Teaghan
Stepping inside my small apartment, my phone began vibrating.
The day went extremely smoothly once I linked up with Houston.
My nerves were worked because I saw this as another project, but I couldn’t turn my back on him now.
We made a connection or at least came to some sort of an agreement over lunch.
I owed Malone my best shot at helping his boring father bust out of that shell.
Both of them needed love and a little truth.
Malone needed the truth about his mother and Houston needed the truth on how to process grief.
Once Malone looked at me, I knew whether Houston was willing to start the process or not, they needed me, and I needed them.
“Yes dad,” I answered with a roll of my eyes.
My father knew how to ruin a good day with one phone call, one word, and one look.
If I could guess this was an, I told you so call.
And frankly, I could do without it. The pipes being clogged and bursting were my own fault, and I didn’t need him rubbing it in. I had it handled.
“Hey, princess tea, do you need my help with the repair?” he asked.
“No, sir, I got it, Dad.” It would be the end of civilization before I took anything from him.
His idea of helping was insisting you repay him after he said you didn’t have to, and it was normally not money he wanted back.
He loved to have something over my head.
I wouldn’t be backed into a corner over some pipes.
“I feel responsible,” that prompted another roll of my eyes.
All I heard was bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. He didn’t feel responsible for anything. He was forgetting who he was on the phone with. Leaning up against my sofa I waited for the condescending reason for him feeling responsible.
Franklin LeJune had mastered a lot in his fifty-six years on earth. My dad was extremely successful in politics and as a husband. It was the father part he slacked on.
This was his third term as governor. I was proud of all his accomplishments.
He was a black man in power and that was something to celebrate.
But he hadn’t learned how to not politic and negotiate with me.
It was always a tug of war with us. He wanted me to take my role as his daughter a lot more seriously than I saw it.
And I wanted him to love me regardless of the work I did.
He wasn’t getting his wish until I got mine.
“And why is that father?”
“I don’t know baby girl, I should have made you come on my team instead of selling that building to you.”
I sighed, knowing something along those lines was coming.
Mr. LeJune wanted me to work for him on the education committee.
Of course, I refused because it didn’t stimulate me mentally.
I wanted to work face to face with kids.
Being in the trenches is what I loved. Behind the scenes didn’t work for me.
He couldn’t understand that, and he hadn’t tried.
My job as State Pediatrician clearly wasn’t enough.
When I got the job, I wasn’t even in the running.
I checked the mail one day, and the offer was in my mailbox.
The compensation was nice, but I couldn’t enjoy it due to the circumstances. My hand was being forced, and I immediately knew it was my father. The more he backed me into a corner, the more we fought about what I wanted my life to look like.
“I knew this was what the call was about. Can you for once pretend like you actually care what’s going on in my life?”
“I do care, Teaghan, it’s just that I had big plans for you, and it pains me that you don’t think what we are doing is important. Funding is important, and you know where it should go.”
“Dad, that’s a bunch of bullshit, and you know it.
My plans for me are big, and sometimes I wish you just wouldn’t call if you can’t keep your mouth shut about me joining that team,” I screamed into the phone.
I was sick of him pretending he didn’t understand that no was no.
It wasn’t up for discussion or negotiation.
Nothing could change my feelings on my occupation.
My patients were my world, like family to me.
What I was doing was more important than waving and smiling like some damn princess in the Christmas parade on some dumb ass float.
My humble nature didn’t come from him. He saw my little job as nothing, and I was up to my wit's end with it. I’d said no a million times to him and a thousand times to my mother.
No matter how he asked the answer was no.
“Teaghan, it was always supposed to be this way. I am going to bring it up every time so get over it and be careful - you know how far my reach is,” he said disconnecting the phone. I let the phone drop on the couch and went and poured a glass of wine.
Franklin blew my mind sometimes with his lack of concern for what brought me joy. That should be the most important part of parenting. Making sure you raised your kids to do what the love as long as it brought them no harm. My happiness is important dammit, I fussed to myself.
I ignored his threat although I was still seething.
I felt bad about saying I wished he wouldn’t call anymore.
He was still my father, but our conversations drained me and left me feeling empty.
Our conversations didn’t always have to be about politics or his ideas of how my life should go.
It would have been nice to hear him simply ask me how I was doing?
What I ate for lunch? Did I cure cancer yet?
Something other than him pushing his own agenda.
I wanted him to be proud of me no matter what paid the bills.
If he would give me a chance he would see that this was my lane.
Not sitting behind a desk crunching numbers and assuming I knew what the kids needed in schools instead of being in the schools asking them directly.
It was as if a dagger went into my heart every time he refused to understand.
Grabbing my phone, I called Missy, she would know exactly what to say, and plus I needed to spill the Teaghan Tea on my new friend. Thinking about him caused me to trip over my own damn feet. Hitting the floor, I giggled until I heard Missy’s Louisiana-laced voice.
“Gal, what the hell you doing ova there? You alright?”
“I just hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, that’s what, but I’m fine girl,” I laughed as I got myself from the floor.
