You Are The Father

By Tikita Kenyon Hines

A succeessful man unleashes harsh criticism towards his own mother for her uncertainty regarding the identity of his biological father. Soon after, Kordell's life and career begin to crash and burn, when a baby boy is found abandoned at his doorstep. The DNA proves that he is the father. However, the burning question on everyone's mind is...Who is the baby's mother?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tikita Lewis
• Release date: Dec 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201085209

Tikita Kenyon Hines

Tikita Kenyon Hines was born in Columbus, OH and is a graduate of Columbus South High School, and The Ohio State University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, and two Associate of Applied Science degrees in Electronic Engineering Technology from Columbus State Community College in Columbus, OH. She enjoys music and singing and has published four original songs. The Corona Virus Pandemic of 2020 has inspired her to begin writing, and she plans to continue writing more stories.

Book preview

Nubian Dream

The city of Atlanta , GA is hosting the 10th annual Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year award ceremony, presented by Nubian International Magazine, Inc.   The winner shall be crowned as Nubian King and his photo will grace the front page of a special edition of the magazine. Nubian International Magazine is circulated in over 20 countries, and one lucky bachelor stands to gain unprecedented and worldwide attention as the feature in the coveted centerfold spread.

Over the years the Bachelor of the Year award has become very prestigious. Many of the former winners, all men of color, have risen to superstar status in areas ranging from brand endorsements to the entertainment industry. This year Kordell has his eye on the prize.

Thirty year old Kordell J. Watson is one of four nominees, and the only nominee from the United States of America.  Kordell has always been a lucky man, and he is confident that he will win. The fact that this year’s gala is being held in his hometown of Atlanta means that winning the award would further elevate his social status as he transitions from local star to international superstar.

LESLIE RENEE, NUBIAN International Magazine’s editor in chief, approaches the podium and begins to adjust the microphone.  Her voice echoes throughout the ballroom as she begins addressing the noisy crowd.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please?

Kordell hurries to his table. He’d brought his mother as his date for the gala, despite the fact that she does not like big crowds.  Being away from their table and mingling far too long, Kordell became concerned that she might be feeling out of place.  He sneaks up behind his mother’s chair and kisses her on the cheek, startling her a tiny bit.   

I’m sorry Momma, I didn’t mean to scare you, Kordell whispers in her ear.

It’s okay baby. I’m all right, she replies in a soft and loving voice.

She looks up and smiles at him, and Kordell could see in his mother’s eyes that she was very proud of him.  Truthfully she was feeling a little uncomfortable, but she wouldn’t miss this for the world. She had raised two sons all by herself, and now her baby boy is all grown up and successful in his own right. She has every reason to be proud. The late Billie Holliday said it best in a song ~ "God bless the child that’s got his own".

Kordell takes his seat next to his mother. As the crowd hushes and begins to settle, Leslie Renee thanks everyone for attending and informs her audience that 100 percent of the proceeds from the gala will be donated to a charity of the award winner’s choice.

Leslie Renee continues, "Before we announce the nominees for the Bachelor of the Year award, we would first like to thank the city of Atlanta for hosting this beautiful occasion. Also, we would like to thank our sponsor Brown Sugar Productions out of Columbus, OH , for providing tonight’s entertainment.  Last but not least, from way down in the Delta, Earlie Mae’s Soul Food Dining and Catering out of Indianola Mississippi. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the delicious meal, and we are honored by the excellent service  that you have so gracefully bestowed upon us this evening."

applause

And now without further ado, says Leslie Renee, who has begun to speak in the style of the soul singer Betty Wright in the live extended version of her hit song "Tonight’s the Night. Her voice projecting in a blend of soulful singing and southern preaching all rolled up in lyric, the nominees for Nubian International Magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year are..."

The music softly playing intensifies as Leslie Renee stands at the podium frozen in time, stiff like a mannequin, motionless, and silent. Her eyes, as do the eyes of the entire audience including Kordell’s mother, focus on Kordell. An eerie fog creeps into the ballroom, and like a haze ascending from a deep and dark abyss it spreads throughout, all-encompassing.

