"The creator has a master plan
Peace and happiness for every man
The creator has a master plan
Peace and happiness for every man…"
Pharoah Sanders— "The Creator Has a Master Plan"
"Erik!"
Disa flew into her mother's small house in Culver City. Out of breath and tripping over her feet, she ran into the room her father spent his convalescence. Erik was there, sitting on the bed and holding her father's hand. Shallow breaths moved Ahmad's chest. She rushed over to him and climbed on the bed next to his frail body.
"Daddy."
Ahmad reached for her hand and she clasped it tightly, raising it up to her lips to kiss the shiny sable skin. He couldn't talk, couldn't even grunt. His eyes spoke the words that his missing voice wouldn't allow him to do anymore.
"He held on for you, Disa," Erik said.
"We're going on a plane ride, Daddy. My porch swing is waiting for you. We can sip liquor because Mommy won't be there to fuss over you."
Her words tumbled out as her eyes blurred.
"You and Erik can stay up late and watch old Godzilla movies."
Ahmad grinned. A small trickle of spittle coursed down his lips. Disa wiped it away with her finger.
"There is no God but Allah," she whispered to him.
The prayer of supplication trickled out of her with gentle spaces where she tried to breathe normally to push back on the terror that welled up in her chest. Her father was leaving the world. Right before her eyes. A feeble left hand raised and caressed her cheek with weak assertion. There was so much life still left in his eyes. Ahmad's right hand moved in a wide arc up toward the ceiling, then dropped on Erik's fingers. He lifted Erik's hand and placed it on top of hers. The final breath that flew him to heaven flattened his chest, and the light faded from his eyes.
"Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un," she said.
Disa reached out and closed her father's eyes.
"Ah, baby," Erik said.
He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
"How did you know?" she asked.
Erik's watery eyes blinked twice, and he looked down at her father.
"I had a feeling that he was going to transition. My great-grandmother went the same way. It's like they tell me inside. I can't explain it well, but I sensed it and called you."
Disa looked at their hands. Her father's right hand sat on top of theirs.
"He deserved more time. We got everything ready, Erik."
"They know better than us."
She lowered her head and kissed her father's hand.
"Thank you for calling me. Mom?"
Theresa lingered near the bed. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. There were tears, but a wide smile on her face.
"He looked so happy," Theresa said.
She gasped and fell forward. Her head rested on the bed as sobs wracked her body. Disa crawled over and held her mother.
"No more pain or worry, Mommy. He knows you still loved him."
"Oh! Goddamn, that man!" Theresa shouted.
She reached for her ex-husband's hand and cradled it against her face.
"Ahmad! Ahmad!"
"Mommy, it'll be okay."
"He was my heart!"
They rocked together and stared at Ahmad. Theresa stroked his face.
"We did good, sweetheart. We did good. Don't worry about anything. Do you hear me, Ahmad? We did good in this life together, honey."
"I'll call Saeed and Bilal," Erik said.
"I'll do it. Could you stay with my mother? Please?"
Erik nodded, and Disa moved away from the bed. Her mother curled up next to Ahmad and held his face.
###
Erik helped her clean her father's body for burial.
Following the tenets of Ahmad's local mosque, they washed him three times and folded his hands in a prayer position across his chest. They shrouded his body with pristine white sheets until the coroner arrived to remove his remains. According to tradition, there would be no viewing or wake. The dead had to be returned to the earth as soon as possible.
At the gravesite, Disa watched her brothers and cousins lower Ahamd into the ground.
"Bismilllah wa ala millati rasulilllah," she recited as her father rested in his new bed of soft dark earth.
They mourned for nearly ten days in her mother's house and despite the many tears and wailings from her kin, Disa was at peace. Having Erik with her made the new reality easier to cope with. Once they returned to Cambridge, she immersed herself in her father's favorite music. She mixed tracks and created a compilation disc that she mailed out to family and friends. It included songs Ahmad played on and even drumming that Disa did as a little girl. There was one live recording of Disa playing drums with Sheila E. with her father on percussion, yelling for her to keep up with the creole Black Latina drum queen. She was all of twelve and already stellar.
