#play though

“Are you really here for him?  Cuz my plans involve him as well, which is another reason why you CALL before you come by!”

“I just wanted to check in with you...the shop is just about done with renovations so you oughta be able to get things going again finally.”

Remi nods.  “Ok sure.  Thanks for the update.  You know X has been acting out at his daycare.  They said he’s being aggressive.”

Ron sits up fake boxing at the back of Xaviers’ head.  “That ain’t no problem, he get that from his papa.  Mean he a fighter one day.  There’s money in that.”

Remi screws her face up.  “You don’t think it’s a problem?  Or that he should be told to chill out or ask what the fits are about?  Just let him fight huh?”

“He’s a boy Remi, damn!  I’m glad he got a little tough side in him since he live with you all the time.”

“That’s not my problem either.  My door is wide open for you to see him, take him somewhere or have him around for a few days.  That never changed.”

Ron gives a coy laugh looking at her everywhere but her face.  “You gettin dressed up for somebody?”

Remi looks down at her skin tight jean capris with a peach low cut blouse and wedge shoes, toes freshly done with a candy paint red.  “That’s none of your business either.  But you ought to leave so that I can have my evening I planned with my child.”

Ron rolls his head back letting out a groan.  “You weren’t the only one there to make him Remi, remember that?”  Ron gets up, giving Xavier’s braids a jostle.  

“Don’t be gross.”  Remi scowls, placing her hand on the doorknob.  

Ron walks up to her until he’s just a fleas distance from her body.  “I don’t remember you thinking it was.”

Remi opens the door to let him out.  “Call next time, we’re done here.  Xavier say bye to daddy.”

“Hi Sunny!”  Xavier exclaims heading towards the door as a little girl darts past her.

“Xavi!  I’m back!”  They hug each other’s little self so tightly, she almost warns them not to hurt each other.  

“Who’s this big nigga?”  Ron says squaring his shoulders to make himself appear more threatening.  It was like time stopped when she looked back at the door she still held open to look up and see M’Baku, still holding his hand up mid knock.

“Uh...hello Remi.  I brought the food…”  M’Baku holds up a bag of produce and items for the meal he was ready to prepare for them.  Remi’s heart melts at the sight.

“Ah, that’s real nice of you, I’ll take that fam.”  Ron grabs the bag and hauls it toward the kitchen.

“Ron!  Remi hissed at him.  “M’Baku I’m sorry, he was JUST LEAVING!”  She waves M’Baku inside.

“I didn’t come early did I?”  M’Baku asks softly.  

“No!  Not at all, you’re right on time.  Xavier’s dad just decided to crash unexpectedly but for real, he is gone.”

Ron comes back rubbing his hands together.  “So you got a name blood?”

M’Baku’s eyebrows fly up but he keeps his cool.  “M’Baku.”

Ron look him up and down.  “The hell you call me?  What African voodoo shit he talkin Remi, you got him round my son??”

“We just met Ron!  And that ain’t no concern of yours, I told you to go!”

Ron scoffs ignoring her.  “Look, Imma back back, let y’all have a little dinner or whatever.  But she has a father for her kid, that’s me.  She good, ya heard?”

Remi takes Ron by the arm and leads him outside past M’Baku who waits patiently watching from a distance.  

“Ron, you don’t get to come around here making demands, you left them privileges when you caught feelings for that white girl secretary at your dentist office!”

“It didn’t mean nothing!  What do you expect me to do when you freeze me out like that?”

“Try remembering your son’s birthday and showing up with a gift next time.  But trust you won’t expect nothing from me no damn more.”

“You got the government dipping in my pockets quicker than I can find something to so with it anyway.”

“That’s insurance to make sure you don’t gamble it all away.”

“You just keep that King Kong Bundy ass nigga from my son until I get approval.”

“Suck my ass, Ron!”  Remi exclaims before returning inside to lock the door and take a deep breath of relief.  When she centers her thoughts she sees M’Baku laid on the floor, directing a scene between Xavier’s Venom and Spiderman doll that he and Jolasun are hopping around the floor with a few other toys askew.  

“And Venom says…”

“Will you buy these wonderful roses?  Two blooms for a penny?”  Jolasun says in a sing song tone.

