Raechel nodded as Amaia escorted Aahsod to the dining room. When they entered the room, Naomi was placing the last plate on the table. She looked up at them with a soft smile on her face.
“Mom, this is my husband, Aahsod.”
“It is a pleasure to truly meet you again, Mrs. Jennings. You are beautiful like Loretta Devine.”
“Thank you. It is nice to meet you as well, Aahsod and please call me Naomi.” She said embracing him.
Naomi went over and hugged her daughter. When she pulled back she caressed her daughter’s abdomen lovingly. “You are having a boy and a girl.”
“Mom, I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Sorry, I just couldn’t help it.”
“It is really quite alright, Naomi. It helps to know that we do not have to come up with more than the two names so far for a boy and a girl.”
“What names have you decided on?” Naomi asked.
“Aahleigha Robbyn and Rahshod Jahcobi.” Amaia stated.
Naomi was overwhelmed by the middle names of the children. Tears began to stream down her face. She hugged her daughter tightly.
“I’m surprised you even thought about me after the way I treated you. I’m so sorry for my ignorance. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, mom.” Amaia managed to state through her tears.
They were both crying when Cayle and Jacob entered the room. “Break it up you two before you cause a flood.” Jacob stated.
They both laughed and wiped at their tears. Naomi looked up at her handsome husband and told him the babies names. “That’s wonderful of you to think of us.” Jacob stated kissing his daughter on the cheek.
Everyone entered the dining room to enjoy the delicious meal that Naomi and Raechel had prepared. When dinner was over they all adjourned to the living room to tell childhood stories. This was the scene Beverlee saw when she entered the house.
“My, my, my, isn’t this cozy. I can’t believe you started without me mom. You know I am always fashionably late.”
“Beverlee please don’t start. You knew what time dinner was and that Amaia and Aahsod were invited.” Naomi stated.
“It’s okay, mom. We were getting ready to leave.” Amaia stated standing up.
“So were we.” Cayle and his family stood up also.
“Oh, don’t leave on my account. Just continue as if I’m not here. Were you celebrating the reason Aahsod and Amaia had to get married?” she asked with sarcasm.
“It wasn’t planned to exclude you. Your lateness caused that but I’m glad you were. Your attitude is too boorish to abide. You would have ruined a lovely dinner.” Amaia stated angrily.
Beverlee was trying to think of a quick barb but Naomi intervened before she could speak.
“This has to stop! Jacob, I need to speak to Cayle, Amaia, and Beverlee alone in the den.” When none of them moved, she stressed her point. “Now!”
They scrambled to follow her. Once everyone was in there, Jacob closed the door and nodded to Naomi to begin. She sighed deeply before she began.
“Your father and I have discussed this in lengths. He has persuaded me to share a deep dark secret about my inability to see past the color of someone’s skin.” Naomi stated looking a Amaia in silence.
“Please continue, Mom.” Amaia stated with in a whisper.
Naomi cleared her throat before speaking. “I cheated on your father while we were engaged with a white man.” Naomi heard her children gasp but continued as if she was in her own world. “I found out I was pregnant so the white man and I decided to announce it to my family first then his family. My mother was livid. She told me that society would never accept us and she refused to allow her daughter to liven in hell because of racism. The father of my unborn child was disgusted and decided to take me to announce it to his parents. They were enraged to the point they were planning to disown and disinherit him if he raised a half nigger baby. He chose his family over me and drove me to have an abortion in a back alley.” Naomi’s voice cracked with emotion as tears formed in her eyes. Jacob walked towards her and she put her hand up.
“Mom, you don’t have to finish,” Amaia said with tears in her eyes.
Naomi caressed her daughter’s cheek. “I need to get this off my chest.” Naomi stated wiping at the tears. “I refused to have the abortion and he let me know that once I walked away to never look him up again. I had to go face Jacob and tell him everything. He chose to love me regardless of what I had blatantly done.” She looked lovingly at her husband. “Jacob stated he would raise the child as his own. My mother was shocked and told me that what I was enduring was punishment for not staying within my race and for cheating on Jacob. She couldn’t understand what Jacob still saw in me. It was his unconditional love that saved me.” Naomi looked at her husband with a bright smile.