Standing in her living room, Disa listened to her remix of 'The Creator Has a Master Plan' and stared at the fireplace mantle, where she erected a small altar with a picture of her father and Erik's parents.
"What are you looking at?" Erik asked.
He stepped into the room from the kitchen. She pointed to the mantle.
"Your grandfather sent me this. I wanted to have something in the house that would honor them. Like angels looking down on us," she said.
He picked up the picture of his parents. They were in college. His mother sat on his father's lap with a big smile on her face. N'Jobu kissed Califia's cheek in an obvious selfie shot. Happy and in love. Just like they were. Erik put the frame back on the mud cloth altar and picked up the recent photo of Ahmad sitting behind his drums and raising his sticks high to tap out a percussive beat.
The music on her sound system whirled around them. She shook her hips. Erik snaked an arm around her waist and they danced together. He spoiled her face with kisses and she flung her arms around his neck. Molding her body into his, she enjoyed the feel of him pressed into her.
Disa lifted her finger and traced the curves along Erik's lips. She loved the fullness and the softness there. His scruffy facial hair had grown in thicker.
"You are so handsome," she gushed.
He grinned and nuzzled her neck.
"You ain't bad either."
She pushed back from him and admired his physique. Low-slung jeans. Shirtless. Bare feet. She peeped at the deep V in his groin. He oozed carnal pleasure from his body to his mind. She trailed a finger down his stomach, feeling the hairs that grew courser the closer she got to his groin and hooked a finger into his empty belt loop. He'd spent the day trying to cheer her up. She didn't get the teaching position at the New School. They went with an older white male who was an established professor from Harvard. He had a national reputation that the school wanted to capitalize on. M.I.T. was still dawdling with their choices. Her interviews went well for them, but she had heard nothing since. Erik would leave for the navy in a month and she would be alone, unemployed, and feeling miserable.
"Take that frown off your face. I know you're thinking about M.I.T."
Disa huffed and tapped his chest with her fingers. He was a damn mind reader.
Erik twirled her around and held her from behind, allowing their bodies to sway to the music. His lips rested on her ear. He licked her there and nibbled down her neck. Once he started pushing into her rump, she knew he wanted sex again. Insatiable. Any hour of the day, he was ready to lie down with her. Their lovemaking had become desperate pants, clawed fingers, and sweaty fumbling over wet flesh. His favored position at the moment was taking her from behind and looking over her shoulder as her breasts bounced. He palmed them often and moaned as she spoke lilting words to encourage his powerful thrusts. He got off on pinching and plucking at her nipples and watching his fingers do it while he stretched her tight walls. Her thighs would slide open wider and his stronger ones would push into hers, forcing her to take his weight. His sticky fingers played with her clit, making her cum and clench all over his dick. The loud slaps of their bodies connecting were her favorite sound. The more he trained his body to prepare for service, the more intimacy he craved. They were addicted to one another. No love had ever been perfect. All of her needs were met, and she cried every time they finished making love. He'd cuddle around her for aftercare to calm down her impassioned tears. She couldn't help herself. Erik sweated out her hair, curled her toes, cramped up her thighs, and bruised her plump lips with breathtaking ardor. How would she survive six weeks without him, let alone two years?
His fingers pinched her nipples, drawing her attention back to their present reality. They hardened and poked through her tight t-shirt.
"Take this off, baby," he demanded.
The stiff wood slapping against her ass was full of urgency. She did what he said to do. He lowered his head and sucked on her left nipple. She unfastened his jeans and fondled his dick. It was slick with pre-cum and blazing hot in her fingers. Daddy was ready. He forced her down to her knees and shoved his dick into her wet, ready mouth. She gawked loud on his meat and he groaned.
"Suck that dick… fucking slut. Being a good bitch for Daddy's meat."
