For The Dollars Or The Love

Realization

Chris P.O.V

I know she didn't think I ain't see the way she was rushing off the stage when she saw her nigga, and I know she didn't think that I ain't know Lil Bit didn't like him. If you wanna know anything about somebody in your life, look to your kid. You'll know whether, or not they'll belong in your life.

"Mommy?" Little bit asked. Did I mention I have Caramia and Symphony with me? Well I do, that damn car quit on her again, I'm not surprised though it is an old model. She got I think the 96 Land Rover/Range Rover model.

"Yes cutie?" She responds.

"Why don't I have a daddy?" I could see her face out the corner of my eye. I guess they'd had this conversation before.

"Sometimes God can only give a kid one parent, at the moment nobody's good enough to be the daddy to an angel like you." I watched Symphony's eyes light up in my rearview mirror.

"Really?"

"Yup you're special, so God's taking extra time to make sure you have an extra special father." I gotta say that's the best excuse I've ever heard a woman tell her child when they ask about their father. It was always interesting to me to see these two together, the way they give each other that extra sense of love is crazy. We walk around the mall, me next to Symphony, and Cara on the other side holding Symphony's hand. I can't get the fact that we walking up in here like a family out of my head. I see Cara signal to me that she's going to the Victoria's Secrets that we're currently passing, I nodded, and looked at Symphony.

"Where you wanna go Lil Bit?" She grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the toy store. I watched her run from shelf to shelf til she stopped. She stretched on her little tip toes to get what she was reaching for I was about to go help her, but she'd already gotten it down. She ran towards me with whatever it was in her hand.

"Can you call Mommy to come here?" She asked showing me a pink Lala-Loopsy doll

"Why?"

"So I can as her to get it?" I take the doll from her, and go to the register to pay for it. I'm sure Cara rarely gets to buy her own personal items all the time because Lil Bit's with her the least I can do is buy her doll. I handed the bag to Symphony, but she wouldn't take it.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Mommy gone be mad."

"Why?"

"She don't like people helping us out." I forgot that Cara has this whole pride thing, stubborn ass won't accept help from my aunt, and uncle, and they're like her parents.

"You let me worry about that." We went to the food court, and waited on Cara.

"Thank you." Symphony muttered chewing her chicken nugget.

"You're welcome Lil Bit." I saw one of my girls that works at my warehouse come towards me. This bitch been tryna fuck since we met. She strutted to my table.

"Hey Breezy." She attempted to seductively say my name.

"Hey Shara." I waved. She noticed Symphony, and smiled.

"She's adorable, I didn't know you had a daughter."

"No, she's not my...." I protested, but Lil Bit cut me off. She hopped out of her chair, and grabbed my hand. I think she could tell I didn't like this girl.

"Daddy, let's go find mommy." Thank you Lil Bit for saving my ass! I stood up holding her hand with one hand, and our trash with the other.

"Yeah, I think we should go find her. Lord knows she'll get stay forever if we don't get her." I played along, I threw our trash away then went back for our bags.

"Come on daddy's baby. Nice catching up with you Shara. Say bye Symphy." I watched her face scrunch up when we got ready to leave.

"Bye Ms. Shara, you're really pretty." She said making her smile. "But my Mommy's a little prettier." She smiled, pulling me away. I looked back to see Shara with a pissed of expression. When we were far enough from Shara I high-fived Lil Bit. We finally caught up to Caramia who now had about five Victoria's Secrets bags, two Footlocker's bags, a bag from a kids clothing store, and two bags from the toy store in her hand. Lil Bit wasn't even with her, and she still thought about her.

"Mommy look what I got." Lil Bit showed Cara her doll as we sat in her living room. She gave me a stale face, she ain't too happy bout me getting her a toy, but she'll live it's just a doll.

"It's very cute, did you thank Chris?" Lil Bit bounced over to me throwing her arms around my neck, and I hugged back.

"Thank you Chris." She kissed my cheek, every time I see her I think about the child I would've had, around the time of me being about seventeen I got my ex pregnant. She got rid of the baby, I knew deep down that it would've been a girl. I felt little hands tapping me, I looked down to see Symphony trying to get my attention. I must have zoned out in my thought process, cause Cara wasn't even in the living room anymore.

"I don't like Draylon." She said softly.

"Why?"

"He's mean to mommy, and he doesn't like you."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, but I like you, mommy's happy around you. She smiles more."

"Well I'm glad I could make her smile for you."

"Chris why didn't God pick you as my daddy?" She looked down, she sounded so sad, it really hurts her not having a dad.

"I don't know, but at least I'm here to be your bestfriend." Her eyes lit up at that.

"Really?" I nodded. She hugged me again. As the night went on Symphony told us goodnight, and went to bed leaving me and Cara in the living room.

"Thank you." She said. "For everything, the toy you bought Symphy, the car situation, and especially that night at the club." I shrugged it off.

"You're welcome, thank you for letting me in. I know you don't do that with a lot of people." I watched her move idly, like she didn't even know she was tapping her fingers, or her foot. A stray hair fell in her face, I reached to push it back, and she stared at me. In that moment I realized that there was a reason I was doing all of these things for her, I'd fallen for her.