• Saturday •
Zac hopped down from a latter and stepped back looking up at the banner he hung up on the wall in the livingroom. It was 9am and he had been up for an hour making sure everything was prepared for Elijah's 7th birthday party. He was happy all his son wanted was cupcakes, pizza, movies and to run around the yard with a few friends from school.
As he wrapped up the final touches, his mind drifted right to Fatima and how he hasn't spoken to her all week outside of a few texts or when he came to get Eli from school.
Part of him wondered if she didn't want to come because she thought Elijah's mother would be here or something..since it was his birthday but little did she know, not even Zac knew who his son's mother was.
"Oh shit, the damn cupcakes" Zac said remembering he had to pick them up from Publix. He grabbed his keys and wallet as he made his way to the door. "What now.." Zac sighed as his phone rung. Zac was frustrated at party planning alone.
Since his mom passed when Elijah was 2, Simone has always helped him when it came to Eli's birthday but since calling her out about disrespecting Fatima, she's barely been home. He was thankful for a good friend of his from work allowing his son to have a sleepover on account of Eli.
"Hello?" he answered with an attitude, without looking.
"Um hey..can you open the door?" Fatima asked on the other end. Zac said nothing as he walked to the door and opened it for her. He couldn't help the loving swell in his chest as she stood before him holding two boxes of cupcakes and a Bat Man gift bag in her hand. Zac quickly put his phone away to get the boxes and let her walk in the house.
"Looks like you're about done with the decorations" Fatima started as he followed her into the kitchen. "Everything left for me to do?"
Zac chuckled as he sat the cupcakes on the counter and took the bag from her, placing it on the gift table. He silently walked back to her, taking her hand and leading her to the livingroom.
"You can start by telling me what's going on"
"Zac, it's alot and-"
"Don't give me that shit Fatima. We been kicking it Ti, you said you like a nigga but the way you ran from me in the parking lot said different" he chuckled a little "I know about that shit and i told you I don't care"
"Zac I do like you..it's just a lot okay? I come with a lot and I just don't think you're ready for that"
Zac twisted his face up at her "How can you tell me what I'm ready for? Shit, I'm ready to make shit official with you but you aren't so you tell me what you're ready for cause maybe this ain't it"
Fatima sighed and looked away from
him "See Fatima. It's that. That shit right there. I'm trying to talk to you and you-"
"Where did you get that picture?" she interrupted him with a calm whisper as she looked at the wall behind him. She didn't see it when she first walked in but now she could.
"What picture?" Zac said turning to look behind him. "Oh" he said simply when he realized she was looking at the printed out pictures of Elijah hanging from the line of clothes pins over the upstairs balcony. "I looked it up on Pinterest, I remember when you told me about it"
When Zac finally turned back to face Fatima, she was holding her phone out for him to grab. He looked down at it, obviously confused.
"Take the phone Zac" she said before she blinked and her resting tears finally fell. Zac hesitated but finally grabbed the phone from her hand. He got up from his seat, walking away from her. She could tell he was comparing the picture on her phone to the one had he hung. Hers was clearly the original.
"Fatima..this is Eli"
"I know" Fatima said, dropping her head "and I'm his mother"
__________
go to sleep.
same place, sometime tomorrow 🫶🏽
