"It's never gone this far
It's never been this bad
But I won't let it erase the memories
Of good times we've had
And even with everything
That we've been going through
You never have to ask me
I still choose you"
P. J. Mortin – "Please Don't Walk Away"
Disa stared at the floating villa on her kimoyo.
Yani and her children were moving to Lake Kivu, nearly one hundred miles away. Their new home had four lavish bedrooms with acres of land for Riki and Sydette to play on. They would be flown every day to their regular school, so Joba would still have daily interactions with them.
Queen Ramonda took it upon herself to convert Yani's old suite into an entire luxury floor for Disa and Joba. Walls and furniture were removed, and the expansion gave her a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of Wakanda. Disa thanked the queen for her kind gesture at making sure the changes benefitted her, too. Her home became an even bigger paradise.
Joba didn't fare well with the sudden change in family dynamics.
Anxiety and stress over the situation forced Erik's youngest into a state of nervous clinginess for three days. When they were summoned by Erik and Ramonda to say goodbye, Disa almost refused to go herself. Her disappointment in Yani's treatment of their plight was a slap in the face to all Disa had tried to create with her. Harmony. To not show up would appear to be a petty slight, and the Udaku's took optics seriously. Disa gussied up in a black dress and heels, fluffing out her hair in luxurious waves. Joba looked pretty in a puffy pink taffeta dress with lace-up pink sandals. Disa helped her fluff out her big hair too and added tiny yellow butterfly clips.
On the way down to the Talon port, Joba's breathing turned into hyperventilating and Disa spent thirty minutes talking her daughter back into a calm state.
"It's going to be alright, Joba," she said.
Big, black wet eyes peered back at Disa. Joba would be the only child in the palace, and it was a lonely feeling. Hugging her child, she was able to convince her to see the siblings off. Riki was already in the throes of a tantrum, screaming at the top of his lungs until Erik arrived. The boy latched onto his father's thigh and wouldn't let go. Sydette remained by her mother's side, wailing and pleading with Yani to let her stay.
Disa encouraged Joba to hug her brother and sister, which she did willingly. But she refused to look at or hug Yani at all. Erik picked up Joba and held her against his chest, and her daddy's arms seemed to ease her stress levels. Ramonda and Shuri did their best to keep smiles for everyone and spoke excitedly about future visits and upcoming birthdays. The situation grew painfully intolerable, and even Yani seemed to be full of regret and hesitation at what was happening. But it had to be done. Her misery had to be handled on her own and in her own space.
Sydette gave up begging and just flopped on the ground and folded her arms. Erik handed Joba to Disa and lifted his oldest. He walked a few feet away from everyone, talking to her softly as she wiped her eyes continuously. All Disa could make out from where she stood was Erik reassuring Sydette that he loved her while kissing her cheek and asking her to be a good big sister. He held out his hand for Riki, and his son bounded over, allowing his father to lift him up too.
"Joba, come here, please," Erik said.
Disa put Joba down and she trudged to her father, giving Yani a wide berth as she passed her.
"My Bast, this is so awful, just awful," Ramonda murmured.
Shuri put an arm around her mother. Ramonda reached out and squeezed Disa's hand. T'Challa strode out of the palace doors and joined them with a phalanx of Doras. He wore a dour expression.
"How are you holding up?" T'Challa asked.
"As well as can be expected," Disa said.
Yani walked over to them. She tried to wear light make-up to make herself look confident, but there were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her lips were cracked in a few places from dehydration and nervous biting. The woman didn't look good at all.
Shuri gave her a hug.
"Be well, Yani," Shuri said.
Ramonda hugged her next, but kept quiet. T'Challa wrapped loving arms around her.
"Let me know if anything isn't up to par when you arrive. You are welcome back here whenever you want," T'Challa said.
He released her and made his way over to Erik and the children. When Yani finally turned to Disa, her face was full of contrition.
"Joba is welcome to visit whenever she wants," Yani said.
"We'll stick to scheduled visits here to help her adjust," Disa said coolly.
Yani nodded.
"How does it feel?" Disa asked.
Yani stared at her with confusion at the query.
