being honest. It was a shocking revelation. The woman didn’t look a day over forty-five.
Curtis Mayfield’s, ‘If There is a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go’ was playing right then. Suddenly, the child he’d seen glued to the window started running around. A tall, thin older man with long salt and pepper dreads grabbed the girl around the waist and hauled her away saying, “This ain’t a kids’ party! Kia, you gotta go upstairs and watch Nick Jr., girl!” His voice was gruff and hoarse.
Yasmine slid her arm around his waist. “That’s my cousin’s daughter, Kia. She’s being taken back upstairs by my mother’s half-brother, Lucas. Uncle Lucas comes once a year, usually for Christmas or Thanksgiving, but decided to switch it up this time. He lives in Colorado. He’s an architect.” The baby snuck out of the room she was in with her sister, her face bright and cheerful. “Aunt Toni’s parties can sometimes be a bit wild.”
“Sounds like my type of party.”
Yasmine laughed and playfully pinched his nose, then they shared a kiss.
“Come on to the den. My mother is in there.” They travelled through an even larger crowd of people, most holding a drink. A woman swaying back and forth to the sounds of ‘I’m Coming Home,’ by The Spinners, caught his attention. Her short, straight dark brown hair was parted on one side and glistened under a bright chandelier. She wore a cream jacket over a black silky shirt and form-fitting black pants, paired black heels, and a gold anklet. Her eyes traveled in their direction and she made her way over, gyrating her hips and snapping her fingers to the rhythm.
“Mama,” Yasmine said. The two women regarded one another, a glimmer in their eyes.
He extended his hand for a shake. “Hello, Mrs. Prince. My name is—”
“I know your name.” The woman cut him off at the pass. “You’re Nixon Angelo Rossellini.”
“Yes, yes, I am.” He kept his hand extended and for a brief moment, he wondered if the woman would leave him hanging. Then, with a gracious smile, she shook it, causing a gold bangle on her wrist to shake and rattle.
“Yasmine, honey, can you get your father, please? I believe he’s with JoAnne and Terrence in the kitchen. They were discussing the next family reunion, I think.”
“Sure, Mama. Nix, are you going to be okay?” Yasmine asked with a wink before taking a sip of wine from her glass.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Of course.”
She touched his shoulder in a playful sort of way, then dashed off, leaving him there. Yasmine’s mother cocked her head to the side, her arms folded, and a look of intrigue, with a dash of irritation, spread on her face.
“Nixon, I’m not the type of woman to beat around the bush so do you mind if I speak to you candidly?”
“Not at all.” He mirrored her stance. “Feel free.”
“Thank you. First of all, before I begin, let me say that my daughter has spoken about you quite often and extensively in the last few weeks. My issue is, you seemed to pop up out of nowhere. That’s odd to me. That’s predatory.”
“Why of all things would that be an issue? I’m not a magical human being. I didn’t just appear out of thin air. I’ve been dating Yasmine for several months now.” The woman stared with wide eyes, then burst out laughing, shaking her head. It wasn’t humor; more a sound of disbelief.
“Okay, very well. Next point. I am quite close to all of my children. However, Yasmine and I are especially close. Now she is a grown woman and I have no interest in telling her who to be with, or any of that other foolish malarkey. My role as her mother, and now her friend since she is an adult, is to help vet good people, separate them from the bad people. My daughter, in my opinion, is sometimes too quick to give others the benefit of the doubt, though she’s definitely improved in that arena. She’s an amazing catch. She’s financially secure. She’s confident and beautiful. You know it. I know it.”
“Yes, she is.”
“She’s an excellent catch. I’m not going to waste my time having a discussion with you, asking you questions that center around your intent because first of all, I know you are far too slick, too clever, and probably too duplicitous to give me the wrong answers. You’d likely want to tell me what I want to hear.” He smirked. “I base that