As Long as There is Love - Chapter Four
"Oh." Nina grunted as one body, and then another landed on her stomach. What a wake up call! She thought.
There was nothing like the feet of two small children using your stomach as a trampoline and tickling your feet at the same time.
"Wakey, wakey, Mommy!" Neece and Nikki giggled together as they tortured their mother.
This was a regular thing for them, especially in the morning before they went to school. They didn't wake her as normal children would, oh no. They made sure she almost had a heart attack first.
Nevertheless, Nina enjoyed every minute of it, every time. It was a special time for them, between a mother and her daughters.
Nina smiled watching their smiling faces. They were so full of energy in the morning, as if they ran on rechargeable batteries, unlike herself and everyone else in the house. They brought life to the tired house.
In a flash, Nina retaliated with a tickle attack of her own.
"Mommy stop!" The twins yelled helplessly, struggling to free themselves from Nina's hold. "Mommy, we give up!" They all rolled across the queen-size bed until their bodies collided with the floor.
Nina groaned. She would feel the pain of that fall later.
"What in the-what are ya'll doing?" The three of them, out of breath, looked up to see Cameron watching them with her hands on her hips. "Nina didn't you hear me calling you?" She shook her head with a laugh.
"Yeah, but they attacked me!" Nina whined like a little child, as she struggled to get up from the floor with the twins attached to her. She pulled them away and they bounced out of the room to go wake Tony.
Nina walked over to the mirror as she pulled her long silky tresses into a manageable ponytail. "So what's up, why were you calling me?" She sprayed the oil sheen, holding it a few inches away from her face.
Cameron coughed as the thick smell whisked in front of her. "The school called and...ya hired! They want you to start today, if you can!" She explained excitedly, happy for her sister.
This would be her second job in New York since they moved and Cameron knew basketball is what she loved, what she did leisurely, and what she would've done professionally, but took on her responsibilities as a young single mother instead. The new job as a gym teacher would definitely give her the opportunity to live her dreams again.
"Hell yeah, I'll start today!" Nina launched into her sister's embrace, careful of her belly. "I can't believe it!"
"Don't get too happy now," Cameron warned with a twinge of laughter in her voice. "Cause ya know Tony goes to a middle school/high school and you're only a few years older than those 17 and 18 year-old boys, they'll just love you. Just don't get into any trouble with them." She laughed as Nina's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Look heffa, I'm not interested in those young boys." Nina smirked, folding her arms across her chest and she plopped down on the bed.
Cameron followed her. "And ya know what they'll say to that? Age is nothin' but a number." She giggled. Nina shot her an evil look and Cameron pulled her into a sisterly hug.
"Aww, but seriously though you haven't really shown true interest in any guys since ya know who..." Cameron rolled her eyes, still comforting her.
In all truth, she didn't want anybody else, didn't care for anybody else, but wouldn't dare admit it. Not even to herself. "Don't even go there, Ronnie. Not again." Nina stopped her knowingly.
"But ya really-"
Nina interrupted her again. "Why do you always have to bring him back up?" Her voice cracked, nervously, moving out of Cameron's embrace. She was getting agitated by the minute.
"I don't always bring him up." Cameron defended.
"Well, ya have this past week since you saw him in McDonalds." It was bad enough she had to look at Neece and Nikki everyday and see parts of him in them.
In fact, every time she saw him gracing the cover of a major magazine or in the highlights of entertainment news, it bothered her. Then there were times when she couldn't help but reminisce about the good old days, which often left her teary-eyed.
"Cause I just wanted to know how you were feeling now that Justin's in the area. I mean ya never know. Ya could run into him one day just like I did." Cameron pointed out. "Then what are you gonna do?"
Nina huffed, averting her eyes to the blank television. She didn't even want to think about that occurring. If she ever ran into him, she had no idea what she would do. Would she go off on him? Or greet him like a person seeing their best friend for the first time in five years would? Perhaps, she would behave as if she didn't see him and let him handle it from there?
Nina decided on the last suggestion. She didn't want Justin falling back into her life as old friends would, especially since he had no clue what was going on in her life. Or did he?
Perhaps, she hoped, he found out about her moving to New York and after a few months decided to purposely, run into Cameron at a local McDonalds hoping to run into her. However, another thought crossed her mind.