“You been day drinking again?” she asked, knowing that I didn’t mind having a sip of wine or mimosa during the day. I was a brunch type of woman, but that was because I could indulge without paying much.
“Barely, I got caught up thinking about Houston.”
“Chile what honey roasted chestnuts talking about?”
“What?”
“Girl, he that shit you can only get once a year, you know. He’s like Christmas in the springtime,” she advised as I laughed and had to agree.
Houston was smooth and didn’t even know it.
It was clear the tables were turned. Normally it was women treading lightly.
This time I was the man being pushed and played to the left.
Luckily I knew what I brought to the table or it would leave me insecure and feeling like I wasn’t good enough.
My identity was secure, so this was all on Houston.
“You kill me with all these damn analogies. But Houston is going to be my bae for real. He’s different and I like it.
His silence can be taken for cocky but when he does speak you wanna listen.
He’s weird but again I like it,” I said sighing in love into the phone.
I just wanted to melt as I thought about his muscles attempting to escape his shirt.
Thinking of the way he checked Cashius was hilarious.
Crazy because he had no right, but it still raised my temperature
“Well, lil baby, what you waiting on? Don’t tell me a sign or some shit.
You did that before and all you got was a damn stop sign,” she laughed.
Missy had been the most influential person I had in my life for so long.
She believed in me and my dream of opening the practice.
She was extremely wise and funny. She was honest, and honesty was important to me.
“Not a sign per se but I do want to proceed with caution. He’s a single father and the way he’s still in love with his deceased wife worries me just a smidge. Imagine hanging out and she’s haunting me. I ain’t got time for it.”
“All I heard was single, his son has nothing to do with you pursuing him. Be understanding and ride the dick when that baby takes a nap. I don’t know, make it work is what I’m saying,” she commented.
I laughed so loud I knew it made the birds fly from the trees.
Missy was right. I had to come to terms that I wouldn’t be his first and I would have to share his time.
“I don’t think he’s ready,” I reasoned. After speaking with him about his late wife, it seemed that he hadn’t got the idea that moving on was possible.
I wouldn’t push but after three years I felt it would be refreshing for him to get back out there.
I also had to acknowledge that I had never lost a loved one like he had.
In my eyes to love no matter how it ended, was a beautiful thing.
“Well help him get ready. Sometimes all it takes is a little flirting, smiling that perfect smile and inappropriate touching, ya heard?”
“Why do I feel like you just want me to ride this man’s dick?”
With Missy I could be free. She didn’t judge if anything she encouraged my bullshit.
I loved her for seeing past the way my family tried to raise me.
I wasn’t a snob, and I didn’t like the stigmatism that came with it.
Most of my time was spent doing the exact opposite of what snobs did.
I didn’t care about fancy clothing; my car was basic; my home was far from grand; and I lived a life full of laughter and inappropriate jokes.
Sometimes you would find my legs gapped open, I loved beer and wings, I loved pub crawls, and I believed in herbal medicating occasionally. I considered myself a regular person.
“If you don’t, I will,” she responded.
“Oh no ma’am, I got it covered. And I’m telling Lewis,” I joked. A cowboy wouldn’t have shit on me once I got him in my bed or vice versa.
“Well, quit bullshitting the man and say you want to hang out.”
“We hung out today heaux, that’s why I was calling,” I said letting it slip.
It was supposed to just be lunch but before we knew it I was riding shotgun while he handled work that wasn’t supposed to be handled.
I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would.
All of his customers were so nice and happy to see him.
Something under the hard exterior gave people a happy feeling.
We left houses with cookies, food, and pies. His tribe was full of caring people.
“That’s a start, just be patient. A man like that doesn’t need you to have all the answers,” I had also been labeled as a know it all.
I had all the answers and that was a lot of why I was single.
No one ever felt like they fit in my life or had anything to bring to it.
With Houston, I would have to bring it down a notch.
Bloop… Bloop…
“True, but I won’t be seeing a lot of him. Me and Malone will start working together while he’s at work on Thursday.”
“And how you figure?”
“Because he’s going to be working on the building, and I’ll be home trying not to pull my hair out these next few days.
“Oh, little girl you must have forgot I’m off the rest of the week?” Missy asked.
“Damn, I did,” I had, in fact, forgotten all about Missy being off for her family’s visit.
It seemed like I would have to spend some more time with Mr. Houston after all.
Me wanting to and feeling the need were different.
Nothing excited me more than watching him work, but I knew it would only pique my interest more.
Not to mention I wasn’t used to his cold demeanor, so this would be a long three days
“We on patrol tonight?” Missy asked speaking of our nightly ritual of sitting on the phone watching the show Live PD together.
This was another reason why I loved Missy.
She didn’t require a lot from me, and I didn’t require a lot from her.
We loved simple shit, making vision boards, watching TV, and cackling like old women.
“Nah, girl I just opened this wine, you know I’ll be sleep soon.”
“I’m writing that ass up for insubordination,” she laughed.
“Bye.” Hanging up, I showered and prepared for the next three days of watching Houston work on pipes that weren’t mine. In no time, I was asleep and drooling over thoughts of him using those strong arms to lift me up and use me as a bench press.