Her Keeper

Chapter 1

--Geovanni Parris-- 

"Geovanni?" My Godfather, Jan, called.

"Yes sir?" I replied, making my way into his office.

"How're you doing, boy?" He asked, not once looking up from the paperwork which was spread across his desk.

Being a lawyer was hard work. At least, that's what years of observing this man has taught me.

Janvier took me under his wing when I was just fourteen years old. My parents had recently died in a most gruesome manner. Apparently, my dad was a notorious drug lord and a deal gone wrong had dealt him his fate, right along with my mother's.

Fortunately for me, I was at school when it all happened. When I got home that day, the first thing I encountered was my parents' headless corpses, floating in their blood on our living room floor.

"I'm doing well, old man." He chuckled heartily as he reached into the pocket of his linen trousers and grabbed a Cuban cigar along with a lighter.

"We all get old some day, boy." He smiled, finally glancing my way as he lit his cigar and took a few puffs.

"Agreed." I nodded slightly as I took a seat in the leather chair across the desk from his and crossed my legs, making myself comfortable.

"When are you planning to get back into school?" He raised a brow at me with smoke escaping his lips with every word.

"I don't think that school is for me, Uncle J." I replied innocently.

"Nonsense." He waved the hand which held the cigar a bit as a dismissal of my statement.

I never finished college, I was a dropout.

What happened to my folks really messed me up. I was depressed all the time and I refused to speak to all of the therapists Jan paid for me to see.

Jan however, still raised me until I was eighteen, then he bought me a condo and hired me as his personal bodyguard, because I was no longer comfortable just taking money from him as a grown man, so after much debate he agreed to let me work for it.

"I really don't think it is." I sighed heavily.

"You've got a lot of potential kid." He took a puff of his cigar. "Lots and lots of it." He stressed. "What you're telling me about school not being for you. It's rubbish! He went on as I listened attentively. That's really all I could do. This man was to be respected. I owed him my life if anything. "You could be anything." He sighed. "But, why I called you today was really to ask a favor." He paused as though waiting for a reply.

"Sure Unc, you know I gotchu on whatever it is." I assured him. He nodded and puffed his cigar once more.

"I'm going out of the country for about six months. It might turn into a year —" I nodded, signalling for him to go on. "I need you to take care of Julliet while I'm gone."

I immediately inhaled sharply at the request.

Julliet is my Godsister, Janvier's daughter and long story short, we don't really get along. As if on cue, she walked into the office.

"Good afternoon, papa." She walked over to him, greeting him with a kiss on his cheek. 

"Good afternoon, cherie." He replied. His face became relaxed as he addressed her.

"Ah, Geovanni." My name rolled off her tongue sweetly, like the flavored smoke of strawberry kush being released from one's lungs. "How are you doing?" She asked as she plopped down in the chair beside the one I currently occupied.

"I'm well and ya'self?" I questioned.

"I'm great!" She beamed brightly.

Julliet is an eighteen year old girl, a college freshman. She is everything her Dad tried to persuade me to be. Or at least, a female version. She is a brilliant, beautiful, young woman with a good head on her shoulders, but she's spoilt rotten to the core and that's why we bump heads so often.

I watched as she made great merriment of swaying herself from side to side in the office chair on which she sat.

"That's good to know." I replied with a brief nod.

"So Julliet," her dad spoke, gaining her attention. "As I was just telling Geovanni here, I'm about to leave the country on business for a while," I caught the pout that immediately graced her lips as she abruptly ceased her spinning in the chair.

"But daddy!" She whined.

"Silence." He calmly demanded, causing her pout to deepen. "I have to go and that's that, but while I'm gone, Geo here will be responsible for you." He pointed toward me as he spoke. "Do you understand?" He asked, to which she only folded her arms across her chest as she pouted even more and furrowed her brows at him.

"Julliet, listen to me!" He commanded. 

"I'm listening!" She fussed. "I heard you! I understand!" She replied with evident annoyance in her tone before getting up from her seat and storming out of the door, causing her father to disappointedly shake his head.

"I'm sorry about that Geo, that girl has a temper." I tucked my bottom lip into my mouth.

No, she's just fucking rude.

"It's ok. I get it." I replied truthfully.

"Do you?" He questioned.

"I do." I replied assuringly. "Sometimes you do what's best for your kids and they don't understand that it's actually what's best for 'em."

"Smart man indeed." He sort of mumbled, only loud enough for me to hear. "Very intelligent." 

"Thank you, Unc." I said to him before getting up and making my way to the door.

"Thank you for everything, son." He responded, causing me to nod in acknowledgement before I left the room completely.

When I was out in the lobby of his office building, I caught sight of Julliet and decided to give her a few words of my own. I walked over to her, gaining her attention and proceeded.

"Listen Jules, the way you acted toward ya' pops was foul." I stated, making her scoff. "That man is only going out to work so you could have all the nice, fancy shit you've got." I sneered as I signaled toward the expensive clothes, shoes and jewelry she wore. "He makes sure you've got a nice ass roof over yo' head, a very luxurious place to lay your head and an education worth some people's lives. The most you can do is show some gratitude." I advised.

"Mind your business, Geovanni." She spat.

"Watch your mouth, lah' girl." I snapped back at her. "I'm about to be responsible for you for at least half a year and the last thing I'm gonna deal with is your snotty ass, twisted Victoria's Secret panties ass attitude." I growled.

"Go to hell, you prick." She scoffed, basically whispering the last word. I only shook my head at her statement and walked away. I'm about to have the longest coupla' months of my life when that man leaves.

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Comments and votes are appreciated.

~Shan.