"What do you mean I have to live with you?" Arissa asked still shocked.
"Just what i said." he answered back.
"Where do you live?"
"In LA."
"What part?"
"South central." he said and looked down.
"If you are my father what took you so long to come and see me?" Arissa asked.
"Listen gurl, first of all you need to respect me. yo mama is gone now, and you need someone to take care of you. Yo mama did a good job on raisin' you and i'm happy bout' that. But right now we are in a situation where you ain't got nobody to take care of you but your father. And that's me, whether you like it or not." He said seriously in a deep masculine voice.
They left the funeral and he walked her towards his car.
"This is your car?" she asked.
"Yeah, i know its a bucket, but at least its clean." he answered.
"Where we going?" Arissa asked.
"Back to yo mama's house so you can pack your shit." he said.
Arissa gave him a: i know you didn't just say "shit" to me look.He looked at her reaction and then said, "Excuse my language, Ms. Prissy." he smiled.
"so whats your first name?" Arissa asked.
"Why? you ain't gon call me dad?" he asked.
Arissa was silent.
"My name is Hank. And I know you can't accept it, but i'm yo father gurl. And these couple of years ima take care of you. no matta what. until your able to take on the world on your own. Arissa, i know about you alot more than you think i do" he stated.
Arissa was still silent, just looking at all of his features. He was a pretty good looking black man. The only thing that puzzled her was his age. He looked at least 10 years younger than her mother.
"I'm really sad about yo mama. She was a good white woman." he said while pulling out a cigarette out of the box and then lighting it, while driving. Arissa looked disgusted.
"What do you mean "good white woman"." she asked.
"Just what i said. She was color blind." he answered. He flopped open the car mirror in front of her face. "Look at you gurl. You look alot like me. Don't you see what you are. You black. You just light skin, got pretty hair. And yo mama's blue eyes." he said.
"Look at them lips. Just like yo daddy." He smiled and took another puff on his cigarette.
Arisa looked into the mirror. She then looked at her father. She had his same full lips, except her lips were pink.
She packed all her stuff and they headed towards her father's house. Arissa's mother always said if anything happened to her she would want Arissa to live with her father. As they drove in the faded, black old cadillac, Arissa gazed out the window. She didn't know how his neighborhood was going to be. She never stepped foot out of Quartz hills. And the only part of L.A. She been to was Hollywood. He pulled out of the freeway into normal streets with street lights. She looked at the window and saw two homeless people laying on a bench. One of them had on layers and layers of clothes on, and it was ninety seven degrees outside!
The sun was going down and the whole place seemed even scarier. She saw a huge group of mexicans in front of a yard smoking and drinking. Her father turned to her and saw what she was viewing and said, "Watch out for dem essays they don't like us much." he said. "Listen gurl, these streets aint bad, as long as you don't be with the wrong crowd. Make sure you know who you hangin with is worth hangin with. Don't you ever go around lookin for trouble in this neighborhood. You'll regret it if you do." her father said as they pulled up to a yellow small run down house. It was a big neighborhood and every house on the block looked similar. she saw 3 chocolate skinned girls jump-roping in the house next to theres. "grab your things, i'll show you to your room." Hank said as they got out the car. Arissa grabbed her things. As she looked in the house from the driveway she got nervous because she saw 3 people inside the house. She was not happy about that because she thought she would only have to live with her father, not anybody else.
"Just what i said." he answered back.
"Where do you live?"
"In LA."
"What part?"
"South central." he said and looked down.
"If you are my father what took you so long to come and see me?" Arissa asked.
"Listen gurl, first of all you need to respect me. yo mama is gone now, and you need someone to take care of you. Yo mama did a good job on raisin' you and i'm happy bout' that. But right now we are in a situation where you ain't got nobody to take care of you but your father. And that's me, whether you like it or not." He said seriously in a deep masculine voice.
They left the funeral and he walked her towards his car.
"This is your car?" she asked.
"Yeah, i know its a bucket, but at least its clean." he answered.
"Where we going?" Arissa asked.
"Back to yo mama's house so you can pack your shit." he said.
Arissa gave him a: i know you didn't just say "shit" to me look.He looked at her reaction and then said, "Excuse my language, Ms. Prissy." he smiled.
"so whats your first name?" Arissa asked.
"Why? you ain't gon call me dad?" he asked.
Arissa was silent.
"My name is Hank. And I know you can't accept it, but i'm yo father gurl. And these couple of years ima take care of you. no matta what. until your able to take on the world on your own. Arissa, i know about you alot more than you think i do" he stated.
Arissa was still silent, just looking at all of his features. He was a pretty good looking black man. The only thing that puzzled her was his age. He looked at least 10 years younger than her mother.
"I'm really sad about yo mama. She was a good white woman." he said while pulling out a cigarette out of the box and then lighting it, while driving. Arissa looked disgusted.
"What do you mean "good white woman"." she asked.
"Just what i said. She was color blind." he answered. He flopped open the car mirror in front of her face. "Look at you gurl. You look alot like me. Don't you see what you are. You black. You just light skin, got pretty hair. And yo mama's blue eyes." he said.
"Look at them lips. Just like yo daddy." He smiled and took another puff on his cigarette.
Arisa looked into the mirror. She then looked at her father. She had his same full lips, except her lips were pink.
She packed all her stuff and they headed towards her father's house. Arissa's mother always said if anything happened to her she would want Arissa to live with her father. As they drove in the faded, black old cadillac, Arissa gazed out the window. She didn't know how his neighborhood was going to be. She never stepped foot out of Quartz hills. And the only part of L.A. She been to was Hollywood. He pulled out of the freeway into normal streets with street lights. She looked at the window and saw two homeless people laying on a bench. One of them had on layers and layers of clothes on, and it was ninety seven degrees outside!
The sun was going down and the whole place seemed even scarier. She saw a huge group of mexicans in front of a yard smoking and drinking. Her father turned to her and saw what she was viewing and said, "Watch out for dem essays they don't like us much." he said. "Listen gurl, these streets aint bad, as long as you don't be with the wrong crowd. Make sure you know who you hangin with is worth hangin with. Don't you ever go around lookin for trouble in this neighborhood. You'll regret it if you do." her father said as they pulled up to a yellow small run down house. It was a big neighborhood and every house on the block looked similar. she saw 3 chocolate skinned girls jump-roping in the house next to theres. "grab your things, i'll show you to your room." Hank said as they got out the car. Arissa grabbed her things. As she looked in the house from the driveway she got nervous because she saw 3 people inside the house. She was not happy about that because she thought she would only have to live with her father, not anybody else.