Jahlil remained stoic.
“Listen…” John pulled in a deep breath and shudder of disgust like what he was going to say next would taste like shit coming out of his mouth. “I was wrong. My daughter has given me a speech in length about how I handled that.”
“How you handled that?” Jahlil asked with the emphasis on that. “That. Thatthugis what you called him. Every black kid in the neighborhood over five foot eight isn’t a thug or looking to cause trouble. Andrew is his name but you know it. And he’s a good kid. Unfortunately for you and your pride or self-hate, whatever the fuck it is,nigga,put a stain on that.”
“I took this job to hel-”
“To help your people? Putting a kid in cuffs because he used an American Express with his name on it ain’t helping. You want to help, I dare you to really step foot in this city and help. But you not about that life. Asshole puckered up thinking about it. You want to apologize, tell my kid that can’t figure out what he did wrong. Until then, tell your little boy to keep his hands off my daughter,” Jahlil stated, not in the space to continue this conversation here. “We’ll see you around.”
On cue, Sanaa walked out the classroom hand in hand with John’s son. Jahlil shuttered and gritted his teeth. The pre-k teachers assistant roamed out behind her with a giant smile on her face.
“Sanaa had a wonderful first day. She’s very much the leader this one,” the TA shared. “And we can’t seem to separate these two. Lunchtime, naptime, centers – they’re stuck at the hip. I see play dates in your future, maybe wedding bells who knows.”
“Hi daddy,” Sanaa buzzed.
“Hey babyg-”
“Aryn, walk me to the car,” Sanaa bossed.
“Okay!” Aryn responded with no regard to his father or NBA superstar Jahlil Savage. Still hand in hand with Sanaa, he walked her out the building.
Jahlil cut a look at John and followed the pair of pint-sized humans into the small parking lot. He unlocked the truck, picked Sanaa up and placed her inside.
“Daddy, at least let me say bye!” Sanaa huffed as he shut the door, mean mugged the little boy, and rounded the trunk to the driver’s side. “Are you going to be a hating ass nigga all your life?”
“You’ve been holding that in all day haven’t you?” Jahlil asked amusedly but adding. “I’m telling Mani you cussed me out.”
“Uh uh she’s not going to give me cookies,” Sanaa protested.
“Not talking to me like that. And for your information I’m not a hating ass nigga. I’m your damn daddy and you ain’t old enough to have no little booger assed boy hugging all up on you like that.”
“Why not? You do it to Mani!”
“We’re grown, Sanaa,” Jahlil huffed, firing up the engine and pulling off. “I don’t like it.”
Sanaa rolled her eyes. “Because you’re nosey. All up in my business.”
“Girl,” Jahlil snipped. “You are literally my business.”
“Sooo Andrew can make kissy faces in his room. I hug a nigga and I’m in trouble,” Sanaa scoffed rolling her eyes.
“Andrew doesn’t have a door. Do you want to be like Andrew and not have a door too? Markers? Dolls?” Jahlil asked, rambling off a list of things she would go without.
“My dolls?” Sanaa gasped, as if punishment had never visited her before.
“Every last doll. Matter of fact, I’ll tell Drew and have him pop the heads off.”
“No! I’ll be nice. I want to be nice!”
“Then be nice, watch your mouth and stop hugging up on that little boy,” Jahlil stated, looking at her roll her eyes. “Girl!”
“What? I didn’t do nothing,” Sanaa huffed, folding her arms and rolling her eyes again.
“Uh huh yeah.”
When they got home, Sanaa unsnapped herself and opened the door.
“What the hell are you-?” Jahlil’s question came to a pause as Sanaa hopped out and ran to the open gates. Aryn was running across the street from his father’s illegally parked car like he hadn’t just finish accosting Jahlil’s daughter. “I know you fuckin’ lying. I’m going to have to turn this little nigga’s head around.”
