Chapter 7
Sincere Junior
I was sitting on my bed, anxiously tapping my foot on the floor, when my door crept open.
“Yo, you decent?” My pops lightly chuckled.
I exhaled. “Yea.”
He stepped fully into the room, before closing the door. He then turned to face me, while folding his arms. “Okay. Trinity told me that you was in here wildin’.”
I gulped, as my eyes casted to the floor.
“Nah, don’t do that. Look at me,” he sternly commanded.
I lifted my head, and we locked eyes.
“I want you to understand that I didn’t come in here to chastise you.
What happened today was some typical teenaged shit.
You’re literally about to be eighteen and you having sex is no shocker.
I’m not even mad about you doing it in this house.
I think that I just wanna talk about the deeper shit.
Like you not being reckless and creating headaches for yourself.
Especially since you aint wearing protection.
Is that something you was really conscious of? ”
“What chu mean?” I grumbled.
“I mean did you just carelessly not consider protecting yourself or was that intentional?”
Jahreiah
“Why are you just now getting here?” My daddy questioned, as he had to let me into the house.
Naturally, I had a key, and the digital codes, but the deadbolts were activated at a certain hour to keep up with the comings and goings around the house.
After leaving Trinity’s, I hadn’t managed to wash off, and could feel the secretions from me and Sin’s sex swimming between my slit. Now, I was praying that my daddy didn’t pick up on the stench of sex on me.
“I uh just finished braiding Trinity’s girls’ hair.”
He frowned. “At this hour? On a school night? She should’ve waited until the weekend or some shit. Cause hair aint important enough in this house to have you out late. Trinity of all people should know that.”
Realizing that my explanation could inadvertently throw Trinity under the bus, which could potentially lead to my daddy contacting her, I knew that I needed to redirect.
“Well…me coming in late wasn’t on her. There was more than enough time for me to come home sooner. I was playing around over there and got sidetracked.”
“Oh,” he yawned, while rubbing his eyes.
We slowly traveled through the house together. I was waiting on him to continue fussing, but he just grew quiet.
I cut my eyes at him. “That’s all you gone say, daddy?”
“Yeah, pretty much. I was thinking while you was talking…and you ‘bout to be eighteen. You a young lady. You make good grades. Don’t give us no problems and we have your location. So, your explanation is cool. I aint about to make this a big thing.”
“Oh, okay,” I inhaled. “But daddy—”
“You’re home, I see,” my mama interrupted, as she met us in the living room, clad in a silk robe with probably nothing underneath, knowing her.
“Yeah,” I muttered.
“You must’ve been over there taking your sweet time on those babies’ hair,” she assumed.
“Not really.” I bit my lip.
She arched a brow. “You was running your mouth?”
I nodded. “Something like that…but I have something to tell y’all.”
“What’s up?” my parents questioned in unison.
I nervously twisted my lips. “I uh…I have a boyfriend.”
I stood back, bracing myself. Then was completely thrown off, as gradual smiles graced their faces.
“A boyfriend, huh?” My daddy grinned. “That’s what’s up…because we was beginning to wonder.”
I frowned in confusion. “Wonder about what?” As soon as I asked the question, it dawned on me. “Wait. Daddy, you thought that I was gay?”
Laughing, he opened his arms. “Hey, what you want me to say? You’re ya mama and daddy’s creation, so you’re fucking gorgeous. Those little boys go crazy over you…but you haven’t dated—”
“At all,” my mama added.
“Right. So, we was thinking that maybe it was a girl you liked or something.”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head. “That’s definitely not my thing.”
“Okay.” They both shrugged, giving the impression that me being gay wouldn’t have been a huge issue for them.
“Okay…so, I guess that I should also tell y’all who my boyfriend is.”
“Who?” They again both asked in unison.
“Little Sincere,” I huffed out.
“You bullshitting,” my daddy lightly chuckled.
“No. I’m serious.”
“Jah, wait,” my mama goofily giggled. “Wait a minute. Is…is that why Lil’ Sin slapped Jules in the backyard? They was both liking you at the same time?”
I shrugged. “I guess. It was something like that.”
My daddy stroked his goatee. “That lil’ nigga wasn’t playing, neither.”
“Right,” my mama agreed, tapping daddy’s shoulder. “Then he was the reason they had that fight at that party. Checking somebody over her. Now, it all makes sense.”
“Yep,” my daddy concurred. “But yeah…if you’re gonna date, then I’m not mad at your selection.
Lil’ Sin is a good one. He aint in no trouble.
Got a promising future. And his people got their own money.
Shit, he’s family, anyway, and now we aint gotta have no outsiders in the mix. So, hell yeah. This is cool.”
“True.” My mama’s eyes lowered into slits. “But what prompted you to tell us tonight, Riah?”
My stomach twisted into knots, as I thought of what to say.
“Because…I’m realizing that y’all needed to know.
With him boxing, and me in sports…we don’t be having enough space to just randomly be in the same space, anymore.
