Maisha turned to look at me in shock. “You left my girl hanging, AJ?”
I smiled a bit, deciding not to let the memory of Antonio ruin the rest of our evening. That, he, was water under the bridge. Besides, last we’d heard, he’d gotten himself locked up again for yet another violent crime. I didn’t have the details, nor did I want them. All that mattered was that he was right where he belonged.
“It wasn’t like that,” I explained. “There was more to it, and if I’d said it right then, she wouldn’t have believed I meant it. So, yeah… I waited a little bit to tell her how I felt.”
Sam glared at me playfully.
“Mmm hmm,” Maisha added with a smile.
Terrell looked at the time after stretching. “I think I’m gonna turn in. We still hitting the gym to play ball?” he asked.
I nodded. That was something I always looked forward to when we got together. “Yup, I’ll be up and ready to go by nine. Promise I’ll go easy on you.”
He chuckled a bit. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about getting dunked on.”
I laughed so loud my son jumped at the sound of it. “Terrell… I’ve been playing ball with you for years and never once have you managed to dunk on me.”
He grinned and went on the defense. “That’s just because I don’t wanna make you feel bad. Watch. I’mma show you tomorrow,” he promised.
And I was pretty sure he’d try, which meant I was also sure I’d get a good laugh. Sam, Maisha, and I stood too, preparing to go inside.
I watched them all head up to bed, staying behind to make sure the fire was out. On my way up, I glanced at the three boxes my father had handed off to me earlier, wondering what I might find inside. Most of this stuff was from my years living alone after leaving Charleston, so they were from the period of my life that didn’t include Sam. Anything could’ve been inside them.
*****
A soft whimper was all it took to wake me. Sam continued to breathe softly, her forehead pressed to my cheek while she slept. With her so close, I wasn’t sure I could slip out of bed without waking her, but one thing was for sure; if I didn’t move now, Anthony would soon be in a full-on cry that would wake the entire house.
I eased back, letting her head fall gently to the pillow and then I placed a foot on the carpet. With another quick, careful maneuver, I was out from beneath the comforter and headed toward our bedroom door. Crossing the hall, I caught a glimpse of the little one standing in his crib, both hands braced on the railing, a single tear glistening on his cheek.
“What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?” I asked, lifting him from his crib. His head instantly went to my shoulder. I let him relax for a moment and then changed his diaper, thinking that may have been the problem, but as soon as I lifted him into my arms again, he clung to me. He just wanted to be held. I was pretty wide-awake by this point, too, so I figured I’d just hang with him until he fell asleep again. The room was still dark, and turning on the light would’ve probably awakened Sam, so I figured we’d just head downstairs for a bit.
The first floor was always a little cooler than upstairs, so I made sure to bring his blanket down with us. We took a seat on the couch and I clicked on the lamp beside it. After a big yawn, Anthony popped his thumb back into his mouth and we sat there in silence, just looking around the house.
“Daddy should’ve brought a book down to read to you,” I said, bringing a sleepy smile to his face. I looked around the room again, thinking to turn on the TV, but I wasn’t sure how high the volume was and I didn’t want to wake anyone else.
My eyes went to the stack of boxes on the other side of the room and I contemplated. Now seemed like as good a time as any to see what was inside, so I stood from the couch again and hitched my son up with one hand. With the other, I took the top two boxes off one at a time and set them on the floor.