by Elisabeth
I looked up to meet Neema’s stare and grinned, wondering how long she had been looking at me. I winked at her as I turned my attention back to Asha.
“Go bring my parents to the Airbnb. Let them get some rest, and when we’re almost done, I’ll text both you and the driver. He’ll pick you guys up then drop you at my house. We’re having a dinner so we can talk about all of it, plus I want you all to finally meet my son.”
“Awww, I can’t wait to meet Amir. If he likes mean Neema, he’ll love the rest of us.” She laughed.
I smiled, shaking my head.
“Alright, Ash, I’ll see you soon.”
“KK, later tatlim.”
As I hung up, Neema walked over to me.
“You ready to work, kocam?” she asked.
“Ooh! Is that a Turkish word?” Minerva asked. Not for the first time, I wondered if she ever minded her business.
“Yes, it is.” I looked from Minerva to Neema. “Would you like to tell her what it means since you used it, Neema?”
Neema smirked as she turned, facing Minerva. I think this was the Neema that I fell in love with more than any other.
“It means husband. Haven’t you heard, Minerva? I’m getting married,” she announced as she moved closer to me and hooked her arm into mine. “And this fine man is all mine again.”
Minerva’s brows furrowed.
“What do you mean, husband? All yours again?”
“You weren’t here for a little bit, but in that time, Dragos and I rekindled our relationship. You see, we dated ten odd years ago, and this man,” Neema said as she peered up at me through her lashes. “He never let go.” For added rage that was clearly coming from Minerva, Neema placed her left hand on my chest, showing her bling off.
I always wondered how much she hated her boss. Now, it was clear that she loathed her. No one could be this damn petty, but I guess I should never count Neema out of anything. Minerva narrowed her eyes at us both, but more so at Neema, and then she smiled. She chuckled even. That scared me, and I wasn’t scared of a lot of things. She clapped her hands.
“Bravo, Neema. Bra-freakin-vo! I love this. You’ve shown me that you can keep a secret, a relationship, and be able to be on top of your game with this project, too? You are an inspiration, woman. How does a view of the city type of office sound to you?”
Neema didn’t even waste a second as she squealed at the top of her lungs.
“Yessss!” she screamed but caught herself. “I mean, yes, Minerva. That sounds absolutely amazing. I’m sure I can see the city from a new point of view now.”
I was so happy for Neema. She did it. She did what she wanted to do, through hard work, dedication, and without anyone’s help. Minerva gave her hand, waiting for Neema, and she took it. Minerva smirked, eyeing me one last time. Then, she turned back to Neema.
“See you tomorrow, future Mrs. Neema Demir, fashion editor. You did well, I’m proud of you.”
When Minerva said that, I knew this was big for Neema, but she had to know that I was just as proud of her too.
****
Neema
Dragos flying my parents and my sisters in was one of the few surprises I didn’t know would make me smile like the Cheshire cat. Besides that, Dragos and I did what we always wanted to do. He chose my wedding dress while I was blindfolded, trying each of them on. As for his suit, I made sure to get the African print on there with my country’s flag. Neither of us was allowed to see each other’s pickings until the big day.
The two weeks were hectic and crazy as hell, but it couldn’t take away the happiness inside of me. If anything, it kept on building, no matter what.
“You ready?” Asha asked me as we stood in the room I’d dressed in. It was time for me to go meet my husband.
I turned towards the full-sized mirror and couldn’t help it as I gasped. I stared at the dress Dragos picked out for me. It was a white strapless sweetheart 3D floral wedding dress, and I was so in awe of the way it fit me perfectly. Dragos knew me all too well. The 3D flowers were the color of the Turkish flag. I was happy that it didn’t look tacky at all. I cleared my throat, not wanting to cry. I didn’t want to get yelled at by Asha for ruining the makeup that she did. The makeup was subtle, but it still accentuated my beauty. My hair was up in a braided crown with tendrils of hair down in miscellaneous areas. The 3D flowers in my hair couldn’t be seen just yet over my veil, but once I took it off, they would be visible.
