N's POV
Never have I been so exuberant for doors to unlatch. The anticipation to witness Kalisha's mom is like fireworks about to explode.
A knock assaulted the door. Everyone stands up, the atmosphere in the mansion is filled with excitement. Body guards unbolted the door, revealing the frigid temperature of the outside. Cheers erupted as Kalisha's mom finally appeared.
The sight of her is beyond what I'd ever imagined. My eyes gazed her and my mouth agape. She looked like a real African Queen. Gold is all over her body, showing off a profusion amount of wealth and power. Golden miniature angel, crocodile, bird, and turtle tailsmans shrouds her hair. Magnificently bedecked in gold jewelry and wearing gold dust makeup. Wearing a stylish dark red, brown, and gold bùbá (blouse) with a gold Iborun (scarf) laying comfortably on her left shoulder. Wearing a gold Iro (skirt) and shiny golden high heels. She has dark mascara and light purple lipstick.
From behind, there are a lot more guests coming. I notice a lady who looks similar to Kalisha's mom. Probably, it's her sister. She also looks like royalty. She is wearing a gray dress that is sleeveless on one side of her shoulder. She has on a golden necklace. Her hair is in a Shuku hairstyle, braids that form a hump on the head. Making the braids look like they are rising. There are tiny lily flowers placed in separate parts of her hair. She has on a dust golden makeup with gold lipstick and black mascara. She has on black high heels.
There is one more lavish female that arrived. She is a lot older than the both of them. Probably, she's the grandmother and those two are her daughters. She looked really really cool for a grandma. Wearing an African print gomesi (floor length dress). There are a lot of unique jewelry she is wearing. She has a gold necklace with multiple golden fish and shellfish designed onto it. There's also golden fish on her Dhuku and earrings. She has golden bracelets and a gold ring. Stylish golden glasses on her eyes. No makeup on her face. She is wearing black flats on her feet.
The last guests to come inside made me raise a brow. They are a white married couple dressing casually. The guy looks like the stereotypical bad boy that you read in books and watch in movies. He has on a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. Black jean pants that are slightly ripped. Black boots on his feet. A silver wedding ring on his ring finger. His hair is slicked back. He looks like he is ready to kill someone.
The white woman is wearing a black and white polka dot dress that is above the knees. Her hair is black, long, lushest, and free flowing. Blue eyeshadow and black mascara complimenting her ocean eyes. Dark red lipstick, giving off a sexy but menacing presence. Red earrings and red nails brightening the place. A silver wedding ring on her ring finger. Black stilettos finishing off her look.
The bodyguards closes the door. Kalisha and Shani hugs her mom. Then, they hug the other important guests including the married couple.
"Awọn arabinrin ati awọn ọwọn, eyi ni ayaba ọjọ-ibi ti alẹ. Ayaba ti de, Queen Gugu (Ladies and gentlemen, here is the birthday queen of the night. The queen has arrived, Queen Gugu)." The DJ announced.
Everyone including myself cheer and clap for her. I could not contain how happy I am to see Kalisha's mom in the flesh. She definitely has her beauty and she is fierce like Shani.
"Jẹ ki n tun ṣafihan: Aunty Chipo ati Grandma Nomusa. Awọn onile ati inudidun ṣe igbeyawo tọkọtaya Mitch ati Kelsy (Let me also introduce: Aunty Chipo and Grandma Nomusa. The landlords and happily married couple Mitch and Kelsy)." The DJ also announced.
He stopped talking and starts playing music again.
"Owambe" by Simi plays.
They all come forward dancing slowly. There are guests spraying tons of money with their hands and a cash gun machine. I even witness Kalisha and Shani stuffing money down their mother's bùbá. Kalisha is signaling me to come and dance with them, giving me a cute pleading look. But I did not feel comfortable barging in on their moment, especially a guy they have never met before.
I look over my shoulder to see if Dadi and Ahti are still eyeing me. I see them trying to flirt with some ladies, very typical of them. I veer my attention back to the magic happening. So much money and love coming from their arrival. This is a true celebration and I am glad to be a part of it.
They finally make it to the dance floor. So many people surround them. A whole lot of shaking and dancing is happening.
Everyone looks so happy, except for Jymia. She has a frown on her face and drinking more than Ahti. I sit down and talk to her.
"What's wrong?" I asks her, keeping my voice at a reasonable level to calm her down.
