Epilogue
1 Year Later
King
“Good job today, Commando and King,” Elwood said as the two of us were walking towards the door. Church had just ended, and both Commando and I had women to go home to.
We nodded at Elwood. Our battle with the Black Skulls wasn’t over yet, and every once in a while, my brothers and I had to go over and make sure that they were in place.
“King!” I heard Jewel’s voice, and I turned to her. “Tell your wife that Ricky, one of the boys she was working with, has found a permanent home,” Jewel said, and I nodded my head. That would make Valentina’s day, I knew. She was always worried about the progress of rehabilitation of the kids that she and her father were working towards every day.
Commando and I parted ways once we got on our bikes, and I could tell from the look on his face, that he too couldn’t wait to go back home and be in the arms of his woman.
I rode faster than I usually did because I couldn’t wait to give Valentina the good news.
When I walked into our new home, a double storied red townhouse we had recently purchased, I could hear Valentina’s cooing voice in the living room.
“Babe!” I shouted, peeling off my leather jacket and hanging it on the coat hanger that she had recently purchased. I was still forcing myself to get accustomed to this weirdly normal life that we had built for ourselves. I hadn’t exactly grown up with coat hangers or leather sofas or the smell of a roast dinner wafting through the house. Now, every time I came home, I was shockingly reminded of how amazing life was.
“In here!” Valentina called out, and I found her in the living room, dangling a plastic mobile over the crib of our son.
Joseph was only two months old now and a handful. Every morning when I left the house to go work with my brothers, I left a little piece of me behind with Valentina and our son.
Now, she was standing over his cot, in a pair of old frayed jeans that were rolled up at her ankles and a pink t-shirt that had drool stains all over. She had recently cut her hair short, right up to her shoulders because Joseph had a habit of tangling his little fingers in them.
Even though Valentina’s hands were always full these days, with the care of our son, her eyes were bright, and the smile on her face was wide and content. We walked towards each other in a rush, our forehead knocking together when we kissed.
I slipped my hand in under her t-shirt, to stroke the soft skin on her hip.
“You look beautiful today, baby,” I said and kissed her flushed cheeks. She knew I meant it. I couldn’t take my eyes off her when she was in the room, and when she wasn’t, all I did was think about her.
“Your son has been a good boy all day,” she said when I let go of her and walked towards Joseph’s cot.
I reached for his face and stroked his cheek with the back of my hand. He giggled furiously and tried to clap his tiny hands. Valentina and I laughed, like the proud parents that we were.
I still couldn’t believe that I was capable of this kind of love. The fierce protective all-consuming love that I felt for Joseph and I would never be able to thank Valentina enough for giving me this gift. He had her eyes and her hair, and when he smiled, he smiled like her…even though Valentina insisted that he looked exactly like me.
“Your mom called, she said that she’s cooking Sunday dinner for us and we should be there by six. She’s bought more gifts for Joseph!” I heard her say and I turned to find her standing with her hands on her hips. One thing I was sure of, was that Joseph was lucky to have a mom like her. She was going to raise my kid right.
“And Jewel asked me to tell you that Ricky’s found a permanent home,” I said, walking back to her so that I could take her in my arms again. She was as delighted as I predicted she would be.
“That’s wonderful!” she said, swaying in my arms happily.
After we had kissed again, I rubbed my belly. She laughed, knowing that it meant I wanted to be fed. She hugged me tightly and led me towards the kitchen by my hand. At the door, she stopped and turned to me.
“King, are you staying safe?” she asked, which was a question that struck me straight out of the blue. I knew she worried about me. She didn’t want Joseph to grow up leading the kind of life she did as a kid. Romero had not set a good example as a father for her.
I weaved my fingers into her hair and held her tightly to myself. I needed her to look into my eyes so that she knew I meant every word I was about to say.
“I am safe, and you are safe, and Joseph is safe. Nothing can ever touch us anymore,” I said, and she nodded her head. The look of worry that had glazed over her eyes a second ago had vanished again.
She slipped out of my arms to set the dining table for us, and I watched her work. She was chattering away, telling me details about every little thing that Joseph had done and I smiled as I followed her every movement with my eyes.
I wanted to remember this moment just the way it was, and remember the feeling of happiness that both of us were feeling. Nothing in the world could change that. Nothing could take away this feeling of wanting to keep my family safe. Now I had more to lose, but I had so much more to fight for.