Marry Me Twice

by Monica Walters

  “Thank you. How long have you and Umaru been married?”

  “Ten years in a couple of months. And he’s been amazing. Hopefully, Haji takes after him as a husband.”

  “He’s good to me and has been since before he asked me to marry him.” I had to get off that subject. Taj had made me extremely comfortable around her and I didn’t want to slip and say something I shouldn’t. “What’s up with Kevin?”

  “Girl, I don’t know. As long as I’ve been around the family, they never got along, but I did notice that Kevin started most of the drama. I think he’s jealous of Haji in some way. I only remember one time that Haji threw shit in his face. He’d come home from college to visit and he told Kevin that if he could get off his mama’s tit long enough, he could become a man.”

  She laughed and I chuckled because it sounded like something Haji would say. “It wasn’t funny then, because they started fighting after he said that, but it’s so funny now. Papa Ense was pissed. He was always harder on Haji, though, I never understood why. Haji is the youngest, but it seemed as if Kevin was the one who was spoiled.”

  Hmm. That was weird. Maybe it was the middle child thing. Not only was he the middle child, but he was small in stature according to his pictures on Instagram. Umaru was at least six inches taller than him in one of the pictures. Haji was the same height as Umaru. Also, Haji and Umaru looked alike. Kevin didn’t look that much like them to me. They had similar features but nothing that would have someone thinking they were brothers. “Well, I hope they can one day get it together.”

  “That would be totally up to Kevin. Haji has tried to be cordial, but Kevin just won’t grow up. He’s thirty-four or thirty-five and still can’t act like a grown man at times. He and Umaru have gotten into it, but mostly about how Kevin treats Haji.”

  She shook her head. “Mommy, can I have more to eat?”

  “I thought you wanted to swim? You can’t swim if you eat more.”

  “Well, maybe we can swim tomorrow.”

  I chuckled. That rabbit was off the grid. It was smothered this time and I think I loved it more this way than boiled in the seafood seasoning. It had a thick gravy and tasted amazing with rice. “Imani, I think I’m gonna join you for seconds. It was so good.”

  She giggled as we went to the kitchen for seconds. As I fixed her plate, Haji appeared behind me. He kissed my neck and said, “Today has been perfect. Tomorrow I had planned to take you to Houston to go shopping, but since my family is here, we’ll have to postpone that. I also booked our tickets for Lagos. We’ll be leaving in two weeks.”

  After giving Imani her plate, I turned to him and hugged him tightly. I kissed his lips and said, “Thank you so much. I really wish they could have been here.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to ask.”

  “They don’t have passports, so they wouldn’t have been able to come anyway.”

  “Well, we are going to see what we can do for them. I know you love your family. Do you think they would be open to coming to the US? How old is your sister?”

  The tears left my eyes. The deal was for me to become successful so I could help them. That hadn’t happened and I was stuck here because I didn’t have enough money to go home. Since Haji was an American citizen, I was too now. “I think they would love it here. My sister is twenty-five. She’s dedicated her life to taking care of my parents. I send money when I can, but I was supposed to be successful by now where I could help them more.”

  “Don’t cry, baby. We’ll talk about this later. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Fix your rabbit and enjoy yourself. You and Taj seem to be getting along.”

  “We are. God, I love you,” I said, then kissed his lips.

  He slapped my ass, then winked at me. “I love you more.”

  When he walked away, I took a deep breath. Bringing my parents and sister here would mean the world to me. They were living in poverty in Lagos, barely surviving. I couldn’t wait to talk to Haji more about it tonight and talk to them tomorrow. After fixing my food, I went to the table and sat next to Ms. Afiong. Before I could start eating, she grabbed my hand. “I just wanted to say that you are most definitely the one for him. The happiness on his face and the glow on his skin… it’s something I’ve never seen. I also apologize for what Kevin did. Taj told me about it. I must admit, I had my doubts because this seemed to happen so quickly, but there’s no doubt in my mind now.”