So, now, I just want to put it out there, and then I can be honest when I say that I want to go hang at Trinity’s before my curfew. ”
Raven’s lashes fluttered. “Why does this sound like y’all was sneaking around for a while? Exactly how long have you and Sin J called yallselves talking?”
I twisted my lips. “Since we were like twelve or thirteen.”
“Say, what? Hell, nawl,” my daddy laughed in disbelief.
“Oh, so this aint new…” My mama narrowed her gaze. “You…you aint no virgin no more, are you?”
My heart skipped a beat. “Mama,” I pouted.
She cut her eyes at my daddy, who had his eyebrows furrowed, seemingly awaiting my response. “Bae, let me take over from here.”
“Why?” He frowned.
“Because this is girl stuff. I want her to feel safe with no judgment. And she’s a daddy’s girl. So, let’s keep it that way, and let me handle the womanly aspect.”
“Alright, girl,” he easily relented, always letting her have her way.
“Okay, come on, girl,” my mama urged, as she headed towards the kitchen. “Sit down,” she commanded, once she was standing at the island.
I did as I was told.
“So,” she cleared her throat, while her elbows rested on the counter. “You let his lil’ pretty eyed, mannish ass talk you out of your panties, huh?”
“No,” I denied.
She tilted her head. “So, y’all haven’t had sex?”
“I…didn’t say that, neither.”
“Okay, then what is it?”
I took a deep breath. “We were each other’s first.”
“Ooh.” She poked out her bottom lip. “Ooh,” she repeated. “I wasn’t expecting that. That’s…cute. When was this?” She lifted her chin.
I rapped my nails on the countertop. “I’d rather not say.”
Her eyes widened. “So, y’all been fucking?”
“Mama,” I whined.
“Nah, don’t mama me. I’m just calling it like it is. Is he wearing condoms? And don’t lie.”
Sincere Junior
Staring at my pops, I decided to keep it real. “Yes, I was completely aware of what I was doing.”
“Oh, word?” He stroked his goatee. “I’m saying, yo. Is she on birth control or some shit?”
“Nah.” I shook my head.
“Nah?” He frowned. “You do realize that fucking leads to pregnancy, right?”
“Yea.”
“So, so, so, you cool with that?” He stuttered.
“Yea.”
“Yoooooo,” he drawled. “You buggin’. The fuck is going through ya head, son? You really sitting there, acting like you’re cool with making me a fucking grandfather.”
“I didn’t quite look at it like that…but you asked me a question and I gave you an answer. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“Yo, listen…I get it. Fucking raw is supreme. That’s why so many niggas get caught up…
but I’m here to tell you. That practicing sexual discipline is how you stay ahead of the curve.
Cause believe me…the last thing you want is a kid with a muthafucka you don’t want.
Not saying that’s how you feel about Riah.
But y’all are young, and I’d hate to see you take her and yourself through unnecessary changes.
So, practicing safe sex is just to ensure that you don’t do something that you’ll later regret.
And if years down the line y’all wanna make some babies, then you’ll have at least experienced some shit first.”
“I hear you,” I yawned.
He lifted a brow. “Why does it feel like everything I said just went in one ear and out the other?”
“Because…pops, we’ve basically had this conversation before. When you and my moms bump heads, you always stress the point of choosing the right one so that no girl just ends up being my baby’s mother. I get it, I got it. Don’t run up in nothing raw that I can’t see myself marrying. Heard you.”
He hooded his eyes. “So, you see yourself marrying her?”
Jahreiah
My mama was coming at me with some hard questions, and I told myself that there was no longer a point in lying.
“No, mama.” I gulped.
She squinted. “No, what?”
“No to your question.”
“So, he aint wearing condoms?”
I exhaled. “No.”
“Oh, wow.” She scratched her scalp. “I definitely didn’t expect you to keep it that real. So, you want the lil’ nigga to knock you up?”
“Mama—”
“Nah, fuck that. Don’t beat around the bush. Keep it real. You in love, Jahreiah?”
I nodded my head, as my eyes filled with tears.
Her expression softened. “What you crying for?”
“Cause. I don’t want you to be mad at me,” I admitted, while tears fell freely.
She sighed. “Girl, have I cussed or fussed at you, yet?”
“No,” I sniffed, while wiping my face.
“Okay, then.” She stared at me unblinkingly.
“Look, you should never forget that I aint like the rest of these mamas ‘round here. I don’t expect my kids to live up to these make-believe ass standards. As long as y’all aint on no dope, aint robbing or stealing, then I'm good. Your daddy hustled so hard that you aint gotta work a day in your life, if you don’t want to.
So, you can literally live your life however you want.
Whatever makes you happy. In the meantime, I’m just here to make sure that you’re nobody’s fool.
That’s why I push all y’all to be all you can be.
But you’re allowed to be human. And it would be super hypocritical of me to chastise you about sex, when I had three damn kids by your age.
So, know that I'm just trying to make sense of this,” she explained.
“So, I’m not gonna knock you over the head for fucking.
But…we will be going to the doctor to get on birth control.
Cause a baby don’t need to be in this equation, until after you have a diploma in your hand. ”