and seemed to be on the verge of either laughing or running out of the room.
Hassani looked over at his father who scooted closer to him.
“Hassani, do you know the difference between boys and girls?” Saint asked.
Hassani nodded. “Yes.”
“Tell me what the differences are,” Saint requested.
“Boys have weewees and girls have hoohoos,” Hassani said proudly.
Saint laughed. “OK, yeah, that’s true. The weewees and hoohoos aren’t just there so you can pee,” Saint explained. “They are also there to make babies when you get older and when you fall in love, you can use them to make love.”
“Make love?” Hassani asked.
“Yes, that’s what your mother and I are doing when you try to turn the knob to our bedroom and it’s locked, and when you hear those noises.”
Xenia smiled and put her head back down.
“You’ll like girls one day. One day you’ll get married.” Saint had had several dreams regarding his children. One that stood out in his mind was one where Hassani looked to be around seventeen or eighteen, looking like a younger version of himself, the center of plentiful female attention and loving every minute of it.
He saw Hassani’s first puppy love heartbreak and a quick glimpse of his wedding. Saint got to see his future daughter-in-law in advance. She was stunning from head to toe.
“No way!” Hassani protested.
“One day, that will all change and when it does, you will see girls totally differently,” Saint said as he looked at his son closely. “Have you heard of sex?” he asked.
“Yes,” Hassani answered.
“Where did you hear it from?” Saint asked.
“On TV. It’s called ‘doin’ it.’”
Saint rolled his eyes. “Yes, another way people talk about sex or making love is to call it ‘doing it.’ OK. What do you think it is?” Saint asked.
“I’m not sure. I know people kiss, like you and Mommy.”
“OK, sex, doing it and making love mean the same thing to many people. It’s when two people express themselves with their bodies. They show each other how much they love one another.”
Saint continued to discuss the topic with Hassani, causing Xenia to turn redder and redder.
“Sometimes people make love in a bed,” Saint continued to explain.
“Lame,” Xenia said under her breath, laughing.
Saint caught her reaction and smiled. The bed was rare. I had her all over my penthouse. In the kitchen, bathroom, on the floor, up against every wall, even outside in the garage, in my damn car too many times to count!
Xenia rolled her eyes at Saint. “Try to make this PG for the boy.”
Saint gave her a pointed look and continued. “When people make love, they may say things that you’re too young to really understand but those words are not used in anger. They are used because they are happy but they are still words that shouldn’t be used by a little boy.”
Hassani looked confused.
“Bad words aren’t always said because someone is mad, Hassani. Sometimes when someone is happy or excited, they can say them, too, but they are still grown up words and you shouldn’t say them.”
Hassani nodded in understanding as Saint continued to explain sex.
“And that’s called ‘intercourse’ which is another word for ‘sex,’ ‘doin’ it,’ and ‘making love,’ as well. It’s private, it’s just between your mother and I, so if our door is locked, then you should probably just go back to your room and wait unless what you need is important. If it’s important, then I want you to knock so we can let you in. That is a special time for Mommy and me, time alone. Do you understand?”
“I think so,” Hassani said. “If it feels good, why does Mommy scream like it hurts? She does it all the time. She screams late at night, it wakes me up – and sometimes early in the morning and sometimes, well, it happens a lot. We hear it all the time. Dakarai and I hear you, too, Daddy. Mommy says ‘ah-ah-ah-!’ and bad words and you say bad words too,
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