“Saywhat?”Ilaughedheartily.
She tilted her head. “What’s funny?”
“You.” I smiled. “Why does it feel like I’ve been knowing you forever?”
She shrugged. “Cause I’m like that. Sometimes. Especially when I got liquor in me. It was my birthday yesterday, and I think that I’m still drunk.”
“Well, happy birthday.”
“Thank you. Now, let me hold twenty-five hundred.” She extended her dainty hand out, while her charm bracelet chimed in the process.
“Twenty-five, huh?”
“Yep. Then we’d be squared away.”
I shook my head. If she hadn’t put it that way, then she could’ve definitely gotten double, on GP.
“Nah, I’m just bullshitting.” She pulled her hand back. “I did fuck your car up, so I’ma clean this big ass house.” Her eyes wandered around. “Even though somebody’s gonna be pissed with me.”
I hooded my eyes. “Somebody like who?” “My man.”
“Your man, huh? Well, why that nigga can’t pay me money, instead of having you over here, scrubbing the next man’s toilet?”
Shesighed.“Well—”
“Daddy, did you cook breakfast?” My daughter questioned her as she came jogging across the living room.
I smiled, as I peered at my baby. Shi was ten, tall, slender, red, and every spit of her mama. Rocking her pink Versace robe, it was evident that she was a princess of the castle.
“Oh, I like that robe, girl,” Babi complimented, before I could even properly introduce them.
Shismiled.“Metoo.Butwhoareyou?”
“I’m Babi. I owe your daddy some money, so he wants me to be his slave or whatever.”
Shigiggled.“Hisslave?”
“Girl, that’s what it feels like. Want me to clean this big ole house.”
“Ooh.” Shi dramatically winced. “I feel your pain. I could never.”
Leaning my head back, I checked out my sassy daughter. “Daddy!”
Lifting my head, I saw my other daughter, Aspen, skip across the living room. She was seven, and favored me more than her mama. She had my complexion, height, hair texture, and bowlegs. Probably just waking up, she had on some Simpson’s pajamas.
“What’s up, baby?” I asked her. “What are we gonna eat?”
I smiled. “I guess that I gotta go in the kitchen and whip up something.”
Babi cleared her throat. “If you’d like, I could cook for y’all.” Aspen squinted. “Daddy, who is she?”
“Daddy’s slave,” Shi spoke up. “Slave?” Aspen frowned in confusion.
“Yeah. She owes daddy some money and he probably made her come over here, cause she’s real cute or whatever.”
I laughed. “Okay, now you adding stuff. Who said all that, Shi?”
“I told myself that. You don’t just be letting people come over here. And she’s way too pretty to be cleaning houses and stuff.”
