by Sienna Mynx
“I want a baby, Coco, I want children,” I say and kiss her cheek.
“Me too,” she giggles, but her eyes are still closed. “I want many children with you.”
“Welcome home, Coco.”
“I love you,” she says.
“I love you, too. It’s time for us to get married.”
“I can’t wait.”
By the powers vested in me by the state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you man and wife. Mr. Bondurant, you may kiss your wife.
Brick brings me close and my arms lift to his neck. I kiss him. This is the third wedding we’ve had. And this is the official one. His family cheers. They have packed the courtroom. Only my mother and my brother Nathan with his wife are here for me.
It is a great honor and privilege to be the first to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Byran Bondurant.
I laugh and smile, pushing Brick back so we can stop kissing and thank his family. Pops tips his head to me, takes Evangeline hand and walks out of the courtroom. I hug Brick’s sisters and kiss them each. His brothers give me a hug and they all wish us well before they leave. Now is the time for my family. My mom and Nathan’s wife approach and hug me. Nathan extends his hand to Brick. Brick shakes Nathan’s hand and then pulls him into a friendly hug. They don’t discuss the past. But I feel like they made peace with it.
“Congratulations baby-sis,” Nathan says and kisses my cheek. “You know your brothers would be here if they weren’t out at sea.”
“Right? So, where is Jalen and Bobby?” I ask. Nathan gives me a sheepish smile. His face is still terribly scarred with keloids, but he’s my handsome brother underneath. My mom squeezes me into a hug again.
“I’m happy, baby, so happy for you,” she says.
“Thank you, mama.”
As I embrace her I see the other person who sits to the back of the courtroom. It’s Smoke. Brick is now hugging my mother, I’m not sure if he’s seen him yet.
“I want to take you both to dinner. Please,” My mom says.
“Okay, ma, we’d like that.”
Smoke gets up from the back seat and starts to leave.
“Brick!” I say and grab his hand and whisper in his ear. “Look to the back.”
He glances up and sees Smoke. “Excuse me,” he says and goes after him.
My mom glances back. She sees Smoke. He sees her. He walks out. I stare at my mom for a reaction but she’s the master at hiding her feelings. She kisses me. “Name it, wherever you want to go and it’s my treat.”
“Nathan? Will you come with us? Please?”
He smiles. “I wouldn’t miss it, sis.”
“Wait a minute Smoke!”
I catch him just outside of the door. He turns and looks at me as he sits his fedora on his head.
“How did you know? About the wedding?”
“Pops called me. Said you were opening the Bone Room. Wants me to keep an eye on you.”
“You mean keep me out of trouble?”
“Yeah. You got a wife now. Me and Pops don’t want you to fuck it up.”
“I won’t. I’m clean, Smoke. I’m stronger.”
“You don’t say? Well… you did good. I was wrong, Brick. She’s a sweet girl. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, Smoke. I uh, been playing a little, lately.”
Smoke eyes stretch.
“Yeah, I’m not too good yet, but I’ve been trying.”
“I’ve known three brothers with broken jaws who have come back stronger than ever.” Smoke put his hand on my shoulder. “You got it in you, kid. You just got to find it again.”
“Think you can help me sharpen my chops? Get good?”
Smoke grins, and shows off his front gold teeth. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Cleetus?” A woman speaks. I look behind me and Coco’s mother is standing there. I swear if a man wants to know who his wife will become when she ages they should look to her mother. Coco’s mother looks to be at least ten years younger than her age. And she’s saying Smoke’s name. His biblical name. I’ve never seen shock or surprise on my man, Smoke’s face before. Right now, he’s battling both.
“I’m taking the kids to dinner. I’d like you to come to celebrate.”
“Yeah, I got plans.”
“Oh?” she takes a step forward. “Well, couldn’t you cancel them? It’s their wedding day.”
Smoke is left speechless. Coco’s mother approaches him and I step away.
