At 12:42 the doorbell rang at 5403 Oakdale street. Cameron opened the door and grinned broadly.
"Hey Q," he greeted.
"What's up little man, Sammie here?" he nodded in hello.
"Come on in, RI, Q'S HERE!" the nine year old bellowed as he turned away.
"This is my little sister Kenya, Kenny, this is Cameron."
"Hi," Kenya said shyly.
"Hey, do you like checkers?"
"Yeah!" she perked up immediately.
"I got checkers in my room, wanna play?"
"Sure."
"I'll go get it, then we'll play in the living room."
Just as Cameron ran away, Rion came up into the living room. She had on a olive green tank top and a pair of black cargo pants. Her feet were bare. Her hair was completely down and free, but held away from her face with a black bandana. "Hey," she greeted with a tentative smile.
"Hey," he replied, a small nervous grin on his face. He gave her a hug and then followed her into the kitchen.
"My dad and the guys are down in the basement right now, so you're safe...Daddy thinks you won't be here for another 10 minutes or so."
"Hey Mrs. H, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Quadir, how are you?"
"Nervous?"
"You shouldn't be, it'll be just fine. John's there to be the buffer between you and Paul and Mike. There's nothing to be worried about."
"Besides, it could be worse." Rion added.
"Explain to me how I could be in a worse situation than having DX ready to Kill me with John Cena there to help them." Q looked at her.
"My Uncle Mark could be here too.."
"Mark?"
"Calloway...the Undertaker?"
"Yeah, I'm seeing your point."
Q simply nodded and sighed fearfully. His hair was freshly cornrowed and for once, he didn't have on a do-rag or hat. He'd even dressed up slightly wearing a pressed pair of jeans and an open dark blue button up shirt, a white teeshirt on under it. His feet were encased in a white pair of Jordans.
"I couldn't trouble you for a glass of water or something, could I?" he asked.
"How's iced tea?"
"Perfect...have you seen my little sister running around here yet?"
"Her and Cam are joined at the hip," Rion laughed. "They're involved in a checkers game."
Q smiled, accepting the drink from Becca and taking a sip. "So, am I gonna die?'
"Not likely."
"So, before the inquisition begins, you owe me a song!" Becca smirked, pushing him towards the living room where the piano sat in the corner. Q sat down and pressed a key.
"It's tuned," he smiled faintly.
"You gonna play something, Lee?"
"Yeah, Kenny, I'm gonna play," Quadir nodded to his sister who was lying on her stomach looking across the chess board at Cameron, who was contemplating his next move.
"One song and I won't keep badgering you to play."
"Yes ma'am." he sighed, placing his hands on the keys.
Tell me have you heard the story
That took place not long ago
Bout an angel up in heaven
They say she up and ran away from home
Word is she had unfinished business
So back on earth she had to flee
Well you know I'm so elated
Because she's laying right here next to me
And when God woke up that morning
And he called out her name
And when she did not answer
Heaven will never ever ever be
Heaven will never be the same
Rion grinned. Her mom's face was completely priceless. Q was talented; very talented. Rion loved hearing him sing; although this was the first time she'd heard him play the piano. Quadir's face was so...open...he looked so calm and peaceful when he played.
Always dreamed that it would happen
I just didn't know exactly when
All my life I'd been waiting for something amazing
Said it took a while but now I know
So tell me can I get a witness
If you believe in miracles
And the proof I have is living
And my life will never ever be
And your life don't have to be the...
Michael, Paul and John stood in the doorway listening to this punk kid play the piano and sing...beautifully. The kid could play and well! All three men were pleasantly surprised.
At times it seems we take for granted
How precious life can be
Just hold on and I'm sure you'll understand it
Bringing into this world
A precious boy or a girl
And when God woke up that morning
Said where has my little angel gone
And when she didn't answer
Heaven will never ever ever be
Heaven will never be the same
"That was...amazing! Quadir, you're very talented!" Becca smiled, clapping for him.
"He plays that song all the time on his keyboard at home. I like it. Lee, could you play "Oh Happy Day"? It sounds so pretty." Kenya asked from her spot on the floor.
"Only if you sing it Kenny."
"Okay!" Kenya smiled brightly at her big brother.
"Darlin? Your friend there sure can play..."
Q nearly fell off of the piano bench in surprise. "Um, Mr. Hickenbottom, uh, um..."
"The boy can sing, but he can't string a complete sentence together." Paul laughed.
"Triple H..." Q whispered. "oh my goodness."
"You're Triple H!" Kenya screamed excitedly. "And JOHN CENA!" she looked at John and Paul, eyes wide before reaching in her shirt and producing something; a pair of John Cena dogtags.
"I love you!" she gushed before slapping her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. Kenya was an adorable 9 year old. She was practically a female version of Q, having the same dark brown eyes and full set of lips. She was dressed in a purple tee shirt that said Princess on it in glitter and jeans.
"She's decided that she's gonna marry you when she's old enough, Mr. Cena." Q said helpfully.
