EPILOGUE

The Mitchell center was packed with proud families excited to honor their graduate.

Amongst the sea of people were Hakeem, Kayla, and Ivy, along with Josiah, Raelyn, Kaison, Aisha, Grace, and Monica.

Josiah bounced Kaison on his knee, trying to get him to stop crying, "Here Rae. He won't stop crying. I think It's broke or some."

"Give me my baby."

"Please get his ass."

Kaison was their chunky 8-month-old son. He was generally an easy-going baby, but they'd interrupted his nap to attend Bri's graduation and he wasn't happy about it.

"Aye today ain't about you." Hakeem told Kaison as he took him before Rae could, "We gone sit you outside and let that lil bird come get you."

"What bird?" Kayla asked, trying to eat her Skittles without Ivy seeing.

"The one who come pick up babies and drop 'em off at the fire station."

She looked at Ivy who had caught her and was now holding her hand out for candy, "What age they stop taking them?"

"Damn Kayla don't do my baby like that."

"Ivy terrorize everybody in the house." Grace laughed.

She did. It was Ivy's house, and everybody else just lived there.

"I know you not talking. Caylee don't care 'bout none. She a whole savage and ain't even 4 yet."

Grace's daughter, Caylee, could be considered a terrorist in her own right, only she didn't live near them anymore. It made her seem not as bad because they saw her less than Ivy. Their family lived in New Mexico, where her dad was stationed. He and Grace married only weeks before he left to attend basic training for the Army.

Hakeem was happy to be wrong about it not lasting long.

With a permanent smile on her face, Monica looked around the building. She was happy that Bri invited her, and felt that their past was truly behind them. Monica completely apologized a couple of years down the line in an effort to have an input on Bri and Hakeem's wedding. It may have been a motive there but Bri didn't really care and allowed Monica to plan the whole thing.

Imagine how happy she was.

Josiah made her a Christian Mingle page to find her a companion but she wasn't happy when she found out, reprimanding a genuinely confused Josiah.

Everyone's head turned towards the door as the renowned Pomp and Circumstance proceeded the graduates walking onto the floor of the arena.

Kayla stretched her neck to look for Bri, pointing excitedly when she saw her, "I see her! Hey Bri!"

"You ain't loud enough." Josiah decided, "Aye Bri!"

Hakeem shook his head as they continued to loudly try to get Bri's attention, "Y'all so embarrassing."

Of course, Bri didn't care and had a huge smile on her face while waving at her family in the stands. She didn't listen to anything that was being said by the dean because she was too anxious to get this over with.

It felt like a dream, like this moment was waiting to be snatched from her, one final 'kiki' from Alisha before she finally went to hell.

When they stood up in preparation for their names to be called, Bri's vision began slightly clouded by the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyelids. She blinked and wiped the moisture that marred her face.

"I know damn well she not crying after I sat there and beat her face like that," Raelyn complained as she watched Bri run fingers under her eyelashes.

"She might can't help it. I'm finna cry too and it ain't even my graduation."

Hakeem handed a now asleep Kaison back to Rae and began recording, "We all finna be in tears. If you see somebody laughing, tell me so we can handle that."

On stage, the dean began announcing the candidates for their respective degrees. Eventually, he made it to Bri's major, "Bachelor degree candidates from the College of Education and Professional Studies."

"Daddy I gotta pee," Ivy said loudly.

"I know you lying."

Monica stood up, and reached for Ivy's hand, "I'll take her."

They'd begun calling names, and Bri shuffled forward in preparation to walk across the stage. It seemed to be taking forever, but they finally heard the name they'd come for, "Brielle Lashay Smith."

Before the ceremony, it was asked that families of the graduate hold their applause to allow each family to hear the names being called.

Josiah either didn't hear, but it was more likely that he didn't care.

He pulled an air horn from his pocket and didn't hesitate to blow it loudly, "That's my dog!"

