We walked into the office together after the emotional ride from the school. Kemi sat behind her desk, and she looked up the moment the door opened.
Her face lit up when she saw Kennedi.
“Hey, Ms. Kemi,” Kennedi said politely. She always said Kemi was “tea” and she wanted to go shopping in her closet.
Kemi smiled warmly. “Hey, baby. What you doing here during school hours?”
Kennedi looked at me like she was unsure how to answer since I said it was to stay between us.
“Go in my office,” I told her. “Close the door and work on that assignment packet your teacher gave you.”
She gave me a dramatic salute. “Sir, yes sir.”
Kemi and I both laughed as she disappeared and my office door clicked shut behind her.
Kemi’s smile faded once Kennedi wasn’t in sight. “Everything okay?”
I exhaled and dropped into the chair across from her desk.
“Not really.”
I told her everything and by the time I finished, Kemi’s eyes were glossy. She pressed her lips together, shaking her head slowly.
“Poor baby,” she whispered. “This age is brutal.”
“Yeah,” I said, agreeing. “And I texted Khloe that I was picking Kennedi up from school today.”
Kemi nodded.
“I don’t want Khloe to know. She’d cancel that expensive party without even trying to understand what really happened. She’d just see rebellion instead of looking at the bigger picture.”
Kemi laughed softly because she knew I wasn’t lying.
“Yeah,” she said. “That sounds about right.”
Then she looked at me but it was different.
“What?” I asked.
She shook her head, smiling. “Nothing.”
I gave her that look. “Kemi.”
She leaned back in her chair. “You’re just… a great dad.”
I sat on the edge of her desk, rubbing the back of my neck.
“I’m honestly trying,” I admitted. “But this shit is hard.”
She laughed. “What you mean?”
I paused, searching for the words. “Since I slowed down with work, I’ve been around Kennedi more and even talking to her more. Seeing things I never really saw before.”
“I have a new respect for Khloe,” I shook my head. “For real.”
“Having a teenage daughter… building a career… keeping a house running… while making sure your marriage doesn’t fall apart at the same time…”
I looked up at the ceiling. “That’s four full-time job that I don’t think I would ever willingly sign up for. You barely have time to even care for yourself.”