“What about some milk for my goat?”  Xavier asks.

M’Baku whispers.  “The goat makes milk, it does not drink it as an adult.  Try again.”

“Oh uh, what about milk FROM your goat?”  

M’Baku pats him on his back encouragingly.

“I’ll sell you the whole animal for your wagon sir.” Jolasun reaches over for his replica sports car.

“Hmm, that’s a hard deal…”  Xavier thinks carefully.

“You’re teaching economics to my child?”  Remi asks, parking herself behind M’Baku’s back to peer at the scene over his shoulder.  

“We are playing Market.  Mr. Venom and Mr. Spiderman-”

“Mrs., Baba!  Mrs. Spiderman!”

“Of course, love.  Mrs. Spiderman, are trying to work out deals among each other until presumably they have bartered all of their belongings completely.”

“Mama, I can get you a-a-a horse if you want.  You want a horse mama?”  Xavier asks her.

“I think she would look good with one.  What do you think?”  M’Baku looks back at Remi behind him and she feels herself going giddy.

“Why I would love a horse.  Thank you son!”

“Hang on!  I haven’t sold it yet!”  Jolasun exclaims.  “If I can have your rocketship, you can have my horse.”

“Nuh-uh!  You can have my, uh, whistle?”  He picks up an orange whistle he got from one of the dine and play places, blowing it loudly.

Remi covers her ears.  “X  I told you not to blow that in the house!  You guys keep trying to trade that horse, we have some cooking to do.”  Remi pats M’Baku’s arm and instantly regrets it.  The strength underneath tshirt sleeve taunted her, tempted her.  She got up as quickly as she could to make her way to the bag of food M’Baku brought and begins to unpack.

“Uh uh, that is what I am supposed to do.”  M’Baku insists, unacking kale and beets and beans.

Remi looks at him unbelievably.  “But you’re a guest in my house, I should help you with something.”

M’Baku stops, tapping his head with a yam in thought.  “You could actually help with something.  Do you have a bottle of wine, eh?  I forgot mine.”

Remi hops to the fridge excitedly.  “I sure do!  I don’t have any cooking wine though…”

M’Baku grunts.  “First lesson in cooking: don’t use cooking wine to cook with!  The intent is there, but the flavor isn’t,”

Remi nows, peeling the foil wrapper off of the lip.  “I see, noted.”  

M’Baku begins to chop up the kale as you screw the bottle opener into the cork.

“So, did you have a good day today?”  Remi asks nervously.

M’Baku shrugs as he oils a pan on the stove.  “Same old, same old as you say.  Jolasun had a recital at her little school before coming here.  She did a good job.”

Remi’s face lights up in the midst of her struggling to open the bottle.   “Oh that’s great!  Is it like ballet or something?”

“Contemporary.  She loves to dance, and she is very confident about it.  Almost to a fault, but she gets it from her father.”  M’Baku looks back at her smiling.  “Do you need help with that?”

Remi’s veins are damn near popping out of her neck as gives it one more pull before taking a break.  “Dammit, I thought I got a twist top in the first place.”  

Remi sets the bottle down with a plop on the counter as M’Baku meanders around the island to her side, picking up the bottle with the opener still stabbed in the top.  He grips the neck tightly, knuckles show signs of wear but they look beautiful along his skin.  Remi watches carefully as his takes his other hand firmly over the opener itself.  

“I think I got it in too deep.”  Remi says softly before flinching at the pop of air being released from the bottle finally being given the chance to breathe thanks to M’Baku.  Remi clutches at her neck feeling herself breathe as well.

M’Baku sets the bottle back down in front of her.  “It’s never too deep.  You have to be mindful of the technique when pulling out.  Don’t force it, just ease.”

“Mhm!”  Is all Remi could muster as she rests her head on her hand, fighting the open innuendo.   He walked back over to the stove to finish stirring, adding broth.  “A wise man is a rich man, I say.”

M’Baku chuckles, wiping his hands on a towel.  “Then I pray to be a trillionaire with knowledge.”  

Remi gets up with her bottle of wine checking out the cooking situation.  “Ok, tell me when to pour.”

