"Hey daddy" I said giving him a hug around the waist.
"Hey Ma Ma" he replied rubbing my back gently.
It was almost mid afternoon and after Diggy left, I had rehearsals and then a photo shoot for Teen Vogue with Jazzy. We answered a few questions on camera - to be put on YouTube - and then went back home. I called my dad and he insisted that we still go play mini golf even though I was pretty tired from work. But, as always he won. We were about to go play mini golf together and then get lunch at Showmars. It was always something my dad and I have done since I was a kid. Except now he doesn't let me win.
"You ready to go?" he asked pulling away.
"Yeah let's go" I answered.
I said goodbye to the boys and Jazzy and left out the door and into the front seat of my dad's Acura. "No Church In The Wild" by Jay Z and Kanye West began to blast through the speakers and he and I began to rap along with Jay and Yeezy.
Dad was always the man to never look back at the past and forget the times when he didn't have a pot to piss in and a window to throw it out of and pretended that he was this privileged black man, but his black and ghetto moments were present a lot when it was just he and I. He loved hip hop, he was very quick to use the N- Word, and he could never deny that he smoked weed. I knew it, he knew it, but neither one of us said anything about it. But he changed whenever Ma was around or white people were around us. He was very ashamed of his culture and there was no denying it.
We pulled up to an arcade and the loud music and screams of children filled the air making it hard to breathe. I was nervous that people would approach me every five minutes for an autograph or a picture. It was never like that before I started working with MB and word got out about the upcoming tour, but as soon as that happened my fan base grew tremendously making going out a little bit harder.
I climbed out of the car and entered the arcade. My dad and I got our hands stamped and then bought two rounds of mini golf for us. The guy behind the counter handed us our clubs and two golf balls and a score sheet. I smiled and thanked him and we started towards the mini golf area.
"OMG ICY!!" Someone screamed.
I turned my head and saw a table full of people sitting down with a cake in front of them and one black girl with a tiara on smiling at me. The whole arcade got quiet and eyes filled with confusion and others with star struck eyes burned the side of my face as they watched what I would do next.
"Hi" I said returning a smile.
"Do you have time to take a picture and maybe sing me happy birthday?" she asked with a cute smile.
She was a little girl; no more than seven. I couldn't deny her.
"Of course" I answered.
My dad looked at me confused and watched as I walked over to her and took a cute picture with her.
"What's your name?" I asked tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.
"Nina" she replied smiling from ear to ear.
"That's a very pretty name" I said winking at her.
I crouched down so that I was her height and the whole arcade remained quiet as I cleared my throat to sing to her.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday my friend Nina. Happy birthday to you" I sang.
I added my own flare to it making sure that it was original and something unforgettable for her.
She smiled when I finished and everyone in the arcade applauded including my dad who was standing exactly where I left him; smiling. I gave her a tight hug and then waved to her. I started out the door and my dad and I traipsed to the first hole. I centered the ball down on the mat and held the club between my fingers as I prepared for my first hit. My dad spectated from the side lines waiting to see if this time he would win or I would. I lightly tapped the ball and watched as it glided across the artificial grass and into the hole.