Raelyn sighed and shook her head.

• • •

"Count to 10." Hakeem whispered.

He was talking to Bri, but Ivy started counting for them, pausing between numbers to make sure she said the right one. By the time she reached ten, Brielle leaned to peek and flopped back down.

Hakeem waited for her to say something, and when she didn't, asked, "What?"

"It's two."

"Two mean yeah, right?"

Brielle nodded her head. Two lines did in fact mean yeah, or in other words, she was pregnant.

"You did it on purpose." Bri accused when she saw him trying to hide a smile.

She was nowhere near serious, nor was she really shocked. They'd stopped using protection a couple of months ago, so Bri was more so surprised it took this long.

"I was tryna trap you." Hakeem agreed.

"We're married."

He pointed at her stomach and nodded at Ivy, "With 2 kids. Now we married, married."

Bri wasn't that concerned with having to take time off in the future, simply because it Alabama. The school system was a burning pile of shit, likely due to politicians of the state putting their focus on banning women's rights and finding the least noticeable way to insert racism into their laws.

Neither of them had a way of knowing at the moment that it was 2 more kids they'd be adding to the marriage.

• • •
10 years later

"Daddy Eli won't let me play the game and he keep calling me ugly."

"Go tell him I said keep on and I'ma beat his ass."

"Can I say the cursing word?"

Hakeem looked over his shoulder, "Don't tell your mama."

Jailyn smiled as she ran back into his room, "Daddy said if you keep on he gonna come beat your ass."

"He ain't tell you to curse!" Elijah yelled.

"Give me the joystick!" She yelled back

"Ivy go make them stop fighting." Hakeem sighed, not looking away from the t.v.

"Mama said those not my kids and I don't have to be accountable for them."

He directed his attention to her, and repeated himself, "Ivy. Go make them stop fighting."

She was on her way to do that when the front door opened and in came Brielle. Stopping when she saw her mom, Ivy pointed down the hall, "Ma didn't you say if daddy here I don't have to watch them?"

Bri looked at Ivy whose attitude was well on its way to 10, then to Hakeem who was sitting peacefully on the couch, then followed Ivy's finger down the hall where she could hear the yelling between Jailyn and Elijah.

"Hakeem."

"If I gotta come back there I'm beating everybody ass!" Hakeem shouted down the hallway, "And Ivy get out ya' mama face."

The arguing seemed to stop instantly, and Bri released the breath she was holding, returning her eyes to Ivy who hadn't moved, "I barely made it through the door."

"Time don't wait for nobody. Stay ready so you don't gotta get ready."

Hakeem snickered on the couch, reaching for the remote to change the channel.

It didn't matter if Ivy was Brielle's biological child or not because the majority of the mannerisms that Ivy had belonged to Bri.

Especially her smart ass mouth.

"Get ready to get the hell out my face. How about that?"

"They must've made you mad today? Mama, I told you I'll fight all those lil disrespectful kids."

"Nigga you the disrespectful kid." Hakeem laughed again, "You gone fight yourself?"

"Daddy let Jailyn say a cursing word and told her not to tell you."

This was a mild night in the Smith home.

Believe it or not, Hakeem and Brielle had some terrible children. Most of it bordered on kids being kids, and some of it was them just being awful. The twins, Jailyn and Elijah, did nothing but fight with one another, and Ivy was a teenage girl who acted every bit of it.

Most nights, it was so hectic because Hakeem and Bri were relaxed parents and didn't really care unless they fought or broke something.

Some days when Bri got off, she took the long way home.

Letting out another sigh, Bri walked to look into Elijah's room where they were still arguing in a lower tone, "Eli it's not gone kill you to let her play with you."

"It might."

"Well let's find out."

With a mug on his face, he shoved the controller into Jailyn's hand, "Here. Dang."

Having solved that problem, she continued to her room where Ivy was lounging on the bed waiting expectedly, "So let me tell you what happened to Raven today."

