Pharaoh: It's All New to Me

Chapter Five

"Joris, you are too dumb!" I laughed at his ass. Joris is, well, the gay best friend girls wish for. He's really cool and a gift to the eyes, if you know what mean. Joris is tall, about 6'0, nice brown skin, hazel green eyes, shoulder length hair that's curly. Joris is probably the finest gay guy I've ever met. He could have anybody he wants, male or female. Hell some females know he's gay, but still try and throw it at him thinking they can make him straight. Knowing him that's not happening any time soon.

Today I'm having lunch with him and another friend from school, Lia. Lia is Asian and black and a style goddess. I thought I was working with something, fashion wise, and she came and blew me right out the water. She gets a lot of her clothes from Vietnam. That first day in class when I seen her nearly matching me, I knew we would be good friends.

Anyways, I'm having a good time. Laughing, joking, eating. When I get a phone call. "Hello?" I half giggled, half talked. I didn't even look at the caller i.d.

"Hey Pharaoh."

"Oh, hi D! I was going to call you later today. What's up?"

"Well, you need to come home for starters."

"Can we not do this now?"

"Not for my benefit. For my moms. She's sicker than before Pharaoh. She won't let me come see her. She needs someone to come and help her. Someone to lift her spirits and be there before she... She... She just needs you."

"What did you do?"

"I, uh, I chose to take care of Amber's daughter. A part of me felt like it was right. I thought that Aaliyah could possibly be mine. I was there, but now I know she's not mine."

"Aaliyah?"

"Yeah." He laughed dryly.

"Can you guys excuse me?" I left my friends to continue their lunch. "Who named her? Not you right?"

"Me... She doesn't have my last name if that's what you're getting at." I sighed in relief. I didn't want some child that didn't belong to him to have his last name. I didn't want Amber's child to have part of my name either, but I smiled to myself. Dareus named the child he thought was his after me.

"So you gave her my middle name?"

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face." He laughed. "I named her after, uh, the singer Aaliyah."

"You're lying!" I laughed. "And what smile are you speaking of?"

"I'm talking about the silly ass smile that's on your face right now. And what if I did? You still not special."

"I am too special!"

"Yeah, special ed nig-" He stopped himself short.

"I'm happy you stopped yourself. I was about to have to break your vocal cords."

"Sorry Pha." He laughed. "But aye, I'm about to get off the phone. I got some females to fuck."

"You're nasty!"

"You don't be giving it to ole dude?" I was not about to answer that and start whatever he had planned. "I thought so." He laughed again.

"I'm not going to tell you about it though. But whatever."

"Well, like I said, I'm about to go. Think about coming down, okay?"

"I will. Bye. I love you."

"I love you too, Pha." I just shook my head and smiled. I do need to go back to Chicago to see everybody. My daddy isn't properly taking care of himself, Mama G is being her normal stubborn self, and I haven't visited my mothers grave in almost three years. I went to see her on my sixteenth birthday and I was so crushed, lost, and depressed that day. I still couldn't understand why she had to leave so early and why God didn't want me or someone else instead. I know it's selfish of me, but I was hurt and that same day I decided to stop going to her grave. I had to deal with the pain on my own and seeing a tombstone with my mothers name on it and knowing she was six feet under wasn't helping me get over it. I was young and that's still one of the dumbest decisions of my life. I shouldn't have stopped talking to my mother. Even now, I still hurt. I hurt more about it honestly. I have to go home.