"Leaving?" Yani said.
"No. Choosing yourself."
"It feels scary. I'm nervous…"
Yani glanced down at her feet.
"That will pass. You'll get stronger and feel a lot better in the next few weeks," Disa said.
"I hope so. I'm doing mi best standin' here all brave, but I want to throw up."
Disa smiled then.
"I threw up a lot and doubted myself often," Disa said.
She looked over Yani's head. Erik's somber face told her it was time to end the goodbyes.
"Excuse me," Disa said.
She moved with a heavy heart and joined Erik.
"Have fun at the new house, okay?" Disa said.
She hugged Sydette and then Riki. Both children accepted her touch with passive, drained energy. Their hearts were broken, but Disa knew they would bounce back once they saw all the wonderful amenities of the new home in person. They could jump into water from their own dock just like they did back in St. Thomas. Erik put them down and held Joba's hand.
Yani joined the sad bunch and ushered her children into the waiting Talon Fighter. Everyone waved at them. Yani came back out one more time, and Joba turned her head away from her while she hugged Erik. He kissed Yani on the lips and whispered something in her ear. She bolted back onto the Talon Fighter afterward. As the aircraft took off, Joba buried her face in Erik's hip. An awkward silence linked them all there, watching the ship become a speck on the horizon.
"Joba, would you like to go visit the nursery with me? Mother's new orange blossoms have arrived from Birnin S'Yan!" Shuri said.
Ramonda clapped her hands with excitement.
"Oh, my goodness, they should be ready to transfer into the royal garden gazebo. We should have a tea party there to welcome them," Ramonda said.
Joba lifted her head from Erik's side.
"Would you like to go with Queen Mother and Shuri?" Disa asked.
Joba stared at Erik, and he patted her back.
"Yes, please," Joba said.
Ramonda held out her hand for Joba, and she took it once Erik winked at her.
"I'll keep her until lunch," Ramonda said.
"That's fine. Have fun," Disa called out.
T'Challa followed them with the Doras leaving Disa alone with Erik. Once everyone was gone, he closed his eyes and released a heavy, shuddery breath. He touched his heart.
"Another hole," he said.
"You have a miraculous way of healing," she said, trying to lighten the mood.
He stared at her.
"Go on and say it. I ain't shit," he said.
"It's not for me to say anymore, Erik."
"I'll pick Joba up from Ramonda before I go to work and drop her off with you."
"How are things with the Phuri stuff?"
"T'Challa and his people are taking care of that. They'll call me in if they catch more assailants for interrogation. He wants me to handle my personal business and I'll be used as needed."
"You feel confident about squashing those people?"
"I do. They've collected evidence to analyze. I'll look it over after I finish this probe assignment."
"Keeping busy will help you…"
Erik's eyes spilled with tears.
"I didn't want her to go. Seeing her walk away from me like that… I feel sick, angry at myself, and so… empty. Disa, out of everyone in my life, before I turned into this shell when I left the states for good… you've been my rock. My touchstone. My best friend. How can I fix this? My woman left me and took my babies. Umama said I was too greedy. I've always been that way. My Baba raised me to believe I could have everything in this world that I touched. My mother too."
"Maybe it's time that Erik N'Jadaka Stevens-Udaku cared for his own well-being for a change. You have led the most extraordinary life I have ever encountered. People will write books about you. Your exploits will become legendary. Control of a kingdom awaits you. Reconnect to who you are, the real you, the one I saw glimmers of back in Cambridge before the navy. I am in awe of you Erik, I really am. Use this time to get to know you again. All that you have touched has changed the trajectory of the global future. Step into your power the way you used to talk about. You are a child of Ogum. Stand in that. You're the father of my brilliant baby. The father of two more exceptional children. Stand in that power the way I know you can. You need to count your blessings and not your losses, and I'll be by your side as your council and confidante. The time has come for you to do what you said you would. Run the world."
Erik gazed at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. He stood taller and the liquid hovering in his eyelids shimmered.
"Show us what you're capable of and I promise you, everything will fall into place," Disa said. "Come through Geechee man. Ogum's spear. The one who brings thunder!"
