Run

Friend or Foe?

Incognito

Pulling into the driveway of my home, I parked my unmarked Crown Victoria and made my departure. Walking towards my home, I walked up the few stairs of my porch. Unlocking the doors, I walked in to see my distraught wife sitting on the couch. "What's going on Lannette? You didn't say much over the phone", I continued and with that she gazed at me with so much pain. The hurt as well as the anger shown face. Slowly standing to her feet, she spoke.

"Murphy, why didn't you show up to Tahari's graduation?", she queried.

Sighing out of frustration. "I don't want to do this right now Lannette, I have a lot on my plate. This conversation can wait. I'm on call", I said in an indignant tone.

With tears streaming her face, she spoke. "Murphy, today was supposed to be a special day for our daughter. She was so beautiful today. Today was her day and although you've been giving her the cold shoulder, she still wanted you to come because she misses your love. As much as she tried to hide how she felt, she was hurt. Sitting in the crowd, I couldn't help but notice her looking back towards her support system. She was looking for you, her father. She almost broke down on stage while accepting her diploma. You ruined this day for her Murphy and I did too", she spoke.

"You were right", she said which caused confusion on my behalf. "She's been dealing with that drug dealer, August", she said which caused my blood to boil. "She had a dozen roses, balloons and a card. I asked her who gave all that to her and she said Jade did and I knew she was lying. I didn't want to press the issue because today was her day I knew she lying to me and I wanted to know why she was lying. So once she went upstairs, I couldn't help but notice that she left everything down here and I opened the card. It had a poem and it ended off with "from ya man, August".", she said and with that, I spoke.

"And that's exactly why I didn't bother to show up to her graduation. Why in the hell should I support an ignorant child who's messing around with a nigga that I want behind bars? She knows all of this. She's a disappointment and an embarrassment to me and my job, shit, this family. I drove around contemplating on if I should show up to her graduation but I thought about how she was downtown acting like she had no sense. Messing around with the one person I want dead. She's changed for the worst. Grades were slipping, got into a fight at school and didn't even tell us. We had to find out about it. She's been shot and almost died and again, she was out at night doing God knows what and was attacked and almost got herslef killed again. She's brought all of this bullshit on herself. I thought about everything that idiot did and I made my choice. She did too. She didn't deserve my presence nor support", I said which caused my wife to furrow her eyebrows.

"Murphy we pushed our child away. The things we've said to her, the way we've been treating her as well.", she said which caused me to sigh out of frustration.

I shook my head. "No, we didn't do anything. She just decided to be a fast tail hoe like her friend Briana. You said it yourself. She was hopping in and out of different nigga's cars. Coming in late, always using that weak excuse of going to Jade's house, I'm not stupid. She couldn't pull the wool over my eyes ... Where is she? Tahari, get down here right now", I fussed.

"She's not here", she said before continuing. "We got into an argument that was so bad that I had to put my hands on her. I didn't mean the things I've said, I didn't mean to put my hands on her. It was just in the heat of the moment.", she said in a saddened tone before she continued. "She packed a few of her things and left", she said in that same tone.