' THE RAPTURE ' › D. SWING [ DISCONTINUED ]

vii.

| the morning after

DEVANTÈ.

I slid across the wooden floors with my socks on, wearing nothing but my robe as I held a remote control in my hand, trying to mimic the music video, "Situations." I did a quick little two-step, nodding my head from side to side, "Will arise. In our lives. But you gotta' be smart about it." I spun around slowly, sliding along the floor once again, "Cele-brations." Attempting to do my best Michael Jackson kick, I placed my hand on my hip, almost tearing a muscle, "Ah!" Wincing, I grasping onto my calf muscle, hopping toward the couch and flopping down on it, suddenly hearing fits of laughter, "Who the—."

It was Jackie and Dyana standing in the foyer, looking over at me with tears in their eyes as they laughed with one another. I kissed my teeth, pointing the remote toward the stereo system only for them to protest against it, beginning to do the cabbage patch as they walked into the living room, "Meanwhile, I... I love you. You were my girl." Jackie began to do the 'harlem shake' while Dyana did the 'sprinkler' as they continued to sing the lyrics, "You see I... I thought the world of you. But you're just steady leaving, baby."

"You don't have to come!", Shannon blurted as she walked down the hallway, rolling her luggage behind her with one hand while the other is 'raising the roof'. "It's alright now! 'Cause I'ma be party hard tonight!" Everyone had stopped dancing and singing along to turn and look at her and she slowed down her steps, her smile fading, "What?" We didn't say anything, continuing to stare before she got the hint and waved us off before heading outside to the car.

Always fucking up something.

I turned off the stereo, shaking my head and Dyana snickered while Jackie just squinted her eyes at me, her face unreadable, "Why you lookin' at me like that?"

"I thought you hated Usher", she teased, smirking at me.

I chuckled, slowly rising up from the couch and shooting her a look, "I hate no one."

"Mhm", was all she said. I could tell she wanted answers and I really didn't feel the need to give her any. I was just trying to jam to some music.

Dyana interrupted our little exchange of words, smiling at me, "Daddy? Can I talk to you in your office for a minute?" I just nodded and followed her down the hallway to my office and closed the door behind us, awaiting to hear what she had to say. "Are you takin' your meds?", she inquired, not wasting any time. It caught me off guard.

"Uh...yeah? Kinda'?", I answered with an unsure tone.

She furrowed her eyebrows, soon placing her hands onto her hips as she curiously glared at me, "What exactly is kinda'?"

"Kinda' is kinda'. What you think it is?", I asked, growing agitated with her need to treat me like I'm the child and she's the parent. "I take them when necessary. I ain't tryna' be addicted like these other people, dependent on somethin' I barely need", I stated.

She shook her head, folding her arms over her chest, "Daddy, you do need them or else they wouldn't have been prescribed to you in the first place." I averted my gaze elsewhere and she scoffed, "Look. You can be stubborn all you want but I don't want you to end up havin' an episode like last time."

"You still stuck on that shit? That was three years ago, Dyana. Let it go", I practically begged, shocked that she had even been holding onto that shit after all of this time. It started to make me question how she viewed me. Did she think I was crazy or somethin'?