“Umm, I think Jasmine said it was going to be about two hours. So I’ll call you an hour before it’s over.” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.
“Okay, have fun. Give Keisha my love and this too.” He said, pulling out an envelope that I knew had money in it. My dad was a giver and didn’t mind, especially when it came to family. He had a special place for Keisha in his heart because he was friends with her dad, who was killed when she was only six or seven years old. He knew how much Keisha meant to her father and made a vow to be there whenever she needed it.
“Dad, you know Keisha is probably not going to take that,” I smirked because I knew my cousin.
“I know, but say it’s for the baby. I know Daniel would want her and the baby to be taken care of. I can’t believe I’m even saying that. Baby…. And you two are pregnant around the same time. Y’all are reminding me of Aretha and Kourtnee. Kourtnee got pregnant with Keisha and kept wishing Aretha was pregnant too. Well, she got her wish, but was off by a year; however, they still raised y’all to be close even after Kourtnee left.” He shared.
“I know. I can’t believe it either. It wasn’t planned, though.”
“I know, love. I know.” He said, then rubbed my shoulder.
“Do you think Daniel would’ve been like you and been supportive?” I asked.
“Definitely. Keisha could do no wrong in his eyes, the same as you in my eyes. Things happen, but I think you’re doing the best that you can. Is this the life I wanted for you? No, but I know this is not the life my parents wanted for me either. I get that sometimes you have to go through your own stuff to grow and learn. However, I just hope that everything I taught you will get you back on track.”
“It already has, daddy. I love you.” I said then leaned over to kiss his cheek. He just smiled and returned a kiss to my forehead.
∞∞∞
“Am I early?” I asked as I walked into the house; the door was unlocked. Jasmine really outdid herself; she had pink and blue balloons, streamers, and a big banner on the wall that had; We’ll miss you, Keisha! I saw a small table in the living room that had gifts on it already. I placed my gift bag on the table as Jasmine was coming into the dining room with a white two-tier cake in her hands.
“No, you’re on time. You know how these folks are around here. CPT!” She said while placing the cake on the table and rolling her eyes. I took a minute to admire Jasmine because she’s always been gorgeous to me, even though she always dressed in jeans and sneakers. I never really saw any resemblance between her and Chianne, but they had the same brown skin. Anywho, Jasmine reminded me of Chanel Iman with her cute baby face and foreign features. She had a body like Angela Simmons, though, and always wore her hair in braids. Today she actually surprised me by wearing a baby-blue colored maxi dress with silver sandals. Her braids were in half up/half down style with silver hair accessories.
“You look so cute!” I said as I walked over to hug her.
“Thanks, boo! You know this is not in my element, but I’m switching things up since I’m a wife now.” She said, hugging me back.
“Oh yeah, Chianne told me that you were getting married last week. Congratulations!!” I said.
“Thank you. Wow, look at you, so big and ready to pop. Keisha is not due until October, but her stomach is getting big.”
“Don’t remind me. I have to carry this load around all the time. I can’t wait to give birth and drop this.”
“When are you due?”
“End of the month. Like the 27th.”
“That’s right around the corner. Are you having a baby shower?”
“No,” I said, then slightly put my head down. It’s not that I didn’t want one, it’s just that it didn’t seem right having one with everything going on.
“Awww, well, this is your party as much as it’s Keisha’s.”
“Oh no, it’s fine. This is for Keisha and her baby. I’m good.”
“Bre!!!!” I heard a group of voices say in unison. I turned around to face the stairs and saw Keisha’s little sisters and brother, Kalliyah, Kamille, and Keshawn.
“Hey, y’all,” I said as they ran down the stairs to hug me. We all hugged, and I let them get a feel of my belly. We talked for a minute, just catching up and whatnot. Jasmine’s husband, Domo, showed up next with some more stuff for the party. Eventually, everyone who was invited finally made it before Keisha got there. Most of the guests were Keisha’s friends and Natasha and Heaven. Jasmine shared that it was a surprise that she and my little cousins wanted to plan for her. I didn’t think it was a good idea because I know Keisha doesn’t really like surprises, especially during a time like this. However, I know she would’ve appreciated the gesture and enjoyed seeing everyone before she left. I was a little confused that nobody mentioned the father of the child. I know she was thinking about moving forward with Dre after her breakup with Dwayne. Still, I wasn’t sure what she actually ended up doing. Who was the father?And what’s really going on?
When Keisha finally showed up, she was definitely surprised and seemed a little uncomfortable. I know she wasn’t expecting this, but she kind of looked like she didn’t kind of want it. Her eyes seemed filled with regret and sorrow. So when I saw her walk back out to the porch, Jasmine and I made eye contact and followed her. We saw her sitting on the porch and sat down next to her.
“Sorry for walking out like that,” She said as she put her
