Can't Love The Hood

23 | Hood Love

| Angel Roberts |

How you feel love?
Well I'm with you
Never quit you
Now that's real love
When you ain't here
Then I miss you
Cause I still love
The way that we do
You know that hood love is a good love
That's me and you
~ Mary J. Blidge

§

The sound of baby cries awoke me from my sleep. Waking up, I felt something heavy around my waist, already being familiar with what it was. Turning my head slightly, I stopped, trying not to wake King as he had his face to my neck and his arm wrapped securely around my waist. Facing the digital clock on my night stand, I checked the time to realize it was 8 A.M. Slowly, I rose from the bed, trying not to wait King, which I successfully accomplished. Walking down the hall of my town house apartment, I opened the door to my daughter, Journey's room.

"Aww, it's okay mama.", I soothed, picking her up from her cocaine white crib.

Her room was decorated light pink with white furniture that consisted of gold ensembles. Her name was spelled out on the wall in white letters with gold trimming and the lining of the walls was white. I have to give King his credit because he put his best effort into getting her room exactly how I wanted it after I picked everything out and decided where I wanted things to be.

Laying her down on her changing table in her room, I quickly changed her stinky diaper and placed it in one of the diaper bags, throwing it in the trashcan we made sure to change every couple of days to keep the room from smelling bad.

Heading down the hall and down the stairs, I made it to the living room and then turned left, walking right into the kitchen. Going into the fridge, I pulled out a bottle I made for her last night before I went to bed, and heated it up for her as she sat on my hip, whining.

"My baby's hungry, that baby hungry.", I tickled her a little making her giggle as we watched the bottle warm up.

Taking it out, I tested it on the back of my hand, making sure it wasn't to warm for her. Handing it over to her, she gripped it in her hands and began to drink it as I headed back upstairs with her, making sure to cut off every light I had once cut on. Bringing her in King and I's room, I placed her in her play pin as I went into the bathroom to handle my hygiene. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and washed my face.

When I walked back in the room, King was finally up, playing with Journey. I loved to see them bond together.

"Journey! Hey mama! Hey!", he called out, tossing her a little in the air as she giggled.

"Alright. She just ate. If she throw up, I'm not cleaning it.", I said, walking over to our closet to get something out to wear today.

He placed Journey on the bed, in between a few pillows before heading into our bathroom, giving me enough time to get dressed in peace without him trying to get in a quickie.

With me having Journey and her only being 10 months, I wanted to free my schedule as much as I could to make time for her. I still attend college courses and I am on my third year , but I only take classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which are the days King doesn't have classes. Yet, he has basketball practice every day from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. We make our schedules work so we won't have to take Journey to a day care. We invested in an apartment the same week Journey was conceived because at the time, we were living in the dorms on campus. Overall, it was a great investment and with us being students, we got a discount on housing which we will continue to get up until graduation next year.