"It's Dadi" she reveals, taking a huge gulp of her drink.
"What about him?" I asks.
"I tried getting his attention, but he treated me like I was nothing. How fucked up is that?" She asks.
"Very. Why you were even trying to get his attention?" I asks, pouring some Hennessy for me.
"Have you seen him? He is blazing. I've always wanted to be with or at least have sex with him." She explains.
"Out of all the guys, why him? You know he treats women like trash. Even if he sleeps with you, he's going to leave you immediately and move on to the next." I tell her, taking a sip of my drink.
"I know he sleeps with a lot of women, but I want him to do the same for me. Plus if he dares try to leave me, I will cut off his koko." She chuckles, which makes me snicker.
I take another sip.
"N, am I sexy?" She asks.
I almost choked on my drink when she asked me that.
"What?" I asks, being flabbergasted.
"Am I sexy enough for men to sleep with?" She asks.
Awkwardness is building up as I did not know how to respond. Especially calling another woman sexy, when I have a girlfriend. But looking at the defeat on her face, I had to say something to cheer her up.
"Jymia... You are sexy. But you don't need Dadi or me to tell you that." I respond.
"You sure?" She asks.
"One hundred percent. If you believe you are sexy and you know it, then there's nothing to worry about." I tell her.
"Aww, thank you. Why are you so sweet to me and everyone?" She asks, showing her smile again.
"No one really treated me nicely in my life. So I always try my best to be nice to others." I reply.
She gives me a hug, which puts a huge smile on my face. We stopped hugging after the music went low and the DJ starts speaking again.
"Daradara gbogbo eniyan, Mo ro pe a ti jo pẹlu ayaba pipẹ. O to akoko lati gbọ lati ọdọ rẹ. Fun o fun ayaba (Alright everyone, I think we've danced with the queen long enough. It's time to hear from her. Give it up for the queen)." He announced.
Everyone claps their hands and cheered. The guests takes their seat. Kalisha and Shani sits at our table. There are people collecting all the money that was thrown. They went to a room and stored it. The DJ went away from his booth to pass the Queen a mic. He went back to his place. We all await with smiles on our faces to hear her speak. Even if I don't understand everything, Kalisha will translate for me.
*************
"Bawo ni gbogbo awọn arakunrin mi arabinrin ati arabinrin mi ṣe ṣe? Mo nireti pe gbogbo yin n ṣe daradara. Paapaa botilẹjẹpe ayẹyẹ yii ni itumọ fun mi, Mo fẹ ki gbogbo eniyan ṣe ayẹyẹ ati ni akoko iyanu. Emi ko lilọ sọrọ pupọ, nitori MO mọ pe ebi n pa gbogbo yin o fẹ lati jo. Gbekele mi, emi ko jẹ ni gbogbo ọjọ (How is all my beautiful African brothers and sisters doing? I hope you all are doing well. Even though this party is meant for me, I want everyone to celebrate and have a wonderful time. I'm not going to speak that much, because I know you all are hungry and want to dance. Trust me, I haven't eaten all day)." She said, laughing and entertaining the audience.
Everyone laughs and are enjoying her presence. I'm loving her so far, she is full of energy and I love her African pride.
"Inu mi dun lati ri ọpọlọpọ awọn oriṣiriṣi awọn ẹya ara ilu Afirika ti awọn eniyan ti o pejọ lati ṣe ayẹyẹ pataki yii. Gbogbo wa nilo lati dipọ papọ ki a gbe ara wa ga si. Paapa ni awọn akoko wọnyi, nigbati Iwa-ipa wa ni ibi giga rẹ ti o ga julọ. Nitorinaa jọwọ maṣe bẹru lati ṣe pẹlu awọn ẹya oriṣiriṣi ki o kọ ẹkọ awọn asa wọn. Lẹhin ti Owambe yii ti pari, jọwọ wa ni aabo kuro nibẹ. A ti padanu ọpọlọpọ awọn iru wa ati pe Mo korira lati padanu diẹ sii. O ṣeun fun gbigbọ. Awọn iranṣẹ, jọwọ fun awọn alejo wa ni ounje ati DJ mu diẹ ninu orin ṣiṣẹ diẹ. O ṣeun gbogbo rẹ! (I'm happy to see so many different African tribes of people coming together to celebrate this special occasion. We all need to stick together and uplift one another. Especially in these times, when Violence are at its highest peak. So please don't be afraid to interact with different tribes and learn their cultures. After this Owambe is over, please be safe out there. We have lost too many of our kinds and I hate to lose more. Thank you for listening. Servants, please give our guests food and DJ play some more music. Thank you all)!" She said, giving the mic back to the DJ and taking her seat.