Bri didn't give half a damn about what happened to Raven today, but instead of saying that, she plastered a smile on her face and listened to Ivy talk about her friend that nobody liked.

Later that night before dinner, Ivy went looking for Hakeem to ask if she could stay at her Grandma's house. He maintained a relationship with Maya's mother, Shereé, allowing her to visit their home whenever she wanted, and Ivy frequented Shereé's home, often spending days at a time with her grandma during the summer.

She and Jayden were close, given the fact that they grew up in separate homes, but it wasn't surprising because it was Shereé's mission to ensure her grandchildren knew each other regardless of them losing their mother. An extension of their family, Jayden was treated the same way as everyone else and could call on Brielle and Hakeem like they were his parents.

"Jayden coming down here for my meet and he's staying at grandma house. I can stay too?"

He went to school two hours away at ASU but wanted to come home for her track meet, picking the meet that coincided most with his class schedule.

"How long he gone be down here?" Hakeem asked.

"Thursday through Sunday. I just wanna stay Thursday though 'cause I wanna ask mama can I spend a night at Raven house."

Hakeem observed his daughter, "You don't never be in the house no more. You can stay with your grandma but Raven can see you next weekend."

"I said I was gonna ask mama."

"Ain't no point. I just said no."

It was a very brief staredown because Ivy knew her limits. She stood up from the chair and walked towards the door, "I hate living in this house."

"Awwwwww. That's so sad. Write a paper and tell me why while you stuck in this house this weekend."

In the kitchen, Bri was on a group FaceTime call with Raelyn and Kayla while she fixed plates and tried to hide the onions on Eli's plate so he would eat them.

"You can't give him a whooping for that." Kayla laughed, "She asked."

"He was being a clown like his daddy. He already got a whooping."

Bri had muted the phone so Raelyn couldn't hear her laughing, unmuting it to ask, "What exactly did he say? Like exact words."

"The lady telling him how to take a test 'cause he act like he slow, and he gone tell her he can't concentrate on what she was saying 'cause some stink. She ask what, and he tell her it's her breath."

Josiah and Raelyn went on to have 4 more kids, giving them a grand total of 5. Of the 5, the youngest one was the one who tried them the most. Luckily for them, Raelyn followed in her mother's footsteps, opening a chain of daycares that served multiple purposes for their family.

"How did you not laugh when she called you?"

"I did laugh. That's why I'm so damn mad."

These calls were had nearly every night as part of an effort to make Kayla feel like she was still near her family even though she was states away at Berkley obtaining a degree in architecture.

After a few more laughs, they committed to talking again tomorrow and ended the call.

Bri no longer had to announce that the food was done because her children seemed to have animal instincts that told them when food was placed on the table and came into the dining room on their own.

Once they sat down, Jailyn and Elijah began animated conversations with their parents, but Ivy pouted at the table, moving the food around with her fork but not actually eating.

Once she'd grown tired of hearing Ivy sigh every 2 minutes, Brielle finally asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Raven mama said I could spend the night but he said no for no reason."

"I said wait till next weekend."

They'd clearly already discussed it and Bri didn't want to override what Hakeem told her, "You were over there last week. She can't come over here?"

"Daddy be mean to her. He just so mean to everybody."

Jailyn stuffed food into her mouth, "He's nice to me."

"I'm nice to everybody. That girl be having all that shit on her face looking 25 instead of 15."

"Stop talking with your mouth full," Bri told Jailyn, "And tell Raven she can stay here. Hakeem that's what they do now. They wear full faces of makeup on a daily basis."

"That's what they do. She not doing that."

"I don't ever get to do anything." Ivy complained, "Half of these kids real bums and they mama still let them do whatever. I'm passing all my classes, I never get in trouble, and y'all still won't let me do stuff. I might as well go act like them."

"Try it and see how far you get."

