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"Incoming call from... Rihanna Fenty."
Siri's monotone voice boomed throughout my car speakers as it announced the incoming call from my best friend. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and I was honestly surprised that Rih was awake so early on her off day. Clicking the answer button on my steering wheel, I smiled.
"Somebody's up early!" I said as soon as the call connected.
"I had to pee and couldn't go back to sleep," Rih laughed. "Plus, I already knew your ass would be up annoyingly early. What you doing?"
"Driving back home. I just picked up a few groceries for dinner tonight."
I heard a bit of shuffling on the other end before Rih spoke again. "What you cooking? I might have to come over there."
"Girl, Viri want some damn Thai curry, so now I gotta look this recipe up on the internet," I laughed.
"I swear she will turn your ass into Gordon Ramsay every chance she gets," Rih said, laughing along with me.
I nodded as if she could see me. Pulling into my driveway, I opened the garage and drove in.
"Okay, boo, I'll call you back later. I just got home," I said.
"Okay, love you."
"Love you too."
I hung up and parked the car before closing the garage. I didn't have that many bags, so I headed inside and locked up before making my way to the kitchen. After putting the groceries away, I washed my hands and got started on breakfast. Breakfast was always pretty simple at my house unless my child requested otherwise. This morning, it was scrambled eggs, avocado toast, and turkey bacon. Once breakfast was done, I headed upstairs to Viri's room.
Viri was my pride and joy. My baby girl was turning 16 in October, and it was honestly bittersweet. I had her during the second year of graduate school, and although becoming a mother while still being in school put a lot of pressure and stress on me, it motivated me to go harder for my baby. I was married at the time and my ex-husband and I had so much help from our families, but I still wanted to make sure I would be able to give my child the world.
I entered the pink bedroom and was instantly hit with the smell of warm vanilla. Viri was like me in a lot of ways. Her favorite color was pink, and her signature scent was vanilla. She looked a lot like me too with her deep dimples and slanted eyes, but everything else she'd taken from her father. She had his nose, eyebrows, and beautiful brown skin. My baby was literally the most beautiful girl on the planet.
I saw Viri lying underneath her comforter sleeping peacefully, so I sat on the edge of her bed and gently rubbed her back. I was a firm believer of gentle parenting, all the way down to waking children up peacefully. I had my bachelor's in Social Work and a doctoral degree in Child Psychology, so I understood the negative effects of waking children up so abruptly like many parents did.
