Page 5 of Finessed By A Hood White Boy

She was quiet for a good two minutes before responding. Hell, I almost forgot what the conversation was about.

“Blake Whitmore died.”

“Okay, so?” I shrugged.

“I know you may not want to go, but there’s a reading of his will taking place. I think it’ll be beneficial if you went. You never know, maybe⁠—”

“Maybe what?” I cut her off.

I wasn’t trying to snap or be rude about the situation, but I couldn’t help it.

“He’s your father, EJ.”

“Yea, a muthaf—a man I’ve never met a day in my life. All I know is the man who helped create me has been dead since the day I was born.” I stood to my feet.

“If only your mother could tell you the truth and give you clarity. I’m not the one who is supposed to help you understand. However, I can say that your mother did everything in her power to make sure you had a better life than she did. Although your father wasn’t physically in the picture, he had his ways of taking care of you.” She explained.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less. How was I supposed to know any of that was true if I never even saw this man’s face. At least not in person, but I had seen pictures. All I knew was, I’d been raised by my mother since I entered this world, and my so-called father was nowhere to be found.

“Baby girl! If you want to get some ice cream and see this movie, you better move your feet!” I called out to Zoie.

Listening to Big Momma give that information started to rub me the wrong way. Never had I ever thought about looking for him. I mean shit, he wasn’t hard to find but neither was I. I knew he was some big shot who owned a few businesses. I also knew he was married with a few other kids. I’d never heard my mother speak badly about him, but in my own heart, I felt nothing but hate. How could a real man leave the mother of his child to struggle alone, especially when he was in a position to make those struggles nonexistent?

Although my mother had a solid support system, I’d watched her cry plenty of nights because she was under stress. I mean, she didn’t know I was up late at night making sure she was okay. At the time, it used to break my little heart to see my mom so defeated. When the sun came up, she’d act like everything was perfect, but I knew better. I was a true momma’s boy. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for the woman who gave me life and made sure I was well taken care of. She loved me unconditionally, no matter how many times I fucked up. No matter how many times I disappointed her due to my dumb decision making.

I didn’t give a fuck about that man, so why would I care about his will? According to how everything panned out, I was the bastard child that he wanted nothing to do with. Why would he leave anything to me? I had to chuckle at myself as I gripped my car keys.

“Finally, daddy!” Zoie jumped into my arms.

“I thought I told you to be on the porch?” I kissed her cheek.

“It’s too hot outside! I’m a princess, I can’t get sweaty!” Her little hands smashed my cheeks together.

“Yea, you’re right.” I smiled.

“Girl, you a mess.” Big Momma laughed walking up to us. “Take this, EJ, and just think about it.” She pressed the envelope into my chest.

“I already did.” I kissed her cheek.

CHAPTER 3

Ava Gray

The moment I cracked my eyes open, I knew it was going to be a good day. I fooled my damn self into thinking that was the truth. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I’d been dealing with chaos. My level of frustration was at its highest peak because I was feeling so overwhelmed. Rob was home getting on my damn nerves and Savannah was having a melt down. I had somewhere important to be and once again, I was running behind which caused me to rush around my house to get ready. In the midst of rushing, I had to stop to fix breakfast for Savannah. Sometimes she got into her little moods when I had to leave the house without her. She had eaten her food, but now she wouldn’t sit still and watch the cartoons I turned on because she wanted to follow me around while crying. Rob was no help at all.

“I can’t ever seem to get anything done when you’re always working against me!” I fussed under my breath.

The nigga acted as if I was the only parent living in the house with parental responsibilities. In my room, I took a step back from the mirror to inspect my face from a slight distance. Savannah clung to my legs, whining uncontrollably. I wanted to pick her up, but I had no time to coddle her. I rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a juice box from the fridge, but she didn’t want it. For the most part, my baby was a good child, but she was extremely clingy.

“Yo! Shut her the fuck up!” Rob yelled.

The growl of his voice caused me to jump.

“I’m trying to get ready for this interview. You’re just sitting there. How about you help me calm her down so she’ll stop.”

“Man, hurry the fuck up and leave. It's always something with y'all. I can’t ever sit around this muthafucka and have peace and quiet,” he complained. “I’ve been working and handling business all damn week, and when I decide to stay home to chill, you want me to babysit while your ass is out making moves.”

He picked Savannah up, but her screaming had only gotten worse. She began kicking and swinging because she wanted to be put down.