THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER || NBA YOUNGBOY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: WHAT'S RIGHT IS RIGHT

— MICHELLE BRYANT

"Michelle, I need you to come by and see me." My mother said on the phone. First thing that clicked in my head was that she found Lyric, and she was over there now.

"Is it about Lyric?" I chewed my bottom lip nervously, hoping she'd say yes. "Yes it's about Lyric." She said.

"I'm on my way there." I hung up the phone quick. "Wait. How can you be so sure if it's about Lyric, when every time we go over there, she's not there." Malcolm stopped me.

"Malcolm I can feel it. I know it's about Lyric."

"She never said Lyric was there. Michelle you know how I feel about you going to that side of town." He said.

"Malcolm just because you're scared to face reality and your past doesn't mean I am. And it has something to do with our daughter. Excuse me." I bumped passed him.

I grabbed my car keys, and ran to my car. I got in the car, and started the ignition.

I drove past the speed limit getting to my mom's house. I parked my car in front of her house. I took my keys out, and gotten out of my car.

My heart beat was racing, and my palms were sweaty. I walked on her porch, and opened her screen door. I knocked on it, twice.

She opened the door. By the look of her face, it was something serious. Before I could even speak, she said, "We gotta' talk."

"Okay.." She let me inside, "Mom what is this about?" I asked curiously. I looked around Lyric was nowhere in sight.

"Sit down Michelle." She said. I sat down on the couch, while she sat in front of me in her chair. She cut her TV off.

I leaned up and picked up Lyric's baby picture off her table. "She was so little then." I smiled, and tried to hold my tears in.

"How long has it been?" My mom asked. "What you mean?" I asked her. "How long has been since you've been controlling her?" She asked.

"I don't control Lyric. I just want her to obey me, respect her elders, and let me guide her to the right path."

"You really think it's right to hide her from the world Michelle? You really think you was gonna' stop her from that?" I furrowed my eyebrows, taken back, from what my mother was saying.

"I never hid Lyric from life! I've let Lyric have fun and let her have some privacy!"

"No you didn't! And don't raise your voice at me Michelle! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you treating her like that when she damn near grown! Lyric tells me everything what you, Malcolm, and Joy been doing to her over the years!" She shouted at me.

"That was for her own good! I didn't want her to turn out like me as a teenager! I wanted her to have a better life than what I had! I rather have the life I gave her than the one I had!

"You raised that girl to be someone she doesn't want to be or to be thrown in her face! No you FORCED her to be someone she doesn't want to be! She wanted to be her for once! And for you to be so heart broken, you never thought about Lyric once when yall kicked her out y'all house. And you know it's dangerous out here and this world! Lucky and thank God that she's okay! You chose that cheating bastard over your child! You knew Malcolm was cheating on you! But you just so happened to choose him over Lyric!"

"No I didn't! And it was out of anger! She spoke on something she never should even thought of! And that cheating bastard is her father, who she should respect! And of course I thought about Lyric! I thought about her day and night. I never thought she'd actually leave and not come back! It's that boy! He corrupted her and those friends of hers! She wouldn't have talked back to me nor lie! I had to find out by Mrs. Jones about Lyric!"