Clemency. ✓

45

Shawn Carter,

"So are we announcing this gender or are we keeping it a secret?" The gynecologist asked moving the wand around.

Lori looked at me, I shrugged.

"Uh secret." She said.

"Okay!" She said cutting the monitor off.

Shai ran over to help her wipe her belly off.

This in the first appointment we allowed her to come to and I think she's warmed up to the fact that she's going to be a big sister. She tries to be helpful in a lot of ways at home, so we try not complain.

"Why you wanna keep it a secret, Mommy?" Shai asked crawling into the truck.

I climbed in behind her.

"Cause," Lori said as I buckled her into her car seat. "Mommy wants a reveal party,"

"Oh." She said. "Daddy, would you like a reveal party?"

I laughed, "I don't care, baby girl."

"Me neither. I don't really care." She shrugged.

We all laughed.

Marjorie got in the driver's seat with Lori's sister in the passenger. The three of us were in the third row of the car with Shai in the middle. We pulled out of the lot and onto the main road.

"Mommy, did you and my Daddy have a party for me when I was in your belly?" Shai asked Lori.

"Uh...Mommy had a party for you. Daddy didn't cause Daddy was not there." She said.

"Lori." Marjorie mumbled. "Why?"

"What I'm just telling her the truth cause you know she's gonna ask more questions. Why lie to her?" She said.

"Daddy, why didn't you come to my baby party?" She pouted.

I sighed, "I was locked up for doing something bad, baby girl and I couldn't get out. I tried to get your Mama to reschedule, but a lot the people she invited had to travel so it was last minute."

"Oh, but you were there when I was born though, right?"

I sighed deeply, Lori was shaking her head smiling.

"Tell her." She said.

"Uh..nope. Baby girl, I wasn't. I got caught up with some guys and got arrested the night before, but I was there for every day after the day you were born. I actually got there when they were laying you on your Mom's chest."

"Oh." She said sadly.

"Daddy's sorry. They wouldn't let me out."

She didn't accept my apology like she always does. She's just too smart and understands way too much.

"How about maybe instead of throwing the excuse they wouldn't let me out, you own up to the fact that you shouldn't have been at a fucking club when you knew the mother of your child was in labor in the first place. I think that'll work better for you." Lori's sister, Larena, said.

"Will you both stop?" Marjorie spat. "Jesus Christ, it's done and over. Stop dwelling on the past."

"I'm just saying."

"No, you right." I simply said just as my phone began to rang.

"DADDY, IT'S BB. LET ME ANSWER IT." Shai grinned big.

Her whole mood changed once I let her have the phone. She pressed answer and put it on speaker phone. Anything to make her Mama mad for the bullshit her and her sister just pulled.