“What do you want, Essence?”
“Noodles. The chicken kind.”
“Spaghetti-Os and noodles. Y’all staying in here or y’all going in there to sit down?”
“Staying here,” they answered simultaneously. I should’ve known not to even ask.
“Aight.”
One by one, I sat them on the counter so that I could fix their food. Essence was up first since it took her dish longer in the microwave. When her noodles were finished, I’d pop Emorey’s ABCs in while I fixed Essence’s food up. She liked seasoning in addition to half of the sauce pack in hers. According to her and Ever, they were eating Ramen. Most times she’d hook it up with shrimp, eggs, and a bunch of other shit that Essence wouldn’t be getting tonight. Tonight, she was eating noodles… straight out the pack.
As we waited for their food to cool, I could hardly contain the secret that Ever and I was now withholding. The girls would be welcoming a baby in some months, and I wanted to share it with them to bring some joy to their worlds after the turmoil, but I knew I had to wait. Ever was more than likely planning something special for them, so I forced my mouth shut and tried not to think about it. The task was nearly impossible.
Once both of their dishes were ready, I sat them on the counter next to them. I didn’t bother taking them to the table because they were already seated. Emorey laid down in front of her food and ate it just like that. Essence placed her bowl in her lap and ate her noodles from there, eventually ending up sharing them with Emorey who’d eaten her food as quickly as I’d set it down.
“Everybody ready?”
I’d cleaned faces, wiped hands, and washed the dishes they’d used. They were clean, and they were fed. It was officially bedtime for everyone, including me. I only needed an hour. Now that they were home, I could get a little shuteye. It had been a long day.
“I sleep with you?” Emorey asked as she jumped into my arms.
“Woah.” I laughed because the impact of her little move was a bit more than expected.
“I sleep with you?”
“Yes, baby. You can sleep with me.”
“In you bed?”
“Yes. In my bed, Emorey.”
“Me, too,” Essence added.
“Aight. I got to take a quick shower before I lay down with y’all. Can y’all wait on me?”
“We took a bath,” the little one informed me as if I didn’t know already.
“I know, Em. Come on, Essence.”
With both girls in my arms, I hurried toward the stairs and then up them. Emorey was a big ball of laughter the entire way. I got them settled in my bed in no time.
“OK. I’m about to shower.”
“No. Pwease stay.”
“Emorey, we talked about this. I need to bathe, too. I’m dirty.”
“No you not. Pwease,” she repeated, her hands in front of her clasped together.
I looked to Essence for some type of help, but she was useless. She had the same look on her face as Emorey. Neither one of them wanted me to leave them for long.
“Aight. Let me use the bathroom, then, and I’ll be right back.”
The fact that they were about to make me take a wash up was insane, but it was whatever when it came to them, and they knew it. I rushed into the bathroom and grabbed the closest towel I could find. It was one of the decorative ones that Ever had put there, so I knew she’d have my ass for it. But under the circumstances, I didn’t give a damn. I soaped it up and hit all the important spots before moving on to my arms, legs, and chest. With the same rag, I rinsed my body of the soap. I grabbed one of the larger towels and wrapped it around me before stepping out of the door.
“You all clean now?” Emorey wasn’t missing a beat.
“I’m clean now, baby.”
