Page 140 of Quasim III: King Inferno

“She may not come toda—” the contraction ripped through me like a tidal wave, as I held onto the side of the counter. “Alright, back up,” I mushed him to the side while Gams laughed and came behind me.

The contractions were back-to-back, while Gams helped me change clothes. I didn’t plan to get into the pool until I was ready. Quasim was running around, not saying nothing, and in that head of his.

“Hey,” I called out to him.

“Why the fuck you got me all worried and you washing dishes, Anjo?”

While the contractions were horrible, I needed to do something because my nerves were bad. Holding his face, I kissed his lips. “Relax, Quasim. Feel.”

He put his hand on my stomach and then smiled at me. “She’s coming.”

“Harley says she’s ready… we’re going to be alright, okay?”

An hour later, as I was mopping the floor, Meer came through the door with Capri. Soon as he got her situated in her designated spot on the couch, he came into the kitchen.

“You really in here mopping like you ain’t about to have this baby?” I held onto the mop stick and tried to breathe through the contractions.

“You need to get in the water, they are coming closer and closer,” Synthia said as she timed them on her phone.

Gams was frying chicken, as Mina and Papa came through the door. “Why this feel like a damn kickback and not my granddaughter being born?” Papa asked.

“I brought you a hero from the corner store… Pop told me that you wanted one soon as you gave birth.”

“Fuckkkk!” I screamed out and held onto the counter.

I felt hands on my back, removing the mop from my hands. “No more cleaning, my love… time to have this baby, you can’t put it off anymore.”

Quita was a doula, but she was also a midwife. She took me into our bedroom and checked me. “Oh, you are ready… we need to get her to the pool now.”

Simmy held my hips as he walked behind me and kissed me on the shoulder. Pausing in the hallway, I wanted to scream because it felt like my insides were ripping. “Aye, close your eyes, she don’t got pants on.” He yelled as we finally made it into the living room where the pool was.

“Nigga, I’m in the kitchen eating… I’m good being over here.”

Mina was right next to the pool, while Papa was right with Meer. Havoc was eating chicken, because he had brought the dirt bike over for Elijah.

“Ready to be a God father?” Quasim asked, and he read his lips and smiled wide, then signed something back.

“He said he can’t talk because he gonna cry like a little bitch… sorry Gams and mama Mina.” Synthia translated for us, as he stood up and walked to the porch.

They helped me into the warm pool, and the minute my body sank in, I felt good. Quasim snatched his shirt off and got inbehind me in the pool. I rested my head back onto his chest while breathing.

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He placed soft kisses on my face as he wiped the sweat that accumulated on my forehead. “God, I never question you, even when you took what we prayed so hard for. I know you’re listening… please cover my wife. Cover this child. I know the ones we lost are with you, and we’ll always carry them with us, but I’m asking you to cover my wife and daughter. We thank you for your grace, because we serve a kind God. We thank you for the chance to hold this baby. Allowing us to become parents for the second time. Blessing us with this family and allowing my wife to make it this far. Amen.” He prayed in my ear, as I worked through a contraction.

“Amen,” I squeezed out.

Capri sat on the couch, watching with wide eyes and holding her own stomach. “Pissy, I’m not doing this again.”

“Shelly-Ann, you doing it another time after this, too,” he teased.

Each contraction, my husband was in my ear talking me through it. “Talking you through it is how she got in there, no?” he laughed, kissing my ear.

“Simmy, I have to move… I have to get up on my feet.”

I pushed away, and got help with squatting in the water. His hand never left me as I felt a contraction and started pushing. “Urghhhhhh!”

Mina held my hand and kissed the back of it as I strained. “You got it, mama… you got it.” She coached me.

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