No Letting Go [Completed]

101

We drive off from the gas station and she starts typing away on her phone.

"You textin Ricardo back?"

"You went through my text messages?" She says looking over at me.

"If he wants a DNA test, go ahead and let him get one." I look over and she lookin at me like I'm crazy. "What?"

"You just said that with way to much ease. You really want this DNA test to happen, and not for Ricardo, but for you."

"Okay, now you just talkin out the side of your neck. I been and accepted what could be. You tell him how confident you are that baby boy is mine?"

"I did. But he doesn't believe me. Shit, sounds like you don't believe me, after telling me you trusted what I told you."

"I do trust you."

"Mmhm, sure you do."

"Aaliyah, don't do this shit, okay."

"Do what?"

"Be a pain in the ass. For no damn reason."

"Do you really want a DNA test?"

"You seriously askin me that?"

"Just answer the question. Do you want a DNA test, because they can swab your mouth too."

"Aaliyah, do what you want to do. I don't give a damn whose baby it is. I've made an emotional connection with him already, and he's gonna get taken care of regardless."

"That's not an answer."

"NO, AALIYAH. Damn. I don't want a damn DNA test. Hell, I don't even want them to swab that nigga. Tell him that he don't need to get tested. You know who the damn father is. And you can tell him I told you to say that too."

She's quiet for a minute while she's texting.

"He said he'll take me to court if I don't."

"This nigga." I say shaking my head.

"He said he'll take me to court, and if the DNA test comes back a match, he'll try to get custody."

"The fuck he is. That shit ain't happening in a million years. Go ahead and give him a DNA test, and when that shit comes back negative, you get a restraining order on his ass, just in case, because I'm not about to deal with all this. I got other shit to worry about." She looks shocked, as if she didn't expect me to say what I said. I don't need the drama, she don't need it. All it does is stress her out and I don't need that.

"Okay." She quietly says.

************************

[Couple Months Later - June]

I pull up to the school to pick up Riley. It's officially her summer vacation and this summers gonna be a fun one; baby girl finally wants to start playing sports. I've been waiting for her to say the word and she finally did.

After spending spring break in San Diego with Aaliyah's late mom side of the family, she picked up a softball for the first time and played around with a soccer ball because that's what her cousins there play..and she wants to try out both. Aaliyah was against doing two sports because it'd tire her out, but that's what she wanted.

We found two good teams to put her on and fortunately, practice times and game days don't conflict for the time being seeing they don't do as much traveling as the older kids do. I wanna put her in everything, including flag football. She can throw the ball better than any little boy I've seen. I looked into it and they have a little league that starts up in August. I haven't told Aaliyah about the football yet, I'm not sure how she'd react.