“Alright, let’s go get me married, once and for all.” I faced Asha and walked out of the small, makeshift shed room and made my way to my dad, who waited for me outside of the venue.
I stared at the venue in awe. Dragos did all this. We were having our wedding at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. I sighed as I hooked my arm into my dad’s, and he smiled at me.
“You ready to do this, baby?” I could tell he was trying his best not to cry.
I smiled like I was off my rocker.
“Yes, I was born ready for this, Papa.”
My dad chuckled.
“You’re so beautiful, darling. You look so much like my mom; she was just as beautiful too. I’m so happy that you’re happy. I love you, always.”
I looked up to the sky, trying my best not to tear up.
“Thank you, daddy. This means so much to me. I love you too. Thank you for not saying no to Dragos when we decided to do this again.” I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed his cheek.
My dad snickered.
“Well, I’ve always told you girls, my girls, that whoever you love, I’ll love. I know how much you love this boy, and because you’ve forgiven him, so will I. Now, let’s go get you married before your mother thinks we left.”
I laughed, clearing my throat as my dad placed the veil over my head. We began walking around the fountain of water with floating green flowers. When we got to the entrance of the garden, Dragos was there waiting for me in a dark blue suit; the lapel had the Congolese flag on it. He wore a three-piece suit with a white dress shirt minus the tie. The shirt’s first two buttons were open, revealing that same gold chain. His hair was nicely pulled back into a low bun, making his facial features much more pronounced. His bushy brows, those beautiful big pale blue eyes, his cheekbones, his nose, beard, mouth, those dimples, and now, that smile he had on were all on display.
We did things very differently than the average wedding ceremony. Dragos took my dad’s right hand, kissing it then placing it on his forehead. It was a sign of respect and admiration. Then, he removed the veil from my face, mouthing you’re beautiful.
We stood outside with my dad as he joined both our hands together. My dad pulled our rings from his pocket. He didn’t have to yell or anything for the guests to hear him. Instead, there was a mic along with a videographer filming this for the guests inside to witness. My dad turned to Dragos.
“Will you take Neema to be your lawfully wedding wife?”
I swear Dragos’s smile became brighter than before.
“With everything in me. I do.”
My dad nodded at him.
“That’s how you do it, son.” Then, my dad turned to look at me. “Neema, my precious firstborn, do you take Dragos to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I profusely nodded. “Evet.” I tried to contain my enthusiasm, but the squeal that came at the end of my answer caught me.
My dad threw his head back and laughed along with the other guests.
“This may seem fast for everyone watching this, but we’re just doing this a little different this time around. Now, please stand with Dragos and Neema as they give their vows.”
Dragos took my left hand in his with the ring positioned ready to slip there for life.
“Neema, hayatim,” he began. “You are everything to me. This day would not happen without you. I swear, if you had never given me a second chance to make you happy, I would’ve lost purpose in this life. The craziest things have happened in my life, but nothing can top me telling you that we were getting married in less than
two weeks. Although you threw a trophy at me, it made me realize that I could now die in peace. I have finally accomplished my lifelong mission to be in love with someone who takes hold of everything in me. You accepted my son as your own. He doesn’t love too many people, but he loves you, almost as much as I love you. I thank you for rescuing me when I was drowning. You are the epitome of perfection for me. You are life, my world, my peace and forever, Seni çok seviyorum.”
Dragos slipped the ring on my trembling hand. The tears were causing my vision of him and everything around me to be blurry. My heart felt like it was leaping out of my chest. Dragos chuckled as he wiped my tears away with his right hand. He winked at me as I sniffled, taking the ring from my father.
