Page 14 of A Little Kissing Between Friends

LeeLee headed right for Samir, jumping into the air only to be caught and swung in a circle as Samir wrapped her up like a burrito with only her head and feet exposed. The smallest of the three, Amani, reached me last, jumping at me with his arms spread open just like mine. As he clung to me, I draped the towel across his body like a toga and rubbed vigorously as we all headed into the house. After being in the yard for however long, my baby smelled like a puppy and had blades of grass all over his legs and in his hair. He needed a bath before we could go anywhere, but Samir spoke without me having to say a word.

“Let’s go, Amani. It’s bath time, baby boy.”

“Okay.” Amani wriggled in my arms. “I gotta go take a bath, Mommy.”

As soon as I knelt to set him down, he took off running toward his father. Samir scooped him up and carried Amani and LeeLee toward the stairs with Morgan right behind them, still holding Pooh.

“We’ll be right back,” Samir tossed over his shoulder before disappearing up the second flight of stairs.

We’d done some variation of this routine enough times that I knew I had around thirty minutes to chill before my son would be ready to leave with me. I didn’t even mind the wait. Amani loved the time he spent with his father so much that he used to have full-on tantrums if Samir tried to get him ready before my arrival. We learned early on that Amani needed to lay eyes on me to accept that it was time for him to leave his father’s side. It saved us plenty of headaches—and tears—to just build an extra half hour into our exchange times, and it had actually benefited our relationship as parents. Seeing Samir and me spend time together as a family, but not as a couple, had been so healthy for all of the kids.

As a child of two people who could never agree on anything but abandoning their only child to be raised by her grandmother, I never would have believed in my wildest dreams things could be so...amiable between non-coupled parents. Add to that Morgan’s determination to help us in any way, and just imagine Big Sean’s “Blessings” playing on a steady loop in the soundtrack of my life. I sat on the couch, picked up the remote from the coffee table, and turned on the latest episode of Abbott Elementary. Just as the show came to an end, my exuberant baby boy came barreling down the stairs, headed for me at full speed. Bracing myself for impact, I scooted to the edge of the sofa and spread my arms as I had with the towel outside. To my surprise, Amani screeched to a halt at my knees and climbed in my lap, wrapping his arms around my shoulders as he kissed my cheek.

“Hi, Mommy.”

Looping my arms around his tiny body, I hugged him to me and rocked him from side to side. “Hey, my baby. I missed you.”

Amani leaned back, bringing his hands to my face as he gazed at me; his warm brown eyes that were so much like his father’s were dipped low, making his expression appear almost studious. His normally tawny skin had taken on a light caramel hue from the sun, and his thick brown hair was damp and smelled like cocoa butter.

“I’m hungry,” he stated, his tone matter-of-fact.

That was so far from what I expected to come out of his mouth that I cracked up laughing.

“I’m gonna feed you, greedy boy. We’re going to a barbecue.”

Gasping, he jumped out of my arms and ran across the living room to grab his sneakers. He was sitting on the floor in front of me, one foot planted on the ground, the other in the air, waiting for me to lace his shoe, when Samir came down the stairs.

“You heading out?”

“Yep. There’s a barbecue at the Thomas residence and we’ve been invited.”

“Aww, man,” Samir whined. “I know Mr. Thomas put his foot in that! I’d tell you to bring me a plate but...” He trailed off with a sigh.

Finishing Amani’s shoe, I stood to my feet and stretched. “But what?” It was almost dinner time and there was nary a pot to be found on the stove in the kitchen. There was a question on the tip of my tongue, but Samir had already anticipated it.

“One of Morgan’s old coworkers from Texas Children’s is having a birthday dinner, and it’s kid friendly.” He made a sour face that made me laugh.

“I take it you don’t want to go.”

“Hell no! This is one of her bougie friends. Her husband is cool, so I know I’ll have someone to talk to, but the food is about to be nasty as hell. I’m considering making a sandwich before we leave.”

Laughing, I waited for Amani to give his father a hug and kiss before reaching for my hand.

“Good luck with that,” I offered. “I’ll be sure to eat an extra rib in your honor.”

Samir walked us to the front door, shaking his head. “That’s cold-blooded, man.”

“It is what it is,” I laughed. “See you later.”

Outside I opened the backdoor of my compact sedan and stood on watch as my baby climbed into his booster seat and buckled himself in without my help. Closing the door, I slid behind the wheel and backed out of Samir and Morgan’s driveway. I was barely out of the neighborhood when my phone rang and Mercedes’s name flashed across my dashboard screen. Glancing in my rearview mirror, I met eyes with Amani, who grinned toothily and waved at me.

“Hi, Mommy!” he shouted, as if a playground separated us instead of merely two feet.

“Hey, my baby.”

I pressed a button on my steering wheel to answer it and quickly spoke before she had an opportunity to.

“You’re on Bluetooth and my baby can hear you.”