For Marli

VIII

"Lani let's go out." Keith said.

"Go where?" I asked as I cuddled with Marli.

"Out to dinner ." He said as he was folding our clothes.

"With Marli?"

"Yea why not?"

"Alright."
"Ok go get ready." He said finishing up the clothes.

I excitedly hopped up, "What kind of restaurant? Laid back? Fancy?"

"I guess fancy." He said.

"Alright, I gotta go home and find something nice to wear." I smiled.

"When will you just bring all you and Marli's clothes over here?"

"I guess until I wore each outfit here. It's a bigger thing than just moving right in. My little brother still lives there. I have to see how he feels, he's still my responsibility, I don't want to just throw him on Raashad. And just moving Micah, I'd have to find out a new bus route to get him to school. "

"If that's the issue I can take him to school and teach him how to drive, then he can have my car I don't use that's back home. It's a Dodge Charger that's great condition and it's age appropriate. Then when he gets older and shows responsibility, he can ride one of the big dogs."

"Why are you doing all this for us?" I said, I felt skeptical not knowing his motive. Like why would he want to do all this for me. I'm not use to a man outside of my dad really doing big boy shit. Chris would talk about doing this and that for me and never doing so, but Keith he does that shit. He really is on big boy shit.

"Doing all of what?"

"Trying to move us in, wanting to pay my bills, doing stuff for my brother now."

"Milani when I said I was gonna be there for you , I meant in all aspects. Not just the simple shit. "

"I'm not a charity case." I said.

"I don't look at you in that way. I'm simply being the provider I was raised to be. You're the mother of my child. I wanna make life for you as stress free as it can be. You worked hard enough on your own, I'm here now. I care about you Milani, keeping a smile on your face is all that matters to me. "

"Thank you." I replied, I went and gave him a hug and he kissed my head.

"Well let me hurry and get ready." I said picking up Marli.

"Alright and I'll pick you up when you're ready." He replied.

"Alright."

I rushed to my house and got ready. Wearing a nice dress I've been ready to wear and doing my makeup.

Micah was just walking in, coming from basketball practice.

"Micah, come here!" I exclaimed so he could hear me from my bathroom.

Minutes later he came upstairs.

"Wassup, I ain't know you was back, you going out on a date?" Micah said sitting on my bed holding and kissing on Marli as he watched me do my makeup.

"Uh I wouldn't say date, more like dinner."

"With Keith?"

"Yea."

"Yal like date now?"

"No, two people raising a child."
"Yea right." He said making me laugh.

"But Micah, how would you feel about us moving over there."

"Milani I don't know him like that, it's random as hell too for me to move there. I can't stay here with Rashaad?"

"He's a good guy, I feel yal will have a lot in common as well. He's just trying to make life easier for us. His house is big too. I'm not forcing you to, you can stay with Rashaad, it's just you're my responsibility and I can't just throw you on Rashaad like that."