“Please, Cleetus? Maybe you and I can talk.”
Smoke nods. “Sure, I’ll come. Talk. Yea, we can talk.”
She smiles. “Good. I know the perfect place. Barbeque chicken sound fine?”
Smoke chuckles. “Sure do.”
Coco comes to my side and takes my hand. “Did you do this?” I whisper.
“No. I didn’t. That’s all her.”
I kiss my wife. It may be her mother’s move but it is definitely my wife’s magic that’s healing all of us. I’m ready for the next page in our life. And I’m ready now.
PART THREE
Il n’y a qu’un bonheur dans la vie, c’est d’aimer et d’être aimé.
There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.
New Orleans
November 12, 2016
Epilogue
“That’s it. I’m all packed away.”
Bill is standing with me in the center of my empty loft apartment. He scans the boxes and then looks to me. “You have to be back in a month. We have that meeting with the HBO executives about you writing for that new series…”
“Would you stop worrying? New Orleans is still in the same country last I checked. I will be here.”
“Why didn’t this fantastic, wonderful, miracle maker Mr. Marvelous husband of yours come with you? I’m dying to meet the man who has stolen our star away.”
“I told you he’s private. Not too keen on all the press following me around here. I suggested he stay home. Besides this is a quick trip and he’s busy opening up our club. Starting his business.” I walk away from Bill. Brick is calling me again. I ignore Brick’s call on my cellphone. I need to finish this and make my flight. I swear Brick calls me more than my mother when I come to New York. And he’s even more distracting.
A surge of nausea hits me as I go through another box on the table. I’m running to the bathroom and on my knees before the toilet. Bill is at the door with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“No. Its been going on since I landed. It happened on the plane.”
“Really? You think you coming down with something?”
“Can you go and get me a pregnancy test?” I ask.
“Pregnancy test… What?”
“I need to know, now. I’m late, and I…” My lunch comes up once again. Bill is inside the bathroom holding my hair extensions. He keeps me from dropping in weakness. “Go. Bill, please!”
“Okay. Okay. What time is your flight?” he asks.
“Not for another six hours. We have time.”
“Be right back.” Bill hurries out and leaves. I sit on the floor. I didn’t think this could happen so soon. But what if it did. What if I am pregnant?
“Where should I take these?” Jessup asks me.
“Bone Room. I need to restock the bar down there.” I tell him. My brother lifts the crate as if it weighs nothing and goes down below. Smoke walks in and goes straight to the back of the bar. He takes off his hat and jacket and gets to work restocking the glasses. I sit on the stool and observe him for a bit. He’s more than an hour late.
“How you doing, Smoke?”
“Good,” he says in that dry, yet raspy voice of his.
“Haven’t seen you in three days.”
“Hmpf,” Smoke grunts. “You’ve been practicing?”
“Every night. Wanna hear?”
Smoke glances up. The last jam session he and I had wasn’t too bad. But I’ve found some ways to improve. He gives me a shrug. I guess that’s a yes. I go to the stage and s
tep up. There are few regulars there for my watered down drinks. They turn their heads and look at me. I pick up my Saxophone. She has a name. I call her Red, and it’s short for redemption. I bring the mouthpiece to my mouth and my fingers stroke the keys, before I let go wind and a slow melodic groove comes out of the bell. I begin to play the sultry version of Happy Birthday to You.
Smoke goes still. He must have thought I forgot. My girls who work as waitresses come out with a sheet cake with candles. I continue to blow Happy Birthday in a long melodic, hip way. And I feel it again. That freedom and aggressively hypnotic style of mine that I haven’t sounded like, in years.
Once done, everyone cheers. If Smoke could blush, he would. He looks uncomfortable under the praise. I know where’s he’s been. My baby told me that her mother and Smoke have been spending time together. Her mother is thinking of telling Jalen, her oldest brother, the truth. Smoke has so many kids, I wonder why this one is so important to him. Could it be because of who their mother is?