"Mr. Cena?" Rion choked out before she dissolved into a fit of giggles with Cam. John looked uncomfortable.
"C, Shorty, shut up. And kid, PLEASE don't ever call me Mr. Cena again, it's John, that's it." John grimaced then turned to Kenya who was still staring at her. "So what's your name?"
"Kenya Malika King, but you can call me Kenny like everyone else does."
"Well, Kenny, it was great to meet you, but...I'm afraid I won't be able to marry you." He said, a sad look on his face.
"But why not?"
"Well, I'm afraid you're just too special to be married to me. You're a princess," He gestured to her shirt. "so you have to find a prince to marry you."
"I'm gonna marry a prince?"
"Of course you are! Haven't you ever read a fairy tale? The princess marries a prince!" he laughed as he bent down to her level. "But I'll tell you what, Princess Kenny, I'll be your friend. How's that?"
"Okay!" Kenya threw herself in his arms and hugged him tight.
"Wow, so Cena has a way with little girls." Paul laughed.
"Charming all ages, eh John?" Becca added.
"Should I warn Andy, Johnny C?" Rion grinned.
"Ha ha," John said sarcastically as he stood up and Kenya went back to her game with Cameron.
"Let's take this conversation to my office, Darlin." Michael said, gesturing for them all to go into the 'office'. It wasn't really an office. There was a desk in there, but it was more like the room that the kids weren't allowed in. There was a mini bar against one wall, the desk sat along the back wall, and there was a small cluster of sofas and comfortable arm chairs over to one side. It was Michael's relaxation room. He took a seat in his favorite chair and gestured for everyone else to sit. Paul and John sat on opposite ends of a sofa, and Rion curled up in between them, her head resting on John's shoulder as he played with her hair. Q sat in another armchair.
"Well, you're here because you decided to kiss my daughter when you knew she wasn't allowed to date."
"Yes sir." Q nodded, not showing just how nervous he was.
"You seem so sure of yourself, Kid."
"Excuse my language, sir, but I'm scared as hell right now."
"You are?" Paul spoke up.
"Well, yeah. You don't wanna piss of men who have what they call 'finishing moves'. It's not good for your health." he joked lightly. John and Rion laughed lightly but stopped when Paul gave them a look.
"So, what's your full name, age, and birthdate? I want to know just who you are." Michael finally said after looking at Q for a long time.
"My full name is Jaleel Quadir King. I'm 15 years old. I just turned 15 last Saturday on December 16. I'm in the 10th grade, and I'm in mostly mainstream classes, but I keep above a 2.5...I usually get about a 2.8, 2.9." he said. "My mom is getting on me to get my grades up, and I'm working on it."
"What does your name mean?" Paul asked, looking across the room at him. His face was a mask of curiosity.
"Nothing, it's just a name." When he realized no one, not even Rion was buying it, Q sighed. "My mom was very serious when it came to naming her kids. My name literally means 'great powerful king' if you include my last name." Q looked slightly embarassed. "My older brother's name is Malik Hakeem which means 'sovereign intelligent king' including the last name. My little sister's middle name, Malika means 'queen', Kenya is her first name; see, my mother's family was able to trace their roots all the way back to Africa. We're from Kenya, apparently."
"Brother? I thought you were the oldest?" Rion asked.
"No, I have an older brother...he'll be 21 January 14th. He's...well, he's not around much now."
"Why not?" Michael asked.
"He's...well, he's in Jail."
"What for?"
"I don't want to talk about it..." Q closed up quick.
"I knew your name had some kind of deep meaning." Rion grinned, changing the subject.
"Hush it, Sammie." he gave her a mock glare and then laughed.
"Why do you call her Sammie?" John asked.
"It's slightly complicated."
"We've got time." Michael raised his eyebrows and sat back.
"Well, in the Bible, in the book of Judges, is a story about a man named Samson. See, Samson was a great and powerful person, who lost his strength - "
"Because his hair was cut..." Michael interrupted, a smirk crossed his features for the first time since Q'd entered the house. John let out a big of a laugh and a smile appeared on Paul's face as he looked at the boy. "You know your bible stories."
"Yes sir...I go to church every Sunday."
"Really?"
"Yes sir. I play piano for my church."
"Where'd you learn to play?" Paul asked.
"I taught myself. I think that God gave me this gift to play so that I can make my dreams come true. I think that he gave me all of my gifts to help me bring all of my dreams out to reality."
"What dreams?"
"To get me my mom and my sister out of that apartment. To get my mom a car so that she doesn't have to catch the bus to work. To make it so my mom doesn't have to work 3 crappy jobs to make it so that me and my sister have food and a roof over our heads. " Q said all of this with a determined expression on his face.
"What're your intentions with my daughter?" Michael asked suddenly.
