𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝟔

OCTOBER 29, 2021
HOUSTON TX
10:17 PM

                                            ★

Kasama's phone buzzed sharply on the passenger seat, cutting through the quiet night and pulling him from a restless doze. He glanced at the screen and felt his stomach drop.

'Pops'

For a moment, he thought about letting it go to voicemail. But he knew that wouldn't make the conversation disappear. Steeling himself, he swiped to answer.

"Yo?" Kasama's voice came out rougher than he intended, betraying a little sleep.

"Kasama." His father's voice was cold, blunt. The kind of tone he only used when he was upset. "Where you at?"

Kasama glanced around, taking in the clutter of his car—crumbled fast-food wrappers, spare clothes folded on the back seat. "Out."

His father paused, as if weighing that response, then released a sigh that was more of a slow hiss. "Out. So you still ain't doing shit then?"

Kasama's jaw tightened. "I'm lookin for a job"

" Nigga you still looking for a job ?" The question came clipped, each word sharp. "You wouldn't be in this position if you just went to college like we planned. But look at where not listening got yo ass"

Kasama leaned back against his seat, frustration knotting in his chest. He'd heard this before—his father's disappointment, his disapproval at every decision Kasama made for himself.

"No ambition or nothing. Just bummy. Living out of your fuckin car"

Kasama's grip tightened around the phone. "I said im working on it. I don't want that shit"

"What you want then boy?" His father laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You think life is about getting what the fuck you want? I raised you. I put a roof over your head, food in your mouth. I worked my whole life to give you opportunities, and you just threw the shit away."

Kasama's heart pounded as he fought to keep his voice steady. "Ight"

"I gave you eighteen years to get ready for the world, and you walked out like you knew better. Look where that got you. And don't come running home
when them 'choices' don't work out.", he went on.

Kasama felt a knot of anger building in his throat, thick and hard to swallow. "I ain't coming to you for shit. Trust."

"Good." His father's voice had turned cold as stone, final in a way that left no room for debate.

Before Kasama could respond, he heard the line go dead. The silence that followed felt heavier than the words that had come before, settling over him like a weight in his chest.

With a bitter sigh, he tossed his phone onto the seat beside him and leaned back, staring at the ceiling of his car. Another reminder of how far he was from home—if he even had one to go back to.