She snapped her fingers and tapped the center of his forehead.
Erik took a step back from her and his lips twisted up with the determination she remembered from way back. She placed her hands on the planes of his chest.
"Focus on you and your original goals. The least you can do for me is stick to what you came here for."
He wandered off by himself and Disa watched him go. Yani's leaving would be the catalyst to put a fire under his ass. She was sure of that. Erik was a king in the making and she damn well knew that once he took the throne, she had access to realizing her dreams, too. Liberation for the Black diaspora.
Disa headed to the West Palace and her office. Twyla waited for her in the reception area, drinking tea and chatting with the small staff. Wakandans typically worked twenty hours a week by law, so she hired extra staff to cover the times she worked longer hours. The capitalist American over-work ethic had a chokehold on her, and it was taking Disa a long time to relax into the work/life balance that the Wakandans treasured.
"How was it?" Twyla asked when they walked into Disa's personal office together.
Disa dropped into her desk chair and cradled her face.
"Awful. The kids fell out. But after Yani left, I gave Erik a pep talk. I hope it makes him take stock of who he is now. "
"I couldn't be there. I'll see them later today for dinner, but I didn't want to be around alla that hurt. But I'm proud of mi girl."
Twyla lowered her gorgeous milky brown eyes. Disa grinned.
"I'm proud of her too," Disa said.
"You are?"
"Why do you look so surprised?"
Twyla pushed one of her thin locs behind her ear.
"I thought you would be happy with her leaving for different reasons."
"Getting Erik to myself?"
"You are in the palace together. I know yuh in love with him."
"I love him. But he needs to love himself again. Just like Yani."
Twyla grinned. Disa lifted a large sketch pad from her desk and flipped a few pages until she came to what Twyla wanted to see.
"Disa!" Twyla squealed.
Twyla took the sketchbook and stared at the preliminary images of a sleek-looking tourist agency building.
"This is just based on what you described to me with the whole circular theme. I can make it sleeker, more futuristic if you want," Disa said.
"No! I want to emphasize eco-tourism, especially highlighting water and plants."
"This is just a start. Give me some notes and I will flesh it out more."
"Flesh it out? These already look ready to go!"
Disa grinned. Twyla used her finger to trace the curves of the sketched images that were full of color.
"How did your meeting go with Erik?" Disa asked.
"He said he will support my venture. I have to put together a presentation for the Council of Elders and the Chamber of Commerce. I may have to wait for him to take the throne in case T'Challa doesn't like it. With all that's happening, I know Wakandans are nervous about opening themselves up to the world. Eco-Tours are my specialty and I'm great at it. I'm studying Wakanda's ecological history and I know I can create a sound business that will benefit the country."
Disa rested in the energy of Erik becoming king. Although she had respect for T'Challa, Erik had a grasp of the world far beyond what his cousin could understand.
###
Erik stood at his desk and welcomed the Council of Elders into his inner office. Mpilo had comfortable chairs and fresh incense burning, while Tlotliso brought in snacks and libations. Zinzi carried a broad smile on her face as she sat down with the others facing Erik. Once Efetobo took her seat, Zinzi placed an official folder on his desk.
"Despite the circumstances with the Phuri, we are still on schedule for transferring power to the throne," Zinzi said.
Erik looked at all the older Wakandans in his midst and folded his hands on the desk.
"I've put together a transition team and will hold a meeting with them once I hear back from the invitations I'll send out," Erik said.
Elder Bhira and Elder M'Kathu glanced at one another. Zinzi and Efetobo kept steady eyes on Erik.
"You have made plans without consulting all of us?" Bhira asked.
"Until I take the throne, I didn't think there was a need to consult you," Erik said, challenging the elder.
M'Baku cleared his throat and Erik turned his attention to the Jabari chief.
"Who will this separate transition team consist of?" M'Baku asked.
"Once I receive confirmation of acceptance, I will prepare a list for you. For now, you should know that my team will comprise Wakandans familiar with my father. They will assist me in creating a United Diaspora Consortium," Erik said.
"What is that?" Bhira asked.
