Ma walks over and pulls me into her arms.
Prosperity: I’m incredibly proud of you, son!
Kai: But I haven’t done anything. Me-Me is the one doing all the work.
Prosperity: But you’re here for her. You’ll never understand what it must be like for her to have you here by her side – being a man. I didn’t have that when I was pregnant with you.
Kai: That’s part of the problem, ma. How can I be a good father when I didn’t have an example of what one looks like?
Prosperity: Don’t you see? – That’s what’ll make you the best father. You know exactly what you needed over the years. And now you have a chance to fill in all those blanks for your child.
I guess I never thought of it like that. But, it’s something that I needed to hear.
Me-Me is at the computer chatting with Mr. Washington and her parents. Lia walks over and sits down next to her.
Jamelia: Congrats, Me-Me. I’m so happy for you.
Me-Me mutes the chat while her parents are busy discussing when they’ll be flying out.
Melisa: I’m so glad you’re here with us, but I thought you were leaving the day after our wedding.
Jamelia: Yeah, I planned to, but I met someone.
Melisa: What?! Tell me all about him.
Jamelia: I’ll tell you later. You’d better get back to mom before she has a hissy fit.
Me-Me turns back to the computer and sees her mother frantically waving on the screen. She turns the volume back up on the call.
Melisa: *to Jalisa* Sorry, mom! What were you saying?
After the baby news has settled, we gather around the tree to open our gifts to one another. Naturally, baby Bri is extra excited when she’s given an oversized box to open.
I’m not going to lie. I still get excited about opening gifts myself. Something about the moment when the box is in my hand and just before I see what’s inside fills me with such joy. Sometimes actually seeing the gift can be disappointing, but not this time. Ma and Mr. Washington got this one right.
I can tell by how Terra gives her mother a big hug that she feels the same way about the gift she just opened.
Uncle M tries his best to snap pictures of everyone opening their gifts, but no one is willing to slow down long enough to let him do it. So by the time he gets a picture of one person, the next person is already opening their gift box.
Merit: *putting his phone away* Dang it. I give up!
Ma opens her gift from Me-Me and me. It’s a new set of art supplies. She loves it, although she insists that the news of her grandchild was enough of a gift.
After all the gifts are open, everyone begins to settle down in the living room with drinks and food. I grab a drink and offer it to Me-Me.
Melisa: No thanks! That’ll go right through me.
Me-Me gets some food instead, and I keep the drink for myself.
I sit down next to Lia on the couch.
Kai: Can I get you anything? Food? Drinks?
Jamelia: No, thanks! I’ve been eating since I got here.
I check with ma, and she doesn’t want anything else either. So, I get up to see if anything needs cleaning, so Me-Me won’t have to worry about doing it.
While Me-Me and our guests enjoy each other’s company, I discover a big mess to clean. Uncle M’s daughter Bri seems to think that tearing up books is much more fun than reading them. So I grab the vacuum and take care of the mess before anyone notices it.
Melisa: *to Lia* So when will you spill the tea on this new guy of yours.
Ma’s ears perk up. Hearing someone talk about their love life is one of her favorite things.
Lia: There’s not much to tell yet. His name is Stefan, and he lives in Tartosa.
Prosperity: Girrrl! I hear there’s nothing quite like a Tartosan man in bed. You’d better put on your seat belt before jumping in that saddle.
Overhearing ma talk about jumping in saddles is my cue to find something else to clean. So I grab all the dirty dishes I can find and make a beeline to the kitchen. Luckily the conversation is cut short anyway.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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