My Brother's Best Friend (ON HOLD)

46

Sienna Reynolds-Ashman

I was sitting off to one side at a table by myself when a little girl walked over and sat down beside me. She didn't say anything at first and I didn't say anything either but I was curious as to what she wanted because she had passed several empty seats before she got to the table I was at.

"You're Sienna Ashman right?"

"I am and you are?"

"Nioka Barnes, I'm in the same class as Iana."

"Oh, okay."

"For a hot minute, I almost believed the things that they were saying but you're so nice." I looked over at her then to see her looking at me. "I heard some of the parents talking about you and they were saying some awful things."

"Really?"

"Yeah but just sitting here with you, I can tell that the things they were saying aren't true."

"I have been public enemy number 1 these last few months, nothing I'm not used to." I picked up my bottle of water and took a sip. "Enough about me, what are your plans for after high school?"

"My parents want me to go to utech but I don't want to."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I want to go to Edna but my Dad thinks it's a waste of time." I didn't know what was wrong with these parents and wanting their children to live their lives for them.

"If that's what you want then you have to find a way to get there because you don't want to look back fifteen years from now when you're stuck in a job you hate and regret that you didn't fight for your dream. Your parents will be upset, maybe for a while but they'll get over it." I knew it was still early days to be planning my child's future but when they came into this world, I would do everything in my power to help them to bring their dreams to reality even if it wasn't something conventional.

"That's the same thing my grandma told me."

"Your grandma is a smart woman."

"Grammy is the real OG man." She said with a smile just before this woman walked up to our table and stood there staring me down with her arms folded across her chest. "Mommy?"

"You do not speak to my child."

"Mom, what are you doing?" She asked as she got up and walked around the table to where her mom was standing.

"You do not speak to my child."

"Are you a broken record?" She was tugging on her mom's arm to try to pull her away but she wasn't budging and she was irritating me.

"I do not want to ever see you near my daughter again and you shouldn't have come here, this is a children's party and you're not a child."

"And neither are you so we both shouldn't be here but we are suh breeze mi lady." I needed to start listening to my husband more because even as harsh as he could be sometimes, he seemed to be right, more times than he was wrong and he never seemed to be wrong.

"You are so disrespectful."

"Mom, can we just go?"

"Shut up Nioka and stay out of adult's conversations."

"Now look who is being disrespectful."

"Nioka go." She hesitated but the look she got had her hurrying away without a second glance at me or her mom. "You are not welcome here so you should just go."

"Say less." I got up and stretched a little bit. My belly was growing and it seemed to have grown overnight.

"Make sure you're leaving alone."