  I smiled at her. Being that I was already emotional, the tears slid down my cheeks. She put her hands to my face and said, “I can see how much you love him as well. The way you respect him and love him is beautiful to watch. I’ve been watching you two since you came downstairs. The winks and kisses being blown across the room is heartwarming. I’m sorry. I interrupted your meal. Eat up. We have so much to talk about.”

  I smiled and blessed my food. Hopefully, the ‘so much’ we had to talk about would be just getting to know one another.

  “Daraja!”

  “Hey, sis! We’ve been waiting to hear from you! How are you?”

  “I’m good. I have Haji sitting next to me. Say hello.”

  She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, then said, “Hello, Haji. So nice to make your acquaintance.”

  I rolled my eyes at how she’d changed her voice. He chuckled slightly, then said, “Hello, Daraja.”

  “How are y’all, sis?”

  “We’re okay. Since you sent that money, we were able to get the things we needed. Thank you, Nara.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. Where’s Mama and Papa?”

  “They are in the front room. I’m heading in there.”

  I sat in Haji’s arms excited as hell with what I was about to say to them. We’d talked last night, and he’d surprised me by some of the things he said. “Chi Chi!” Papa yelled. “How are you?”

  “I’m so good, Papa. How are you?”

  “Good, since I know that you are good.”

  “Hi, Nara!”

  “Hey, Mama. How are you feeling?” I asked, noticing that her voice sounded somewhat weak.

  “I’m hanging in there. I feel dizzy and weak a lot, but the doctors are having a hard time treating me because I can’t pay them. They patch me up with some medicine for a temporary fix and send me on my way.”

  Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. She was getting worse. Diabetes was destroying her body. The tear fell from my eye and Haji wiped it, then softly kissed my cheek. “That’s no good, Mama. Umm, Haji is on the phone.”

  “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Nwachuku.”

  “Hello,” they both said in unison.

  My parents were extremely guarded when it came to meeting new people. So, they were completely silent after that. I chuckled and said, “Haji bought us plane tickets. We’ll be seeing you guys in two weeks. Oh, and umm… we got married yesterday.”

  I could hear Daraja screaming in excitement in the background and I could imagine that she was running and jumping all over the house. Mama was laughing and I assumed it was at Daraja’s theatrics. “Haji, thank you. I haven’t seen my Chi Chi in ten years. This means more than you could ever know.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Nwachuku.”

  “Papa, there’s more.”

  Everyone was quiet, waiting for what I would say. “While we are there, we will apply for passports and Visas. I… we would like for y’all to move here with us. Mama will get better care and Daraja will be able to live her life and pursue her dreams. Plus, I’ll get to see you guys all the time.”

  There was complete quietness. Then Daraja asked, “Where would we live?”

  “Haji has a five-bedroom home. Besides his room, two of the other bedrooms have their own bathrooms. You would have privacy. And he has a huge kitchen.”

  “We… Chinara. We have enough room in our home to accommodate all of you.”

  I leaned over to him and softly kissed his lips. This man was so good to me. As we waited for their response, there was
a knock at our bedroom door. Haji went to answer it and I saw his mother standing there. After a brief exchange, he came back to me. Kissing my shoulder, he slid the covers from over me and began caressing his favorite spots. I almost moaned. I pushed his hand away as he smirked. Finally, my mama said, “Haji, can we think about it and give you an answer by the time the two of you come to visit?”

  “Sure. Take as much time as you need. I understand that it’s a lot to uproot yourself from all you’ve ever known.”

  I knew that if the decision had been up to Daraja, she’d be at the airport trying to hop a flight without a ticket. “Mama, please think about it. I want you to be around a lot longer and I can tell by your voice that you aren’t feeling well. I love all of you and just want what’s best. But if you choose to stay there in Lagos, I won’t be angry. I’ll do whatever I can to help you financially.”

  “We love you, too. And we will seriously think about it,” Papa said.

