Page 7 of Until the Ink Dries

She shook her head no as I tickled her.

“No, daddy! I’m a good sport.”

I leaned in and kissed her cheek, then began heading for her room.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now, let’s go get fresh!”

She smiled as I set her on her feet and she rushed into her room, straight for her closet. When it came to what she wore to school, I let her have full control. I mean, whenever I saw her getting too out there, I would make a few suggestions, but that was it. I wanted her to be bold and confident; I didn’t want western standards to control her. The shit controlled more than enough with grown women, and I wasn’t allowing it with my baby girl.

She picked out a pair of jean shorts with white daisies and a white floral shirt. The shit didn’t match exactly, but it was close enough. I smiled down at her with a nod, then turned to head to her dresser to grab her undergarments.

“And these!” she announced showing me her bright pink rain boots.

“You sure those are the ones?” I asked.

She gripped her hips and scowled. “Yes, daddy! I love these boots.”

I held up my hands in mock surrender.

“I know you do. I just wanted to check. Let’s go brush our teeth so we can cook breakfast,” I told her.

She dropped her boots and then rushed out to the hallway bathroom. This little girl kept me lively, and I never had to feel bad if I skipped a day of working out because she had the energy of about ten kids in one. I know she couldn’t have gotten that shit from me; I’ve always been chill. I don’t know about her mother, since we met when she moved to Rose Haven around ninth or tenth grade.

It didn’t help that her mother didn’t spend a single second with her. I had never seen myself as a single father. Shit, I hadn’t seen myself as a parent at all. Before Charlie, I didn’t know what I would do, but when she was born and I realized she would need me more, I stepped up.

Once we finished brushing our teeth, we made our way to the kitchen to cook breakfast together. It was the one thing I tried to make time for at least once a week. Normally, I would give her a bowl of cereal and then rush her off to school. Which was why I tried to take time to spend with her just to have fun.

After we finished and ate breakfast, we got dressed, and then I fixed her ponytails. Instead of driving, we decided to walk to the park, but we had to go to the shop first. I was lucky enough after I found out about Charlie that the previous owner of the shop was my mentor. He offered me the apartment over the shop and all I had to do was pay a monthly rent with the utilities. Not long after my daughter was born, Mr. Johnson passed the shop down to me and now, I owned it.

I reached out to grab Charlie’s hand as we made our way downstairs to the shop. I tried once more before we left to see if she wanted a different pair of shoes, but she was locked in on those pink boots.

“Remember,Off The Wallfirst, then the park,” I reminded her.

“And ice cream!” she added.

I chuckled as we made it into the shop. It was in full swing. “Yeah, and then ice cream!”

Charlie wiggled her fingers within mine, so I released her hand. She took off toward the back of the shop where some of her toys were. I shook my head and began checking in on everyone before I left for the day.

“Doc, how has today been going so far? I know it’s still early. Do you have jobs lined up for today?” I asked one of my leading tattoo artists.

He looked up from behind the desk with a smile and nodded.

“What’s up, Ben? Yeah, man, I got some cool shit to do today, too.”

I nodded as I went through the stack of mail placed behind the counter. I was about to respond when the bell chimed, alerting us to a new customer. I looked up, only to be irritated.

“Hey, baby daddy,” Tierra announced as she walked toward us.

I glanced over my shoulder in Charlie’s direction, and she hadn’t noticed her yet, which I was beyond thankful for. Whenever her mother came around, she acted as if she didn’t see her and that shit would piss me off. Not only that, it would have my daughter wondering why her mother didn’t want anything to do with her.

“Don’t piss me off. Didn’t I tell you to stop coming around here?” I said, as I quickly rounded the counter.

“Ben, you don’t fucking own this block! I can go wherever I please and I damn sure can go wherever my child will be.”

She waved her hands belligerently then hiccupped before bursting into laughter. I shook my head as I grabbed her upper arm and led her out of the shop. She was making all the noise she could. I knew if she hadn’t gotten Charlie’s attention earlier that she had now.

“Take your fucking hands off me!” she screamed over and over.

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