if you see these men, RUN. || (DAVE EAST) (CHRIS BROWN)

Chapter 73: Quentin's Origin

December, 2002
Christmas Eve

"I been dreamin of fishes again." Nana chewed, scraping what food was left off her plate.

The dinner table roared and gabbled with excitement. Whenever Nana had been dreaming of fishes, it meant someone close had been pregnant. She'd never been wrong about it a day in her life. Her intuition was always spot on.

"Don't look at me mama!" Janessa shouted, trying to speak over the chattering table. "Elijah is enough and he's only one!"

Nana waited until the table fell silent before she continued to speak. "That don't mean nothin! I had Cyrus and Elroy exactly 10 months apart!"

"Shiiiid I wouldn't be surprised if Nessa was pregnant again. I can't keep my hands off ha!" Cyrus smiled, kissing Janessa on the cheek and leaning into her. Then he got a little more wild, biting on her ear and whispering into it for everyone to see.

"Cyyyy!" She exclaimed, barely pushing him away. "Stop it. For real now."

She pretended to hate the attention but she loved it. Janessa loved her man and would do anything for him.

"Aye! No hanky panky in my dining room. I swear you newlyweds are the freakiest people on earth!" Nana spat, pointing her finger and speaking in a stern tone.

"I don't think anyone's pregnant Nana." Cousin Sherryl spoke up. "It could've just been a fluke dream."

"Now I know I ain't wrong. I know I'm getting old and I ain't got that much time left, but I do know when someone is carryin! And someone at this table is with child." Nana scoffed, scanning the table at all her nieces and nephews, sisters and cousins, their girlfriends, boyfriends, kids. Just everyone in the room.

But out of all those folks, her eyes locked onto Jennifer's. The quietest in the room in fact, which led her to believe she'd been the one.

Everyone caught wind of the way Nana looked at her and immediately made the assumption she'd been pregnant.

"Now mama Brown!" Jen chuckled, nervously letting her fork slip out of her hands and drop on to the floor. The sound of it slamming against the ground even made her jump.

The table rattled with excitement. Exclaiming with wonder with their oo's' and 'ahhhh's.' There were whispers between everyone who'd been engaged in the conversation and the tea had been hot!

"Nuh uh ma! I'm shuttin that down right now. Don't look ova here cause Jen won't even let me touch ha yet!" Elroy cackled, wrapping his arms around Jen.

"Hmmm...well...I know I ain't wrong about someone bein pregnant. I'm gonna find out by the end of the night."

But Jen had been praying that wasn't the case. Praying that everyone would just forget this conversation happened later on in the evening.

Because she had in fact been 4 months pregnant. She carried small and was able to hide it but it was only a matter of time before she started to show. And she wondered how long she could keep this up.

This is exactly why Jen wanted to avoid coming to Christmas dinner. She knew Elroy's mama would mention dreaming of fishes. She'd been apart of the family long enough to know the ways of his mother.