Her pussy throbbed at the crude language. He wanted slut-fucking this go-round. She slobbed him down good and his balls jumped, making his body shudder.
"Oooh, you suck that shit so good. Fuck, Disa! That's Daddy's good bitch. Lemme fuck that throat…"
She gasped and his dick popped out of her mouth as a rush of saliva ran down her chest.
"Fat titty bitch. Go get your big ass in the bed."
He wiggled out of his jeans and pushed her toward the bedroom. She purposely moved like molasses, and it made him angry. She enjoyed being spiteful with him. It aroused him more. Nothing got Erik rock-hard than a hard-headed woman defying his needs. He spanked her ass and shoved her in the waist, but she slowed down her walk even more. She put an extra twist in her hips and his eyes stayed on her fat ass as it bounced while she walked. He groaned with the extra jiggles and fisted his dick faster.
"Hurry up!" he barked.
She spun around and slapped her smooth vulva. Her fingers swiped her clit, and he zeroed in on her folds. So much pre-cum spilled from his slit.
"Got my balls movin'. Fuck. Stop playin', Disa. Get in the fucking bed!"
Lifting her breasts, she licked a nipple, then sucked on it in front of him.
"I'm 'bout to bust… you love doing this to me when you know I have no control… goddamn… look how hard my dick is. Stop doing that! Fuck, baby… fuckkk. You gon' make me nut right here all over the damn floor. You fucking slut… you fuckling sl—"
He ejaculated in front of her. Loud plops fell on the floor, and he continued stroking his length, spraying cum on her waist. His eyes were on fire. She did the unthinkable. Disobeyed. He made a mess on the floor and not inside her pussy. He was livid. She smirked and turned on her heel. Dropping the short skirt she had on, Disa squirmed out of her panties and flopped down on her bed with her legs wide open.
"Get up!" he shouted.
His tone was ferocious. She reveled in the wrath of denial.
"Get the fuck up!"
He grabbed her by her hair and she lifted from the bed, still defiant, still in control. His dick stayed erect. That stamina was incredible. A firm palm slapped her across her ass and she yelped with surprise. Oh, he was really mad. Spanking was something he reserved for spite.
Rubbing her ass, he struck her again on each cheek. She took the strikes in stride, and that infuriated him more. She was a terrible brat. He expected her to beg forgiveness, but she refused. He would have to force it out of her. More slaps stung her ass cheeks, and all it did was make his dick harder and her defiance stronger. Shoving her on the bed, he wrapped his hand around her throat and inserted a hot erection into her melting walls. Gritting his teeth, his eyes grew tight, and she stared at the slugs in his mouth. He was menacing, like a giant dark cat about to ravage his kill. She lost all bravado then. The hard thrusts wore down her resolve.
"Oof!" she huffed.
The glint in his slugs matched the glint in his piercing eyes.
"That's right, you getting fucked now."
He tightened his grip on her neck. She had just enough tension around her throat to allow her to breathe and enjoy the power he exuded over her. Daddy was on one. Her pussy was paying the price.
"Fucking this pussy up…"
Erik growled into her neck and Disa lifted her legs higher, allowing him to go deeper. His balls smacked her ass. Water welled up in her eyes. He shoved her ankles back to her ears. She was a big flexible girl, and he stared at the roll of soft flesh that shook her stomach before his eyes fell upon her folds. His mouth dropped open, and he switched up his strokes to hit every corner of her pussy. She began whimpering, and he smiled.
It was a mean smile.
Her power was gone now.
They had entered the realm of the switch-up. This was when Erik couldn't be denied anything from her. It was like winning a skirmish, but still losing the war of sex between them. Uncontrollable sounds flew out of her mouth.
"Fuck, baby!" he cried out.
He tossed her big legs over his arms and gave her slow, deliberate thrusts that had wild mewling sounds erupting from her lush lips. Erik was fucking her so good that she wanted to slap both of his parents for creating him. This man had her heart, her mind, her pussy, and the deed to her house if he wanted it.