  I could hear movement like someone was walking, then a door close. “Listen, sis. I’m gon’ talk them into it. If it were up to me, I’d have you transfer those flights to us, and we’d be there as soon as those passports came in. I’m tired, Chinara. I just want to live.”

  “I know, sis. Work on them. I love you.”

  “I love you more.”

  I ended the call and allowed the tears to fall from my eyes. “Don’t cry, Pretty Black. Whatever they decide, we’ll have to be okay with it. Okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  He pulled me back to the bed as I smelled food. I assumed his mother had come to the door to say she would be cooking breakfast. My stomach growled loudly, and he frowned. “Damn, girl. You hungry? Shit.”

  I playfully slapped his arm. “I’m starving. After last night and this morning, I would like to say I worked up an appetite.”

  He chuckled and pulled me in his arms and said, “Hell yeah. My dick was thoroughly satisfied, but his ass greedy. He winking at’chu now.”

  I slowly shook my head, then disappeared under the covers and pulled his drawers down over his erection. He’d been inside of me so much the last few hours, my scent had taken over him. Slowly sliding my mouth over it, I lubed him up really good, then began pleasing my man how he liked it. Each time I gave him head, I tried to get better. His groans propelled me forward and let me know that I was doing something right. Surprisingly, I found out last night that he liked to feel my teeth occasionally… not an overwhelming amount, just enough to lightly glide along his length, reminding him that he was in my mouth.

  Throwing the covers off me, Haji grabbed ahold of my hair and said, “Damn, baby. You handling a nigga like this early this morning? Fuck!”

  I moaned on him, feeling the head of his dick pulsate. Teasing it, I only sucked the head, making him grip my hair tighter as he tried to remain quiet. I loved hearing him express himself during sex. Quickly pulling me off his dick, he flipped me over and immediately slid inside of me. Lying on my side, I closed my eyes and moaned. Haji lifted my leg, then said in a low voice near my ear, “This love shit between us is untamable. I feel like I’ll fuck you anywhere. I love you, Pretty Black.”

  “I love you, too,” I panted.

  Putting my leg over his shoulder, he leaned over to tease my nipple with his tongue as his dick, nearly paralyzed me into submission. I hadn’t had dick until I met his. That bullshit before this had to be just penis or cock. It had to have a certain skill and size to be considered a dick. And this shit Haji was putting on me was all dick. “O kan lara daraaa… mu funmi.”

  I didn’t even know if he knew what I’d said at first, but it was apparent when he started stroking me harder and deeper. Telling him, it felt so good and to give it to me in Yoruba brought out the African beast in him. My moans had gotten louder, and my nails were digging into whatever part of him I could grasp. After biting my earlobe, he said, “Ahhh fuck! I hope you on the pill. I’m ‘bout to put triplets in yo’ shit.”

  I smiled slightly. I didn’t take birth control pills, so whatever happened was just gonna happen. Before I could respond, I came… hard. “Hajiiii! Fuck!!”

  He quickly covered my mouth, because my screams of passion could have been heard down the street. That orgasm snuck up on me and wiped me out. My muffled sounds and my wide eyes must have done something to him because, shortly after, I had to cover his mouth. He pounded into me hard and gripped my hips tightly as he released his seed. If I wasn’t so dark-complexioned, I would surely see bruises where his fingers had dug into my flesh. Collapsing beside me, he grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I’ll have all of the babies you want, King.”

  He turned to me and said, “You saying that now.”

  After chuckling, he turned to me and kissed my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips. “I’m good with two, but if you want more, we can make that happen.”

  “My womb is open to you. And I can’t wait to carry your legacy, Haji Okiro Abimbola.”

  19

  Haji

  The nineteen-hour flight had wiped us out. When we got to the hotel in Lagos, we took a nap before calling her family. I supposed had I let her sleep the night before we left, we would have been more rested, but I couldn’t get enough of her. Sleep was broken a lot on the flight, because every time the plane jerked, Chinara woke up, panicking. Since she hadn’t flown in years, she’d forgotten that sometimes the slight turbulence only meant we could be flying through clouds. Regardless of that fact, it was still turbulence and could have a bad result. Because she was nervous, it made me nervous.