Everyone stands up and applaud. The servers start preparing several plates of food and drinks.
"Vibration" by Fireboy DML plays.
"Wow, your mom is amazing!" I said to her with a huge smile.
"She's the best mum ever. Do you want to meet her?" She asks me.
"Right now?" I question, not expecting her to ask me so soon.
"Yeah. You will love her even more. Let's go." She tells me, getting up from her seat and grabbing me by the arms.
I get up, holding hands with her. I look back, Dadi and Ahti is nowhere to be seen. While I also see Jymia getting up and going to a random room. I should be worried that she is obsessed of being with Dadi, but I need to focus on Kalisha's mom. As we get there, I witnessed the queen and her special guests sitting at a large table. This table is painted in gold and the chairs are black. She is positioned in the middle, so that people can know who and where the queen is. The Aunty and Grandma are seated on the right side, while the white couple are on the left side. They all glance at Kalisha and I. But I knew they were mostly focused on me, since I am a stranger to them.
"Hello everyone" she greets them.
"Hi Kalisha!" They all say in unison, some speaking in Yoruba and others in English.
"I want everyone to meet my boyfriend, N" She tells them.
There's a awkward silence after she revealed who I am. Her mother in particular is eyeing me the most. I don't know if it's because I'm wearing her late husband's clothes or I am in a relationship with her daughter. But I shake off the nerves and greet them. I walk towards to Kalisha's mom, since she is the Queen and I want to impress her the most. Hopefully, she can understand what I am trying to say.
"Hi, how are you doing my highness. My name is N. I know that's a strange name. But it's nice to finally meet you and I hope we get to know each other more." I tell her, speaking nicely so that I don't make a mistake.
They all burst out in laughter. Which caught me off guard, I did not expect that type of reaction.
"N, relax. You don't have to be nervous. Also be yourself, you don't have to talk medieval to me." She tells me, speaking in English which is a surprise.
"She's correct. Just because we're royalty, doesn't mean you are lesser to us. Speak to us like you would around Kalisha." Aunty adds.
"Thank you my sis. N and Kalisha, come up here and sit with us. I want everyone to get comfortable and know one another." The Queen insists.
Kalisha and I go to the podium and sit near the queen.
"Before I get to know you N, I want my lovely guests to introduce themselves to you." She said, letting the rest speak.
"You can call me Aunty Chipo. I'm her younger sister. But I'm also my own queen as well. I helped out a lot of people from the Yoruba Tribe and gave them opportunities to strive." She said, shaking my hands afterwards.
"Emi ni Grandma Nomusa tabi o le fun mi Nomusa, nitori MO korira ni a tọka si bi iya-nla. Mo bi awọn ọba nla wọnyi ati pe Mo ni igberaga ninu wọn. Igbesi aye ko tii jẹ iru eyi. Paapaa nigbati mo jẹ ọdọ, a ko gba mi ni itọju bi ọba. Mo ni lati ma gbe kuro lori ẹja jakejado aye mi. Ewo ni o jẹ ki n gba iṣẹ ni Biology. Ti o ni idi ti Mo ni ọpọlọpọ awọn iyebiye ti ẹja. Eja ti o ti fipamọ aye mi. Ṣugbọn awọn ọmọbinrin mi ni o jẹ ki n gbadun igbesi aye (I'm Grandma Nomusa or you can me Nomusa, because I hate being referred to as a grandmother. I gave birth to these wonderful queens and I am so proud of them. Life has not always been like this. Even when I was young, I wasn't treated like royalty. I had to live off on fish throughout my life. Which made me get a career in Marine biology. That's why I have so many jewelries of fish. Fish saved my life. But it's my daughters that made me enjoy life)." She said in a crackling and raspy voice.
It is nice getting know the Aunty and the grandmother. I'm curious to know about the white couple. I haven't had any good experiences with Caucasian and I hope these beings are different.
