by DhNAi Divine
The day warps into the night, replacing a blue sky with an ink colored sky. Stars lit up the ceiling over the world, cooled air fell throughout the city Gatara. Mothers were calling in children and pets, shutting off porch lights and closing front doors. It was time for the last meal of the day, smells rising in the kitchen just like steam floating high from simmering pots. But, no kitchen was baking like Khez's, because a heated argument was taking place in hers.
Mom slams the bowl of lettuce on the counter, snaps around at me, pointing a long finger. “Why do you have to be like this?!”
I roll my eyes, staring down at my nails, doin' my best to tune her loud ass mouth out. She been on edge since the day started, I pushed her over by telling her that Drei was in fact my new boy toy. At the moment she's lettin' all her steam out. Now that she's gettin' closer to meetin'—
“Do you hear me little girl?! God!” She screeches me out of mid thought. “Sometimes I wonder what madness is going on in that head of yours.”
“Mom,” I say as loud, but as low as I could, “this is ridiculous. Drei will be here any minute. You should not be heated like this.” I put my weight on the wall closest to the door, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Ridiculous,” she whispers, whipping so fast to the fridge and back to the counter, if I wasn't looking I woulda swore she didn't move at all. “Ridiculous! I'll tell you ridiculous.” Mom takes a deep breath and right there is when I knew this situation was gonna get worse way before it ever got better. Mom switch gears on me, swapping Eglan to our traditional language Khemzyn.
“This is ridiculous—you and that boy! How dare he and you just now tell us? This is not THEE old ways of Couvazin people! We present respect for our elders. We don't gallivant around the city with people let alone a mate—our parents don't even know!”
I sigh out of pure frustration, holding my head trying to keep an upcoming headache from brewing. I flopped down on a chair and just listen to her everlasting naggin' lips.
“Never met his family—for all we know he may not have a family!” Jyyetha shouts at the top of her lungs in Khemzyn. “For all we know, he could be some old majisoe (mah-gee-so) essen man—looking for a gullible little girl. My own damn daughter.”
Oh hell naw. For that hit she just gave me I got ta address. I hop up. “Hol' up mama. I ain't no dummy,” I defend in Eglan, “I checked him out. I took safety precautions mom—you have to stop this.”
She gives me her back, beating the hell out of the meat I'm supposed to be eating. “Don't tell me what to do,” she scolds me in Khemzyn. “What is it with you young people? Or is it just my child? Sometimes, I wonder if you are my child or some demon that festered in my womb.”
“Mom!” I yell, hopping back up. “How could you say that?”
She turns to me, acting like she didn't just hear what came out her mouth. She carries the last bit of meat over to the stove. “Why Kheznaria? Why do you have to be like that? Why just this month we find out about this boy? Why just yesterday we find out this boy's name? And why today we find out he's courting you?”
I look down at my feet. Yeah, this boy. Even though I told her Drei's name she won't say it. Like he some evil spirit that can only be conjured by name. This ish is beyond absurd wit' my mama. Time to shut this drama down!
“Mama!” Her head snaps in my direction. “I get it, okay? I get it. You're mad, dad's mad, rightfully so. I should of told you. But, do you see why I don't tell y'all anything?”
“Don't blame this on us,” mom defensively tells me.
“I'm not blamin' anything on anybody. I'm just sayin'. I don't tell y'all—'cause y'all blow up. No matter what I do. Even if I did it right. I not only told y'all about him, but I invited him under some messed up circumstance—that's my doing—to have dinner with us. I'm not askin' you to like him. All I'm asking—is that you make dinner, have it with us and give him a chance. That's it.”
Mom takes a deep breath, to turn the crazy back off, nods her head and answers in Eglan, “Alright.”
As soon as we was done cooking in the kitchen I go to round up the house. Mom had left me in the kitchen to finish up, I found her on the front porch, still fuming, but fuming in silence. Dad and Tika was out in the garden, staring at the sky, acting like they departed to another plane. Whenever those two clowns wanted to tune out some noise—they went straight for the garden. Like they didn't hear me and mama arguing.
Or better yet hearing mama yell at me. I sit the fam in the living room, easy on me to have them in one central location. Lest they come up wit an idea to run Drei away in more private places. I was nervous as shit sittin' in the livin' room with them. I wanted to scream!