She considered that there was a strong possibility that Justin wasn't aware of Neece and Nikki, the responsibilities she took on as a young single parent, or how his moving away for college affected her deeply, personally, emotionally, and financially.
Nina also knew that if it wasn't for her grandparents, who accepted her into their home after her parents shunned her for getting ‘knocked up', as they called it, with no father figure to claim, she would've been worse off.
She, in fact, knew without a doubt, the father of her child or children rather, but was too scared to tell her parents, especially when they had no knowledge of her relationship with Justin. So to be on the safe side, Nina only confessed to her sister, and her best friend, Michelle.
However, despite the help that her gracious grandparents provided, she still felt vulnerable and empty inside. And the one person that could fill that void never returned her calls. Soon she ended the connection between them, starting with the phone calls and letters.
Now, Nina realized that wasn't enough and Justin was slowly making his way back into her life.
"Nina I didn't mean to upset you. Can ya just talk to me, this is torture!" Cameron pouted, pitifully.
Nina laughed realizing that she zoned out for a minute. "I'm not mad at you Ronnie." She smiled. "I was just um...thinking..."
Cameron hugged her close. "Oh?"
Nina headed to the door. "Don't start with me Ronnie. Before ya make me mad fo' real."
"Okay." Cameron snickered. "But be on the look out."
"Ditto." She went to the bathroom to wash up for her first day at work.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mommy." Nina shifted in the passenger side seat as Neece called her from the back. "What up Little Bit?"
"Ya goin' to school with us today?" She and Nikki smiled, anticipating.
"No." Nina shook her head. "I'm going with Tony."
They frowned and shot an accusing eye at Tony, who sat on the other side of them. Neece wanted to hit him, but her mother made her promise not to fight anymore, so she folded her arms across her chest and slammed back against the leather seat.
Nina stifled a laugh and turned around in her seat. Then she heard something, and it shocked her. It was her sweet little Nikki, scolding Tony.
"She neva goes with ya!"
"Hey don't be mad at me. She works there now." Ten year-old Tony defended. He was her first nephew, born to Cameron at the tender age of fifteen. Although it had been difficult, Cameron raised him on her own despite their parent's comments of disappointment.
To relieve the stress, Cameron was the one that decided they move in with their grandparents when Nina found out she was pregnant. She also supported Nina through her situation, when she had been alone with the twins. She made it okay to be a young, single, independent mother, despite the circumstances. And for that, Nina thanked her everyday.
However, now Cameron was no longer single. She had a man to support her and although they weren't married, he was always there for her and had been for the past three years.
"Mommy doesn't work!" Nikki protested as Neece kept quiet. "Ev-ry Monday she go to school with us for a lil' while, right mommy?"
Nina was flabbergasted. She didn't know what to say. Usually, Neece through a fit like this if she didn't get her way, but not today. Today, she sat there; quiet like a little angel brought down from heaven. However, Nikki truly surprised her.
Nina wondered if today was a time when they'd switched roles. For some reason they did that often. Was it a twin thing?
"Right Mommy!" Nikki spoke up again.
Nina could see her bottom lip trembling, a sure sign of emerging tears. "Come up here with mommy Short Stuff." This was definitely not the fun part of parenting. Sure raising children was always hard, but trying to please them was harder.
Nikki unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over the front seat into her mother's lap.
"Hey watch the leather!" Travis, Cameron's simple-minded boyfriend, as Nina called him, finally spoke up after not saying more than two words during the entire ride. He was too busy rocking his head to the blasting music, trying to survive the morning rush hour, and getting everyone to school on time.
"You shut up and just drive, I don't wanna be late on my first day." Nina smirked.
"Look Nino," He shot back and Nina rolled her eyes. He knew she hated the nickname, but never stopped using it. It was his way to get back at her whenever she cracked on him. "You just watch the leather cause if anything happens to it, believe me when I say, you won't even see that sweet ass first paycheck!" Travis laughed aloud.
Nina reached over and punched him in the arm. "Don't cuss in front of the children!" She reprimanded him.
"Oh my bad." He used his free hand to brush over her face. She slapped his hand away afterwards and the three kids broke out into a fit of laughter.
