I pull up to the park and spot one of my bros sitting by the benches close to the court. It's Saturday morning and we decided to meet up so we can play some ball because we haven't done this in a long time. Playing ball in the park on Saturday was our thing but moving around, responsibilities and life in general got in the way of that. I grab my sports bag and water bottle before heading out to where my bro is

"Eli"

"What's up Kofi?" He asks as I dap him

"I'm good my brother. What's up with you?"

"Same old same old. I've been on the grind"

"That's good to hear. How is baby Ella?"

"She's growing unbelievably fast. How is Thembi?"

"She's about to pop, she's three weeks away from the due date. She's been cranky as hell lately and I'm happy I got out of the house because she is driving me to the edge of insanity"

"What have you been doing to her?"

"Absolutely nothing. She can trip over me not straightening the covers when I get off the bed or me touching her pregnancy pillow when I'm cleaning up"

"I understand how you feel because my baby momma hated me and made my life hell during the last phase of her pregnancy but all I could do was remain calm and supportive because if I retaliated, it would have been a war I wouldn't have won"

"True"

"How are you feeling now that she is nearing her due date?"

"I'm just nervous about being a dad man. This is my first baby and I have absolutely no idea what to do. I've read all these books to prepare me but it's different when you actually have to do it"

"It's normal to feel nervous because you haven't done this before but you have Thembi by your side and she will be showing you things and helping you out. I was scared when my daughter was born because I didn't think I was going to be a good dad but those fears have since gone through making mistakes and learning from those mistakes"

"I hear you, I just want her to be protected from the evil in the world. I have childhood trauma and I never want her to have that"

"I think most parents fear not being able to protect their kids but I have no doubt in my mind that you will do anything and everything to makes sure she is safe. Just don't be that dad that threatens the guys she comes home with"

"I won't have to do that because she won't be allowed to date until she is much older"

"Oh boy, she's in big trouble" Eli adds and I can't help but laugh

"So what happened between you and your baby momma?"

"She's been sending threats to me about how she wants file for sole custody because she found out I'm dating. Our relationship fell apart before we even knew she was pregnant and she probably thought a baby would bring us together but I was done dealing with her craziness. So recently she found out I'm dating Joy through one of her friends and it has been hell ever since because of her jealousy. I thought I had dealt with the highest level of her craziness but it keeps on getting worse"

"I'm sorry man, it's quite unfair for her to want to file for sole custody because you have moved on and she hasn't. That's fucked up"

"I know and the worst part is I'm stuck with this for a long time. I just wish I had a different baby momma but there's really nothing I can do about it now"

"She kinda reminds me of the situation between Thembi and her ex. He says she's the one for him and that he's going to do whatever it takes to get her back"

"What? That man is crazy"

"I know..."

"What's up guys?" We hear from behind us and it's the other guys

"Nothing man, are you ready to get thrashed?" I ask

"You sound mighty confident for a nigga that is about to be humiliated on the court"

"We'll see"

I substitute my slides with my basketball shoes and join my team of three on the court. The first few minutes are hard, I fumble with the ball, the ball gets taken from me easily and miss my shoots but once I get past that, I become a beast on the court. My team ends up winning and all Obi does is give excuses as to why he lost instead of just accepting that our team was just better.

"We could have won but you guys kept on cheating" Obi tells us

"That's what everyone that loses says, you just need to accept that I still have it in me"

"Alright, alright, you still have it in you"

"Thanks, let me get going"

"I thought you were staying behind for a little so we could catch up and play for a bit longer"

"I would love that but we're having our maternity shoot at 3pm so I have to get home and get ready for that"

"Alright, see you around"

I head to my car and I spot Thembi's ex sitting on one of the benches. I know she asked me not to do anything to him but that mother fucker needs to be put in his place because he keeps messing with my wife. I walk to the bench and when he notices me, he sets his phone down

"Look who it is"

"I don't know what game you are trying to play but I want you to know that it won't work"

"What makes you so sure she won't leave you?"

"I'm too confident in my wife and our relationship to know that she wouldn't leave me for you. Hell would have to freeze before that ever happened"

"I mean, that pussy could be mine if I really wanted it" he smirks at Kofi

"What the fuck did you just say to me?"

"You heard me. If I really wanted her, I would have her. You were lucky you met her when she was in a vulnerable state but it's time for me to reclaim what is mine"

Hearing Matthieu speak about my wife like that makes me lose it. In a flash, I have Matthieu pinned to the ground and I'm sending blows to his face. Matthieu's nose starts bleeding and that doesn't stop me because I have had enough disrespect from this nigga. Matthieu is lucky my friends intervened otherwise I would have hurt him badly.

