3D: Family Talk

Maya snickered at her cousin who looked like she was three blinks away from falling over.

“Keep laughing, Cuz. Just wait until you have an infant and a smart-mouth daughter.”

Maya pulled out the insides of her pockets. “I’m sorry. I seem to have misplaced my sympathy.”

“Ha ha,” Juliana said flatly.

“Hey. You’re the one who wanted another kid.” She scooped up the cooing baby. “Hello, Lamont! Your mommy loves it when you tell her how much you love her! Keep telling her…as loud as you can!”

Juliana snorted. “I can’t wait until you have kids! I’m gonna make them say all kinds of things to you. What are you and Ranveer waiting on anyway?”

Maya looked askance. “Marriage.”

Juliana grunted. “Pruett genes rock, but you’re not as young as you look, you know.”

Maya rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the super cute baby demanding her attention. “Hmph. Sounds like both of you need a nap.”

#Manveer was a watertight ship now. Nothing and no one could sink it. If Maya found herself pregnant, things would be ok. They would move in together and live happily-ever-after as a family. He would probably marry her, but even if he didn’t, she was sold and would follow him anywhere. Still, she preferred marriage then children. Whether it was her upbringing or something she desired, that was the order of operations in her family equation.

“What? I’m just saying! Don’t you want to be a young mom? Or, do you want to be old and die before your kid is in high school like my dad? And, Uncle Emerson?”

Wow. She hadn’t thought of them in ages. And, Aunt Juliette. Oh, she used to heckle her and Aubrey so bad. Those were such good times. “First of all, I’m not too old to be a young mother. Secondly, I will be whatever kind of mom I’m going to be!”

Frankly, she wasn’t in a rush to have children. And, children were too many. They were a lot of work, and she only cared to pour her energy into one cute little ungrateful brat. Maya loved her little brother and all the little cousins. She was always eager to meet and spend time with them. But, when it came time to leave, she gladly passed them back to their mothers.

“What do you guys have to eat?”

“Cake.”

“Oooh! Sorry, Monty. You are sweet, but not as sweet as cake. Gotta go!”

She placed the infant back in the bassinet to find the cake. In the living room, Juliana, Carlee and Aunt Janessa waited for her. “So, tomorrow, Daddy’s gonna show us around the park before the grand opening!”

“Oh, I can’t wait to see it,” Janessa said.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you came.”

“You’re right, but it would be better for him to share the moment with you guys. You’ve never been there, and he’ll want to show you everything.”

“Juliana, you were born in the Estate, right?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Do you remember it?”

“Oh yes. It was amazing. I went to many of Uncle Jonathan’s parties. We moved before I started walking, so I don’t remember what it looked like before.”

Aubrey always said she couldn’t believe he used to be materialistic, but Maya did. He wasn’t that way anymore, but she saw it in the little things. He always had the best of whatever they could afford. Even the little family parties excited him a great deal; he always went all out. He was totally a party guy back in the day. She had to inherit it from some place.

“What was it like?”

“Ginormous. Mom, tell her about all the rooms. I don’t remember them all.”

“Oh. Let’s see. There was the foyer, a half bathroom there … The art studio, concert hall, kitchen, courtyard, family room, office, the gym in the basement, the patios, six bedrooms and bathrooms, the nursery, the playroom, and the upstairs office.”

“Oh my,” Maya said with her mouth gaped. “We had so much.”

Everyone had trouble making eye contact. She knew what they were thinking, but no one was brave enough to discuss it. Whenever the forbidden #Aubrio topic came up, everyone smiled and nodded. It couldn’t be healthy for them to hold in all those feelings. Luckily, Carlee joined them on the sofa and told Juliana about something that happened in school.