M’Baku wags a finger.  “Not so fast.  I have to know how good your wine is, if it works with the flavors I am trying to execute here.”  

Remi huffs.  “Gosh, so nitpicky.  Aight, let me pour a couple glasses.”  Remi gets one glass poured when Xavier runs into her legs.  

“Mama, mama!  I didn’t get you a horse, cuz Sunny says she needs it to go to the store.”

Remi nods looking over at a proud and chubby faced smiling Jolasun, flying a toy pony in the air.  

“But-but-but she let me have some magic beans and a duck with give money eggs.  That’s cool, huh mama?!”  Xavier holds up the ‘duck’, which is really a Toucan Sam from the cereal box, and ‘beans’ AKA legos.  

“Oh wow!  She did a Jack and the Beanstalk on you!  Have you heard that story yet?”  M’Baku asks jovially as he cuts up some bread.

Xavier shakes his head, braids flying wild against his face.  

M’Baku makes a shocked face before looking at Remi with a sort of playful scowl.  Remi just swirls her wine in her glass, looking around like he was checking for someone else grown and in the house.

Remi shrugs.  “Don’t look at me!  He is into reading chapter books, and if I tried to pull him away from the library he  wouldn’t speak to me for a week.  He’s past Dr. Suess and fairytales by now!”

M’Baku chuckles heartily as he kneels in front of Xavier.  “It’s a story about how some ordinary things can be quite extraordinary.  A poor boy from the country trades his last good livestock for a duck and beans instead of money or food.  Everyone called him a fool but before he knew it, the items he got turned out to be the very things the trader said they were, and he was a rich man for the rest of his life.  You have a good heart Xavier, and if you continue to see the good and potential in others, you could create some awesome magic yourself.”

Remi wasn’t sure if the wine was beginning to hit but her heart felt like it was ready to jump out her chest and slide down the waterfall cascading from between her.  She shouldn’t be this easy but a man tending to a child is her kryptonite and frankly she hasn’t seen it enough to be numb to it.  The last hour he’s been there, he has shown more affection than his own father showed.  

“Mr…..uh…”

“Just call me Baku.”  He says.

“Backoo, are you married?”  

Remi chokes on her sip of wine, threatening her light carpet with dribble.

M’Baku’s eyes widen.  “Why do you ask, Xavier?”

“You can call me X.  Mama does, she’s not married though.”  Xavier says unwarranted.

Remi joins in to keep things from growing more awkward.  “Hey, X!  You should show Jolasun that new toy Grandma got you for your certificate at daycare?  The light up one?”

Xavier’s face lights up as he runs back to Jolasun, demonstratively leading her to his room to retrieve the toy.

Remi leans on the counter watching them run by.  “Oh, to be that young and innocent again.  They are so cute, I could never make friends like X does though.”

M’Baku starts sizzling some asparagus.  “No?”

Remi takes her glass up with longing.  “I was too awkward.  Like X, I hit the books hard and I never wanted to leave the world of fantasy to face a real one.  My mom thought it led me to be more immature and a crybaby.”

M’Baku looks over to Remi.  “Or...it made you more emotionally developed and full of heart.  Too many people think that their worth is in the friends that they have but you can make one or two great connections instead of a hundred shallow ones, you’re really doing something great.”

Remi couldn’t help but smile sadly at that.  Wine made her emotions elevated and what he said hit a strong nerve.  “That’s really profound, Baku.  I appreciate that.  Sometimes I worry my time has been wasted on things because of pressure and just shit that comes up that you least expect and I kick myself about it but...I do have those handful of folks that keep me here for a reason, most recently my son and I wouldn’t trade my journey for him any day.”

M’Baku puts a pan of toasted bread off to one side, holding the countertop with a wide grip and he leans his weight into his sinewy forearms.  “Couldn’t have said it better myself.  I don’t take lightly you having Jolasun and myself over for dinner.  I just hope it isn’t the last.”

Remi thinks to how the evening began with herself anticipating this moment to Ron coming by and completely taking the fun out of the air before it began.  If M’Baku hadn’t been on the other side of that door, she surely would’ve texted to cancel but fate should have it that this strapping, big hearted man in front of her would woo her into a lovely evening of basically babysitting and gossiping in the kitchen.