  My family had stayed for a week after the wedding and Chinara, Mama, and Taj were like the three musketeers with their broke best friend, Imani. They’d spent time getting their hair done, going to the spa and shopping. Surprisingly, Mama funded their activities. She obviously wasn’t as tight with money as my dad had been. That nigga was tight as hell, like we were a step below the poverty level. Umaru and I seemed to get even closer during the time they were here. We spent more time together than we had in years and he really enjoyed his first trip to America.

  When I stirred awake from my nap, Chinara was staring at me with a huge smile on her face. We’d gotten a room at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel and the bed was extremely comfortable. I’d slept like a baby. We’d gotten a suite with a lagoon view, that way her family could spend time with us here during the day. Their home didn’t have air conditioner and it was hot as hell outside. I didn’t know how in the hell they were surviving in this heat. Gently sliding my hand over her cheek, I said, “Have you called them?”

  “No. I was waiting for you to wake up.”

  “How long did I sleep?”

  “I slept an hour and you slept another hour after me.”

  “Make the call, Pretty Black.”

  I kissed her forehead, then she hopped up from the bed. When she called, she started screaming and dancing, telling her sister that we were here and for them to get dressed. I chuckled as I watched her. She was so excited, and I hated that she had to go so long without seeing her family. They seemed extremely close. We’d rented an SUV because her family didn’t own a car. That way we could transport them back and forth. We would be here for a little over a week and depending on how her mom felt would determine what all we did.

  I hadn’t been here in a long time and it was just as hot as I remembered it being. So, hopefully, most of our activities wouldn’t be outdoors. When Chinara ended the call, she hopped in the bed and fell on top of me as I laughed. She was so happy, and I was happy that I could help put that joy in her heart. “So, are we going to get them, or will you send a car for them?”

  “We’re gonna go get them. What time is it?”

  “Good. I wanted to see what condition the house was in. And it’s noon.”

  “Okay. Well, let’s get going. We have reservations at five and we have to prepare before that.”

  “Reservations where? At a restaurant? Does my family know?”

  “Slow down, baby. Everything
is handled.”

  I kissed her forehead and got up from the bed, then pulled her up as well. Pulling her close, I said, “I’m so happy that you’re happy. I can’t wait to see your face later.”

  She frowned slightly and it caused me to chuckle. She had no idea what she was in store for. “Haji, what do you have planned?”

  “Just know that you will love it. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she said hesitantly.

  We exited the hotel and she directed me to her parents’ home. When we got there, I understood their reasons for getting her to America. Their home was in horrible condition. The joy on Chinara’s face had turned into sadness as she looked at it. If a strong wind came through, it looked like it would fall to the ground. “I can’t believe none of them ever told me just how bad the house was.”

  “Things are about to change, baby. Come on.”

  We got out of the car and headed to the door. Before we could knock, the young lady I took for her sister flung the door open and practically jumped on her. She looked a lot like Chinara but wasn’t as dark-complexioned. She was still chocolate, but she lacked that richness my baby had. After they screamed for what felt like eternity in this heat, Daraja finally looked over at me, lowered her head, and said, “Hello, Haji.”

  I pulled her into a hug. “Girl, if you don’t quit playing.”

  She laughed loudly, then invited us in. Mr. Nwachucku was standing there with a huge smile on his face. Chinara ran to him and hugged him tightly as a woman came from the back, using a cane. The tears fell from Chinara’s eyes as she looked at her mother. I could tell that she’d been in bad health for a while. Her body may not be able to take such a long flight. Mr. Nwachuku came to me and shook my hand, then suddenly pulled me into an embrace. That caught me off-guard. I’d never hugged my dad as an adult. The last time I remembered hugging him was after my high school graduation. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Abimbola.”