"Hi, my name Mitch. I know you find it odd that two white couples especially Landlords are at a party filled with Africans and are sitting next to a Yoruba Tribe Queen. Don't worry, I would be questioning it as well. But my wife and I are supportive. We helped the queen to buy this mansion. We helped countless of Africans buy nice homes and apartments. We give most of our money to Africans in need. We're not your average landlords that only care about money. We care about the community and each individual." He said in a smooth and clear tone.
"Hello, my name is Kelsy. Just like my husband said, I'm also a landlord. I understand that we're white, it's clear as day. But we not here to leech off her wealth or look like white saviors. We actually do care about Africans and we helped out thousands of them when it comes to finding a home." She said.
"I got one question to ask you both, are you guys racists? Because I never had a good experience with white people." I asks.
Everyone is in shock after I asked that. Even Kalisha face palmed herself.
"We're not racist. We hate racism and anyone who is racists. Being hateful to another group is so idiotic. We hate that black people are constantly harassed. It's disgusting and we kill anyone is racist." Mitch responds, while his wife nods.
"You don't have to be friends with us, but black lives are important to us. If you need anything, don't be afraid to let us know." She said, shaking my hand for respect. He does the same as well.
Nice knowing that not all Caucasians are racist, fake, and evil. Some of them do actually care and respect black life—which gives me hope.
Now that I know the guests, I want to learn a lot more about the queen. Before I could talk to her, servers gives everyone at our table food and drinks. I grabbed the champagne, Kalisha takes coconut water, her mom is drinking Vimto, Grandma Nomusa and Aunty Chipo has Ginger Beer, and the couple are partaking on red wine. I did not know what exact food they served me, but I knew it is something African related.
"Kalisha? What is on my plate?" I asks, whispering to not disturb the others.
She looks at my plate to get a better look.
"The one with the fried goat meat and peppers is Asun. The miniature cake is Akara. The reddish-yellow looking rice is Jollof. Lastly, the soup you have is Ewedu. These are some popular foods that the Yoruba Tribe eat. You will love it, just try them." She explains to me.
I witness the guests eating, the couple are using utensils while the queens are eating with their hands. Kalisha is eating with her hands as well. So I decide to do the same, while I start talking to her.
"Excuse me Queen, I really want to learn a lot about you. So do you mind if I asked you several questions?" I asks, feasting on the Jollof.
"Yes, my dear. Ask me anything." She replies, chewing her food in the process.
"When you first saw me, were you angry that I was wearing your late husband's clothes? Also Kalisha told me about him." I asks.
"Hey!" Kalisha exclaims, nudging me on my arm.
"I had to tell her the truth." I explained to her.
"You don't have to worry about nothing. My husband has been dead for fourteen years and I know we will meet again. Plus you look nice wearing them." She said, opening a can of Vimto to drink.
"Can you tell me more about your husband? How you both met? How you became a queen?" I asks, now feasting on the Asun.
"Believe it or not, I wasn't born into wealth or royalty. On the contrary, I was raised in a average lifestyle. My dad was always busy with his supermarket business, while my mom was a marine biologists. I always liked helping people and I had a fascination with business thanks to my dad. So I studied Management Science at University of Lagos and graduated with my masters." She said.
"The reason why I brung that up because my husband and I went to the same university. We didn't study the same thing as he was more into art. But we hanged out a lot and talked everyday. We eventually fell in love when he invited me to his house for his birthday. At the time, I did not know he was rich and that his family were royalty. I also didn't know he was a vampire, I always thought he was a normal good looking guy. But I gave him permission to turn me into one, because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him." She added.
"We were in a relationship together for five years straight, until he proposed to me on my birthday. We got married, we had our own businesses, and we gave birth to both Shani and Kalisha...." She got interrupted.
"Mom, before you continue, how exactly did you gave birth to Shani and I? You're a female vampire and we don't have our periods. But somehow, we can give birth. It just doesn't make sense to me." Kalisha commented.
"Abeg, this pikin!" Aunty exclaims.
"Kalisha, my darling... I have explained to you several of times about this. Vampires got their own special type of blood. Us, female vampires can't get periods. We consume blood, but no blood comes out from our bodies unless we get injured. When we do consume human blood, their blood and our blood mixes and helps female vampires give birth. You may find it foolish, but that's just how we operate. I hope that clears things up." She explains.
"I guess, but I'm still skeptical." Giving her mother a suspicious glare.