Hakeem and Brielle had two very different parenting styles. He would've been perfectly fine to never let Ivy leave the house, while Bri trusted that she wouldn't do anything outrageous, and that was enough for her.

Sometimes Bri took the heat and told Ivy no, just so Hakeem wouldn't constantly be seen as the 'mean' parent.

It didn't really work, though, because Hakeem didn't care if he was seen as the mean parent.

"Ivy just.....What about Amber? You know she can always spend the night."

She weighed that option, before shrugging, "Okay. And next weekend I can go to Raven house?"

"Yes."

Hakeem scoffed, "Over here negotiating with a child."

If that's how he saw it, fine. Bri saw it as they'd still gotten the original outcome, only now they wouldn't have to deal with Subliminals for the entire weekend.

"Jared mama bought him a rat." Elijah stated randomly, looking up from his food, "He brought it to school and let me hold it."

Bri wondered what Eli wanted her to do with that information, "Good for him. I hope you washed your hands before you touched anything in my house."

"Can I get one?"

"Ain't no rats coming in here." Hakeem spoke, "What be wrong with y'all?"

Hakeem really was curious as to what was wrong with his kids but they thought it was a rhetorical question and no one answered.

"Ma can you take me to Walmart real quick? I forgot I ran outta tape for my ankle."

"I wanna go too!" Jailyn shouted, jumping from the table and going to get shoes before Bri even agreed.

Elijah got his plate, getting Jailyn's too without his parents having to ask. It was because he wanted to ask for something though, "Can I get a mouse then? It's smaller."

"We don't want any more rodents in here." Ivy sighed, standing up, "We already gotta deal with you and Jai."

They began bickering back and forth as Elijah explained to his sister that she was the one who looked like a rat.

Hakeem shook his head when they finally left, "Who raised them kids?"

"You. I work all day."

"Don't put that on me. They go to school and shit. We gotta blame the teachers."

Hakeem and Bri's relationship continued to evolve throughout the years. They began dating while they were young, so they were constantly learning traits about the other as well as learned them about themselves, giving the illusion of a 'fresh' relationship.

Not that their marriage had grown stale, it just added to the list of things for them to talk about.

They now waited outside for Ivy to finish doing whatever it was she had to do before taking the trip that was requested by her.

Jailyn and Elijah were outside as well, chasing bugs on the side of the house. Bri made a face when she heard Jai laughing, "Why does she like bugs? That's so disgusting."

Hakeem shrugged, "She brought a frog in the house the other day. Nasty ass."

"I'm readyyyyy." Ivy sang as she walked to the truck.

Her siblings took a few minutes to come, but they eventually ended up climbing into the truck, with Elijah leaning forward and opening his hands to show his mom what he caught.

"Eli get it away from me!" She screamed loudly, fumbling to open the door and get out.

He laughed and held it up by its tail, "It's just a lizard."

Hakeem was laughing too, and upon further inspection, she realized the whole family had joined in, "When y'all kill me, I wanna see who gonna take care of you devils. Your daddy can't even cook."

"He can make sandwiches," Jailyn defended Hakeem.

"Jai stay riding for me. I'm leaving you all my money, baby."

She beamed, "And I'm not giving Elijah nothing!"

"Real shit. Tell 'em get it how he live."

It was comical that no matter how old he seemed to get, Hakeem was still the same childish man Bri met all those years ago.

He was still the person who'd helped her, betrayed her, angered her, changed her way of life, and gave her 3 children for whom she'd die to ensure they never experienced a lifestyle short of excellence.

Brielle had learned from the things she'd experienced that there was always room to elevate yourself, one just has to be strong enough to be willing to change, and resilient enough to continue to try through adversity.

Because while fear and misfortune deplete power; strength and resilience pave the way for the soul's elevation.

ELEVATION

and that's all folks 🥳

thank you to everyone who voted, commented, & simply read this book.

i hope you guys enjoyed brielle and hakeem's story,

tay 🤍