I would've taken Sarai's teasing over whatever I was going to get when my dad came. Now don't get me wrong, My dad wasn't strict he was pretty much the opposite. He barely checked if I was doing homework, and if the school called about a tardy or absence he wouldn't have known because he never saved the school's number. The second he hears the robotic tone of the front office's receptionist he hangs up in fear that someone is trying to steal all of his information. My dad was chill, he liked Lil Durk, he consistently watched women's basketball, and unlike my mother, he created an environment of ease. Now with that being said there was one thing he didn't tolerate and that was pussies. Ever since Vince and I were young dad taught us to always stand up for ourselves and our family. I pushed this advice to the back of my head but Vince lead with my dad's words in everything he did. And because he did I didn't have to constantly worry about facing my bullies because Vince would take that responsibility. Still, my dad told both of us that if we ever fought we had to win or we might as well not come home until we found someone else to beat.
I waited in the principal office waiting to see my dad's dusty Bronco pull up in front of the school. Not only would he be mad about the fight I was getting in trouble for that could barely be classified as a fight, he couldn't just slide in front of the school and hope for me to get in he had to park and get out and bail me out of this fucking school. After about 15 minutes of me sitting in another uncomfortable blue chair I heard the whining of my dad's engine and I stood up getting the attention of both him and the receptionist. When I made eye contact with my dad who was wearing his blue Giants t-shirt my heart sank. He looked me up and down probably clocking that I looked fine, and he smiled. He thought I was the winner of the fight. I could see his thoughts play out on his face. He got a pep in his step. I thought I even saw him wink at one of the receptionists.
Once he opened the office doors and glided in he pointed to me as his smile got bigger. "That's my daughter in the water, everything thing she got I bought her," he sang in his fake country accent. He then proceeded to shadowbox for a good 5 minutes until some other parent entered the office and almost bumped into him.
I just stood up and followed him outside finally happy to be free from the chaos of my day.
"Shitty turned to Muhammed Ali," he shouted getting to his car.
As I bucked my seatbelt he finally asked the question I hoped wasn't coming. "So you don't look like you got a scar on you, so you won right?"
I wanted to lie. He looked so happy, but I just couldn't do it. "No one won."
His smile faltered as he began driving. I wished I was in Harper's pink buggy then. "Oh, well did you get a punch in?"
I shook my head.
"Did you get a slap in?"
I shook my head again. There was sort of a slap but it barely landed on Sarai's face, I don't even think she felt it.
Dad stopped looking at me and focused on the road instead, but his questioning did not stop. "So then what did you do, was there biting or scratching."
I felt the sensation of Sarai's hand again. "There was a flick, she flicked me a couple of times."
Dad just nodded. "So that's why you're not suspended."
"Yup," I said looking out the window.
"Well that's good then, at least you can focus on school," he said and these were his last words for that whole car ride. He didn't even have the anger in him to cuss out the stupid drivers on the street, he just shook his head.
When he parked in our driveway I finally felt the need to say something even though before I just wanted to be swallowed by the earth. "I stood up for myself though, I didn't let her walk over me." I thought that should've been the most important thing. Maybe he felt that it was he just didn't know how to express it.
