RYDA

La Familia

I walked out of work after a long 7-hour shift and all that was on my mind was going home and taking a nap. But I knew if I went and laid down, I wouldn't want to leave back out the house later on today.

So I decided to head home, get my car and then go see my dad. I haven't seen him in awhile so I figured it would be nice to stop by and spend my the day at his house instead.

My dad was about 17 when I was born and he raised me my entire life by himself. It isn't that he didn't have any help, he didn't want it. My mom abandoned us about maybe 3 weeks after I was born to "live her life" which didn't include me.

My dad told me throughout the entire pregnancy she was excited to have me so the sudden change only weeks after giving birth was confusing to everyone.

He dropped out of school so he could take care of me. His friends were hood niggas so once my dad needed some bread to raise me they helped him get involved with dealing drugs.

I remember being about 5 riding in the back seat with him as he rode around town making drops. He turned his life around when I was about 14. He took all the money he made and put it towards his own business.

My mom tried to enter my life when I was about 7 but my dad was hesitant because he didn't know if she'd be back for good. He didn't keep me away from her, but I still didn't see her much, just a few times out of the month until that eventually came to an end less than two years later.

I pulled into the driveway of his house and put the car in park.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed out of the car and walk up to the front door of the house. I knocked on the door and waited for someone to come to open it. After a few seconds, my stepmom came to the door.

"Hey Chanel" She greets allowing me to walk inside.

"My daddy here?" I ask walking over to the couch before plopping down. "Yeah he's in the bathroom, he'll be down" I sat on the couch and looked around at all the pictures my dad had of me. I started to slightly smile.

"How's work?" My stepmom Angie asks me.

Angie was the only mom I knew. Her and my dad got together when I was about 3 and they've been together ever since then. She always treated me like I was her biological daughter and I think that's one of the main reasons my dad kept her around.

"Ehhh. The checks makes it all worth it" I say with a laugh.

"I know that's right" She chuckles.

"Ew who is that?" I could hear my dad's voice before I even saw him. I looked over to the stairs to see my dad walking down and I started to cheese really hard. I got up from the couch and walked towards him and gave him a hug. He smelled really good as usual, it was his favorite Michael Kors cologne.

"Why are you here?" He said raising his eyebrow. I chuckled "Damn I can't come say hi?"

"No, no you can't" He laughs. "Whatchu need?"

"Nothing chill" I reply with a laugh rolling my eyes at him. "I missed you"

"I missed you too" My dad smiles kissing my cheeks. "Whatchu been up to"

"Nothing just living life" I reply shrugging my shoulders.

"Got a nigga in your life yet?"

"I got a couple" I laugh and my dad just shakes his head at me. "As long as you don't give me grandkids I'm cool. I'm too young for that"

"You definitely don't gotta worry about that for a while." I tell him.

"Where's CJ?" I ask sitting down on the couch referring to my little brother. While growing up my dad always swore up and down that he didn't want any more kids. But once I was 7, they had my little brother.

"He's upstairs doing his homework, his ass been slacking lately. He too focused on football he need to get them grades right" My dad heavily encouraged us to do well in school, I had no option but to bring home good grades. All A's were expected but he'd accept a few B's. But C's, on the other hand, was a no go, C's were like F's to him.

"I'm finna go say hi to him right quick. Ma you cooked?" I ask her standing up headed over to the stairs.

"Yeah it's almost ready" She replies. "K" I reply walking upstairs headed to my brother's room. I knocked on the door and waited for him to respond.

"Come in" I hear his voice say. I open the door with a smile on my face. "Hey CJ"

"Wassup" He smiles standing up from his desk to hug me. He grew so much since the last time I saw him. He's always having some random ass growth spurts.

"I knew it had to be you cause they ass don't ever knock on my door before walking in" CJ laughs shaking his head.

"Whatchu been up to? You ugly ass don't even text me no more" I say sitting down on his bed.

"Shit nothing really. Just been on the field lately" CJ replies with a shrug.

"You still with ole girl?"

"Which one?" He asks raising an eyebrow.

"Ion remember her name. But she was like my height, light skin with the big booty"

"Oh Sania? Yeah I still mess with her." CJ tells me with a slight chuckle.

I already knew he meant they still fucking. CJ and I are like best friends. We didn't get this close until I left for college. He talks to me like I'm one of his friends and vice versa.

"You still with that light skin dude with all the tattoos?"

"Yeah I guess you can say that" I reply with a shrug. CJ met Xavier unintentionally. CJ and I were at the mall together and Xavier saw us together and was ready to beat CJ's ass. I guess since CJ has always looked like a grown ass man, Xavier thought that my 15-year-old brother was my boyfriend.

But since then they've been cool with each other.

"Damn y'all been fucking with each other for a minute and you still haven't brought him home yet?"

"Hell nah you seen that nigga. He screams hood nigga. I'm not tryna get curse out" I reply laughing even though I was so serious. I wasn't going to get cursed out over a nigga I'm only fucking. It isn't worth it.

"You're so dramatic"

After dinner, I hung out with the family for a little while until I got tired. Of course, my stepmom wanted me to just stay the night there, and take the hour long drive back to my house tomorrow. But I decided to take my black ass home so I could go to sleep in my comfortable bed.