"Back to what I was saying. After his parents died, we became king and queen of the Yoruba Tribe. We inherited all the riches and gave back to our community. We gave jobs, built schools, provided shelter, and feed the hungry. Things were going great, until..." She starts to cry.
I start to feel bad, because I know what happened thanks to Kalisha telling me. I wanted to say comforting words to her, but her mom and sister are hugging the pain away. I take a sip of champagne to clear my throat.
"Fourteen years ago, a group of terrorists attacked and destroyed Nigeria. It was a nightmare seeing my beautiful people slaughtered and hearing fearful screams constantly. It got so bad that my husband, myself, and all the Yoruba Tribe vampires decide to leave and go as far away as possible. Luckily, I and a lot of people were able to escape. But my husband got gunned down. It broke my heart realizing that my husband got killed. Even with all the money and royalty, not having him by my side made me feel empty." She explains, trying to wipe the tears away.
"I am so sorry. How did you cope?" I asks.
"It was my kids and my beautiful people that kept me going. Without them, I would have been depressed throughout my existence. Plus thanks to the help of Mitch and Kelsy, they allowed me to own this mansion. They helped out a lot of my people to get nice houses and live good. Which made me want to help people start their businesses. I helped out Shani with her beauty salon business, she is in love with makeup and helping women look good." She responds.
"How are you able to stay so rich?" I asks.
"I'm the Queen, durh!" She replies.
Everyone at the table laughs, even Kalisha giggled. I take another sip of my champagne to hide from the embarrassment.
"But for real, I finance a lot of African owned businesses all over Virginia and I get a share. I have several charities and run multiple organizations. Also I have a lot of wealth to last me for over a thousand more years." She explains.
"I got one last question to ask. So when I was young, I lost my parents from a tragic event that I won't go too deep on. Over the years, I forgot a lot of information and memory about my parents, my culture, and I'm even forgetting parts of the horrific event. Can you tell me what I should do?" I asks her.
"I am so sorry that happened to you. My best advice is to stay strong everyday. Cherish the people you have in your life and thank whoever you believe in that you are still alive. Once I pass away, I'm going to make both Shani and Kalisha queens. They are already queens to me, but I want them taking care of all of the African vampires. I trust and love them a lot to know they will do a phenomenal job." She tells me, wiping her hands and cleaning up her remaining messes.
"Thank you so much my queen. I learned so much from you and it was a pleasure getting to know you." I thanked her.
"You are welcome. One last thing... Make sure to love and treat my daughter well. She'd experienced heartbreak before and I don't want another man to shattered her. Please be there, listen, protect, love, and treat her with honor and respect." She tells me.
"I will. I love her more than anything. I will never break her heart." I looked at Kalisha when I saying those words. Giving her a kiss in front of the guests.
"Gba yara kan, Mo tun n gbiyanju lati jẹ nibi (Get a room, I'm still trying to eat here)." Grandma Nomusa blurts out, sucking her teeth.
"E shock me (It shock me)" Aunty chipped in.
We all start to laugh. I wipe my hands and mouth. Getting up from my seat, so that I could hug the queen.
"Thank you so much. You are an amazing and strong woman." I tell her.
"Aww, you're so sweet. I'm so happy that you are dating my daughter, you are a good man. My husband would be proud that you are wearing my clothes. You are a welcome member of the family. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask me or any one of us." She tells me.
Everyone gets up, forming a huge group hug. We stop hugging, once it our body heat increased and our breath's reeked of African food. I still appreciated the hug and how kind everybody was. Except Dadi and Ahti, everyone at this Owambe are generous and respectful.
I look to see where Shani, Jymia, Ahti, and Dadi are. Shani is talking to a group of ladies. The rest are nowhere to be seen. I hope Jymia is okay, because I don't want Dadi ruining her night.
Music quiets down and everyone pays attention to the DJ.
"Orin tuntun yii ti yasọtọ si gbogbo awọn didara, bourgeois, ati awọn obinrin rachet ninu ile. Jẹ ki ká gba! (This next song is dedicated to all the classy, bourgeois, and rachet women in the house. Let's get it!)" He announced.
"Savage (Remix)" Megan Thee Stallion & Beyoncé plays.
"Oh my god, this is my song. N, lets dance!" She excitedly tells me.
Grabbing my arm and leading me to the dance floor.