"Oh God, you are up in my pussy! S'deep, Erik!" she screamed.
"Oh, baby, you're making this pussy so nasty!" he barked.
His eyes would not leave from between her legs. Disa glanced down and saw the frothy coating of her wet pussy slathered on his dick. At the last minute, Erik scrambled to be behind her and take her on her side. He held up her leg and watched her breasts smash into the pillow. The overflow of abundance made his voice go up a notch.
"Can I cum in your pussy?" he groaned.
His strokes were plucking her edges out. Sweat poured down her face and blinded her eyes with the tears already soaking her lids. Her mouth was wide open in a silent scream as her heart rattled in her ribcage. To die now would be an honor. She knew she lost it when her cries of pleasure were coming out in Arabic. The nigga had her toasted if she needed the help of Allah.
"Can I cum?!" he shouted.
"Nut in my pussy….oh shit….nut in my pussy Erik!"
He plowed into her slippery pink and clutched onto her breasts. His orgasm was sheer bliss. He called on God to help him and seized up. That big dick swelled in her pussy and hot cum soaked her to the brim. Erik collapsed on her and for a moment, she thought he had literally kicked the bucket. His body was dead weight and she couldn't hear or feel him breathing. After two minutes, he flopped over onto his back and gasped like he was being born.
"How the fuck am I supposed to go away from you when you are fucking me like this, Disa?"
He crawled between her legs and licked her with a gentle, soft tongue until she wet his lips with her own cum. His lips were greasy and slick when he tongued down her throat.
He fucked her into oblivion for the rest of the night.
###
She cried all the way to the airport.
Erik did his best to reassure her that six weeks would fly by fast, but he knew it was a blatant lie. Six weeks was an eternity. Disa was his life. Her mascara and eyeliner ran down her face as he stood in front of TSA check-in line. His uncle Bakar and aunt Shavonne were there with her to see him off. He had called and talked to his grandfather all morning before they left for the airport. The old man made him sprinkle Florida water on himself to prepare for the journey. Disa's mother called him while they were all driving over to see him off, and she prayed for him over his cell phone.
Hugging up on Disa and feeling her soft body melt into his, all he could think to himself was how proud he was to have her. She had dissed his ass as a corny fan two years ago, and now she was weeping over him. He made love to her the moment he woke up that morning without a condom. He needed his semen to sit inside of her after he left her side. Erik now understood why his parents shut themselves off in their room when his father left for one of his annual trips to a barber college when he was really heading to Wakanda. A man needed to let his woman know that her pussy belonged to him in his absence. Good loving assured him that she would not stray. She cried after he spilled into her and the satisfaction of pleasing her had him on a high.
"I'll write to you. Not through email, but actual written letters," he told her.
She sniffled and nodded. God, she was so beautiful.
The night before he left, he told her about his royal heritage. It shocked him that she already had wind of it from his grandfather. Erik showed her pictures of his father with King T'Chaka and T'Challa so she would know he wasn't bullshitting. She was equally shocked. Somehow, her mind thought Wakanda was like other African countries where there could be several royal houses because of various ethnic groups. The fact that he was a direct descendent of people she saw on television made her look at him with different eyes. But she didn't care. She just wanted him by her side and not training to kill people. Especially with the menace of Atlantis out there in the world.
"I gotta go, baby," he said.
"You don't have to do this."
"I do. Let me get through these next few weeks, and we can talk about our future in more depth, okay?"
She buried her face in his neck once more and cried. He rubbed her back and forced himself to break away from her. He lifted his duffle and walked away from them all without looking back. As he waited to go through screening, his cell phone chirped. He thought it was Disa sending him more heart emojis.
It wasn't.
Maria Alvarez sent him a link to a dark web chat site. She had found a breadcrumb about Ulysses Klaue. Tony Stark had indeed run some munitions sales through the mercenary on the black market.
Erik smiled.
The pieces of his life were coming together. Bit by bit.
