“He’s a trip but we’re closer than close. Remind me to pick up a present for him. His birthday is next Friday. He graduates from high school next year, and I’m sure he’s going to come to Central since both my parents are alums.”
“Really? My mother also went to Central, but she left after her first year. I don’t know why. She transferred to Hampton University, which is where she met my dad before he joined the Army as a Lieutenant. Asia, our lives have so many parallels.”
“It’s scary, isn’t it?”
“Since we’re about the same age, maybe our parents’ paths crossed. When is your birthday?”
“December sixteenth,” Afrika said proudly.
“Nikki, you won’t believe this.”
“Don’t tell me your birthday is on the same day as mine. If it is, I’d have to wonder whether or not one of us was adopted. Because that would truly mean we are twins.”
“No,” Asia started. “How about ten days younger than you? I was born the day after Christmas. That means our mothers were pregnant at the same time.”
Afrika remained quiet as she sat at the stoplight. She reflected on her mother’s reaction when she saw Asia earlier. For some unknown reason, seeing Asia was like a trigger…a reminder of something her mother wanted to forget. The way she acted, someone would’ve thought she was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. Or was it all an act?
“Earth to Nikki.”
“Sorry, girl. I was in another world.”
“Obviously.”
“You were saying that your birthday was…”
“Ten days after yours.”
“Well, that proves that we were meant to be best friends; sisters.”
“I don’t know about you, Nikki, but my freshman year is going to be on. I’ve got a great new best friend, we’re both on the cheerleading squad, and all that’s left is to find the man of my dreams like my mom did her freshman year.”
“I’m going to concentrate on my studies. I’m going to be a stock broker on Wall Street.”
“Sister CEO. Finally, there’s something we don’t have in common,” Asia said. “I say go for yours. My mother didn’t get her degree right away because she was pregnant with me, and at first aspired to do nothing but be a mom and nurture me. But she did go back to school after a year off and studied hard. She’s a psychologist, analyzing everything that doesn’t make sense to her. My mom is also a life coach. It’s big business, and she has a high-profile clientele. It wasn’t until later in her life that she found her real niche.”
“What is that?”
“She’s a genealogy specialist and loves getting families together. You have to attend one of our family reunions. They’re big events; especially since my mom found relatives we didn’t know we had from every corner of the globe. She’s like a bird picking worms out of the ground after a good rain.”
“I definitely want to meet your mom.”
“I’ll check to see when she gets home. Maybe we can run over there later.”
“Just let me know.”
3
Mimi unpacked a few boxes that contained her porcelain figurines. She gently unwrapped the packing material from around each piece and carefully sat them on the built-in shelf in her living room. Opening another box, she pulled out a family picture of her, Raphael, and Afrika when she was five years old.
They were an attractive family—Afrika, in her long, curly pigtails and candy apple ribbon that matched her taffeta dress, Raphael, in his Army dress blues, and her, in her favorite Jones New York suit. They were the perfect family and their lives were full and prosperous. Mimi’s husband made full bird, Colonel, two years ago and the other love of her life was now in college.
She remembered the day she met Raphael. It was blazing hot, and she had only been in Hampton a few days. With a baby growing inside her womb, Mimi decided to go to summer school so that she wouldn’t get behind when the baby came.
She strolled onto Hampton’s campus to register, and coming out of the cashier’s office was the most handsome man that she’d ever seen. Mimi could tell he lifted weights; he had muscles that not only popped from underneath his cotton shirt but the rest of his body as well. He was tall, but not too tall that she couldn’t reach up and put her arms around his neck and swap kisses with him in her dreams. He had a thick head of cold, wavy, black hair. She didn’t want him to catch her