"It will do what the African Union tried to do decades ago. This time I will unite the Black diaspora globally—"
"To do what?" M'Kathu said.
Erik sat back in his seat.
"I will finish what I started three years ago. T'Challa tried to introduce Wakanda to the world without thinking it through. Going to the U.N. and revealing what we have was a tactical error on his part. The United States and the European Union are Wakanda's biggest enemies. They court favor with us now because they fear what we have. He spoke of building bridges, but I will never give the outside world easy access to us."
M'Kathu stood up.
"You cannot go back on the word of our king!" M'Kathu
"There will be a regime change, and all that kumbaya shit T'Challa spoon fed the U.N. is out the window. The United States has no moral conscience, and its European cousins are the same way. They will get nothing but dust from me."
M'Kathu glanced at the others. Zinzi and Efetobo remained stoic. Bhira looked uncertain and M'Baku stayed cool.
Erik leaned forward.
"I'll still need you to guide me with internal Wakandan affairs. You'll be kept abreast of the UDC plans. My goal is to have a union of Black leaders from throughout the Black diaspora who can give us the expertise of what our people need. Strictly NGO's. I'm putting together a draft to present to you after my first meeting."
"Will we be present?" M'Baku asked.
"Not for the initial meeting with Wakandans. Once I put together the UDC, you'll be there front and center. I need to speak freely in private with the people I choose before I bring them to you," Erik said.
"Will you proceed with your original plan of arming the diaspora?" Efetobo asked.
"Yes," Erik said.
M'Kathu and Bhira shook their heads in disappointment. Zinzi and Efetobo remained calm. Erik stood and moved to the front of his desk and sat on it.
"I'm not handing out weapons to just random Black folks. There are problems out there, and the last thing I will do is give high-tech weaponry to idiots. That's what War Dogs are for. The ones who followed me were already entrenched in communities I targeted and knew who to give firepower to. We'll prepare communities and provide them with protection. Listen. I know what's out there. You don't. T'Chaka only told you what he wanted you to hear, and you later accepted his son because that was the way things were always done based on ignorance. The world only recognizes power. Not goodwill and community centers. I know it frightens you to face a new world order, but you must prepare for the changes that will sweep the globe. If you don't like what I'm saying, then prepare to step down from your post when I take the throne. You have nine months to decide."
M'Kathu and Bhira left the office immediately. Zinzi and Efetobo stayed with M'Baku.
"Will they stay?" Erik asked.
Efetobo leaned on her cane from her seat.
"They will stay," Efetobo said.
"M'Baku, what do you think?" Erik asked.
M'Baku folded his meaty arms.
"I think you and I should have a private talk and get to know each other better," M'Baku said.
"I'll plan a private dinner for us in my suite," Erik said.
M'Baku lifted an eyebrow with surprise.
"Bring your wife, Ayomide. Yani told me she is the power behind the big chief," Erik teased.
M'Baku's dispassionate expression switched up then at the mention of his wife. A gap-toothed grin spread his thick lips. This gave Erik relief. A man that sought his woman's council was a smart leader. Both Disa and Yani mentioned that the Jabari leader became putty in his wife's presence, and he was eager to get the two of them together alone. Sita told him they were in his corner.
Tlotliso slipped into the room with a stack of private invitations to be sent to all the Wakandans that he wanted to meet. All the people that had supported his father so long ago. Erik wanted to meet his father's past so that they could help him shape the future.
"These need your signature and private seal," Tlotliso said.
She placed them all inside a clear side bin next to his desk. Mpilo entered to refresh drinks and remove uneaten food.
"Do you seek war with the world?" Efetobo asked.
Erik shook his head.
"I seek justice and reparations. Things that we should've gotten hundreds of years ago. War will come to those who try to stop us in that quest. As long as no one tests me, the weapons I will send to War Dogs will just be on standby," he said.
Efetobo and Zinzi stood from their seats.
"I promise you both that no force shall be used unnecessarily. I'll give our detractors on the outside an opportunity to do the right thing for the diaspora. They can pay what they owe and make good on promises from the United States, the Caribbean, South America, and in Europe. I'll force every country and island nation to face their history of anti-Blackness. My goal is restitution. I'm not a tyrant, but I'll flex if I have to."