Pops walks in. I take off the strap to my saxophone and put it in the case. My cousins and uncles start bringing in crates. Before I’m down the steps of the stage, they are heading straight for the Bone Room.
“Pops? What gives?” I ask.
“Heard that flute all the way outside. You sounded the same as the old days. Good.”
Pops gives me a bear hug and I shove him off. I look at my family and the deliveries. “What is this Pops?”
Pops gives me that hard look. He tucks a half smoked cigar in his mouth and then nods at Smoke who is cutting the cake for the girls. “Let’s go to your office.”
We leave the bar and head down into the Bone Room. Back in the prohibition days below the clubs there was a wall with a door without knobs. This is where liquor was stored. My uncles know about the secret space in the Bone Room. They pop open the hidden door and start stocking.
I go into my office and Pops follows. He pauses. Before Coco left for New York she came in one day and cleaned up the place. The office has enough room to fit three people to work comfortably. All my papers are filed away with a system. And most of the clutter of boxes was junk to be thrown away. I’m legit now. And my business is booming. My payments are on time and with interests to Pops, but I’ve only made three payments so far.
“What is it Pops? Why are they stocking shit here?”
“Not shit. We hit a score at the Port. Pharmaceuticals. Enough to bring me in five-hundred grand. I already got a buyer.”
“Drugs?”
“Not coke or meth, Brick, just some drugs that the people need. With that new President what do you expect people to do?” Pops chuckles.
I frown. “You said you’d give me a chance. Let me do this the right way. I have my wife to think about now, Pops. I promised her no more of this.”
“You telling her my business?” Pops asks.
“Do you tell Evangeline your business? She’s my wife.”
“Then she’ll understand. You still my boy. And we still family. I stocked some out front at the restaurant too. In three weeks it will be gone. Ya hear?”
I wipe my hand down my face. The conversation is over. I am trying to be good. Hell, I am good. I’m around alcohol every day and haven’t taken a sip. I’m improving. But Pops is still Pops and that may never change.
“I hear that your wife’s Ma is living out in English Turn. Bought herself a house out there.”
I sit on the edge of my desk and try to hold my temper in.
“I also hear Smoke been keeping time with her. Those two becoming an item?”
“Ask Smoke.”
“Oh I will… that’s your drama boy. Don’t let Smoke fall down that rabbit hole again.” Pops tucks his cigar back in his mouth and smacks my jaw. He turns and leave.
“Make me some grandkids. Evangeline keeps asking if Coco is pregnant. Said she got a feeling.” Pops said as he left. I frown. It hits me how late it is. I was supposed to pick Coco up from the airport. My phone rings. I check and it’s Coco calling.
“Hello? What time does your flight land?”
“Brick? I’m home. I took an earlier flight.”
“I told you to call me back with your flight information.” I get up and start straight for the door. This is my fault. I’ve been so caught up on our renovations, I didn’t wrap up sooner.
“Are you on your way?” she asks.
“Everything okay? You missin’ me?”
“Everything is fine. Yes. I miss you.”
“I’m on my way,” I say and head out and up the stairs. I see Pops at the bar wth Smoke. Both give me a look as I pass them. I’ll have to deal with the latest problem later. I need to see my wife. Been missing her bad the past few days.
“Are you going to come out and tell him?” Georgie asks.
“Kind of. I got the pregnancy test with me. I was thinking of leaving it somewhere he can find it. Wait, I know exactly where to put it.”
“You know you copy me in everything don’t you. First you get married on my wedding trip, and now you find out you’re pregnant a week after me?”
I laugh. “We’re just kindred that way, Georgie.”
“Or you’re some kind of witch casting spells on everyone.”
“Shut up.”
“Well, call me and tell me what he says. Brick is going to shit a brick.”