Remi steps around to  the same side M’Baku is standing at, tracing the hardened caulk between the countertiles.  “I wanted to ask just so it’s clear to me, uh...Are you over here...as a friend?  Because, you know, that’s great, cuz the kids love hanging out and I am cool to play date and yada yada and like I said it’s not like I get out that often anyway: it’s usually work then daycare then home and-”

M’Baku looks on at her in ae as Remi continues to run on sentence speak for an extended period of time, giving no room for him to answer the proposed question.  Then before he could say anything, something pops out of the corner of his eyes.

“Pew! Pew! Pew!  ALIENS ATTACK!”

M’Baku and Remi look over to see their children holding two stuffed animals a piece as weapons.

Remi puts a hand up in protest.  “Wait, we aren’t aliens, I am our mother!”

“And I am your father!”  M’Baku say with an authoritarian tone, before whispering to Remi.  “...this has turned into a Star Wars style thing though, yeah?”

Remi chuckles as Jolasun makes the announcement.  “No, WE are the aliens!”

“Take cover, aliens!”  Xavier shrieks as he and Jolasun barrel roll in front of the couch for shelter.

“When we pop up, have your weapons ready!”  Jolasun instructs.

“What?  What do we do?”  Remi asks, surprising herself that she actually feels somewhat nervous.

M’Baku reaches into one of his grocery sacks and picks up a squash.  “Take this!”  Remi clutches the vegetable to her chest and M’Baku finds a potato.

“That’s all you have left?”  She whispers.

M’Baku looks at her incredulously.  “You’re critiquing my firepower lady?”

“3! 2! 1!”  The children count before popping up and jutting their plushies forward with every imaginary blast.  

POW! BANG!  KAZOWY!  It was a complete a total wreckage of imaginary limbs flying, air support dropping ammunition overhead and reinforcements circling in.

Remi dives behind the counter.  “We are outgunned and outnumbered.  They’ll get us for sure.”

M’Baku taps his forehead with the potato before lighting up with an idea.  “Jola!”

“Yes, Baba?”  Jolasun says casually like they aren’t even at war.

“You know if I am a human and you are an alien, because I am your father, you too are half human?”

A small gasp comes from the other side of the room.

“That means me too?”  Xavier whispers.  

Remi smiles a M’Baku thankfully.  “That’s right, you are fighting your own kind!”

“No!”  Xavier screams.

“You never told me you were half human!”  Jolasun says with venom in her lungs.  What a turn of events.

“I-I….YOU never told ME!”  Xavier rebuts, turning his plushies on Jolasun.

“FIRE!”  They shout, as pew pews hurl at one another.

M’Baku breaths a sigh of relief.  “Thank Hanuman, that was-”  Looking over at Remi all he sees are her shoulder shaking as her hands cover her face.  “Remi, what is wrong?  I didn’t think you would be this into it.”

He takes her hands away and see her face screwed up into an ugly, debilitating laugh.  “I’m sorry, haha!  This was just, WOW!  I haven’t heard this good of a plot to anything in a while.  They turned on each other!”  She guffaws as she clutches her stomach, out of control of her laughter.  M’Baku can’t help but to join in, looking at her as her laughter became contagious.  Snorts and woots are shared between them as their children’s imaginations murder each other.  Before they knew it, the laughter ceased and settle into one another as they realize their hands are still gripping one another’s.  Couple that with some knee to knee touching as they remain sitting on the floor behind the counter, and Remi begins to wonder if the stove is still on.

M’Baku looks at Remi directly, with little space between them, she couldn’t help but feel like she is under a microscope.  

“You have a gorgeous smile...and your laugh…”

Remi snorts again involuntarily.  “I know, it’s a lot.”

“...a joy.  To hear it?  Makes me feel like I did something many wish they could do but never stood a chance.”  His grip becomes more assured.  “And I want to do that again.”

Remi won’t lt her mind stray from the feelings developing between them, though she couldn’t stand them.  Her heart was about to burst out of her throat from all the anticipation!  And luckily she had on granny panties, or her cute ones woulda been soaked through, she was not ready for this.

