by Bailey West
“I am four years old. My mommy says I’m going on fifty, but I think I’m going on five.”
The audience laughed again.
“I like our bowties. Where did we get these from?”
“My bowtie collection.”
“Your bowtie collection?”
“Yes, I am the COO of BJ’s Bowties. It’s a Bluette Men company.”
“Oh, I see. What is the COO’s job?”
“I help make sure the bowties get made. I pick out fabrics with my Tee Tee. My Uncle Paxton learned me how to be a businessman like him and my uncle Blue and my daddy.”
The audience ooh'd and ahh’d while BJ spoke. He sat BJ on a stool next to his as he sat back down.
“As you can see, I have missed out on quite a bit of my grandson’s life. He already owns a company.”
The audience laughed.
“My next announcement is that today will be my last day as the Senior Pastor of Pool of Siloam.”
Everyone gasped and spoke among themselves.
“I am retiring and leaving the church in the capable hands of Elder Moyses Daughton and his wife, Mila.”
The new Pastor and his wife stood while everyone clapped.
James spoke to Zora and me and told us his decision to move to Houston. He had already spoken to the person that would be taking over his church. He said they’d discussed this happening even before he was reunited with Zora. After his reconciliation with her, he decided to move the date up. Zora told him that he could have her house since she and BJ would be moving into my house. That was all he needed to hear.
“Sheila and I are no longer together due to irreconcilable differences. I will be accompanying Baby Girl and her family back to Houston. It has been an honor to serve as your Pastor. I truly love you all. Keep my family and me in your prayers, and I will keep you in mine.”
He picked up BJ from his stool and walked down out of the pulpit. We all followed behind him while the church stood and clapped. Some people stepped out into the aisle to hug him while others waved and smiled.
Zora
“Hey Baby Girl, before you return to Houston, there is something else I need to discuss with you. Would you mind meeting me at my office?”
I was on the phone talking to Countee while Ezekiel and I were packing our luggage to head back to Houston.
“Zeke, Countee needs for us to stop by his office before we leave. Will we have time?”
“Yeah, we will have time.”
“Cool. I will send one of my men to pick you up. He can take you to the airport after were done.”
“Okay, see you in a few minutes.”
Countee’s employee met us at our hotel about thirty minutes later. He drove us to a glass office building and pulled into the parking garage. We followed him to Countee’s office.
“What’s up, BJ?” Countee pulled BJ in for a hug.
“Nothing Uncle Countee,” BJ smiled.
“I have a room down the hall that has video games, books, and snacks. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes!” BJ sang.
“Baby Girl, is it okay if BJ hangs out with my assistant while we talk?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Countee’s assistant took BJ’s hand and led him to a room down the hall while Zeke and I followed Countee into his office.
“Have a seat,” Countee pointed to the plush chairs in front of his desk. “I asked you to come here because there is one more thing you need to know.”
I immediately had all sorts of thoughts run through my head. “Is my dad sick? Do I have another sibling?” I didn’t know what to think.
“When I found you in New York, I also came across some people that you knew. One, in particular, I figured you would want this information on.” Countee handed me a manila folder. “Open it.”
I opened the folder and right on top of several pieces of paper was a picture of Bahir. I looked at the picture for a moment before I looked at Countee.
“This is Bahir, BJ’s biological father.”
I passed the picture to Ezekiel.
“I know. Look at the rest of the papers.”
The first paper on the stack was Bahir’s birth certificate.
“He was born in the United States? He told me he was born in Lebanon.”
“No, he was born in Florida. He was adopted by a family that moved to Lebanon. His mother was too young to care for him, so she gave him up for adoption.”
I looked at the next page in the stack. It was a list of names.
“What is this?”
“This is a list of his known associates. Most of those people are on the terrorist watch list, dead, or in jail.”
“What do you mean? Bahir was a college student.”
“Bahir Rezek was a college student, but he was associated with some bad people. Drugs, illegal gun sales, stolen goods and human trafficking.”
“What? No, not Bahir. He was a mild tempered, corny type guy.”
“He was a professional thief. He went for unique, rare and high-value items.”
Countee gave me a stack of pictures.
“These are some of the things he has stolen.”
There were pictures of paintings, jewelry, sculptures, and vases. I passed the pictures to Ezekiel.
“He wasn’t flashy or anything. He didn’t have nice clothes or shoes. He lived in a basement apartment!”
“For years, the authorities didn’t know who he was. He could be out in public, and no one would ever suspect him because he was very good at keeping a low profile.”
“Am I tripping or do you keep referring to him in past tense?”
He nodded to the folder. The next paper on the stack was an arrest record and mug shot.
“He went to California to break into someone’s house that had a valuable painting. He was able to the get painting. He was even able to sell it, but he didn’t realize that the person he robbed was a very connected person. The owner of the painting put a bounty on his head which is why he disappeared from New York. He ran back to France to try to hide out. He eventually had to turn himself into the French authorities to keep from getting murdered. He sent you that letter while he was en route to France.”
“How did you know he sent me a letter?”
