I'm Fine

Part 2: Chapter 40

I was so nervous that I could barely think let alone function. And Royce just kept going on and on about who knows what, and I wasn't listening at all. I was literally about to meet my used-to-be deadbeat father but still kinda deadbeat, but at least he was trying to get to know me now. It was all confusing.

"Mommy...mommy," she tapped me on the leg. She pointed to our luggage on the conveyer belt. I rushed to grab the suitcase before it got too far away and I had to wait until it came back around again. Royce and I were sharing a suitcase since we were only staying the weekend. It would have been unnecessary for both of us to carry around a duffle bag when we could just combine all of our stuff into one big suitcase. And, it would've been too much to expect Royce to keep track of her own bag, so I would've been carrying everything anyway.

"Come on, we need to find the pick-up area," I grabbed both the suitcase and Royce's hand. It took ten minutes to find the exact spot where we were supposed to be picked up. I called my dad and told him that we were waiting outside. He told me that he was already here, but he had to circle around the airport since our flight got delayed. My heart rate sped up once I spotted his white truck a few lanes over. Royce and I crossed the street right as he was getting out of the car. I immediately recognized him from the photos, and it felt weird to see him in person. I've sent this man enough pictures of me that he could probably recognize me even in a crowd of people.

A huge smile lit his face as he eyed the both of us. He pulled me into a quick hug. It was as if he just couldn't help himself. Meanwhile, Royce was smushed in between us. When we pulled a part, she had a frown on her face.

"I got it," he said taking the suitcase.

"You both get in the car." I helped Royce into the back seat of his big ass truck. It was stupid big. I had a hard time climbing in myself. My dad got in soon after and quickly drove off before the guy directing the traffic decided that we were taking too long.

"How was the flight?" He broke the ice first.

"It was good. It wasn't too long," I said.

"Have you eaten anything?"

"No, we were running late so we didn't have enough time to eat before we got on the plane."

"My wife cooked up a bunch of food that I think you both would like." I nodded as he looked at me through the rearview mirror, still sporting the biggest smile.

The rest of the ride was quiet except for the radio and Royce asking me tons of questions. For some reason, she still had a lot of energy even though she was awake the whole flight. Not to mention, she had school today. Luckily, the car ride was short and we soon pulled into the driveway of this nice house. Royce and I got out while my dad got our luggage.

"Nice house," I said.

"Thank you. We can go around the back." I followed after him until we got to the backyard and then to the back door, which led right into the kitchen. I got a whiff of whatever was being cooked and my stomach instantly started growling. 

"Go ahead," he said. I walked further into the kitchen.

"You want us to take our shoes off?" I asked.

"No, it's fine."

My eyes scanned around the room until they fell on a woman. She looked just like the pictures I saw when Meech did that background check for me.

"This is my wife, Trina. Trina this is Asha and her daughter Imani." I moved to greet Trina. She wiped her hands on her apron, in which I thought she would have shook my hand, but she pulled me into a hug instead.