After a good thirty somein' minutes my boo came through. I sprinted so fast to the door felt like an out a body experience. I got ghost foreal—hell I wasn't even sure my body really moved. I knew it was real when I pulled back the front door and saw my man standin' there. Lookin' mighty good.
Mm. His gold skin freshly polished up, glowing anew, lil cloth here and there, but was lookin' as original as ever. Like I knew he would. My boo ain't too fond of all the cloths, unlike me.
He smiles at me, complimenting his girl, “You look beautiful in that dress.”
“Why thank you,” I do a little twirl for him. “Those flowers for me?”
“You know it.” He passes the pretty sparkling plants to me. “You ready to do this?”
“Am I ready? Naw, the real question is—are you ready? I know these folks—I know what to expect.”
“Well, let's do the damn thing.” He puts out his hand for me to take, I do exactly that.
The happy couple that is us stop by the kitchen first, so I could make sure my purrty flowers live pass today, even if I don't. Once I felt my flowers were to live in the spring water I placed them in, we head off to the execution room. The living room, I meant. Even if my body make it out, I know somethin' is go be dead by the end of dinner, messin' with my parents. My parents stand as they see us enter, the two tall and gold.
I was quite surprised to see them get dressed up Yerosai Couvazin style. My mom and dad had a nice strip of cloth traveling around their shoulders, draping down to their waists. Mainly they dressed their golden bodies with complimentary jewels. I can't front—they was looking pretty sweet.
I take a deep, ocean deep breath, bracing myself, “Mom...dad,” I look to each of them, “this is Dyondrei.”
“Uh hello.” He steps further in the exec—living room. “Simply Drei is fine. First, I wanna apologize for not comin' around sooner to um...introduce myself. I know it's not our way as Couvazin people. My mama have raised me better than that. It's just...time flew by so fast, you know. But, I am sorry, there's no excuse. I was a little nervous myself—it ain't Khezzy's fault.”
Aww! Gotta love this man. I know my parents definitely go hate him now. Where the hell is Samita? She supposed to be helpin' me diffuse this tickin' bomb.
“Oh cool man,” 'Tika pipes up, staring down. “I heard about Eyce Breakah. They got pretty good stuff?”
Drei lifts a bag with the words Eyce Breakah stamped on it. Damn, I didn't even notice it. I guess I was too busy lookin' at his sexy face and that nice body a his.
“Yeah,” he answers, “they do. I got somethin' for all y'all.”
I shake my head, saying, “I never heard of Eyce Breakah. How you know about it 'Tika?”
'Tika grins, telling me, “I know quite a few thing you don't boo boo.”
I smack my lips, “Whatever.” 'Tika got a fishy smile spread on her face, somethin' is off.
Drei passes the gifts around and adds, “Listen, these presents are to be opened in private. Check 'em out after dinner.”
“You ain't got ta tell me twice brotha.” 'Tika said and tucks her gift on the side of the couch she sitting on.
“Um thank you Dyondrei,” my dad says.
My parents unwrap their boxes and I saw it all in slow motion. Blue gook splatters all over they face and the slime was live
baby! The blue slime was animated and for a few seconds it climbed on their face—my ass was on pause. OH SHIT! THAT. DID. NOT. JUST. HAPPEN.
I come back to life, bursting in laughter, 'Tika joins me. The only ones not laughin' was my parents and my Drei. Drei was pretty perturbed, as if it happened to him.
“I am so sorry.” He apologizes.
“Why would you give us somethin' like this if you're so sorry?!” My dad yells in Khemzyn.
Drei shakes his head, mouth open, then closes softly. Words come to him, “It was meant to be done in private. You know—make the married couple laugh amongst themselves, maybe inspire somethin' else when y'all clean up. I am sorry,” he says slowly.
Since my parents always wanna play like they know the best for every freaking body—they didn't have the ability to listen! Listen when Drei advised: Open Package Later. 'Tika sho listened. So what, they ass got embarrassed. And I got a healthy laugh out of it.
I may have to thank them later for not listening or else I woulda missed a glorious moment. My parents left for their room to dry up the gook. I just know me and 'Tika's laughs echoed up the steps, permanently making a spot in their know it all ears. I couldn't call down, neither could Tik' Tik'. I guess one could say the dinner went downhill from there, all the way to my parent's birthplace, the hot pits.
It took me a while to finish my plate, 'cause I kept popping up my head to stare at my parents. Questionin' wit' my eyes if they really just said that dumb shit. I was so pissed, my hands was trembling. Drei sat next to me, quietly consuming his dinner, I was tempted to tell him to throw the fucking fork down. Hell—my mama mighta poisoned him and me.