Amaia’s mind began to twirl. She stood up from the couch and looked at her mother then her father as her mouth became dry. “Mom are you saying that dad is not my father?” Fear was evident on her face.
Naomi looked at Jacob for help. Jacob sighed as he walked over to Amaia and stood before her. “Amaia, you are my daughter in every sense of the word. It pains me to admit this but your mother and I had premarital sex around the time that your mother was with him. If she had had the abortion she would have aborted you that child that she was actually carrying from me.” Jacob acknowledged as he pulled Amaia into an embrace.
While they were in an embrace, Beverlee decided to speak up. “So, is she truly our sister?”
“Beverlee Elise, stop it! Of course she is your sister. Why do you have to be so mean spirited?” Jacob inquired.
“I’m just asking cause of how dark Cayle and I are compare to Amaia.”
Naomi stood up in anger. “Girlie, are you calling me, your mother, a liar?!”
“No mommy. I was just asking. I’m dark like Jackie Appiah and Cayle is dark like Isaiah Washington. Amaia is light like Trina Braxton.”
Naomi sighed. “And your father is light skinned like Ron Glass. I can’t help the fact that the two of you inherited my dark complexion.”
Beverlee nodded. “You’re right mom. I’m sorry”
Naomi looked over at her son, Cayle. “Cayle, are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes, mom. Just extremely shocked that you haven’t shared all of this with us sooner. You have missed out on so much because you chose to keep this deep dark secret. Amaia’s life really should have been a healing process for you instead you let it blind you. It really doesn’t make sense that you continued to be angry.”
Jacob answered before Naomi could. “You mother was remaining angry because the man was suppose to be my best friend. I asked him to take care of Naomi when I first went away to law school. He knew she was vulnerable and preyed on that by telling your mother lies about me. Your mother was not aware that she was already pregnant from me before I went off to law school. When she shared everything with me on my visit back from school, we immediately sought prenatal care and found out she was farther alone that she thought. We chose to put all of this behind us but your mother has been living with this torment for years. We are thankful she did not have the abortion.” Jacob stated with a sigh. They all decided to keep the information amongst themselves. Everyone hugged one another before departing from the room. When they were back out of the room with the others waiting in the dining room, Naomi hugged Amaia again.
“Tonight was a wonderful night. I enjoyed meeting your husband and I hope to see you again.”
“I enjoyed meeting you as well, Naomi.” Aahsod stated.
Everyone said goodnight and headed to their vehicles. When Amaia and Aahsod arrived home, there was a message from Monica on the answering machine.
“Aahsod the DNA testing is schedule for tomorrow morning at nine a.m. at the Beverly Hills Memorial Hospital. Aahmod will be there and is looking forward to meeting you. See you there.”
“I’m going with you.” Amaia stated.
“I am glad.�
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“Let’s go upstairs so that I can make you forget about everything but me.”
Aahsod smiled as he followed her upstairs prepare for a night of rampant lovemaking.
Chapter 15The next day everyone had been tested and Aahsod walked over to meet eleven year old Aahmod. He was tall for eleven. He had light copper skin, midnight hair that he kept in a neat short style and baby blue eyes just like his mother.
“Hello, Mr. Patel. My name is Aahmod Kellerman.” He extended his hand to be shaken.
“Nice to meet you, Aahmod. This is my wife, Amaia.” He replied shaking the young man’s hand.
“It was a pleasure to meet you both. Now I have to get to my honor’s class of biology.” Aahmod stated with such seriousness.
“Take care.” Aahsod stated as the young man nodded before departing with Monica.
“He’s a little mature for his age.” Amaia stated.
“Which makes it hard to believe Monica is his mother.” Aahsod stated.
