Page 4 of Rocky

“Maybe you should read before you sign,” he barked, slamming the paper on the counter in front of me and pointing to my signature.

“Where on this form does it say?—”

“Second paragraph. Third line.”

I went to the second paragraph and read it as fast as my eyes would allow me. When I got to the phrase about incentives that would be used to reward the kids, my stomach sank.

“Don’t you think something like this should be on a separate form?” I asked. My tone was full of attitude.

“Don’t you think you should’ve read it before you signed it?”

I glared at him as I tried to think of a comeback. I had nothing, so I snatched the paper from the counter, tore it into several small pieces, and let it fall from my hands onto the floor.

“If I find out you had my son on that bike again, I will sue you for every penny you gotafterI fuck you up.”

Luckily, Briar came running around the corner with his belongings.

“I’m ready, Mommy. Bye, Miss Cinda. Bye, Mr. Rocky.”

I took my son’s hand, said goodbye to Cinda, and walked out the door with my head held high. Briar and I would have a serious talk about this before he went to bed. Although he was only seven, we had discussed my strong feelings against motorcycles, and I was sure he understood. Clearly, I was wrong.

I watchedthe woman leave my building with her son in tow. She was fine as fuck, but her attitude made her ugly…and I didn’t like her.

“You gon’ pick that up, or should I call the janitor?” Cinda asked with a smirk.

“Shut up before I make you pick it up.” I squatted to scoop up the shreds of paper.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“Who?”

“You know who I’m talking about.”

“If I knew who you were talking about, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Fine. I’ll play along. You like Rue, Briar’s mom.”

I shook my head. “First impressions go a long way, and she didn’t make a good one, so I’ll have to say no.”

“You’re just mad she’s not scared of you.”

“She’s the mother of one of my students. Why would I want her to be afraid of me?”

“You think everyone should be afraid of you, but you may have met your match.”

“You’re not making any sense. I’m going to my office.”

I left Cinda and headed toward my office, stopping at the gym entrance for a moment to watch the kids playing. Many of them had already been picked up because the center closed in forty-five minutes.

A few minutes later, I sat behind my desk and released a deep sigh. In the year that the center had been open, I’d never had a negative interaction with a parent. What happened between me and Briar’s mother concerned me because I wanted the center to maintain a good reputation.

Word of mouth traveled fast, especially if it was negative. If you add social media to the mix, all of Onyx City would be aware of the incident, and there was no telling how the story would change.

At the moment, there wasn’t much I could do about it besides hope for the best. Luckily, the situation was pushed to the back of my mind when my one and only nephew came racing into my office.

“Uncle Rocky, can we go to OC Grill for dinner?”

Roman Jr. was seven years old and the light of my family’s life. My youngest brother, RJ’s father, died three years ago from a severe and untreated case of pneumonia. He’d gone to the emergency room several times only to be sent home and told to take over-the-counter meds and cool baths.

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