“I found the person that mailed it for him. He didn’t want to mail it, out of fear that it would be traced to his location, so he paid someone to put it in the mail in New York.”
“Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
“Dead! I thought you said he turned himself into the French police?”
“He did, but they couldn’t protect him. The person he stole from is a well-connected man. He has a far reach.”
I was not prepared to hear that Bahir was dead. The weird thing is it didn’t impact me at all. Hearing that news was like hearing my Facebook friend’s cousin’s brother’s ex-boyfriend died. I felt sorry that someone lost their life, but I was so far removed from that person that I couldn’t feel the sadness.
“Are you okay, Z?”
I looked at Ezekiel. I smiled.
“I’m good. I mourned Bahir a long time ago.”
I closed the folder and handed it back to Countee.
“I wanted you to have this information, Baby Girl. I don’t know what you’d planned on telling my nephew about his biological but now you know.”
“I don’t know what I planned on telling him.”
“When the time comes, we will talk to him about it, together.”
Ezekiel kissed my hand that he was holding.
We stood to leave.
Countee pulled me into a hug. I missed hugging my brothers.
“We are going to get Dad all packed up and down to Houston in a couple weeks. So I will see you soon. I love you Baby Girl.”
“I love you too, Count.”
Ezekiel
As soon as we returned to Houston, we started planning our wedding. I temporarily moved into Zora’s house while they did cons
truction on my house. I was building her closet and office like I promised. I wanted all of that completed before my family moved in. I wanted Nette to start designing Peanut’s room, but Zora told me that we should probably wait until we are sure she’s a girl. I’m positive she’s a girl, but I will listen to her and wait until after the official ultrasound before we start the design.
James moved to Houston about two weeks after we left Saint Louis. He and Zora wanted to live closer to each other, so he found a condo a few miles from my house instead of living in Zora’s house. He has settled in quickly. He spends as much time as he can with BJ which has been helpful since Zora and I have been planning our wedding. Blue and my dad told me the only words that I needed to say during the planning process were: ‘I agree’ and ‘yes.’ So, that’s all I’ve been saying, and it’s worked out well. James and Zora’s brothers are footing the bill for the ceremony.
“Daddy, my grandpa James said that we are going to have fun while you and Mommy are away on your trip. He said we are going to go swimming, we are going to read books, go to Uncle Blue’s church and other fun stuff.”
It always makes me smile when my son calls me Dad. I love this little kid. We’d been together all day getting the final fitting for our suits and getting our hair done for the ceremony. Tomorrow is our wedding. Zora is spending the night at Nette’s condo with my mother, Lady Grace, Nette and Olivia. Olivia has become part of the family. Paxton is feeling her, so the ladies have taken a special interest in her. My brothers and I haven’t had a conversation about it yet, but it’s cool to see him interested.
“That sounds like a lot of fun.” I was helping BJ into his pajamas. “Are you ready to say your prayers?”
“Yes.”
We got on our knees together.
“Hi, Jesus. It’s BJ. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for my mommy and my daddy. Thank you for baby Peanut even though she’s still linkubating in my mommy’s stomach. Thank you for my Tee Tee and my uncles. Thank you for my Grandpa and my Pop. Thank you for Grandma. That’s all. Amen.”
“Amen,” I smiled and helped him into the bed. I kissed his cheek and closed his door.
My brothers were waiting for me in the living room.
“He’s down?” Blue asked.
“Yeah, he’s down.”
“Man, who would have thought that we would be hanging out together the night before your wedding?” Paxton questioned.
“I know! I honestly didn’t plan on ever being married now I can’t picture my life without Zora. Do you remember when we were in Saint Louis and Nette said that I was going to meet someone?”
“I remember. She said it after her session at the conference, right?” Blue said.
“Yeah. Do you know that from that moment until I met Zora things were off? I slept with a couple women after she told me that and I was bored and uninterested. I mean I never attached feeling to sex anyway, but this feeling was one of indifference, almost. Like I could take it or leave it…preferably leave it. I kept trying to brush it off like it was age or maybe the women I’d chosen but in the back of my mind, I knew. I knew that someone was coming. The moment I saw Zora walk into Nette’s apartment, I knew she was that someone. This is going to sound real corny, but it’s like I was living in black and white. Zora and BJ add color to my life. They make me work harder to achieve my goals. I keep my word, so I don’t disappoint them. Having her next to me helps me sleep at night. Waking up to her in the morning gives me the drive I need to get through the day. She is my passion.”
“I’m happy and proud,” Blue continued, “A man that finds a wife finds a treasure and obtains favor with the Lord. I know people quote that scripture all the time, but it’s accurate. Congrats, little brother. You have chosen well.”
We hugged.
“I agree. I remember Dad saying that Bluette men always know when they’ve found the one. I thought that maybe you had overlooked her all these years!” We laughed. “I’m glad Zora is the one. She and BJ have added color to all our lives. Congratulations, I’m proud to be your brother.”
Paxton and I hugged.
“So now for the gift. This is from Pax and me.”