“We might as well go back to the office. The lab said they would call us with the results.” Aahsod stated.
Once Monica had dropped Aahmod off at school, she picked up her cell phone to speed dialed a familiar number. The person receiving the call picked up on the first ring.
“I did as you requested. The testing is complete. He’ll be waiting at his office for the results. Just call him as soon as you get the positive results. I’ll be waiting patiently for my second five thousand dollar check in the mail,” Monica stated hanging up.
Amaia and Aahsod were both stunned at the test results at the end of the day.
Back in Miami, Tahj was studying when his cell phone rang. He looked at the number in surprise. He was shocked to see that it was an old girlfriend, Ambi Dalal. Ambi looks like Sushmita Sen.
“Ambi?”
“Hi, Tahj. I’m sorry to bother you but I think we need to meet. There is something I need to tell you.” Ambi stated.
“We haven’t seen one another in quite some time. What could we possibly have to talk about?” he asked.
“Just meet me at my parent’s house and I will explain everything in an hour.”
Tahj sighed. “I will be there.”
When he arrived at the Dalal mansion, Judge Sejay Dalal answered the door. He didn’t have a smile. Tahj always felt he resembled Amir Khan.
“Hello, Judge Dalal.”
“Hello, Tahj. Come right in.” he said moving back for him to enter.
As soon as he entered, he noticed her entire family was in the room. Her mother, Arion who resembled Rimi Sen and her brother, Tandu who resembled Ajay Naidu with his wife Deva who resembled Sussanne Rohan, their four year old daughter Raevyn and one year old son Manoj.
“Where’s Ambi?” Tahj asked.
She entered the room with a baby in her arms. “Tahj, I would like for you to meet your daughter, Neela Fanai Dalal.” She said walking up to him.
“Daughter?” he asked looking down and the beautiful light copper baby that had sapphire eyes.
“Neela is your daughter. I gave birth to her three months ago. I wasn’t going to bother you but dad thought it was best that I contact you.”
“Ambi, I can’t possibly have a daughter with you. We used protection.” Tahj stated nervously as he said it in front of her father.
Judge Dalal spoke up. “Tahj, I am fully aware of my daughter’s lifestyle. I may not approve of it but I am aware. If she says you are the father then she has no reason to lie. Are you absolutely positive that you used protection every time?” he asked Tahj.
Tahj thought on it and remembered the one episode that they did not use protection. His face fell. “I would still like a paternity test done.” Tahj stated matter-of-factly.
“Oh believe me, I want that as well first thing in the morning at Miami General Hospital. The arrangements have already been made.” Judge Dalal stated.
Tahj sighed. “I guess that means I will see all of you at Miami General Hospital in the morning.”
“See you at eight o’clock in the morning at the lab.” Judge Dalal stated before opening the door for him to leave.”
Tahj was in a stated of shock as he drove back to his apartment. When he arrived, Daesha was standing on the porch waiting. He opened the garage and parked his Mercedes SUV inside. She hugged him as soon as he got out of the car. “What’s wrong?” she asked when she looked at his face.
“Just tired from studying. What are you doing here?” he asked.
“You wanted me to come over and cook you a homemade pizza.”
“Oh yeah. Did you take a cab?”
“Yes.”
“You know I don’t like you doing that. I was planning to come pick up you remember.”
“I remember but you didn’t answer your home or cell phone so I got worried and came over.”
“Sorry, must have had my phone on silence and forgot.” He stated unlocking the apartment through the garage entrance. She followed him inside. Once the pizza was made they sat down to eat and watch a movie. Afterwards, he took her back to her dorm and went back home to get some much needed sleep.
The next morning when he found out that he was Neela’s father, he went back to his apartment to think about the situation. He thought long and hard about what he was about to do next. He didn’t want his daughter to feel the way he felt about his mother. That afternoon, he drove over to the Dalal mansion and proposed to Ambi. Ambi twined her arms around his neck.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Positive. Neela’s parents should be together.”
