Odell POV-
"How is it?" I looked at Brandon as he reluctantly ate my spaghetti.
"Umm..." He chewed. "It's good."
"Really?" I said surprised.
"Hmm-hmm. If i were a dog or prisoner with no choice this would be gourmet. So congrats." He clapped and threw it away.
He took the pot off the stove and threw it away. Well tried but everything was stuck to the bottom of the pot. He shook it real hard and it still didn't move.
He just threw the pot in the garbage. "You know it's a good thing your ass gon be rich enough to hire a chef, cause you my nigga are a lost cause." He washed his hands.
"It wasn't that B. I followed everything you said."
"Odell, the shit is stuck to the bottom of the pot and it's not moving. It's horrible."
"Well what I have to do? You got some more..."
He shook his head profusely cutting me off. "Nigga you are not about to waste my good food and money. No."
"But I want to actually learn to cook for K. I want her to know she means that much, that I would invest time enough to learn so I can do that for her. Whenever she wants and needs."
"Aw that's sweet." He mad a pouty face. "But no." He turned back serious.
"If you can't follow simply ass directions, it's nothing I can do."
"Come on B. We boys."
"No we're not." He shook his head, putting up the ingredients. "You're my meal ticket don't confuse the two."
I chuckled. "What size shoe you were?"
"Why?"
"I have hella Jordan's you can have any pair. Some I haven't even worn. You can look in my closet and get whatever you want."
"Your feet too damn big and don't nobody want your funky ass shoes, you been stomping around in."
"Then what else could I give you for me to teach you?"
"I don't want anything from you. Being a struggle cook is your destiny. Just order and say you cooked it. Because no amount of teaching is gon help yo slow ass."
"B this is important to me."
"And?"
"Especially with all K going through."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm only doing this for K. And you owe me big time. As soon as you sign on the dotted line I want my check."
"Aight." I laughed.
He pulled out some more ingredients.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"What?" He turned on the stove.
"Would I be over stepping my bounds if I tried to find Kenya's father and bring him here. Surprise her."
"In theory I understand why you would. But not surprising her. Ask her first. That's a sensitive subject with her and although you have good intentions, it could go horribly wrong."
"You right. I just want her to get some type of closure. Some answers. Especially since her mother's gone."
"You know he lives in Baton Rouge."
"Really?" I said shocked.
"It never occurred to you why a Harvard level student was at LSU? She too smart to be here. For
christsake the star wide receiver cant even make simple ass spaghetti. She rejected Harvard to come here, hoping to get the courage to talk to him, but it never happened."
"She never told me that." I said sorta offended we've been friends this whole time and she never said anything.
"She only told me because one day we were out and we saw this woman and she started crying and ran out the store. I asked her what was wrong, it was her dad's wife."
"That he left her mom for?"
He shook his head yes.
"That shit is bogus as hell man." I said in disbelief.
"And she not even cute. Like bitch if you gon leave me, then leave for a bad bitch. Someone who I can say, you know what she look good you won. Don't leave me for no bitch look like Yung Thug with a matted weave. Like nigga Im gay and I know a bad bitch when I see one and young thug with the matted weave ain't it."
I chuckled.
My phone rang. I picked it up on speaker.
"Hey baby. I'll be there." I looked at the time and noticed I was super late after practice. I didn't tell her I was making a stop.
"Please come home. I was worried, you never not call and I can't take anymore bad news right now."
"No bad news. I'm actually at Brandon's crib. I wanted to surprise you with dinner so he teaching me how to cook. He herr, say hey."
"Hey B, I miss you."
"You know I'm mad at you. You left me out of the loop and more than anything I wanted to be there." Brandon said.
"I know. I'm sorry. I was just going through a lot forgive me."
"You're only forgiven because I still have Royal dreams so. I guess."
She chuckled. "I love you and we'll meet up soon."
"Alright let me finishing helping struggle plate cook you a decent meal."
"Okay."
"Aight we gon let you go. I'll be there." I told her.
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you more."
We hung up.
"Let's try this again." Brandon said.
I got up and he began to teach me.
----
Kenya looked at the plate then me.
"It's good I promise." I laughed.
She sat up in the bed and reluctantly took the plate from me. She picked up the fork, picked up some spaghetti and smelled it first.
"Why you smelling it?"
"Cause with you, you never know." She put it to her mouth and then started to chew.
I waited for her reaction. She ate some more.
"How is it?" I asked her laying down watching her eat.
"Horrible."
I stale faced her.
She smirked.
"No it's good. A little bland but good." She patted my head like a sad case, i playfully bit her
"Oww ugly." She hit my arm.
There was silence a little bit as she ate.
"Babe I been thinking." I said.
"About?" She looked at me eating.
"This might be a good time to connect with your dad."
She laughed. "You funny."
"I'm serious baby. I'm not saying you have to be besties with the man, but just so you have some closure. Especially since your mother died."
"I don't need his fucking closure. He didn't care about me or my mother in life, I refuse to allow him to pity us after her death." She literally screamed.
"Baby calm down. I was just suggesting it."
She didn't say anything she just got up and left out with her food.
I laid facing the ceiling and sighed heavily, rubbing my hands down my face.
I got up and went after her. She was standing at the kitchen counter crying. I had to remember during this time she was extremely fragile and every little thing would set her off.
I held her waist from the back tightly and kissed her neck to calm her.
"I didn't mean to upset you baby."
She wiped her eyes. "It's not you. Just thinking about how he fucked us both over. And he's living his life with his new family and their college is probably paid for. And they don't have to worry about money. And they still have their mother and I have literally nothing." She started back again.
"Look at me." I turned her around to face me. I softly pulled her face to look up at me.
"What did he fuck up?" I asked her.
"My life. My view of men." She said through tears and tried to hold her head down. I held it up.
"You're graduating number 1 out of thousands of students at LSU. What he fuck up? A premier black chemist from
London said she wants you to spearhead her American project, what he fuck up? Without him your mother raised one of the most brilliant, beautiful black women in this nation that's about to make major moves. When they say that black girls rock
Shit, you who they talking about. So what did he fuck up? Huh?"
She didn't answer she just wiped her eyes.
"And your views about men, you don't have to worry about that. Imma change that. Imma make you love black men so deeply, you wont look another race of men's way. By respecting you and being everything to you, he was not to you and your mother. Daddy Dell got this."
She chuckled. I smirked.
"One deadbeat don't stop no show. This show is moving. His absence affected nothing so what does that tell you about his impact?"
"You right." She looked in my eyes.
I bent down to her lips and kissed her. "You okay now?"
"Yeah."
"Finish eating so we can go to sleep then. Imma go with you to all your classes tomorrow." My tomorrow was class free, only had practice later that evening.
"You don't have to do that O."
"I know but I am. Come on." I kissed her forehead and went back into the room.
She finished eating, came back and we went to sleep.