The music, a classical overture, morphs into a haunting rhapsody. In the background there lies a bass drum, inconspicuous in its accompaniment and buried beneath the melody tree like a shadow cast from moonlight onto the rainforest floor. The bass drum, in all its splendor, leaps abruptly to the forefront of the song. Becoming increasingly strong and powerful it grows brash in its beating, pounding erratically without regard for neither time signature, nor tempo.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Suddenly, the room is spinning, and the harsh sound of the pounding bass drum pierces his eardrums.  In agony, Kordell presses his hands tightly against his ears. He wants to run and flee the scene but he can’t move his legs. He is paralyzed and begins to panic. He is lost, confused, and afraid. There are many questions running through his mind, Why is everyone staring at me, and why is that damn drum so loud? When is Leslie Renee going to say my name?  His body spirals and descends into the hollow abyss that has besieged the ballroom. He hollers What is happening... Somebody - HELP ME e e e e!, but his voice has no sound.

Then he hears the needle scratching the surface of, and ripping across a vinyl record. The music stops and retreats, allowing there to be a split second of quietude until the BOOM of the bass drum erupts again triumphant, and solo.

IT IS THREE O’CLOCK in the morning. Kordell had been drinking at the club up until midnight and wakes up feeling like shit. Realizing that he had been dreaming about the Bachelor of the Year gala again, he tries to go back to sleep. The sweet dream had somehow transitioned into some kind of spooky nightmare, yet still he thought that maybe he could recapture the good part and continue from there.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Before he could fall back asleep the pounding sound returns. His brain finally registers that the noise isn’t coming from a drum. Someone is pounding very hard on the back door of his condo.

Kordell’s head hurt from drinking too much whiskey, and he is extremely irritated. It seems whenever he dreams of being crowned Nubian King at the gala, someone or something would interrupt the dream at the same exact spot. Every single time without fail the dream either goes awry, or is cut off  just as Leslie Renee is about to say the names of the nominees. Kordell has yet to hear his name said aloud in this recurring dream.

He tussles with the bed covers, kicking and punching them away from his warm, hard body then throwing a pillow at the headboard and screaming Who the HELL is knocking on my door like the ‘Mutha Fuckin’ PO-lice? Grabbing his robe he fiercely shoves his arms into the sleeves. Stomping his feet into his suede alpaca fur slippers he stumbles through the kitchen blindly towards the door and falls over a chair face flat onto the floor.

The knocking continues. Who the fuck is it?, he yells while struggling to pick himself  up from the floor. He’d banged his forehead pretty hard when his face hit the floor and is a little dizzy when he finally reaches the door. He flips the switch to turn on the porch light and peeps through the blinds to see who is there, still baffled as to why anyone would be pounding on his back door at this late hour. Clenching his teeth, he mutters This better be an emergency.

Rise of the King

If the phrase ‘tall , dark, and handsome’ is too much of a cliché, consider ‘Venti, mocha, and hot’! Six feet four inches tall carrying all of two hundred pounds, Kordell J. Watson is the epitome of a king. A gorgeous man with the most stunning hazel-brown eyes, natural kinky curly hair, and a tight, well-defined body. Kordell has some Denzel Washington, some Michael B. Jordan, and some Morris Chestnut characteristics about him. They are all blended together in a tropical smoothie with a shot of rum and a Maraschino cherry on top. Smooth like Denzel in Mo ’Better Blues, yet ruthless like Michael B in Black Panther , and with a deliciously sweet and luscious pair of lips like Morris Chestnut’s in The Best Man . All the ladies want him, all the men want to be him, and sometimes vice versa. Sexy and well-endowed in all the right places, he is an adonis.

The name Kordell J. Watson is well known in the city of Atlanta and he is a local celebrity. Recently, he did a commercial for his trucking company. From that advertisement he gained immense popularity for having a black owned