Page 65 of The Prodigy 2: Rise of a Queen

“I’m listening. Wait, hold on. I just got back from swimming." He rustled around for a minute. "Okay, I'm back. What's going on?”

“I’m having a wedding in a few weeks. A real one. And I was wondering if you would please consider giving me away.”

His silence was deafening.

“To the Windermere boy?”

“Yes.”

More silence, then, “Why are you asking me this?”

I closed my eyes. It already wasn’t going well, just as I expected.

“Because Jakari isn’t his father.”

“He was raised by him. That’s enough for me.”

“Daddy, please.”

“Absolutely not. And I resent you asking.”

“So this is how it’s gonna be?” Tears filled my eyes. “You’re never gonna support me?”

“You’re asking too much. That’s the bottom line.”

“Okay.” The word caught in my throat. “Talk to you…whenever.”

I hung up and immediately turned my head to the right, watching the trees zoom by through a blur of tears.

Jaz sucked her teeth. “What the fuck is his problem? I mean yeah, our family is crazy as shit, but Kari is probably the most normal one. What he do to your old man?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I wiped my cheeks. “I’m not doing that again.”

“What about your nephew?”

“I’ll ask Nay if Jayden can do it.”

“Okay, girl. If that’s what you want.”

“It is. And do me a favor. Don’t say anything to Jakari about this.”

She answered with an annoyed sigh, and we rode the rest of the way back to the apartment in silence.

Jakari was eating spaghetti when we walked in with our shopping bags. He grinned when he saw us.

“Damn. Y’all just robbed a nigga blind, didn’t you?”

Jaz walked in front of me, so he didn’t see my face right away. But when he did, he froze, his fork suspended in mid-air.

“What’s wrong, Malika?”

“Her daddy won’t give her away.”

“Jaz!”

She shrugged. “I never said I wouldn’t tell. I specifically did not answer you. I did that on purpose.”

I rolled my eyes and set my bags on the floor. “It’s whatever. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

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