No way is a friend speaking to her this way, he actually does want her!  But is it too soon?  She did say this wasn’t supposed to be a date, but is a kiss before a date no making this one?  And what about-

M’Baku made her mind hush as needed, soon as his lips touched hers.  It wasn’t rushed, there was no crash, which means they had been inching toward one another without her even realizing.  Damn these pheromones!   Their lips rested into one another, like a long distance love affair finally being consummated at first glance in person.  Her stresses melted away like the butter he cooked with as she parted her mouth slow to allow his tongue to come in…

“Mama?  Where did you go?”  Xavier

“You took her out, remember?  But Baba is so strong I can never get him.  One day…”

The parental ear is still keen even in a primal moment as they part from one another to heed the call.  Popping up from behind the counter, Remi announces,  “Who’s ready to eat?”

“Meee!”  The children sing as they come to sit down at the table.

“Meee too…”  M’Baku says with a frog in his throat, coughing a little.  Remi tries to catch his eye as the gather the assortment of food, but he uses his height to just overlook her, slight sheen to his brow as they set out to have dinner.

---

“Thank you for cooking!”  Xavier says, holding his mother’s hand while twisting his little body around.

“No problem!  I’ll have to make you something more, you cleaned your plate well!”  M’Baku says giving him a high five.  Xavier nods proudly.  

Remi smiles, giving her son a squeeze.  “I haven’t seen him eat that many fresh vegetables since they were mashed and in a jar.  Hey X, go ahead and clean up your toys so we can get ready for bed.”  Xavier flies over to complete the task

“Jola, go ahead and help.”  M’Baku instructs his daughter.

As the kids clean, M’Baku and Remi look at one another, and then away nervously.  

“Well, thank you for dinner.”  Remi says to the floor.

M’Baku puts his hands in his pockets, bending down a little to get in her line of vision.  “No, it was teamwork.”

“Please all I did was provide the kitchen.”  

“...which is all I needed.  You ever tried to cook without a kitchen?  It’s not very easy today.”  M’Baku shakes his head like a curmudgeonly old man.

Remi smiles.  “Kids don’t know how good they have it!”  

M’Baku smiles.  “There it is.”

“What?”  Remi says with confusion.

M’Baku steps toward her, making his posture smaller even though it was impossible.  “Your smile.”

“Oh…”Remi moans with embarrassment.

“It’s good, I can understand if you don’t show it more.  Someone might steal it.”  M’Baku says in a low tone, looking at her again like he did behind the counter.

Remi’s breathing deepened again as that feeling came over her.  If she didn’t know any better, some might believe it to be signs of a heart attack, but no.  Lust just hit her that hard.

“Thanks for the warning.  Maybe-”

“Baba!  I’m done!”  Jolasun says, running up to his side as he picks her up.

“Ok!  Let’s go!  Say bye to X!”

They all say goodbye as they walk out the door, Remi closes it with a forlorn sigh.  Remi puts a chatty Xavier to bed as he recounts the fun times him and Sunny had together.  When he finally drifts off, Remi admires her boy, playing his he braids gently as he snores.  Her mind goes in so many directions as her baby sleeps peacefully:  Ron and their relationship, her job at the shop and eventually opening her own.  Remi rubs her temples at the thought of all she has to consider and what she wishes she could just give up on.  But life doesn’t work that way,  As she went to her room, she thought of M’Baku and how he spoke with her, making her feel like a damn queen when she felt like anything but.  His strong hands and the way they worked around the kitchen, around her hands, and the potential of them working in tandem with the kiss from before.  

Remi lays back in bed alone and wondering if she could rekindle that feeling again.  M’Baku told her that her smile was all he wanted, but she never said what feeling he gave her that she couldn’t get rid of if she tried.  It’s so silly these crushes people get when they aren’t based on anything but hormones and luck.  And Remi has a streak of not being that lucky.  

She reaches for her phone off the charger and opens it to a notification message.  The name she saved it under made her think she was getting hacked but she forgot Babe the Blue Ox was the moniker she bestowed upon him.

She reads the message once, twice, thrice, and couple more times for good measure before she lies back, stretching her limbs with satisfaction and a smile.  It was happening.

Thinking of that smile of yours and hope it’s what you have on before you go to bed.  Let’s plan to see it again soon.  Adults only?

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