I rolled my eyes. “We not getting him anything. You do you, and I’ma do me. Then we meet in the middle and make sure it’s a success. We don’t need to discuss it. KJ is fifteen.”
He let out an audible sigh and blew out a breath.“Why you gotta make it difficult to talk to you, Thyri?”
“I’m not,”I countered.“You’re just used to handling me as your wife and not the co-parent. Thyri the wife was more open to compromise and how things could accommodate you. Thyri the co-parent does what she feels is best and what ultimately works for her.”
“Well, tell Thyri the co-parent that she’s making co-parenting more difficult than it needs to be. I’ll get with KJ to see what he wants and have Koric bring it over. Does Thryi mind wrapping the gifts?”
“Thyri can… for the low price of $100,”I said seriously while pulling out of my parking spot.
“You love taxing a nigga.”
“Hey, alimony wasn’t a part of the divorce package, so it is what it is. Will that be all?”If I didn’t bring the conversation to a close, Kaleb would try to hold me hostage.
“I heard you were in the Bronx earlier this morning. What was that about?”
“Kaleb, if you’re asking, then you already know the answer.”
“I do. I just wanted to hear your logic for showing up in the projects that late, like shit ain’t always popping off over that way.”
“It’s exactly why I went to get our son who I hadn’t heard from.”
“Need I remind you that he was with my family? And he’s a fifteen-year-old young man who can handle himself.”
“You don’t get to monitor my parenting from behind the wall, Kaleb. I have no doubt that KJ can handle himself, but so long as he’s under my roof, he’ll do what I ask to avoid me making trips to the projects.”
“He can’t grow into a man if you don’t let him bump his head a few times, Thyri.”
“Yeah, well, a man keeps his word and handles his responsibilities. KJ gave me his word on something and did not follow through. If I gotta hold his ass to the fire about it, whoopty doo. The last thing I wanna do is go back-and-forth with you about it. Can I go now?”
If I let him, Kaleb would argue me down for forty days and forty nights about anything he deemed argument worthy.
Again, he went quiet.
“I don’t want you to think that just because I’m in here means that I’m not looking after our son wherever he is. That goes for you too. All I’m saying is you pullingup like that in the wee hours of the night is dangerous and needs not to happen again.”
“Until you have a conversation with KJ about how he moves, I’ll be doing what I have to do when I have to do it. I gotta go.”
“I can do that. Have a good day, Butterfly. I love you.”
I ended the call without responding. I knew I was pushing it with the way I was speaking to him. A part of me felt like Kaleb was letting me get away with it because he still felt guilty about the demise of our marriage. And he fucking should. Fumbling me was the worst thing he could have ever done. Now, I had an attitude and didn’t feel like calling Danae. Instead, I drove in silence, wanting to shake off my anger before I got to my dad.
After an almost two-hour drive, I arrived at Parker Jewish Institute in Queens. The nursing home looked good on the outside, but on the inside, the care was mediocre, at least when it came to my standards for my father. However, it was still considered the best out of the ones in his area that we had to choose from at the time. I silently hoped that today wasn’t one of those days where I had to go off on anybody about his care plan. Well, the care plan I’d set for him.
While I expected them to be as unorganized as they usually were, what I saw instead had me seeing red and fighting back tears at the same time. My father was sitting in his wheelchair, in the middle of his room, in front of the TV, in nothing but a blanket and his boxers.
No socks. No t-shirt. Nothing.
He sat in the chair with his head hung low, likely from embarrassment, and his legs shaking from cold air. This was my daddy, my fucking hero, that they had sitting here practically naked with no one around. Tears filled my eyes, as I dropped his bag and walked around to kneel in front of him.
“Daddy.” My voice cracked.
His head lifted slowly, acknowledging my presence with a faint smile. But I could sense his discomfort and vulnerability, a far cry from the strong man I grew up with. A stroke had taken my daddy’s independence, and now these bitches were trying to strip him of his dignity. I bit my lip, doing my best to fight the tears threatening to fall. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t strong enough to handle things.
“Gimme one second, Daddy. Lemme see what the hell is going on.” I wrapped the blanket fully around his body for temporary comfort, kissed his forehead, and stormed out into the hallway.
I looked both ways before charging over to the nurses’ station where I found a few nursing aides standing around, talking amongst themselves.
“Excuse me!” I snapped, breaking up their powwow.
