Zebrahead (interracial)

the sit down

"Now daddy promise me you will be on your best behavior." I begged.

"Who's the parent again?" He joked.

"I'm serious! I really like him, okay?" I pleaded some more before he finally cooperated.

"I will. As long as I like him everything will be fine."

That didn't help at all. In fact, that threw my mind into another fit of worry. My father wasn't too keen on boys being around me if they weren't family. I went to to dining room to help my mother set the table.

"Pass me those forks." She said, moving swiftly around the table. I did as I was told, dropping a fork or three on the ground. My mother sighed and took my hands.

"Why so clammy?" She questioned.

"I'm just so nervous, mama. This is all so.. So-"

"New?" She finished

"Yes!" I exclaimed.

She sat me down at the table, and put my hands in hers. "When you were a little thing, I always knew you'd be different. I felt it deep down in my heart. You didn't start talking until you were about three years old, and that just confirmed everything. There is something about you Brenda.." She stopped and sighed dreamily. "My beautiful daughter Brenda. Fortunately and unfortunately you won't be like me. You won't just get married, have kids and let that be it for you, you have an expectation for more, and that's exactly what you're gonna get. Whoever this young man is, he has to be something, because not everyone catches that picky little eye of yours."

I giggled, and she smiled, lightening the mood and lifting the nervous tension from the room.

"Thank you, mama."

She kissed my forehead, and right on cue, the doorbell rang. She winked at me and made her way into the kitchen. I sat there frozen, and the doorbell rang again. She peeked out the door and stared at me humorously.

"Aren't you gonna get that?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am." I said, jumping up.

Smoothing my dress down, I slowly made my way to the door, opening it and looking out at Daniel.

And boy, did he know how to clean up.

The sandy blonde hair that was usually strewn or matted over his clean skin, was smoothed back enough so you could see he glimmer within his light gray eyes. He had his left hand shoved into his pocket, and his right hand tightly clutching a bouquet of roses.

I kissed him on the cheek, greeting him. "These for me?" I said, nodding at the flowers.

"No. For your mother." He said through gritted teeth.

"Do you want me to take them?" I asked, pulling him into my house, and closing the door behind him.

"No. The effect would be better if I presented them to her." He said, gritting his teeth again, and running his fingers nervously through his hair.

"You know, if you keep talking like that, they're gonna think your jaw is broken or somethin"

That brought a smile to his face. He kissed me on my forehead. One of the things he did that drove me crazy every time. A throat being cleared behind us is what tore us apart in a split second.

It was my father. I stepped in front of Daniel, as if I was his shield of protection.

"Daddy... I want you to meet Daniel Byrd. Daniel Byrd, this is my father."

Daniel approached my dad and shook his hand.
"Very nice to meet you sir."

My father nodded his head. "That's a firm handshake you got there, boy."

"Thank you sir."

"Dinner is ready!" My mother chimed in from the kitchen.

"Coming!" I responded.

We all made our way to the kitchen. I sat down and watched as Daniel greeted my mother with the flowers that I thought were for me, which by the way, kind of stung. He kissed her French style on both her cheeks and she smiled broadly. Like, the smile she gives my father when he's really making her happy.

"It's nice to finally meet you." She said, still smiling.

Not once did anyone bring up the fact that he wasn't exactly the darkest person in the room, no, not even my younger brother Leroy who pinpointed everything.

Literally everything.

In fact, Leroy and my sister Regina actually adapted to Daniel better than I thought they would. Regina was telling Daniel about how much she loved science, and how important she thought it was to human life, while Leroy was getting frustrated from everyone talking over him, which gave us all a good laugh.

I knew that this would go well.

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