Grace

15

Grace climbed the steps to the house. She sighed heavily, while detaching her key from the necklace then putting it into the door. She could see Jeremy's and Destinny's car parked in the driveway. Opening the door, she noticed that it was dead quiet.

"Des?" She sat her bags down before going into the kitchen. They were probably gone somewhere. How, she thought, grabbing a juice from the kitchen. Grace opened it, taking a sip then walked down the hall to Destinny's room.

Knock, knock. "Destinny?"

She twisted the door knob, then pushed the door back. Something blocked her, causing the door to stop. It left the door slightly ajar, her body wedged into between the small space. Her eyes fell over the messy bed and the clothes on the floor before she shoved the door back.

The sound of the thud caused her to look. Her eyes widened. Destinny's body was sprawled across the wooden floor, her arm above her head and her arm protecting her stomach. The next thing that caught her attention was the huge blood stain. The blood stain was spreading just between Destinny's thighs and running down her legs, then onto the floor.

The comforting motion of the cop's hand on her back caused Grace to calm down. She stared at the floor of the hospital. He cleared his throat, assuring her, "Things will be fine."

Jeremy came walking in. He looked at the cop, then at at crying Grace. He didn't feel one bit of apologetic. The pill was only a simple pill to him. He didn't realize that he had just killed his seed, and could've killed Destinny. If he did know, it would not have made a difference.

"This is all your fault!" Grace jumped up, "You were supposed to be down there with her!"

"What?" He remained calm, seeing the police officer look at her crazy.

"Don't ever come back to our house! When Destinny gets released, get your things and don't ever come back! You're sick! You know exactly what you did, and he may believe you but I don't! Get off of ME!"

Grace pushed the officer back, then shoved past a stunned Jeremy. He made the decision to stay at Mya's until his name was cleared.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm sorry before you get it, Dominic?" Tiara pestered, attempting to step inside of his home.

He gently pushed her back before sighing, "Girl, go 'head. I'm doing something right now and you not helping me out. I said I would call you back, T, damn."

She cut her eyes at him. "OK, cool. You probably got some other bitch in there but it's OK. I'm going home. Don't call me."

He watched as she walked off down the hall. She was worse than an annoying child. Ever since their argument, she would text and call all day. He didn't realize how hooked she was until she randomly popped up. It would've been less weirder if she would have just called. Instead, he had to put real business on hold to argue her down for more than ten minutes.

He closed and locked the door, then made his way back into the living room. "So, you're telling me you can possibly get my husband out of jail?" Sharon asked.

Dominic took the seat beside his mother, watching as the lawyer continued to talk and show her different pictures of his evidence. He stared down at the photos, looking at the things that would possibly bring his father home. Inside, he was truly happy but only for his mom. His father and him had a misunderstanding, which ran deep. They never really spoke anymore.

Sharon smiled. "I'm willing to pay any amount to have him home. Please proceed with these."

The lawyer smiled. "I thought you would, ma'am. It's my pleasure to open this case right back up. I'll be calling you soon to speak with you about my findings."

Sharon gave the man a tight hug, then Dominic nodded towards him. He packed his briefcase then walked out of the apartment. Sharon looked out at the city, before turning back to her son. Her smile faded.

"I don't want to get my hopes up. A lot of what he explained made sense.. It would be nice to have your father back home with us. I know you two don't really get along but that's the love of my life. I miss having protection and security. Your dad is my rock."

"Yeah? He the same reason I never got into college. The same reason I'm working a damn mechanic job." Dominic shook his head, his jaw clenching. His dad ruined any chance he ever had at making it out of Miami.

Sharon nodded. "But you're still making me proud regardless. You're still my little basketball star, no matter how old you get."

He kissed his teeth, then sighed heavily to showcase his annoyance. "It ain't about being your little basketball star. I wanted to major in something, and someday be bigger than this. I wanted to be CEO of my own business, and he took that opportunity straight from hands. I can't believe you still respect him even after he made these decisions. For you to be a Christian, you sure do love a sinner."

She glared at him. "But that's my husband! He may not be perfect but he is my man! When I was nothing, he took me in and protected me at all costs. He gave me my only son and we raised him together. He never walked out on me or treated me any differently. He was there from the pregnancy test to the delivery room. And he continues to be there. I have each letter of him apologising profusely to you, and checking on you."

She rummaged through her purse, then threw a stack of mail down on the table. The envelopes were wrapped in a rubber band. The sides were torn, and even changing into a yellowish color from being so old. There were lots of envelopes, and he wasn't going to read them all. He wasn't going to read them at all.

She continued, "Now, stop being selfish and accept what was done. It was years ago. You have to learn to stop holding grudges and love. You're twenty now! Life is short. Not everyone is lucky enough to even have an active father in their life."

A few seconds later, the door to his apartment closed shut. Dominic was back in the usual silence, his teeth grinding against one another. He swiftly grabbed the stack. His trash bag closed the envelopes inside, along with the rest of the items. Next, he threw in the jersey and then stormed to his bedroom.

What was a real father to him?