Page 20 of U + Me

“Nah, man, I’m just happy to see you. What’s been good? I been worried sick?—”

“You’ll never believe it but I’m with my dad now.”

“What?!”

“Things went from bad to worse. After the police took you and Todd, my mom lost it and wouldn’t let up off me. She not about to leave dude and I refuse to be in the house with him. It feels like she is picking him over me, like she could care less about my feelings.”

“How did you get linked with your pops?”

I gave Darius a shortened version of how the female officer, Officer Bell, was successful in contacting my dad and he showed up less than two hours later.

“We’re staying at the Holiday Inn express in the bridal suite for the weekend then we’ll be going back up north.”

“How is that going?”

“It’s been fine. It’s different in the burbs. I thought it would be weird because I didn’t know what to expect from my dad. All I could think about was my mom telling me that he wants no part of me. But the moment he laid eyes on me, he has shown me that he cares, if nothing else.”

“Yeah, cause he came for you.”

“That part.” I agreed.

“Have y’all talked?”

“A lil, but to be honest, he has been giving me my space to adjust. He’s been busy meeting with his lawyer a lot trying to get things sorted out so I can’t be taken from him. Today he is visiting with people he knows around here. He got the hotel room for me really because he is barely there and so that I wouldn’t have to be up in the burbs by myself.”

“What about your stuff?”

“I was able to take all my shoes, clothes, and personal stuff. The furniture, my dressers, desk and tv I left there. All the pictures and posters on my wall I left there.”

“At least you gettin’ away from here. And school?”

“Haven’t thought that far just yet but I guess I’ll be going to one up there.”

Darius had placed all of his gifts on the bed next to us. He hadn’t opened the card I made or his gift yet, but I wasn’t tripping. Just knowing he was okay and the fact I got to see him one last time before he was gone was all that mattered.

Darius caught me up on what happened to him after he got arrested and I thought it was dope how his dad had showed up for him just as mine had done for me.

“Isn’t it crazy that we both with our dads?” I chuckled.

“Very crazy. Speaking of that, I leave tomorrow.”

“Damn tomorrow?!”

“Yep. Come take a ride with me.”

I followed him out to his car, taking in every little detail that I could, hoping to engrave it in my memory. I was going to miss Darius, hell, I was missing him already.

“Tomorrow is so soon.”

“I gotta get down there and settled in. I’ll be staying with my pops for a minute while I go through an intense training camp. Then once school starts the plan is for me to be on campus.”

“How exciting!”

“You should apply to GSU?”

“Ion know if going away like that is something I’m ready for. Who knows how I will feel by next year though. A lot can happen in a year.”

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