"Cali." Taylor said as he and Afa stood in the dorm suite located on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.
Cali walked over to her father and smiled when she saw Karis and Vale on FaceTime. "Hey mommy. Hey GiGi."
"Hey tink. You're all settled?" Karis asked.
"Yes, these two old men got me together." Cali teased.
"I can't believe you decided to transfer from the University of Memphis to go to school all the way in Georgia." Vale began to ramble. "Now, I understand that you wanted to go to an HBCU, but there are some in Tennessee."
After her freshman year at the University of Memphis, Cali decided to transfer to an HBCU. She applied for FAMU and Clark Atlanta. She was accepted into both and they also accepted all of her credits, but she chose Clark Atlanta because it was her number one.
Cali giggled. "I just wanted a different scenery because I've been in Tennessee all my life. I'll be back to visit during breaks and whatnot. I'll also call and text everyday."
Vale sighed. "I know. I'm just gonna miss you—we're all going to miss you."
"I'm gonna miss y'all too." Cali said as she pouted. "I love y'all."
"We love you too." Both of the ladies replied.
They hung up, and Cali turned her attention to Taylor. "Thank you, daddy. I'm gonna miss you." She said as she hugged him.
"I'm gonna miss you too, tink. You know I'm only one call away." Taylor assured her.
Cali nodded then turned her attention to Afa. "I love you, LoLo. I'm gonna miss you."
"I'm gonna miss you more, princess." Afa replied.
Cali and Afa had a special bond that no one could get in between. The older they became, the closer they became.
"Alright, tink. You got everything you need but you can call us if you need anything else." Taylor told his youngest daughter as he hugged her again. "We gotta catch an Uber to get to the airport in time. God knows I don't want to leave you here by yourself."
The three of them took the almost six hour trip to Atlanta to bring Cali's car. Then, Afa and Taylor were flying back to Memphis that evening. Between the two of them, they quadruple checked to make sure Cali had everything she needed—including a full tank of gas.
"I'll be fine, daddy. I don't want y'all to worry." Cali said on the verge of tears. She hated when her family worried about anything. "Y'all raised me well, and if I need anything then I won't hesitate to call—I promise."
"We trust you, tink." Taylor said as he kissed her forehead. They said their final goodbyes before Cali watched them from outside the apartment as they got into the backseat of their Uber.
Cali sighed as she walked back into the apartment and went to her bedroom. Her roommate did not arrive yet so she decided to finish unpacking to kill time, and possibly take a nap in between.
-
Tristan smacked on the Dominican style oxtails Zuri made for the first time as he danced in the spot he was standing in. "Fasho you right on!" He shouted, mocking Keith Lee from TikTok. "Ten!"
"Stop yelling, boy." Zuri told her little brother. "You call Cali yet?"
"Yeah, I called her while she was sleep. I made her wake that ass up." Tristan replied.
"Are you still mad that she left you?" Zuri teased.
Tristan was entering his freshman year at the University of Memphis with a full athletic scholarship. With the height and athletic ability he got from Taylor's side of the family, he was a very skillful basketball player. He received offers from UVA, Syracuse, Duke, UNC, and Georgia State as well; however, he wasn't ready to leave the city.
