Nikki returned to her office later that afternoon to find on her desk a bouquet of red roses with one yellow rose in the center with a note attached that read:
Red roses symbolize love, while yellow roses symbolize friendship,
This bouquet symbolizes our relationship.
Look at all of the love that surrounds our friendship
…and if you’re still wondering,
Yes! I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!
Love Justice
The words on the little white card nearly brought her to tears. It was the most thoughtful bouquet of flowers she had ever received and she had gotten quite a few, but now that had as much meaning as these. She inhaled the floral aroma wafting from her token of love and smiled at the joy this small gesture had given her. She hadn’t felt this special in quite some time. It made all the drama of the day melt away making her plot for revenge seem trivial and down right childish. Why was she wasting her time trying to get back at the woman who’s actions no matter how dirty and underhanded, had made it possible to find the man she was supposed to be with? Maybe things had worked out just as they were planned to. Maybe she was supposed to meet and marry Ricardo so that she could give birth to Muffin. Now that they had created this beautiful creature, their time together was done and they were supposed to go their separate ways. He was supposed to find what he was searching for and she was supposed to find Justice. Everything does happen for a reason, after all and maybe the affair between Tia and Ricardo happened just as it was planned or so Nikki reasoned. It was this reasoning that made her abandon her scheme for revenge and decide to concentrate on how she would make Justice a public part of her life.
The misdeeds of a woman in love with one man but indebted to another would unravel without the help of anyone other than herself. It was pure coincidence that had brought both Sterling and Ricardo to the same sandbox in the same park on the same Saturday at the same time with the same purpose but with two different but supposedly related children in tow. It was Ricardo’s weekend with Muffin and she wanted to go to the park with to meet a friend of hers. While, Ricardo was a little hurt that she wanted to split their time with her friend, he understood and was sure that he could get in a game of basketball with the guys while his daughter played on the playground with her friend. Besides, meeting his daughter’s friends meant meeting their mothers and hopefully they were hot because he was on the market for some new meat.
They pulled into one of the open parking spaces facing the swings and Muffin squealed with delight, as she recognized her little playmate waiting for her at the swings. The little girl waved with excitement, as she waited for Muffin to exit the car. Ricardo smirked when he realized that the man holding a child while standing next to the elated little girl was obviously her father so there went his dream of meeting a new hookup. He groaned at the thought of meeting this child’s father. He couldn’t use his charm on men and he definitely wasn’t about to leave Muffin in the care of some man he didn’t know, so he wouldn’t be playing basketball either. At least he would have someone to talk sports with, besides Muffin seemed beyond thrilled by the sight of this little girl so he would do his best to be cordial if nothing else with this guy.
Both Ricardo and his daughter were startled by the sound of a familiar yet unexpected voice coming from the basketball court across the parking lot calling out, “Muffin!” It was Velle and he looked as if he’d been out on the court early, as he was covered in sweat. He jogged across the parking lot to attempt to give his only niece a hug but was met with out stretched hand and an accompanying “ugh” when he tried.
“What are you guys doing here?” Velle asked as he grabbed one of Muffin’s many ponytails in each hand, giving them a playful shake.
“I’m coming to meet Brie, so we can play. She’s over there at the swings. What are you doing here? Playing basketball getting all stinky?” Muffin giggled as tried to shake herself free of her uncle’s grasp.
“Brie, who? Briana, Brie? Ms. Monique’s Brie?” Velle asked becoming uneasy as he realized who was undoubtedly recognized the man standing with Brie. He knew if that was Momo’s little girl, then that big guy standing with her was Sterling and the baby in his arms was Tia’s.
“Yeeeeessss,” Muffin replied in a sing songy manner. “Okay, daddy, you can go play basketball with Uncle Velle. I’m going to go play with my friend.”
“No, ma’am. It doesn’t work like that. I have to meet her father, first.” Ricardo replied. He still hadn’t given the man a good look. He had instead been scoping out the courts to see who was on them.
“That’s not her daddy and you already know him. That’s her uncle Mr. Sterling and his little baby.” Muffin replied without the slightest knowledge of the wheels that her little words had set in motion she waved at friend before yelling out, “I’m coming!”
Velle was at a lost for words, because he knew the rumors, as well as the truth, and he did not want what he thought might happen to play out in front of his niece. “Yeah man, that’s Sterling. She’ll be okay.” He said, but just as the words left his mouth a nearly breathless Ross ran over from the basketball court to join them. Velle was about to suggest that they let the girls play under Sterling’s watchful eye while they played a game of basketball, in an attempt to keep Ricardo as far away from Sterling and the baby as possible but Ross injected himself into the conversation before that could happen.
“Whew! Velle, man, don’t try to run away from this ass whopping I’m giving you on the court. Sir Rico, man what’s up?” Ross said as he slapped Ricardo’s hand, smiling almost uncontrollably.
“Nothing.” Ricardo responded as they exchanged the universal hand pounding that in inbreed in all men that signifies that they are cool with each other. He continued, as he watched Muffin run away towards the swings to meet her friend, “I didn’t know Sterling had a baby.”
