by Bailey West
“Hi, Zeke!”
“Hi, BJ! I’m so happy you are here!”
“Thank you! I’m happy to be here too. My mommy brung me here.”
“Hey Zora, come in.”
“Hi Ezekiel, thank you.”
I stepped out of the way so that she could enter while still holding BJ. She stepped into my house smelling amazing. She has a scent that I noticed when she sat next to me a Nette’s house. It’s a mix of coconut and jasmine.
“Welcome to my home. Let me take your jackets.”
I put BJ down and helped him take off his jacket while Zora handed me hers. I put them in the coat closet and walked back over to my guests.
Zora was wearing a black t-shirt with faded denim jeans and a red and black plaid shirt tied around her waist. She had on some peep-toe booties that showed off her neon pink toenail polish. She had BJ in a gray and black Nike sweatsuit with matching tennis shoes.
“So, are you ready to see my drums?”
“YES!” BJ screamed.
His excitement was contagious. I took his hand, and Zora followed as we walked through the kitchen of the house out the sliding door, past my pool to my music house.
“Oh, a pool!” BJ commented as we passed by my pool.
“Do you like pools?”
“Yes, my mommy takes me to the pool to swim and play.”
“There is a pool by your house?” I looked back to ask Zora.
“No, he’s talking about when we lived in New York. We haven’t been to a pool since we’ve been here.”
My music house was originally my guest house, but I had it soundproofed. Now I use it as a studio and practice space. I keep all my instruments in it, and there is a small studio that I use when I have epiphanies in the middle of the night that need to be recorded before I forget.
I opened the door and let Zora enter then BJ, and I walked in.
“This is my music house. I keep all my drum kits here.” I walked them over to the first kit. “This is the very first kit that I ever owned. My dad purchased this kit for me when I was a little older than you, BJ.”
“He did?”
“Yes, before this set, I would create my own set with anything in the house that made the noise that I needed to include books, skillets, and boxes.”
“Don’t give him any ideas,” Zora laughed.
“Have you ever seen a full drum set, BJ?”
“No, just the drum in my classroom.”
“I bet it looks like this one, right?” I pointed to the snare drum.
“Yes, but it’s littler.”
“Smaller, BJ. Not littler,” Zora corrected.
“It’s smaller,” BJ amended.
“This is called the kick drum. This is the most important piece in this whole set.”
“It is?”
“Yes, it is. This is the piece that provides the rhythm. It helps you to feel the music.”
I tapped the pedal of the kick drum a couple time. “See, you can feel that bass?”
BJ nodded.
“These are called Toms, and these…” I continued to name each piece in the kit. BJ listened intently to everything that I said. We walked further into the house. I showed him my travel kit, and then I stopped at my show kit, my custom set that I used for touring.
“There are a lot more pieces in this kit than in the others,” Zora observed.
“Yes, this is the one I use on tour. I used to keep it all bagged up and stored until it was time for me to go on tour again but now I keep it set up that way I can practice on it.”
“It’s really nice.”
“Thank you. It’s all custom made. I am in the process of creating a signature set that will incorporate some of these pieces into it. BJ, would you like to try these out?”
“Oh no, Ezekiel. I don’t think that’s a good idea. I wouldn’t want him to break anything.”
“It’s okay. Everything is replaceable. Besides, I will show him how to use them correctly. What do you say, man?”
“YES!” BJ screamed.
“Alright, first let me get you your own set of sticks,” I went into my storage room and grabbed a pair of brand new sticks. “These will be your own personal sticks, okay?”
BJ nodded vigorously.
“Let’s get your stool all set up, and we will be ready to go.”
I lowered the stool and helped BJ on to it. I pulled up a stool next to his and started with the drum basics.
We played around for about forty-five minutes. Zora sat close. She cheered BJ and encourage him as we played.
“Your mother told me that you like chicken nuggets and French fries, is that true?”
“Yes. I love chicken nuggets.” He smiled still holding on to his sticks.
“Let’s go into the house, and get dinner ready, okay?”
He nodded, and we moved back into the main house.
“BJ can you take your mom down the hall to the bathroom on the right to wash your hands, and I will get the food ready. How does that sound?”
“Okay, come on mommy.”
He took Zora’s hand, and they walked to the bathroom while I started working on the food. They returned to the kitchen.
“BJ, do you know how to cook?”
“Yes, my mommy lets me help her in the kitchen. I can’t do anything in the kitchen without a grown up because it’s dangerous.”
“That’s true. Would you like to help me make dinner?”
He smiled and nodded.
“It’s going to get a little messy. Is that okay?”
He nodded again.
I looked over to Zora just to make sure she was okay with it. She smiled, so I continued. I’ve never interacted with a kid, and I thought that I would be bored or nervous, but this kid is keeping me thoroughly entertained. I don’t know if all kids are cool like this, but I’m digging BJ.
His job was to dip the sliced chicken breast into the egg wash and then into the flour. I showed him how to use one hand for the dry ingredients and the other hand for the wet. He mastered the technique immediately.