Blue handed me a small box. I opened it. At first glance, it looked like a small black toy car with wheels. Upon further inspection, I realized it was Tesla key fob. I took it out the box and looked at my brothers.
“This is a fob for a Tesla?”
“Yeah but not just any Tesla, it’s the model X with the falcon wing rear doors. We figured you would need space to get the kids in and out the back seat.”
“It’s being customized, but it will be ready when you get back from your honeymoon,” Paxton said.
I stood and embraced both my brothers.
“Thank you.”
“We took Zora’s present to her before we came over here. Nette said she didn’t want us ruining Zora’s makeup the way you both tried to ruin her makeup at our wedding.”
“What did you get her?”
“We purchased a building for her to house her free clinic in whenever she is ready to open it. Right now, it has a couple other businesses in it, so she will have an income coming in from it. We will manage it for her,” Paxton explained.
“That’s what’s up! Thank you.”
“So, are you ready?” Blue asked.
“In the words of the great boxing champ Jack Jenkins in Harlem Nights: Re, re, ready…hell yeah…I’m ready.”
We all laughed as I gave my best impression of the stuttering boxing champion in the movie.
Zora
We kept the guest list for our wedding small. Family and close friends. I invited all the partners and their wives. My brothers came in from Saint Louis. Lyrica and Obasi flew in. Everyone that I loved was there to watch Ezekiel, and I take our public vows.
We actually got married a couple days after we returned from Saint Louis. The only people in attendance for that were BJ, Paxton, Olivia, Zanetta and Roman. I asked Paxton and Nette to sing. I was surprised when they both agreed without fighting me on it. They sang Spend my Life with You by Tamia and Eric Benèt. Roman played the acoustic guitar while they sang. After they sang, Roman performed the ceremony. We Facetimed my dad and Ezekiel’s parents. I didn’t want to wait for a wedding to become his wife.
The weather cooperated, and we had a beautiful outdoor wedding. We put a tent on the property to hold the ceremony and another one to have the reception. Then we had smaller ones that we used as dressing rooms. My biggest worry was the bathroom situation but we found a company that supplied some of the cleanest portable restrooms I’d ever seen, and they came with attendants!
Bishop officiated, and my dad walked me down the aisle. I was being fitted for my dress up to the day of the wedding. My stomach was growing so fast. The same designer that made a dress for Nette’s ceremony made mine. It had a sweetheart neckline and empire waistline. The bodice was covered in pearls and jewels. The full skirt was roomy enough for Peanut.
At the reception, Lyrica sang a song that she’d written especially for Zeke and me. She looked beautiful with her baby bump. She was a little further along than I was, but it looked like our stomachs were about the same size.
Paxton stood to get everyone’s attention. The room became quiet.
“Ezekiel has always been the one in the family that did things his own way. Roman and I tried hard to stay within the lines, follow the rules but Zeke, not so much. Today Bro, we are proud of you and the decision you made to make Zora your wife. We love you, Zeke and Zora.” He raised his glass. “To Zeke and Zora; we pray you have a lifetime of happiness and love.”
Everyone repeated after him.
Ezekiel and I stood together.
“We want to thank everyone for being here with us and participating in this celebration with us. My wife and I…”
He smiled at me. I’m still getting used to being called wife, but I love it.
“have an announcement that we would like to share with ever
yone. We officially found out that Peanut is a girl. I would like to say to everyone that doubted me, ‘I told you so.’”
Everyone laughed.
“I am so happy that this amazing, smart, gifted, beautiful, no-nonsense woman agreed to be my wife. I love you, sweetheart.”
He quickly kissed me and passed me the microphone.
“When I first left home, I thought that life would always be a fight and a struggle. I thought that hard work would produce results, but I was convinced that I would never be happy. I thought that I was fine with that until I met my husband and experienced true happiness. I realized that with him in my life, not only was I happy but I didn’t struggle. I didn’t have to work as hard. I didn’t have to be responsible for everything. He proved to me that I was worthy of being loved by someone other than my son. He picked up my son the very first day he met him and hasn’t put him down since. His love for me helped me re-discover God’s love for me. I fell in love with a church boy!”
The End
Epilogue
“Hey Baby, how did the test go?”
“Is this Mr. Bluette?”
I pulled my phone from my ear to look at the number. It was Zora’s number, but this wasn’t her voice.
“Who is this?”
“Hi, this is Mallory, I was at the testing site with your wife.”
Zora had gone this morning to take a written test to monitor the progress of her residency. She spent hours studying for it.
“Why do you have my wife’s phone?”
I could hear a lot of commotion in the background.
“She was coming out of the test, and her water broke. There are several doctors here with her, so she is in good hands. The ambulance is coming to take her to the hospital.”
“Where is she? Is she okay? Can she talk?”
“Doctor Bluette, your husband is on the phone.”
“Baby,” Zora spoke into the phone, “my water broke, and these contractions are kicking my ahhhhh…”
I heard someone in the background telling her to breathe.
“Mr. Bluette?” Mallory was back on the phone. “Her contractions are not consistently five minutes apart, but since her water broke, we have to get her to the hospital.”