His kimoyo beads warmed up on his wrist and glowed blue. Riki and Sydette.
"I have to take this," Erik said.
Zinzi, Efetobo, and M'Baku bid him farewell and left his office. Erik tapped a bead. Riki's and Sydette's faces were pressed together and their hair was soaked with water. They sat on a dock and he could hear water breaking against the Kivu lake shore.
"Baba, can we come back to the palace?" Sydette asked.
Her red-rimmed eyes weren't colored that way because of playing in the water.
"You two aren't having fun in the lake?" Erik asked, making his voice chipper.
Riki shook his head, and Sydette wiped her eyes.
"But it's so pretty there. I was waiting for more pictures from you."
"I wahn come home," Riki pleaded.
"You are home, Dumplin. I'll see you next weekend."
Riki's mouth fell open, and he squeezed his eyes shut. Sydette stared at him with gigantic eyes, willing him to rescue them. He noticed Yani's shadowy figure behind them. Their female nanny was nearby, too.
"Baba's gotta get some work done. I'll read you all a story with Joba tonight."
"No," Riki gasped, like all the breath was crushed out of his chest.
"C'mon y'all. I told you that Mama wanted her own house, and she wanted to make you happy there. She likes it a lot."
"I know… but…"
"But what, Sweet Pea?" he said.
"It's not the same without you all here. It's pretty and I like it. I just want you here, or we come there. I miss Joba…"
Sydette started crying and Riki blubbered next to her.
"You can tell me all about it when I see you next weekend," he said.
"Too long!" Riki complained.
"Riki! Joba! Time for dinner!"
The new nanny called to them, and Erik glimpsed the cute chubby face with the big smile.
"Kora is calling you. Go eat and I'll see you tonight on vid chat."
Erik blew them kisses and ended the call. Mpilo stood quietly, waiting for him to finish.
"The Scorpion Fighter is ready to take you to Princess Shuri's lab," Mpilo said.
He nodded and fingered through the stack of invitations. Mpilo left him to his privacy. Pausing, he thought of Nick Fury. Erik considered bringing him into the UDC as a liaison. It was a risky move to make, but it could be the buffer he needed to keep the Americans on a leash while he infiltrated the globe with his agenda. Erik's Nana used to make patchwork quilts, and that was the spirit he was using to put together the UDC. All the different patches of Black life stolen away to all the corners of the earth. One patch wasn't big enough to bring comfort to a cold body, but a blanket made from many could warm so many souls. Nick Fury was born and bred in the belly of the beast, just like Erik. He knew the tricks and trickster moves of the master manipulator country. The man knew intimately what Wakanda was made of. Perhaps Erik could turn him into a double agent and use him to his benefit.
It was worth trying.
Erik sent a message to Shuri that he was on his way. His work was never done. But the throne was on the horizon. His kimoyo lit up and vibrated on his wrist.
"Hey now," Erik said.
His Grandpop's image floated in front of him.
"JaJa, we're on our way there. I will see you soon," Dante said.
"Grandpop… I…."
"I know… I know…"
"The travel isn't stressing out your health, is it?" Erik asked.
"Heck no, boy! I haven't felt this alive since… well since I met my new grandbabies."
"I have so much to tell you… so much to ask you," Erik said.
They both stared at one another, teary-eyed and grateful.
"I won't hold you up. I wanted to tell you myself. We're bringing your mother and father home where they belong. Their proper home. They'll see their baby boy become the king he was destined to be," Dante said with pride.
"When you get here, I'm putting you to work. Don't think you're going to lounge around here. I need your old activist spirit. I need your wisdom."
"It's all yours," Dante said.
Erik lowered his head and burst into tears.
"The sun will never set on us again," Erik said.
"That I would love to see," Dante said. "I'll be with you soon, JaJa. Love you."
"I love you too."
Erik touched his kimoyo, and his Grandpop's image winked out.
"Prince N'Jadaka, are you ready?" Mpilo asked.
Erik took confident strides out of his office.
Califia and N'Jobu would finally be in Wakanda together.