This Thing Called Love

11

Rashad and Chanel

"I'm Mark, Chanel's dad."

"Baby who at the door." Chanel said yawning coming down the stairs in Rashad's gym shorts and a t shirt with her hair in a messy ponytail.

"ʻO ke kaikamahineʻoʻoe? (Baby girl is that you?" Mark said to Chanel.

Chanel looked closer at the man who was talking to her. She then realized it was her dad. "It couldn't be" she thought.

"Papa?"

"ʻAe,ʻo wau ke aliʻi wahine. (Yes it's me princess)."

Chanel walked over to him to see if it really was him. Once she seen the tattoo of her and her mother's name with a heart she knew it was him. She hugged him and started to cry. She embraced his smell which was just the same when she was younger. He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead.

Rashad was so confused, he didn't know if he was really her dad or was this fake. He wanted to go back in his bed and fall asleep.

"Sorry to break up this very nice very generous moment but how do we know your really her father?"

Mark pulled out a necklace and a picture of him, his wife (Chanel's mom), and Chanel. He handed it to Chanel and once Chanel seen it she start crying. She started to get memories of when her dad bought all three of them a necklace. Unfortunately, she lost hers. That was the reason why her mom, Lisa, gave her necklace to Chanel the day she died.

"Is it him?" Rashad whispered to Chanel.

She slowly nodded and sniffed, all I did was shake my head.

"But I thought you were dead." She said stammering.

"Can ya speak English this time cus I 'ont understand a word y'all sayin'." Rashad said sitting down on the stairs. What Rashad didn't know was Mark usually speaked Hawaiian when he was either mad, shocked, or telling a secret.

"There's a lot I have to tell you Chanel. May I come in?" Mark asked looking at Rashad.

"You already woke me out my sleep." Rashad mumbled causing Chanel to shoot him a look . "Sure ya can come in."

Mark walked in and seen how the house was designed and thought whoever structured it did a good job. Chanel walked him to the couch and sat down. Rashad closed the front door and walked over to couch to be nosey.

"Okay so me and your mom was involved in a gang conflict and they wanted us dead. So they had people break in our home and your Uncle Ace was supposed to kill us but he faked it due to us being close friends. Once word got back that Ace helped us they planned to kill him. That's when I told Ace to get someone to protect you so they won't kill you. Shit got real and they killed Ace now we're trying to find out who did it."

Rashad raised his eyebrow thinking on if he should speak on what he knows about the Ace situation.

"Wait if y'all faked everything where is momma?" Chanel said confused.

"She's in hiding at a hotel in California. I didn't want her to get more involved."

"Will I get to see her?"

"Yeah once everything is settled."

"I really missed you daddy." Chanel said hugging him.

Mark hugged his daughter for the first time in twelve years. He wanted to cry because he missed his baby girl.

"How did you even find me?" Chanel asked pulling away from the hug.