Chapter 6 — Deja
A year passes quickly and it's now summertime. Malik's on break traveling to his parents' home with little Jazzy. His stepsister comes by time to time after she moved out a few years ago. She got married and had her first child recently. Malik wasn't close with her as his full-brother, DeShawn.
"Look at my niece. She's so cute."
"Yeah, she's something else. You want her?"
"Aw, don't be like that bro."
Malik is now called 'Dada' by Jasmine, and it's the one word she can say clearly at thirteen months old. It melted his heart the first time she said it. When no one is around, he and Jasmine says, 'Dada' back and forth. Malik hopes to catch her on video. When Jasmine finally does, it's a beta test. He tries to get her to look at him, rather than the toaster, the vacuum, and a squirrel sitting the ledge outside. Malik posts the video on Facebook and everyone likes it.
Jasmine is crawling around her grandparents' living room, taking little steps while holding on the coffee table, the sofa, and Malik's big fingers for dear life. Malik put socket protectors and cabinet locks on every square inch of his parents' house. DeShawn laughs while his mother tells Malik 'babies are tough, one or two bumps and bruises will not break little Jazzy'. Malik knows, after all he, DeShawn, and his stepsister Tricia turned out just fine. However, this is his baby girl and Malik will be damned, if she so much as gets a scratch.
* * *
In August, Malik's in discussion to get back to playing basketball. Jasmine shadows him, toddling around on ever steadier growing feet, pretending to talk on the phone when Malik's got his eyes glued to his phone getting daily updates. Jasmine's voice rises and falls with Malik's, babbling a few words here and there as Malik talks on the phone.
* * *
The beginning of September, Malik and Jasmine gets back to Atlanta. Malik practices hard and finds out he'll be in the starting five for the Erie Bayhawks this upcoming season. The morning before the first game of the season, Malik spends a large amount of time scooping Cheerios back into the box off the floor, blaming himself for leaving the box on the table. Jasmine can now climb up the chairs and everywhere. DeShawn laughs when he's come up, seeing Jasmine into everything. He told Malik it might be better to put the cereal boxes in the cabinet before Jazzy gets to it. Malik gives him the finger. He just spent the last week trying to make Jasmine remove 'ah-shit' from her vocabulary. DeShawn laughs when Malik resorts to calling him 'a-hole' instead.
Malik has a two-game stint in Germany to promote American basketball with the Bayhawks that'll last two weeks. He spends an hour kissing Jasmine goodbye, saying he loves her as he hands her off to grandma. Malik hates to leave her, but carting a 17-month-old toddler half-way across the world to be watched by the nanny while he plays isn't the ideal thing to do in his family's eyes.