Ambi looked back at her father. “Dad?”
“I agree. I can marry the two of you right now. But first I need to know how you plan to take care of my daughter.” Judge Dalal stated.
“When summer break comes, I will take her back home with me to meet my family. I have a trust fund for the necessities and I am sure my step-mother will allow us to stay in her home until I finish law school and build my finances up.”
“That sounds like a plan to me. If you don’t mind the waiting until June to live with your husband Ambi, I will perform the ceremony right now.” Judge Dalal stated.
“I don’t mind, Dad. I’m ready.” Ambi stated with a bright smile.
The quick ceremony was over within fifteen minutes. Tahj and Ambi kissed to seal the marriage. Tahj visited with his daughter for a while before heading back to his apartment. He was trying to think of how to break the current events to Daesha. He decided to just avoid her as much as possible and tell her during summer break. He knew she would understand that he did what was best for his daughter.
Chapter 16It is June and Aahsod had made arrangements to pay Monica monthly child support and get Aahmod every other weekend. Aahsod also paid to have Aahmod’s last name to be changed to his. Everyone knew about Aahmod except Daesha and Tahj. They had agreed to wait until they came home for the summer to tell them. Acacia Jennings had given birth to a baby boy that she named Mio Salvador Jennings. Tahj was on his way to see Aahsod and Amaia with his new wife and daughter.
“Tahj, are you sure your family will be understanding about me and Neela?” Ambi asked.
“My family is full of great people. They are the type of people that look into the heart of a situation and grasp an understanding from it. I wouldn’t bring you here if I didn’t think they would welcome you with open arms.”
“That helps to ease some of my nervousness. I’m glad I married you. You are going to be a great father. Neela is lucky to have you in her life.”
“No matter what, I think a child should have both parents in his or her life.” He said parking his Mercedes G550 SUV in his father’s driveway.
Amaia answered the door when they rang the doorbell. “Hi, Tahj and Ms.---?” She asked when she saw the woman holding a baby.
“Amaia, I’d like for you to meet my wife, Ambi and my six month old daughter, Neela.”
Amaia was speechless. It was as if someone had snatched all the air out o
f her lungs. She finally found her voice. “Please come on in.” She closed the door behind them.
“Is dad home?”
“Yes he is in the office on the phone with Daesha.”
“Is something wrong with her?” Tahj asked.
“No, she will be coming home later today.”
“Who is Daesha?” Ambi asked.
Amaia looked at Tahj as is saying ‘would you like for me to tell her?’
“She’s Amaia’s daughter,” Tahj replied hoping Amaia wouldn’t say more.
Amaia was about to respond when Aahsod entered the living room.
“Daesha should be arriving in a cab soon.” He said with a smile which faded when he saw Tahj with a woman he did not recognize.
“Dad, I’d like for you to meet my wife, Ambi and my six month old daughter Neela Fani Patel. We have been married three months.”
“Why didn’t you tell us before now that you were married and had daughter?” Aahsod asked.
“We wanted to be face to face with you. This isn’t something you should tell anyone over the phone. When I returned to school in January, it wasn’t until March that Ambi got in touch with me about giving birth to Neela in December.”
“Does Daesha know about this?” asked Aahsod.
“No, I thought it would be for the best if I told her here in person.”
“You picked a hell of a way to inform my daughter.”
“I agree with Amaia.” Aahsod stated.
“What does your step-sister have to do with our marriage?”
“She and I were involved.”
“How involved?”
“Very involved. They also attend the Florida International University together.” Amaia answered for him.
“I didn’t know about Daesha when I married him. I thought I was being married for love not obligation. Why the deception, Tahj?”
“I couldn’t turn my back on Neela like my mother did me. I helped create a baby so it was best for all of us if I married you.”
“Where are you staying?” Aahsod asked.
“I was hoping that you would let us stay at your place, Amaia. At least until I complete law school here in San Diego and can afford to take care of my wife and daughter properly.”
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