“Bye, Georgie.” I hang up on her and touch my belly. I close my eyes and think of my life with a baby. Part of me wants to call my mom and grand-mère who I’ve recently started speaking to again. But both would have to wait. Brick has to be told first. I shouldn’t have told Georgie. It’s just that Bill and I were so shocked by the results she was the first person I thought of to calm me down. Bill got me on the next plane out. I’ve been both nervous and anxious to tell Brick face to face. He’s going to be blown away.
“Babe!” I hear Brick call out and the door close. I walk out of the bedroom. I’m still groggy from the day and the late flight. Brick walks into the living area and smiles. “I missed you.”
He grabs me and I leap on him wrapping my legs around his waist. He walks us right back into the bedroom while kissing me. I lower my legs and glide down him when we reach the bed. But he’s still trying to undress and kiss me.
“Stop Brick. I’ve only been gone two days.”
He lets me go. “Is everything okay? Are you home to stay?”
“Yes, Bill will handle the shipping of my things. But babe we need a bigger place. We have to start looking for a house.”
He picks me up again. I giggle. He kisses and bites on my neck and ear. I’m so tickled, he almost drops me.
“Put me back down!”
He does.
“This place is fine for now,” says Brick. “Plus I got the club and Pops breathing down my neck. We can’t afford it. I really want to pay Pops back.”
“I can afford it Brick. If you let me help I have more than enough money to buy a new house for us.”
“No. No. I will buy our house. I’m working on it. Give me a little time.”
“What if we don’t have any more time?”
Brick starts to undress. He has a curious frown on his face. “What’s going on with you? You hate the condo that much?”
“Look,” I say and point to the top of the dresser. Brick turns and looks at the little wand. He walks over and picks it up. It says PREGNANT.
“Is this f’true?” he asks.
“It is. You’re going to be a daddy.”
“I’m going to be a daddy? A daddy.”
“Yes!”
He picks me up and spins me around the room. Then stops when he realizes he’s playing too rough. He lets me go. I laugh. I kiss him and he kisses me. We kiss until we’re breathless.
“I’m going to be a daddy!”
“So this is good news?” I tease.
“The best news of my life!”
A week later -
“So, let’s see here, looks like you’re eight weeks pregnant on t
he nose,” the doctor moves the wand over the gel surface of my stomach. Brick is almost leaning over me to see the screen. I can’t tell much of it either. But I think I see what looks like a fluttering. A double fluttering.
“Well look here, Mr. And Mrs. Bondurant it appears that you are going to be the be the proud parents of twins.”
“What!” Brick says.
I blink my eyes at him and the doctor.
“Twins, See here, this is one heart beat, and this here is another. We got two babies.”
“Twins?” Brick repeat. He looks at me for an explanation, but I don’t have one. I can’t speak or say anything. I don’t have twins in my family. Not that I know of.
“Can you tell what they are?” I ask.
“Not yet. On your next check up we should be able to get a look, though. I want to see you again in four weeks.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Brick says and shakes the doctor hand like he just won the lottery. The doctor laughs and I do too. He’s so cute and excited. He’s been like this since I told him. Following me around the house asking me if I’m okay. Carrying me on the sidewalk to the car. Just goofy and silly stuff that I can’t make him stop.
“Congratulations. I’ll let you get dressed Coco, and go check your test results.”
The doctor leaves us and Brick wipes the goo off my belly. He then kisses it. “I’m going to have twins!” he exclaims.
“Girls. You’re going to have twin girls,” I tell him.
“What? How do you know that?” he asks.
“I saw it. The first time you took me to the bayou. I stared up at the moon and I saw us, a different version of us. We were on the boat, our own boat and we were going through the swamp to your family home. We had twin girls with long braids in sundresses, holding on to your legs. And I was pregnant with our third child.”
“So it’s a dream?”
“A dream come true Brick,” I say and wipe my tears. “Back then I saw our future, and I refused to believe it. I wasted so much time running from my happiness.”