Art Heaux

Stroke Three

"I know this is my week but could you keep Benni for me on Friday and Saturday. I switched shifts with one of the other girls and won't be able to get her from school on Friday. I can pick her up Sunday morning before your game," Kia voiced, brushing her daughter's hair into a puff. "I know this is last minute. I'm sorry."

Benni was Spencer's world and he would never say no to spending more time with his daughter. He and Kia were co-parenting pretty well, though it took them a while to get to this point. They were high school sweethearts who stayed together through the first couple of months of their freshman year of college before the distance became too much. Kia returned to Los Angeles for Spring break during freshman year and got pregnant with Benni. Now, she was in LA permanently, finishing her last year of nursing school at UCLA.

"Nah, it's cool. Just make sure you're on time picking her up or I can just drop her off to your mom if that's easier," Spencer offered, Kia agreeing with him dropping their daughter off if her shift lasted longer.

"Thank you. I'll text you when I'm on my way with her. Oh and just a warning, she's wanting to play tea party with you. I got her a new set of cups that she begged me to pack," Kia explained, looking down at Benni, who was reaching for the phone. The three year old tapped her mother's knee until Kia put Spencer on speaker. "Say hi, Ben."

"Hi, daddy," Benni shrieked, forgetting that her mother was trying to finish off her hair. She twisted in her lap to rest her tiny arms on Kia's thighs. When it came to Spencer, she dropped everything.

"Hey, baby. I miss you," the father replied. "You miss me?"

"Yes," Benni hummed. "We have tea party."

"Yeah, your mom mentioned that. Make sure you bring your stuff over and we can play tea party, alright?"

"Okay!"

Spencer smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm.
———
Corey and Grace James, Spencer's adoring parents, had been married for 30 years. They had celebrated their anniversary with a trip to Paris. Since their return, Grace had been nothing but smiles and good moods, which meant extra desserts for Spencer. She had called her son over to try her newest pie and mostly because she missed seeing him. With all their jobs keeping them busy, the family rarely got to spend time together. Grace's soul food restaurant was a hit and she stayed busy with catering on top of managing all her cooks. Corey, an ex-NFL running back, was the athletic director at USC, one of GAU's most popular rivals. Corey always gave his son a hard time about attending the 'bootleg' version of USC.

"Is that my sweet boy," Grace sang, running out of the kitchen and attacking her oldest son with kisses.

"Grace, if you don't let that boy breathe," Corey shook his head as he carried a new set of chairs outside to the back patio. "How you doin', son?"

"I'm good. Just out here living the life," Spencer replied, taking a chair from his father to carry out back. On the way, he checked his phone and saw he had a text from Olivia. She knew Spencer had an appreciation for photography and had sent him a picture she had taken of a local coffee shop she found.

"Uh oh, which woman has you cheesing like a Cheshire cat now," Corey questioned his son. "You and Kia seem to be getting along just fine nowadays."

Spencer cleared his throat and stuffed his phone into his back pocket, "Pops, you know we're just co-parenting. Our days as a couple are over. It's all about Benni now."

"I'm just saying, son. It's best to keep your day ones close. Once you hit the league, anyone you meet is suspicious. You need to be careful who you allow in your space," the father explained. Spencer had heard the same speech multiple times. Whenever he entertained a new woman, he kept the news away from his parents because they only inserted Kia back into the picture. Any one he dared bring home was deemed unacceptable, so he kept his flings to himself and wouldn't share unless things got serious.