1. Givens #2
“Faylin!” I yelled for my daughter as I stood outside her mama's house. I wasn’t about to step foot inside her shit, and if I had to show my natural black ass outside, then I’d do so. “Faylin!”
Shai snatched her front door open and stared me down like I was weak.
I smirked, wiped my hand over my face, and waited.
Shai and I had a cool relationship while in college; at one point, I even thought I was going to marry her ass but then she changed.
It wasn’t instant, not by the least; if anything, it was so slow that I didn’t even realize that the person I was sharing a house with wasn’t the woman I fell in love with.
Shai was brilliant, got her degree faster than I did, and went right into her career as a reporter.
But she was money-hungry and liked attention too much for my liking.
I was in the NBA, but her name stayed being brought up.
“Stop standing outside my shit yellin’, Givens! ”
“Then send my daughter out!” I replied. “I’ve been calling her phone, but she ain't answering. She called me crying an hour ago cuz you on your same bullshit.”
“That girl is fine,” Shai says, waving me off.
The fact that she dismissed my baby’s feelings so fast pissed me the fuck off.
I wasn’t one of those daddies who thought his daughter was always innocent because I knew Faylin was a beast sometimes, but I never downplayed how she felt.
If my baby was crying, it was for a reason, and I wanted to know why.
“The fuck was she crying for then, Shai?” I asked.
“Because I told her she couldn’t go to some damn basketball camp.” She leaned against the door and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m raising a girl, a young woman. Not some little gay thug.”
“Man,” I sucked my teeth and shook my head. “Here we go with your bullshit again. Just cuz Faylin likes to play basketball doesn’t mean she’s gay. Plus, she’s good at that shit.”
“I said what I said; it ain’t happening,” Shai replied, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to agree, but I’m sticking to what I’ve decided.”
“Where is my daughter at, Shai?” I questioned, not giving a fuck what she was talking about. If Faylin wanted to ball, then that’s what she would do.
“In there,” she pointed with her thumb behind her. “Why?”
“Send her out.”
“For what?” she asked with an attitude. “You’re not about to undermine my decision. I already told her no.”
“How much is it gonna cost to change your mind?” I knew how Shai’s mind worked. Everything had a price tag, even our daughter’s happiness.
Shai perked up at the mention of money, just like I knew she would. A smile spread across her plump lips, and I ran my tongue over my teeth to keep from going off. She was a piss poor excuse of a mother, and I knew my daughter was suffering from her shit.
“Thirty thousand,” she said, looking me up and down. Her eyes stopped on my dick print, and she licked her lips. “And some dick.”
“I’ll deposit forty into your account in the morning,” I said, shaking my head. I’d pay more than what she asked because her ass wasn’t getting any dick. I refused to drop into her walls again. With my luck, I’d get her ass pregnant even if I wore a condom and didn’t nut. “Now, go get Faylin.”
Shai mugged me one final time before turning and walking into the house.
I leaned against my truck and waited. I was tired as fuck from spending two extra hours on the court and then going back to the weight room for another hour before heading home.
When Faylin called me crying, I hit a U-Turn and headed here to get my baby.
A few minutes later, my baby girl came running out of the house and straight into my arms. Faylin Robbins was the best thing I ever did for the world. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and made me want to be a better man. Was I a perfect father? No, but because of her, I tried.
“Daddy!” she mumbled into my chest, and then a few seconds later, I felt my shirt get wet from her tears. “She won't let me play.”
“Chill,” I pulled her back by her shoulders, and her brown eyes peered up at me with so many questions that I didn’t have the answers to. “I already talked to her; you are going to play. Don’t trip off it.”
“Really?” A smile spread across her lips, and I nodded. “Thank you!”
“I got you, little mama!” I laughed and pulled her back into a hug.
“Can I stay at your house for a few days?” she asked.
“Yeah, let’s go,” I answered. If Faylin wanted out of this bitch then so be it. I didn’t have shit to do that she couldn’t be with me for, and if it was a problem that she was there, then I didn’t need to show my face. Faylin pulled back from me, wiped her face, and nodded. “You hungry?”
“No, sir,” she replied as we rounded the car. “But if you’re going to pass Cool’s on your way home, I could go for some wings.”
“Man, I got you.” I chuckled and shook my head as I opened the passenger door, and Faylin got in.
Cool’s was my favorite hole-in-the-wall spot to eat.
Since she was little, Faylin had been dogging their wings out.
The owner, Willie, was an old head that stayed talking shit, but his food was good as hell, and the vibe of his place was low-key.
You never knew who you’d see in there just chillin’, but the special thing about Cool’s was, it didn’t matter how deep your pockets were or how many people knew your name; when you stepped foot in there, you were just an ordinary person, looking to get some good food and relax.
“When are you bringing her back?” Shai asked from the front porch.
“I’ono,” I answered as I rounded the car and reached the driver’s door. “I’ll have her hit you up when she’s on the way back.”
“I’m going out of the country,” Shai replied with a smirk, as if she was setting me up for failure. “I’ll be gone for a few weeks. Keep her.”
“Bet.” I pulled open the door, got inside, and grabbed my phone from the cup holder to order food from Cool’s.
After finishing, I pulled out of the driveway and glanced over to see Faylin fast asleep.
I chuckled, shook my head, and turned the music up loud enough for me to hear but wouldn’t disturb her rest. The drive to my house would take forty-five minutes since I planned to stop by Cool’s to pick up some wings, and it would give me some time to think.