Late 2005

The news of Nikki's pregnancy shocked Derek. The arrival of their fraternal triplets surprised him more. The eldest and youngest were boys: Derek Junior (DJ) and Sean Michael. Their sister, Aliyah, was caught in the middle since birth. The triplets were a month old when they met their relatives. They were welcomed with open arms. Christopher's fondness for his younger cousins was why Chenille had to tolerate Nikki. Conversely, their aunt and mother would never get along.

The relationship between the parents themselves was stagnant. Derek remained abstinent with Nikki following their one-night stand. Though he moved into her apartment, they slept in separate bedrooms. For her part, Nikki tried to entice him after she regained her figure. Not even her crop tops turned his head. All Derek wanted was to be there for the triplets. While their mother was nurturing them, she wanted their father to put a ring on her finger.

Derek got a rude awakening to this when he arrived one night. The home was dimly lit with candles. He walked into the kitchen and found Nikki wearing her sexy lingerie. The table was set for two. "What is this? Where are the kids?"

"I dropped them off at your grandma's." She led him to the spot reserved for him, purring, "It's just you and me."

He surveyed the prepared dinner. It was neatly placed on each plate. "Listen, this looks great, but I'm not really hungry."

"Why don't you snack on something else?" Nikki proceeded to nimble Derek's ear. She started caressing her hand under his shirt. Then, her lips moved onto his. It was tantalizing to the point where he almost caved in.

He suddenly regained his self-control, pushing her away. "Stop, Nikki! I don't want you!" A deafening silence fell between them. She glared at him stoically. "I'm gonna get the kids." He left her there without looking back. When he arrived with the triplets, everything he saw beforehand was gone. Nikki had already gone to bed. That was the last time she made any sexual advances towards him.

2006

Derek thought he had undergone enough heartache. Yet, he wasn't prepared for the darkest hour of his life. It was three weeks before the triplets' first birthday. He returned from his job at the record store. He knew something was wrong the minute he entered the apartment. Unlike before, there were no loud sounds in the triplets' room. Nor a sight of Nikki with them or on the phone. A note was found on the refrigerator:

I'm not gonna waste another year pining for your tired ass. I've found a brother who wants to be with me AND my babies. We're leaving the South Side. Don't come find us.

Derek felt a torrent of emotions. He was furious that Nikki replaced him from the triplets' lives. He was heavyhearted that he'll never get to watch his kids grow up. At the same time, he shouldn't be disappointed. Nikki underlined an implicit truth in her letter. The kids were no reason to stay with someone you hadn't loved in years.

He went over to Momma Dean's house. She was working late, and Christopher was fast asleep. To Derek, it was a relief. They would be the most devastated by the news. "The strange thing is," he told Chenille, "as much as I want to hate her, I can't."

"Then, let me. She took your kids away from you. That's cold, even for her."

"You're right. I mean, I told her I didn't want her. I just didn't wanna ditch the kids like how Mom did us." Chenille and Derek were born to absentee parents. They had known nothing about their dad, not even his name. Their mom had loved drugs more than them. She was incarcerated when she'd prostituted herself. It left her young children in the custody of their grandmother. They had never seen her from then on.

"They may not gonna remember who their father is, but we know the truth."

"Do you still tell Christopher about Kenny?"

"Yeah, I do. He wouldn't be here if it ain't for him." For a second, Chenille and Derek thought they heard a door creaking. It was just the wind howling. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"I don't know. You think Momma Dean's gonna mind me crashing here tonight?"

His sister replies with a chuckle, "I'll grab some blankets and a pillow." Derek couldn't stay in the cramped apartment anymore. There were too many memories. He moved out a few days later. Before he did, he told Momma Dean. The removal of her great-grandchildren did pain her. However, she confessed something she kept hidden. "I'm proud of you for being dutiful, but you weren't happy with Nikki." Momma Dean had one request for her grandson. She didn't want his life to languish. "You still have the chance to make something yourself."

"How? I can't leave you all."

"I raised you and your sister to preserve and endure. Now, I can't speak for her, but she is working on herself and taking care of Christopher. We are all concerned about you. We understood why you stayed, and that's your decision. But you shouldn't have to put your life on hold. Lord only knows what's coming for you. Whatever you choose going forward, promise me one thing."

"What's up?"

"Don't lose sight of yourself."

2007-2008

The start of the Great Recession had paused a lot of plans. It turned demolished buildings into vacant lots. Many businesses in the South Side went bankrupt, which resulted in the layoff of multiple jobs. One of these was the bookstore Momma Dean worked at for 15 years. The recession also contributed to the ongoing population loss. Both Derek and Chenille saw their peers moving out of the neighborhood, even the state. At the same time, the latter faced challenges with securing a mortgage for the house she and Christopher intended to move into. The Reynolds family were once again under the same roof.

Momma Dean was right about Chenille. She saw Christopher through preschool and kindergarten. When it was time for the 7-year-old to start the first grade, his mother wanted his education to be enriched. She wasn't going to let it miscarry by the crime in their neighborhood. So, he was sent to an elementary school in Oak Park. In the meantime, Chenille herself found part-time work as a receptionist at a hair salon. She figured it would give her the incentive to consider her own long-term goals. Furthermore, she became more independent after Kenny's desertion.

While Momma Dean is the head of household, Derek and Chenille alternated on paying bills. It was selfish for him to admit it aloud, but he was relieved that his job was unaffected by the slump. The pay he received was $10.36 per hour. Nonetheless, he observed how the number of customers at the record store wavered. Music became downloadable and more convenient over time. It was 11 years ago when he, Chenille, and their friends would swarm the aisles for the latest hip-hop or RnB album. Teenagers utilized streaming apps nowadays. Boomboxes were redesigned to accommodate CDs and anything digital. One thing about music these days that Derek found untroubling was that it was still expressive.