bed by nine and sleep no later than nine thirty. Lets go. Come on." He stood and she watched him drag his feet as he walked out of the room.


*Days Later*

Nicki stood around in the kitchen waiting for Safaree to arrive home. She couldn't figure out why he took such a late flight knowing that she would wanna be with him as soon as he got home. The front door opened and she immediately smiled.

"Faree?" She heard him drop his bags before following her voice.

"Hey, baby." He pecked her lips.

"What do you have behind your back?" She smiled.

"You still mad at me?"

"Didn't you get my edible arrangement thingy?"

"I never know with you." He laughed and looked at the clock. "Happy Birthday." He pulled a bouquet of red roses from behind his back.

"Aw, baby."

"Read the card." She sifted through the flowers until she found it. She pulled it out and looped through a whole on the card was a diamond tennis bracelet.

"Its beautiful. Thank you baby." He kissed her.

"You're welcome."

"I have something for you." She sat the flowers down.

"Really?" He like his lips.

"Don't even." She laughed.

"They way that message was set up on that card."

"The way I was joking."

"Word? You turning down head?"

"You gone want more and I'm too far along for that."

"Alright, man." He laughed.

"All you want me for is sex."

"I don't." He laughed. "Come on. What you got for me?"

"Are you hungry? I made your favorite earlier."

"Nah. I'm good. I appreciate that though."

"Ok." She grabbed his hand. "Come on."

She led him up to their room. When they entered the bedroom their were movies scattered all over the bed.

"What's this?"

"Caiah suckered me into going into this video store to see if they had any games he wanted and so I started looking at the movies and picked up a few.'

"A few?" He laughed.

"Ok. I got carriedaway but they're like pretty much every movie you made me sit through. Except, The Devil Wears Prada. Like, how could I not own this?" She laughed.

"We about to watch one."

"Um hmm." She smiled. "Oh, and I got your favorite chips and candy. Its in the closet. I had to hide it from your greedy ass son."

He laughed, "Good looking. Imma just take a shower and-"

"I ran us a bath. It should still be hot." He just looked at her and she blushed. "I mean, if you wanna shower that's fine. I'll just-"

"How is it that on your birthday you wanna do all this stuff for me?" He laughed.

"Two reasons."

"What?"

"One, you do nice, romantic, random shit for me all year round. Two, this is exactly how I want to spend my day."

"Alright. Come on with yo ass backwards ass." He laughed.

The next morning Nicki and Safaree were awoken by MacKenzie's loud babbling. They looked around to see Nicki's mother holding MacKenzie and Micaiah with a breakfast tray. They were both grateful that they did no more than make out last night or this morning would've been a lot more awkward.

"Happy Birthday!" Nicki's mother and Micaiah said. Micaiah placed the tray on her lap as she sat up.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"I made it all by myself." Micaiah said proudly.

"Really?" She smiled.

"Yes." Nicki's mother said. "All I did was supervise. He made enough for daddy too." She smiled.

"Thanks, man." Safaree smiled.

"Mommy, Mookie made you this." He pulled a piece of construction paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. She smiled at all of Mackenzie's small hand prints. She knew that it had to have been a complete struggle to get that project done.

"Thank you guys. This is really nice." She smiled.

"What are we going to do today?" Micaiah asked.

"Well, since I'm fat and uncomfortable no matter where I go or what I put on we're just gonna stay in and watch movies all day. Cool?"

"Cool." He smiled.





I know the ending is blasé and the transitions kind of such but I wanted to do something simple. Not drama filled. The last chap will def have more excitement. And I couldn't figure out how to write it but with Caiah Nic had an emergency C section. Well, that's what it was supposed to be. That's why in FS she's just getting out of surgery at the beginning I believe? You guys know? Anyway, that's  also why she's so nervous to be alone. Ok. So, yeah.