Colliding Hearts

|33.|

"Oh now you hooked when you was just skeptical." Darnell shook his head as he dug in. "But yeah, your mama explained everything to me when we reconnected. I wish I could've saved her from all that..."

"You could've been her night and shining armor if you ain't leave her high and dry when you found out she sold her coochie." Rome shrugged. "Why you ain't answer my mama calls when she reached out to you? She meant that less to you that you could just drop her like that? Like she ain't mean none to you when she loved the fuck out of you?"

Darnell frowned. "Naw, hold up now. I loved your mother. Loved the fuck out of her just like she loved me. I can admit that leaving her like that was wrong. Calling her out her name I did was wrong and that's something I'll forever regret. Hell, Ima forever regret ignoring her calls like I did but I can't change the past. I was young, dumb, and hurt. Back then, it wasn't cool to have a girl that was community pussy and I let that get to my head. All I heard was that she was giving the pussy up and I didn't stick around to hear why she was doing what she was doing. I just dipped because I was a young ass coward."

"—if I would've known about you, I would've took care of you. I would've been a father and I'm sorry I missed out on damn near twenty two years of your life because of my dumbness. Because I chose to block your mother out my life for good instead of loving her and being there for her." Darnell looked over at Rome. "But I'm here. I'm here to be a father to you even though you old as shit now, I'm here to spend time with you. I'm here to be the dad you've been missing your whole life but only if you'll allow me to be that for you."

Rome took in everything he was saying but still continued to eat his food while he processed his words. It was true that he'd always wanted a father but he had buried that thought years ago back when he was a teenager. He had to become a father figure to his siblings so young that he'd forgot that he was missing a father figure himself.

"You right, I am old as hell but a father figure is something I've always wanted when I was a teen." Rome looked over at Darnell. "I'm sure my mama told you I've always been a father figure to my girls because all they had was me and my mama. Dasia had her father but he don't live here so I was always like her father. I done ran the streets to make sure food was on the table because a regular job ain't cut it. I was always grown from a young age so I ain't never really experience what it was like to have someone be a parent to me that wasn't my nana." He looked down. "But because you seem like a cool ass man and you owning up to your fuck ups, I'll give you a chance. I ain't saying that ima' start calling you pops right away but I'm willing to get to know you and I'd love to get to know my little sister."

At the sound of that Darnell smiled. "Thank you son. This means a lot to me. More than you know and I know Aaliyah going to be happy to meet you two. Especially when she find out you love photography just like her." He said. "I'm proud of you for stepping up and being there for Dasia and Gabrielle. A lot of young men wouldn't do what you did for them and I'm proud that you still making something good out of your life instead of being in the streets still. The streets don't love nobody. Trust me, I know. I done had my run with being in some shit and that ain't what I want for you. No matter if I just met you and shit, you my son. I want the world for you my boy."

Rome smiled. "I appreciate that. Thank you." He nodded. "I do got a question for you though."

"What's up?" Darnell asked.

"You fucking my mom?" Rome blurted.

At the sound of that, Darnell damn near choked on his rice and cabbage and started coughing uncontrollably from the question. Rome threw his head back in laughter before having to sit his plate down from hard he was dying of laughter at how Darnell was trying his best to gather his breath.