He told me about his school and all his friends that he named one by one. It seems like the whole school is his friend. I didn’t mind. His conversation was great. Zora was right he could switch from topic to topic seamlessly.
“Zora, what do you do when you are not creating smiles?”
“You have been watching too many dentist commercials,” she chuckled.
“You don’t create smiles?”
She smiled, and her eyes brightened, “I’m not that dentist. I do more of the foundational work. The general dentist, prosthodontist or orthodontist create smiles. When I’m not working, I enjoy playing sports. I play basketball…”
“Basketball?”
“Yes, basketball. I grew up with three older brothers. I had to know how to play basketball if I wanted to hang out with them. I’m nice on the court, son.”
I busted out laughing at her trying to use a New York accent.
“I will have to see you on the court one day then.”
“Let me know the time and the place,” she smirked. “I also play tennis, but I recently joined a kickball team.”
“Kickball? For adults?”
“Yes.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“It is. One of the doctor’s wives told me about the team. I’ve played about five games with them so far. It is a blast.”
“I didn’t know that adults played kickball. Is it in a league?”
“Yeah, it’s a league. It’s so much fun. You should come and check it out.”
“I just might.”
“What about you? What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?”
“I make pottery.”
“Oh, okay…that’s cool.” She looked around the kitchen without making eye contact with me.
I looked at her and laughed, “I don’t make pottery! You must think I’m a lame! You just accepted it and didn’t even challenge it. You think I’m a lame,
Doctor Chambers?”
She laughed, “I mean, I’ve never met a man that was into pottery, but there’s a first for everything.”
We laughed.
“Your facial expression was priceless! You were probably thinking, ‘I got my son around this lame that makes pottery!’”
“That is not what I was thinking!”
“Yes, it is! I saw it all over your face!”
“You’re playing and didn’t answer the question,” she laughed.
“Music is my fun, straight up. When I’m not playing, I’m producing or writing. Music is my career and my hobby.”
“I like music too,” BJ chimed in.
We finished preparing dinner and sat down to eat. I bowed my head and said a quick prayer over my food before digging in.
“BJ these are some of the best chicken nuggets I have ever eaten. You did a great job cooking,” Zora commented.
“Thank you, Mommy. Zeke helped too.”
“You did a great job cooking also Ezekiel,” she smiled.
“Thank you, Zora. I couldn’t have done it without my Lil dude. I hope you saved some room for dessert.”
“Dessert! Yay!” BJ cheered.
I left the table and returned with vanilla ice cream and three bowls.
“When I was a little boy there was an ice cream truck that had the best ice cream. I would always get the chocolate dip cone. Do you know what that is BJ?”
“No, I just usually get bamilla.”
I smirked at his pronunciation of vanilla. “Let me show you.”
I put two scoops of ice cream into a bowl.
“Look, this is the fun part.”
I opened the top of the magic shell topping and poured it on top of the ice cream. I pushed the bowl toward him.
“Touch the chocolate. It’s not soft is it?”
BJ touched it. He snatched his finger back and smiled.
“It’s hard!”
“Yep, that’s why it’s magic.”
BJ was fascinated by the magic shell topping.
I made a bowl for Zora and then one for myself. We kept up our conversation until we finished our dessert. I picked up the bowls and cleaned off the table. Zora and BJ followed me into the kitchen.
“Ezekiel, can we help you clean the kitchen?”
“No, I don’t need any help.”
Zora looked around the kitchen and back at me.
“Really?” She asked with one eyebrow raised.
I looked around too. I have a maid that comes in, but that wouldn’t be until tomorrow morning. The kitchen was destroyed.
“Well, I guess you can help.”
We cleaned the kitchen together. I washed and rinsed. BJ dried, and Zora put them away. They are the first real guest that I’ve had in my house, and I enjoyed them immensely.
“Ezekiel, thank you for having us. I need to get this little guy home so he can get into bed.”
They followed me to the closet where I retrieved their jackets. I helped BJ with his.
“Thank you for letting me come over Zeke,” BJ sang while yawning.
I got down on my knee to talk to him.
“Thank you for helping me cook tonight. You are welcome to visit anytime, okay?”
“Okay!”
He threw his little arms around my neck. I hugged him back, fighting off the feeling I was having being around this little guy. I picked him up and followed Zora out of my house to her car. She strapped him in and closed his door.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Ezekiel. This has made his week.”
“I meant what I said. He is welcome anytime.”
I opened my arms to hug her. This was my first time touching her. I like the way she feels. She’s almost my height, so I don’t have to bend over to hug her. I like the way she smells. Her hair brushed against my nose. I got another whiff of the coconuts and jasmine; fresh and sweet. I let her go and opened her car door. I waved at BJ as they pulled away.
I walked into my house.
“Did I just have a date with a three-year-old and his mom? If I did, I hit that one out of the park!”
Zora
“Okay, man give me these sticks and go and get in the shower.”