“Yeah, it was a surprise to all of us.” Ross smiled, as he watched the look of dread wash over Velle’s face. Ross had prayed for this moment, while Velle dreaded it. He couldn’t wait for Ricardo to finally get the short end of the stick, so he said, “C’mon over and meet my nephew clowns. You haven’t seen him yet either have you, Velle?” He was trying to give Velle a way to look totally oblivious to the fact that Ricardo was about to meet a child he thought was his. Ross pushed pass Velle after asking him a question to which he already knew the answer. He knew damn well, that Velle was not only well aware of the child but also the complications behind his parentage. Ross patted Ricardo on the back before giving him a slight nudge toward the direction of the swings.
Velle followed a few steps behind, not sure if he wanted to hang around for what was about to happen or not. He listened as Ross and Ricardo carried on the usual conversations about working hard and days off, watching nervously as his ex-brother-in-law walked into a potential landmine. He also watched, as the girls played gleefully on the swings, unaware of the drama that was about to occur. He shrugged, as the realization that this was the man who had crapped all over his sister’s heart causing her great pain and embarrassment while splitting up a friendship that went back two decades. It was then that he decided that Ricardo deserved whatever was coming to him.
As they got closer to Sterling, who by this time was sitting on a park bench a few feet from the swings, the view of the small boy he was holding became clearer. Ricardo’s stride went from a causal stroll to a determined stride as he became convinced that the boy Sterling was holding as his own. By the time he reached the Sterling, he was absolutely certain that the child belonged to him. He knew that Tia had started back dating Sterling, because he had made it clear that he didn’t want any kind of relationship with her outside that of being parents, so that didn’t bother him at all. What did bother him was that she apparently felt it was acceptable to have another man baby-sit his child, but he had to practically beg for the same privilege.
Ricardo didn’t even bother to speak before asking, “What are you doing with my son?”
“Excuse me,” Sterling’s rich baritone voice calmly replied. For a moment he couldn’t believe the words coming from Ricardo’s lips. The nerve of Ricardo to act like he didn’t know this wasn’t his son and in front of his family, no less.
“I said, what are you doing with my son? I know you and Tia got your little thing going on, but that doesn’t mean you can play daddy to my son.” Ricardo arrogantly replied. He wasn’t mad at Sterling even though his tone said otherwise, but he did want to let him know how he felt about him being around his son. He didn’t need Sterling to play daddy to his child. He may not have been a good husband but he was a damn good father, or so he thought.
“Look clown, this is my son, so you need to get out of my face with this nonsense, Man.” Sterling replied as Velle watched nervously, because Sterling’s ability to maintain his cool before becoming extremely violent was legendary. Ross like the cat who ate the canary as the drama between his older brother and a man he despised unfolded.
Ricardo chuckled, “I don’t know what Tia’s telling you but this is my boy, hence the name Ricardo Tyrone Williams Jr. Now, I’d appreciate it if you hand my son over to me.”
Sterling didn’t care for Ricardo for the way he had treated not only Tia, but also the despicable way he had treated Nikki and how he had destroyed the friendship the two ladies had in the process. He also didn’t like the manner in which Ricardo was talking to him, as if he were the fool in this scenario. He stood up and handed the baby over to his brother, something that drew a puzzled look across Ricardo’s face, before he said, “I already told you that this ain’t your kid. Now, I’m gonna tell you how I know. It ain’t got nothing to do with what T.I.A. told me but it got everything to do with what D.N.A. told me. See while you running around here claiming my son on his mama’s word alone, I went and had him tested to make damn sure this was mine. Furthermore, look at him. Hell, it looks like I spit that boy out my damn self. So, I don’t know what ole girl been telling you but this here belongs to Mr. Sterling Ray Willis. Oh and his name is Sterling Ross Willis, clown. You would know that if you had taken time to come to the damn hospital when he was born or even bothered to look at the damn birth certificate.”
Ricardo didn’t know what to say. What could he say? He looked at the child that he thought was his and could for the first time see Sterling. He had never felt so betrayed. He wanted to punch Sterling in the mouth but he wasn’t a fool. Sterling had been a golden gloves boxer in high school, so Ricardo wasn’t about to press his luck with a sucker punch. Instead, he yelled to Muffin that it was time to go. After major pouting, pleading and outright crying from his daughter, they made their way to the car and out of the parking lot, the sound of spinning tires marking their departure.
“Man, why didn’t you punch him in the mouth?” The screeching sound of tires made Ross ask, as he lifted is nephew above his head before lowering him back down. He continued, “You gave me Lil’ Man here; I thought you were about to lay that fool out.”
“I know, right.” Velle chimed in relieved that hadn’t happened. He continued, “I was sitting here trying to figure out how I was going to explain to my niece that her daddy just got knocked the eff out. Good Lord, let me call Nikki cause it’s about to be some smoke in the city. Sterling, you probably should give Tia a heads up cause you know he’s on his way over there soon as he drops Muffin off.”
“No. Tia made her bed hard, so she gotta lay in it. She told me she told that man that this won’t his son, now come to find out this lying bitch ain’t let that man no nothing. I can’t even think about talking to that lying ass chic right now.” Sterling said before changing his tone and demeanor as a visibly upset Brie made her way over to the three of them. He bestowed his attention on his disappointed niece asking, “What’s wrong Princess? Did your friend have to leave? Let’s walk over here to the store so your mama’s boyfriend can buy us all sodas from the store.”