Why did he have to be like an annoying older brother? Nina wondered. She didn't know and didn't care. At least he was a good father to little Travis and a fatherly figure for Tony, Neece, and Nikki.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Nina and Tony walked towards the large school after they were dropped off. They weren't late, but they weren't exactly early either. But Nina didn't mind. She had just enough time to talk to the principal. Tony had enough to do some morning conversing with his friends. How much could six-graders talk about anyway?
Nina walked into the main office and took a seat. She waited to be tended to. A few moments later, the secretary called her up.
"Good Morning can I help you?"
"Yeah I'm the new gym teacher."
"You are." Her eyes widened. "You're awfully young?"
"I'm 22." Nina replied.
"That's a good thing." The secretary smiled. "At least we don't have to worry about you breaking your back too." She laughed. "The other gym instructor was over fifty."
Nina laughed also.
"Wait right here, I'll get Mr. Long." The secretary went to the back.
Nina waited. When she came back the principal, a black man in a pressed suit, followed and walked her down to the gymnasium. He started up a small conversation on the way.
"We weren't expecting you today, but it's all good." Nina figured the man was in his early forties, by his slowly aging features. He must've been divorce too or married with roaming eyes, Nina concluded, for he was eyeing her a little too much. He was looking for a groove back and Nina wasn't it.
"That outfit you have on, it's nice." He eyed her blue velour sweat suit. "My daughter has one just like it."
Nina nodded silently. She didn't think she could stomach much more of the looks he tossed her way. Luckily, they reached their destination. "Is this the gym?"
"Oh yes." He directed his attention towards the room and held the door open for her.
"It's huge." Nina examined it awed. She looked below at the freshly waxed floor; there was not a scuffmark in sight. "And so clean, unlike my high school."
"Yes ma'am. Oh, your first class today is a mixture of seniors and juniors, it's a big class. Then next are sophomores and freshman and so on..." He moved his hands as he spoke. "Would you like me to introduce you?"
"No." Nina caught sight of the pile of students that had suddenly formed around them. "I think I can handle it from here." She muttered.
"Okay, well my office is just down the hall." The principal took one last look at her and left.
Luckily, fooling around with co-workers in the workplace is illegal. Nina smiled. However, the way these young boys were looking at her was nothing to smile about. She felt trapped in the minds of adolescent teenage boys.
"What's up everybody, my name is Nina-" Before she could finish she was interrupted.
"Are you a new student here?" One of the students spoke up.
"No. I'm the new teacher."
A ribbon of gasps flowed around the gym. "You are!" Another one, a boy this time, gawked at her. "How old are you! Cause if you can get a job here, shit I can get one too."
"Yeah!" Several agreed.
Nina moaned to herself. She didn't expect to an interview from the students too. She guessed she was a little younger than expected. "Why I don't look old enough to teach?" Nina smirked, attaching one hand to her hip.
"No!" A boy with a serious acne problem blurted out. "You look like you could be my girlfriend though." He smirked, eyeing her curvaceous form, and received high fives from his friends.
Nina rolled her eyes. Cameron had warned her about this. "What's ya name?" She pointed to the boy that just made the comment.
"Me?" He turned to her. Nina nodded. "Devon."
"Devon, trust me I wouldn't want to be your girlfriend, not any of you." Nina gestured towards all the young men in front of her while the girls laughed helplessly.
"'Bout time someone told them that." A smooth dark-skinned girl with cornrows walked up to her. "My name is Keisha, welcome." She stretched out her hand and Nina shook it.
Soon the others followed, greeting her, asking her how old she was, and any more questions they had up their sleeves. After answering all of their curious questions, Nina prepared for their first lesson.
"Okay where are the basketballs?" The commotion had suddenly ended and everyone stared at her.
"Are you fo' real? Ya know how to play ball, a girl?" The male species questioned.
"Yes." The nerve of them, Nina thought sucking her teeth. "I got game."
"Is it serious?" Devon smirked.
Nina smirked back at him. "Real serious." Now she had all the girls standing behind her.
"Oh make a shot then." He challenged. "From behind the three point line." Devon later added tossing her the ball while she positioned herself.
Nina bit her bottom lip as a smirk formed on her face. She posed before shortly releasing the ball from her grasp. As it dropped through the net, it made a clean swoosh sound. The ladies cheered, the men watched, embarrassed.
Satisfied, Nina turned to her class. "So...who's ready to play ball?"