“Mommy, can I take them with me into the shower?”
“No, baby. I will put them right here on your nightstand. I promise they will be here when you get out of the shower, okay?”
“Okay.”
I watched BJ go into his bathroom and close the door. I put his pajamas out on his bed and put the sticks on his nightstand. Sometimes I let BJ go into the bathroom on his own and take a shower. When he comes out, I check to make sure he cleaned all the important areas. He is getting to the age where he wants to do everything on his own. I am trying to let him be independent, but it’s hard.
I sat in the chair in his room and waited for him to complete his shower. I thought back to the evening we had with Ezekiel. I watched his interaction with BJ. He was patient and fun but always maintained his role as the adult. He answered all of BJ’s questions and didn’t ever appear to be overwhelmed with the million questions BJ asked. He explained things to BJ in a way that he could understand and didn’t mind repeating himself. I didn’t peg him for the type to like kids. He was great with BJ, though. BJ loves him. On the way home BJ talked about Zeke’s drums, then he talked about Zeke’s cooking, Zeke’s magic ice cream, Zeke, Zeke, Zeke. My son has his first man crush. I don’t blame him. I might have a little one myself.
I kept stealing glances at Ezekiel while he was working with Braeden. I’ve never been a fan of locs, but on Ezekiel, I loved them. His locs were long and well kept. He knows he’s fine, but when he interacted with BJ, he didn’t show any signs of arrogance. He showed my son a good time, and I appreciated it.
I reached into my pocket to retrieve my ringing phone. I saw Ezekiel’s name on the screen.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Zora.”
“Hey, Ezekiel.”
“I was calling to make sure you made it home okay. You didn’t get lost in the neighborhood, did you?”
His voice was husky and sensual like he was completely relaxed.
“No, it was easy to get out of the neighborhood. We made it home fine. BJ talked about you the entire ride back to our house. I had to tell him not to take his sticks into the shower with him. He doesn’t want to put them down.”
He laughed, “I’m glad he likes them. Thank you for bringing him by. I enjoyed my evening with him.”
“Thank you for having him.”
“Is he still awake? I would like to say goodnight if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind. He should be coming out of the shower any minute.”
“What does he do to stay busy? Do you have him in any sports or anything?”
“No, I don’t know if he wants to play sports.”
“Do you think that he may want to learn how to play some instruments?”
“I’ve never thought about it, but as much as he likes the drums, he would probably like to learn.”
“We can set up some time for him to come over and start learning the basics.”
“That would be wonderful, but I don’t want you to have to do that, though. I know your time is precious. I can find something for Braeden to do.”
“It’s not a problem. I think he will excel with instruments because he’s so fascinated with them. That’s usually how it begins. I will look at my schedule and see when we can set something up if that’s alright with you?”
“I would like that,” I smiled.
BJ came out the bathroom with his towel draped around his little shoulders. I put the phone on speaker while I helped him dry off and get into his pajamas.
“BJ, Ezekiel is on the phone. He wants to say good night.”
“Hi Zeke,” BJ spoke while I was helping him into his pajamas.
“Hey, BJ. I wanted to call and tell you that I had a good time. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight.”
�
�You’re welcome. I will come over again if my mommy brings me, okay?”
“Okay, that will be nice. Are you going to bed now?”
“Yes. Are you going to bed now too?”
“Yeah, I am. I just needed to tell your mommy one one more thing. Good night, man. I will see you soon.”
“Goodnight, Zeke.”
I turned off the speaker and spoke back into the phone.
“You needed something else, Ezekiel?”
“Yeah, I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed my evening with you too.”
I smiled so hard.
I kissed BJ on the cheek, “Goodnight baby.”
“Goodnight, Mommy.”
I closed Bj’s door and turned my attention back to my phone conversation.
“Is that right, Mr. Bluette?”
“It is, Doctor Chambers.”
“So, I’m invited back again too?”
“You are always welcome as well.”
“Maybe you can teach me pottery.”
“There are some things I’m sure I can teach you, but pottery isn’t one of them.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Bluette.”
“Sleep tight, Doctor Chambers.”
6
Zora and I have started having regular conversations. BJ and I usually begin the conversation then Zora and I end it. Talking to them has become a bright spot in my day. Our conversations aren’t long, and they aren’t every day, but when they do happen, I usually hang up the phone smiling. I haven’t seen them since they visited my house because I have been traveling.
I was in Sweet Rapids, Nevada for a meeting with Noble Naturals to discuss me coming on as a brand ambassador for their hair care line. I sat down with Isaiah Noble and his team. We discussed their plan to use me and my social media presence to promote their products that I already use on my locs. The pitch was well thought out and would be easy to accomplish. I requested to use Zanetta as my stylist for any events and photos. Isaiah agreed. I believe this will be a great collaboration.
After my meeting with Isaiah, I met a couple of my old band mates at a local bar. Warren, a keyboard player, and Dru, a lead guitarist, were both on the first tour with Lyrica. We were together so much, we became family.