"If I see you anywhere near my wife, I'm going to fuck you up" I tell Matthieu as Eli pulls me away from him

"Bro what just happened?"

"I was warning him to stay away from my wife and he starting talking reckless and that's when the fight started"

"I know that he was being disrespectful but you could have really hurt him and landed in serious trouble"

"I know but you don't understand how the shit he said made me feel" I tell him and I feel myself get angry as I think about the situation

"I get that you were upset but you can't act off of your feelings. You need to think about your wife, your unborn daughter and how you could have lost that because you couldn't control yourself" he says, making me think about how I could have lost my happiness because of that bum

"I hadn't even thought about that. I saw red in that moment and nothing could've have stopped me"

"You're better than that man and I'd hate for you to sit in a jail cell because of him"

"I know"

"I'll check on you later once you have calmed down"

"Okay, thanks"

At home

"Babe, where are you?"

"I'm in the nursery"

I walk upstairs and drop my bag in the room before heading to the nursery

"Hey"

"Hi babe"

"What are you doing in here?"

"I was just fixing a few things"

"I thought everything was already set"

"It was but you know how I am. How was basketball?"

"It was good, I had fun with the bros"

"It must have been really good if you came home with bruised knuckles"

"You know how boys play"

"I don't but I do know that your knuckles shouldn't be bruised after playing basketball so tell me what actually happened"

"I got in a fight"

"With who"

"Your ex" I mumble

"Who?"

"Your ex" I repeat and she sighs in frustration

"What did I tell you about him?"

"I know you asked me to leave him alone but he was saying some disrespectful stuff that I just couldn't let slide"

"That's your problem Kofi, you don't listen. I told you that you should walk away from him the next time you saw him because I know how he is"

"So I was supposed to let him talk shit about you?"

"That's not what I said, I said you should have walked away or better yet not entertain him at all. How did it even get to the point where it became physical?"

"I saw him in the park and I decided to go to him so we could have a chat. I thought we could sit down and chat as grown men but he started talking about how your pussy could be his and I lost it"

"So you're the one who started this?"

"Yeah...but I didn't think things would have escalated like that"

"Kofi, you need to start thinking about your actions and how they could affect your family. I know it's easier said than done but don't let your emotions drive you to that place you used to be in"

"I hear you and I apologize for acting the way I did"

"Just leave him and his miserable self alone. I filed a restraining order so if he violates that then that's on him. We should just focus on us and our baby girl"

"I agree"

"Are you okay though?"

"Yeah, I just need to ice my knuckles"

"We should start getting ready because it's 1pm and we need to get there before 2pm so I can get my makeup done"

"Okay"

When we get to the studio, Thembisa steps into the dressing rooms where she gets her makeup done while I just sit and talk to the photographer. When she's done with her makeup, we change into the first look which is basically white wash jeans with our top half bare. Once we are oiled up, we get in front of the camera and unlike my wife who is a natural in front of camera, I struggle a bit because I'm not used to being in front of the camera but I eventually get the gist of it.

An hour and a half later, after three outfit changes, we finish the shoot. The photographer shows us the pictures which came out great and I can't wait till we get the pictures back. On our way home, we make a stop so we get something to eat since we haven't had anything to eat all day.

"Babe..."

"Yes?"

"How do you feel now that we are getting closer and closer to our due date?" She asks

"I'm nervous babe. I've never had to take care of a baby so I don't know what to expect. I've been reading articles and stuff about the things I should expect as a first time dad but I'm still not ready"

"I get like that some times but I remember that I have you by my side and that we will be a great team" she tells me, making me smile

"I know we'll make an amazing team" I grab her hand and bring it close to my lips so I can kiss it. For the rest of the drive home we talk about the baby and finalize the names.

Once Thembi knocks out, I head downstairs so I can talk to her cousin who has been helping me plan the baby shower.

"Hi Kofi"

"Hey Chi. How's everything going?"

"It's going great, I went to view the venue today and it's perfect for the baby shower. I also finalized a few things with the event planner and everything seems to be coming along great"

"Okay, I appreciate everything you've done to help plan the baby shower"

"No problem Kofi. How did the maternity shoot go?"

"It was great but I think it was exhausting for her because she ate and went to sleep soon after we got home"

"Poor baby, she's getting closer and closer to her due date so she's getting more tired"

"Yeah, I should head upstairs before she comes down looking for me because she says she can't sleep without me"

"Okay, good night"