ONE ON ONE || D.SWING

24. Eye Opener.

Elijah.

December 25, 1987

3:17pn

"I don't think baseball is in my future dad, it's not a huge passion of mine anymore."

"Come on son, you had scouts traveling to come see you all Junior year. They've offered full rides and you seemed interested at first, what happened?"

Scratching my neck, I shrugged.

"Use your words."

Sighing I reply, "I lost interest, I got into something that I really dig." I answer, knowing he didn't like it.

"What, writing songs?" he scoffs, "believe me son, that's not going to get you anywhere in life, especially at your age. You need a skill that's going to put food on the table and a roof over your head, poetry or whatever you do ain't gonna cut it." he explained in a cold tone.

Ever since I came to visit my dad, we've been having conversations about my future and he keeps pushing me to go to college and play baseball, which I don't want to do. I thought since it's Christmas and there's a party happening now he wouldn't bring it up, boy was I wrong.

"Johnathan, leave that boy alone. We're at a party trying to have a good time including Elijah, and I'm sure he's tired of your ranting." my dads wife, Sonya, says walking into the living room with a silver platter of pigs in a blanket in her hand, she placed it on the table.

Me and Sonya didn't have the best relationship in the beginning, we were always bickering when I came to live with them my Freshman and half of my Sophomore year. I attended an all boys private school in upper Manhattan, I got kicked out for fighting on purpose because I hated it there.

Me, my dad and Sonya argued all night that evening, she urged him to make me move back with my mon, and he caved in. I felt shitty not because I got kicked out, but because he choose his wife over me. Me and Sonya have made amends, my dad and I, not so much.

The intro to Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye played over the speakers, I smiled and began to tap my foot, the memory of me and Katrina's first dance popped in my head, and the first time we confessed our feelings for each other.

I knew she was feeling a brotha', I wanted her to confess her attraction first.

I miss her.

"What you know about this nephew?" my uncle Rodney questions doing a two step with a bottle of beer in his hand.

I chuckled, "More than you know unc." I stood up ready to go to my old room to phone Katrina, I wonder if she's home.

"Let me talk to you real quick Elijah." dad says, motioning me to come to the kitchen.

"You just did."

"Don't make me tell you twice." he warns before walking to the kitchen.

I look at Sylvia with a annoyed expression, "Just get it over with so you can talk to your girlfriend." she grins as I raise an eyebrow.

"Girlfriend? I don't have one of those." I joke.

"Then who's that pretty girl in the picture in your wallet?"

"How do you know about that....Zena," I grunt at that thought of my little sister going through my stuff, "I'm gonna snatch the braids off her scalp." I threaten, stepping into the kitchen.

I leaned against the counter waiting for him to speak.

"I know I sound harsh when I tell you your passion isn't goin' to cut it but it's true. I just want the best for you son, I don't want you to struggle like me and your mother did when we were together...we were dreaming a little dream, and that's what it was, a dream. You have to think about reality, and since your a black male it's going to be 10 times harder to get where you wanna be." he explains in a serious tone.