Chapter
Three
Reminisce
A few weeks later
My eyes lived on the child. My child. The little girl who had somehow come into my world and claimed it to be her own without even knowing it. She was sitting back on the sofa watching some lil Caucasian lady in jean overalls and a pink shirt with a high-pitched voice dance around and talk. Somehow that held her attention while she held mine. For the first few days my siblings hovered about, being as helpful as they knew how. By Friday, I told them I had it, but she and I had yet to leave the house.
That earned a chuckle out of me. Usually, I felt like I couldn’t stay still, but now home was the best place. That was until I realized kids ate actual food and not just the snacks I kept in here when I was in town. Per Jade, I couldn’t keep ordering food and microwaving dino nuggets for her to eat. I had to figure it out. Not only that, but she needed clothes. Jade had dropped off some quick things she picked up, but I wasn’t feeling any of it.
“Daddy.” That little deep tone broke my thoughts. Yeah, that shit was new too. She’d asked what my name was and I told her Reminisce. Then Jade told her I was her father. Her little eyes litup, and ever since then, she had been calling me daddy. That was back at Rennix’s house a few weeks ago. It made me wonder who Pynk had her around, but then again, nothing in the past could be changed.
“Yeah?”
“Pad dead, can we charge?” She pointed to the tablet that she’d come with. It was on the end table next to the sofa. That motherfucker had been dead since the first day she’d handed it to me. I refused to charge it. Shit was so cracked it looked like a fucking fire hazard. I had been meaning to get her an updated one. I guess that was what we’d do today since we had some running around to do anyway.
“No, we ’boutta get you a new one. That one is broken, shorty.”
“Oh.” The O she made with her lips had me moving toward her.
“You wanna go to a few stores, lil mama?” I stood a few feet away from the sofa drinking from a mug of black coffee. I had become accustomed to it after I realized it somehow helped with these shitty ass migraines I kept getting.
“And then we eat?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, we can eat again. Let me find you something to put on.”
She nodded excitedly and I turned on my feet to do just that. She didn’t have much, besides what Jade brought her, but I still had to put fits together and I hated it. There were too many bright patterns and not enough solids.
It didn’t take me long to throw together a pair of gray cargos and one of those fluffy ass sweaters I hated. I just knew shorty would be hot by the time we got to the car. I groaned at the thought, but I dressed my daughter. Then, like Beyah attempted to teach me, I tried my hand at putting a bun at the top of herhead. Yeah, this girl dad shit wasn’t me, but I was trying. That was all I could do for now until I got the hang of it.
Once she was dressed and still watching ol’ girl with the overalls on the sofa, I started getting myself together. Where I used to blast the radio, taking my time because everything was at my leisure, I didn’t dare do that now. I moved stealthily and silently around my room, getting dressed and listening for her.
Romance was self-sufficient for her age, but I didn’t have the hang of this parenting shit. So everything had me jumping and moving toward my child.
I had just pulled a shirt over my head when I felt my phone vibrating in the pocket of my sweats. When I pulled it out, I saw it was my brother calling. G had been serious about checking in. Shit, a few times he had Beyah calling asking if I needed a break. My family had really stepped up without me asking, but I knew I had to get used to this on my own as Romance was my child and ultimately my responsibility. I hadn’t even taken any jobs because right now it was all too fresh. I couldn’t be too far away from her. Not right now. I needed her to get used to me and me to her. I needed her little mind to equate me with presence and nothing like her nothing ass mama.
I let the call roll over and decided I’d answer it when we got to the car. I was ’boutta have to struggle with this dumb ass car seat I hated.
“Romance, you ready?”
“I ready, Daddy.” She met me at the door, throwing on that pink ass jacket Jade insisted she have. It had only been a day when Jade waltzed in the door with a whole bunch of shit I didn’t know she needed.
“You went to pee?” I asked, hating that I had to be all in her fucking business.
“Yes.”
“You wiped and washed your hands?” I gave her the most serious expression I could muster.
She nodded, then showed me her hands. I didn’t know what the hell that was supposed to do, but I leaned down and picked her up so we could leave.
“Daddy, why is it writing on your face?” she asked as soon as we stepped onto the elevator.
“Because I like writing on my face, baby. Don’t write on yours though.”
She cackled, tracing the tattoos on my face with her fingers. “I won’t. I like your face writing, Daddy. Did it hurt?”
“Yeah, really bad.”