“Dragos Demir, Mr. Demir, my husband, at this point. The father of my future children and the man who has changed life for me as I know it,” I confessed as more tears fell down my face. “You mean the world to me in a way that no one else can ever mean to me. You became my family, my love, and my heart. The years that we were apart, I didn’t know how either of us did it, but now that we’re together again, we will never part. You bum-rushed back into my life with the perfect little family already. You gave me Amir, a little boy who looks at me like I light up his world or an angel. I’ve fallen in love, not just with his father but with him too. The perfect duo father and son, now you’re all mine. Oh! Of course, Red included. You saved me when I didn’t even know I needed it. Be my peace as I become your happiness. Be my balance as I become your anchor. You are my world and forever, Seni çok seviyorum.”
I slipped the ring on his finger, making this thing official.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” My dad winked at Dragos as he walked inside of the garden.
Dragos cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. With each kiss from Dragos, I soared into the clouds. The sky, and now I was suspended in the air, never to come back down. Our guests were clapping their hands, cheering. Then, Dragos let me go. I slowly opened my eyes to find his still on my face.
“I can’t believe you’re my wife now,” Dragos admitted.
I snickered.
“I always knew I was going to be your wife, though.” I pulled him down for one more kiss.
We finally composed ourselves as Asha began singing the acoustic version of “Lately” by Dan and Shay. This was our cue to walk into the rest of our lives. The moment we stepped inside, the light pink and white theme took my breath away. There was a walkway for me and Dragos as the tables were positioned around it. I looked straight at our table, and there Amir was with Red. Amir wore the same exact suit as Dragos, and Red had a half Congolese, half Turkish flag bow tie. I snickered at that, but what brought tears to my eyes was Amir. The way he had the biggest smile on his face as he waited for us. My son, Amir. The second Demir I fell in love with after Dragos. We walked towards Amir, not stopping at all while Asha made this day perfect with her singing. When we reached Amir, I looked down at him.
“Thank you for being here,” I said to him.
He smiled.
“Hayatim, I waited for you. You weren’t here yet, and I thought you weren’t coming, but now you’re here. So, I’m happy, Red’s happy, and now, my unc— no, no, my dad is happy. My baba.” Amir peered up at Dragos.
“I love you, baba,” Dragos said as he scooped Amir up in his arms. “I’ll always love you.” He held him close to him as we made our way around to sit down as a family.
Chapter Eight
Dragos
Marrying my best friend was the greatest thing that I’d ever done. We danced, laughed, and mingled with everyone that attended our wedding. I couldn’t help smiling as I thought about that one moment when Neema’s favorite song, “Spiritual,” by Burna Boy blasted through the speakers. Neema could dance, but I forgot that there was a difference in her dancing to everything else than music from back home. She once told me that no matter what country in Africa the music was from, once it played, it flowed through her body as though her ancestors were speaking to her guiding her to dance. She had lost herself as she moved her body in what could’ve been seen as seductive, but it was how she danced. She wined her waist to the beat, shutting her eyes as her whole body moved with her. Watching Neema dance to all the afrobeats song selections was an aphrodisiac itself. Her body kept my attention, no matter what. I wasn’t sure if half of the time I was blinking.
She danced with her sisters, Asha and Danira, who wore culture clothing. Their dresses were custom made, and I smiled the moment I caught that they each had a flag of Turkey. This meant so much to me. They were my world, her entire family.
Our feet ached so bad that when we finally got to the hotel suite that was gifted to us by her parents, the first thing I did was drop Neema on the bed and remove her heels. As I began to massage her feet, she purred like a cat.
“Oh, you’re a good husband.”
Shaking my head, I laughed.
“Oh? I’m a good husband already? You’ve got so many more years to find out.”
Neema threw her head back, staring up at the ceiling as she sighed.
“I do, don’t I? This is for real.” Neema raised her left hand, staring at her rings. “I’m Neema Kamau-Demir. We finally did it, Dragos. This is the start of our forever.”
I stared at my beautiful wife, admiring her for not just her beauty but her grace, her kindness, and overall her forgiving nature.
“Yeah, canim, our forever.”
Neema sat up as she patted the spot next to her,
“Come. Lay down with me for a bit. We’ll worry about massages later, okay?”