"Intentions? Well, I don't really have any. I like Rion a lot, and I think that she's amazing. We have a lot in common, and we get along well. I mean, I love hanging out with her. We hang out a lot going over lines and practicing music, and then we dance for a little bit and then watch a movie, or play video games, or take Kenny to the park." Q took a deep breath and then began to speak again. "I don't really...know what you mean by intentions; I mean, I'm 15 years old, I'm not gonna sit here and say that I'm in love with her and that I want to marry her and ride off into the sun set, cause that'd be a lie. I just like hanging out with her, and I guess I just kinda...lost control when I kissed her. I'm not gonna apologize for kissing her, but I will apologize for disrespecting you by doing so."
"Darlin?"
"Yeah daddy?"
"Does what he just said hold true to you too?"
"Of course," she replied, locking eyes with her father.
"Go on and rehearse...you can go on the back deck since the littler kids are in the living room. I need to think about some things."
"Okay, daddy."
"Yes sir," Q replied, standing up and offering Rion a hand off of the couch, which she took.
"What the hell is going on here?" Michael said mainly to himself. "I can't really find anything wrong with him...but..."
"He's still the 15 year old boy that's trying to date you 14 year old daughter?" John filled in helpfully.
"Pretty much, yes." he admitted. "He's respectful, he has manners...did you notice he opened the door and held it open for Darlin while she walked through on the way out?"
"He holds doors, he's polite, and one hell of a piano player." Paul commented. "But..."
"But he's still the 15 year old boy that's trying to date your 14 year old niece slash goddaughter?" John replied.
"Exactly."
"I'll be honest with both of you. Don't get mad, alright?"
"What're you going on about, Cena?" Michael looked at John, eyes narrowed.
"I knew a little bit more than I let on about that Q kid..."
"Explain."
"Well, Shorty called me the day after she went to his birthday party. She was majorly confused. She was telling me about how dancing with him made her feel all goofy. She didn't understand why she felt the way she did when he kissed her in comparison to how she felt when Chaos kissed her."
"Christian Calloway kissed my daughter?"
"Well, he kissed her, she didn't kiss back. She was too stunned. She said it felt like kissing Cam. I had to explain to her that it was because she liked this Q kid in a different way than she liked Chaos...She's so used to being the tomboy best friend when it comes to guys that she didn't understand why Quadir even liked her."
"She genuinely likes this kid..." Paul said slowly.
"That's what I was afraid of..."
"She's a smart kid, Mike," John reasoned. "I don't think there's any harm, as long as you lay down restrictions; you know, he's not allowed in her room, three feet touching the floor at all times, you know, shit like that."
Michael was quiet for a while and looked at the two men in front of him.
"So do I give him a chance?"
"I think you might HAVE to...Becky's even endorsing the guy." Paul shrugged.
"Let me have a one on one with him before you give them the okay first?" John asked.
"Sure."
John got up and went to the back deck where he saw the boy in question with his hands at Rions waist, his forehead pressing against hers as she cupped his face. Then she pulled away from him and spun in a circle before taking his hand and they started to dance, both of them singing. He watched as Rion stumbled a bit during the steps and cursed lightly before turning to Quadir.
"Qua...I can't get this fucking step!" she grumbled.
"You're over-thinking it, Sammie; look, it's step, slide, flick, kick, hop-step, step. Grab my hand, turn, turn, pull in. After that, you do it perfectly. You just think too much." he encouraged, kissing her lightly and then getting back into position. "Do it again."
"Hey Kid, I've gotta go to the store, ride with me. You want anything, Shorty?" John interrupted.
"Gatorade. Orange. And some skittles; I've been wanting skittles all day." she added absent-mindedly as she tried to practice the steps again.
"Ri, don't think; just do it. This is the hardest dance we do. And you do it perfectly when you're not singing. So say the words in your head and do it. Then whisper them, then say them. After you get it going, THEN sing. You're psyching yourself out."
With that said, he followed John to the truck.
"What're we going to the store for?" Qua asked as he slid in the passenger's seat of John's rental truck.
"Gatorade and skittles." John replied. "I just wanted to talk to you without Shorty, C, Mike, Beck or Paul."
"...Oh."
"You like Shorty, huh?" John asked, as he started the car and pulled away.
"I guess so." Q looked out the window and away from John nervously.
"You guess so?"
"Okay, yeah, I do. A lot."
"You a virgin?"
"What?" Quadir's eyes bugged out of his head.
"You heard me, Kid. Are you a virgin?"
"No, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"How many girls have you had sex with?"
"2."
"You plan on just getting sex from my little sister?"
"No man! I like her too much to scheme on her like that! I hadn't even thought about having sex with her!" Qua said defensively.
"I just had to ask Man," John said quietly as they got out of the car at the corner store to get snacks.
"I'm not like that, John. My mama raised me better than that."
"Where's your Pops?"
"He died when I was 9." Q looked down.
"Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. How'd he die?"
"He got shot...but I don't wanna talk about it."
"That's cool, it's fair enough." The car ride was silent for a little while. As they pulled into the driveway, Q looked up at John.
"So...do you think Mr. H is gonna give me a chance with Rion?"
"Yeah, I do. Just make sure you treat her right, man. That girl is like my little sister, and I'm 100 percent sure that I don't mind going to prison over her."
"You don't have to worry about that."