Someway somehow he ate peacefully, every now and again looking up to politely answer the stupid questions my parents let throw up out their mouth. Mom and Dad go hold this lil prank against this man as long as I'm with him. A good 12 minutes in and I was done. Done. I couldn't take anymore.
My parents was insulting Drei in the best way they knew how. My folks was so smooth with insulting the you'd think it was a compliment. Damn cowards. Can't even talk that crap straight up. I always saw through it, I knew better.
Always have. When they started on his mama is when I said—
“Enough,” I whisper low, catching the whole table, “you will not keep insulting him in front of me.” I jab myself with my finger. “You see—him bein' the guy that he is and his care for me—he won't call y'all out, but I will.”
Mom gave me the eye of death, but I didn't back down. I tried to give it back. “You dare stand for this heathen.”
Oh, there go some tell it straight truth right there. Tell me how you really feel mama.
Mom finishes sayin' dumb shit, “Pick him over us.”
“Obviously. You been pickin' plenty over me. He's a good brotha—y'all just,” I switch to Khemzyn, loving how the curse words roll of my tongue, “assholes.” Khemzyn curse words had much more power to them than Eglan's, so I knew my parents would be angry off that alone. Lovely, really.
My dad stands from his chair, his wings slowly creeping to a spread. And that's a threat to me. “You watch your mouth when you speak to us. We are still your parents.”
I stand as well. “Since when? Y'all ain't never been anything to me. Fuck y'all. I'm out. Come Dyondrei, let's go.”
I take Drei behind my house, passing our fenced garden/yard and towards a bundle of trees. Behind it is the Auiji river/stream thing. It was a little ways from my house. We sit down near it, dipping our toes in the freezing water. The moonlight brilliant on us both.
I turn to him. “I'm sorry. I told you my parents off the hook.”
“I see you off the hook too.” My head leans to the side, brows crunch up, he lifts one brow in response. In Khemzyn, he repeats my words, “Assholes?” He shakes his head, his beautiful coiled hair kept short. “We never use words like that against our parents. And if we dare...we don't do it in Khemzyn.”
I shrug. “We're all not fortunate enough to have parents like mine—where you can use words like that.”
He reaches out to cup my cheek. “Why you so angry at them pretty girl?”
I look away and swallow. “It's a long story.”
He laughs, I snap to his direction. “No, it's not. Teenage rage. That's it. You probably don't even know why you always so pissed.”
I shake my head. “I ain't teenager anymore.”
He points at me. “You know the years linger in the 20's. You still teenaged baby. We both are.”
I grab his finger, then take his whole hand. “Trust me when I say,” I stare in his eyes, “it is a long story. Now...back to you and yo' gift givin' self. How you go give everybody a gift but me?”
He briefly chuckles. “I got somein' for you. I was gonna save it for you till the end a dinner. If all went well. But, since it didn't—I figure you need somethin' to lift your spirits.”
“And you would be correct.” I smile. “What you got?”
He still had the Eyce Breakah bag on him. He pulls out a frilly box, he opened in slow motion, revealing a stone. I gasp. “Is that what I think it is?” He nods to me. “You got that from Eyce Breakah?”
He bites his lip, “Naw. I got it sent in from a few towns over. You know Polished Brahn is hard to come by around our cities.” He laces his fingers in mine, grabbing my sight with his eyes. “May I place it on your heart?”
I nod yes. He helps me out my dress, revealing my own golden skin. I soften the skin for him and he presses the Heart Stone over my heart.
He rubbed his fingers over it, whisperin' to me in Khemzyn, “Beautiful.”
His hands found my upper arms, his strong arm pulls me on his lap. Warm plush lips found mine and I so couldn't help moaning out. Though he felt good against me, I pull back.
“What?” He asks, his eyes searching my face.
“I don't wanna have sex. When we do it—I want it after a good night, not a shitty one like this.”
He nods and sighs. “How about you meet my family? They somethin', but not quite as somethin' as yours—no offense.”
I smack my lips. “No offense taken. I know my parents are the greatest trip.” To death.
She softly giggles, pushing her twists out her face, laughing at the boy's urgent need to see her tonight. He wants a recap of last weekend's nightcap. A nightcap that only consisted of kissing. Dhonjuh clicks off the mirror and runs to the bathroom to freshen up.