I stopped what I was doing, removed my dress shoes, and got on the bed with her. We both laid on our backs, staring at the ceiling.
“I’m here, enjoying this moment with you now, Mrs. Demir.” I turned to face her, meeting her eyes as she had the most radiant smile directed at me.
Neema reached out, caressing my cheek in her hand. We both turned facing one another now.
“Did you ever think this would be us right now? That we’d ever see each other again?” These innocent questions held such pain and heaviness to it. Oh, what a fool I was.
I sighed.
“The truth, hayatim?”
“Always.”
I shut my eyes, opening them up again.
“I didn’t think that we’d ever see each other again. Honestly, I convinced myself that you found someone who really and truly loved you by now. That you had the big family that you wanted, the house with the balcony, the grass with the garden out back. I lowkey prayed that it wasn’t true when I first saw you. I know it’s selfish, but I was being honest with myself. I never thought this would be us after I walked away. I never thought that you would forgive me. I didn’t think that I deserved it, but you’ve shown me my presumptions were just that, assumptions. You grew into this magnificent woman that I am blessed with spending the rest of my life with. So, teşekkür ederim, hayatim.”
Neema didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Our love shined brighter than anything else in this world. Neema scooted up as she placed her lips on my forehead. She lingered there for a minute, then as she was about to pull away, I wrapped my arm around her. I laid my head on her chest as she held me.
“Zengin ya da fakir olanlar için, hastalikta ve sağlıkta ölüme kadar bizden ayrılıyoruz.”
The fact that she repeated the vows in Turkish made me love her even more.
“Until death do us part, hayatim. I promise.”
Neema held me even tighter after that.
“Are you gonna put a baby in me, Mr. Demir?” Neema softly bit my ear.
I repositioned my head, placing my mouth in the crook of her neck.
“What makes you so sure that I haven’t already, baby? See, you like to play these little games with me sometimes.” I nipped her skin. “But I think you highkey enjoy them more than I do, no?”
Neema giggled.
“Stop, Dragos, I’m t
icklish right there.” And so, I did it again, causing her to giggle some more.
“I love this sound coming from you, and all I had to do was marry you to hear that. I’m a blessed man, hayatim. Now, settle down so I can get to business and put some babies in you. I want a soccer team full of Demirs.”
Neema laughed, then stopped.
“Ugh! You disgust me. Such vulgarity coming from a don, a leader; that’s crazy talk. Now, I’ll only give you a soccer team if there are more girls than boys. Come. Let’s get to work, daddy.”
If I wasn’t fully in the mood, I was now.
Epilogue
*Two years later*
Neema
What was it about my husband that I loved? Honestly, my list grew each and every day. He was the best partner. He was patient with me, my late nights, and our child. I was so excited today. It was our son Amir’s birthday. I slowly got out of my car, balancing the fire truck cake and my bag all the way to the front door. I rang the doorbell, and it brought me back to the first time I came here, to the first time I met Amir and my now best fur friend, Red. Just like the first time, Dragos opened the door with the biggest smile on his face.
“Baby, I told you to text me when you’re here so I could come out and get the cake.” Dragos basically snatched the cake from my hands.
I rolled my eyes.
“Just because I’m six months with child, it doesn’t mean I can’t carry things, jeez. I’m not useless all of a sudden.”
Dragos playfully scoffed.
“With child?” He kissed my temple quickly. “Aww, baby, you’ll never be useless…Stubborn, yes, but that’s for another day. Follow me, Amir’s school friends are here.”
I scoffed.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice that you called me stubborn, you bull-headed man. If I wasn’t pregnant, I could take you, ya know?”
Dragos threw his head back, releasing such loud laughter that it prompted me to join in until we made it to the kitchen. When we got there, Dragos put the cake in the fridge and turned to me. He had this look in his eyes, a predator, or rather a hunter. I slowly perused his body from head to toe. He looked good in a white tee-shirt, distressed jeans, and barefoot.