Haze

1

"No Raine!" Jabari snatched his toy truck out of her bath water. She splashed water all over him and he was fully dressed. Pleased at his dismay she laughed.

"Mommy!" Jabari yelled.

Vince walked into the bathroom and shook his head. He told Jabari to change out of his clothes and find some more clothes in his room.

"Raine, what have we told you about being mean? Daddy's girl can't be mean neither can princesses. You want to be Daddy's girl and a princess right?" He wrapped her up in a towel.

Her bottom lip quivered.

"Don't try to start that crying Raine. You always do that so you can get your way and it isn't going to work today. Get your butt to your room and wait for me to help you get dressed little girl." Jazmine appeared in the doorway.

Raine dropped her towel and ran butt naked to her room.

Jazmine and Vince couldn't do anything but shake their heads.

"I'll go dress her and you make sure Jabari puts on decent clothes." Jazmine sighed. She already had a headache dealing with her 2 year old daughter.

Raine's coming about is a long story for another time, whew.

Jazmine found Raine in her room rolling on her bed to dry off.

"Little girl!"

"Pepper!" She pointed at Jazmine's black pitbull who was rolling on the grey rug in Raine's room.

"You're not a dog, you're a human." She went to dry Raine off and lotion her down before slipping her into some Tinker Bell undies and a yellow sundress with her brown sandals.

Her hair was a whole 'nother story. It was nappy and in curls.

Not having the time to properly comb through her hair, Jazmine rubbed some leave in conditioner in her hair and ran her fingers through it as best as she could before putting on her cute headband. She would be rocking a curly natural fro today.

"Y'all ready?" Vince walked into the room.

"Daddy!" Raine jumped off the bed and he swooped her up into the air.

Jabari walked in with his Superman toy and they all headed to the car.

Jazmine slid into the passenger seat after buckling Raine in and Vince began the drive.

Once to their destination, they all got out, Jabari dragging himself along.

"What's wrong with you? You don't wanna see your sister?" Jazmine grabbed his hand while Vince carried Raine.

Jabari looked down, "I guess so."

"What that mean? She be being mean to you?"

"No I just don't like being around him." Jabari pointed to the man walking up on them once they entered the building.

"Hey lil man, wassup?" He got on a knee.

Jabari gave a slight wave and the man looked up at Jazmine and Vince before getting up.

"Hey, thanks for bringing him." He gave a small smile.

"Of course, it's his sister's birthday." Jazmine smiled.

Jaliyah ran to Jabari with a smile on her face.

"Baby bro!" She tackled him in a hug.

They got up off the floor laughing before running off and playing.

The six year gap with them did no justice, they were twins at heart.

"Well, are y'all staying?" The man put his hands in his pockets as he eyes Vince who was sitting at a booth with Raine.

"Of course, we're family still. Come on Dave, don't start the bullshit up again. It's a kids party and my son's sister." Jazmine rolled her eyes and joined Vince at the table.

Dave eyed them for a little bit until Jessica walked up to him.

"Hey." She grabbed his hand.

"Hey, what you doing here?"

"I came to see an old friend. I got some good on me too." She smiled.

Dave shook his head and pushed her off of him. Grabbing her by her hair, he wrapped it around his fist and quietly left out the building.

"Bitch if you ever come around me again I'll kill you. " He smiled.

"You don't mean that." She grunted.

He threw her to the ground, kicking her in the face, "You should've killed me that day bitch." He stomped her head hearing something crack before walking back into his daughter's birthday party.

He saw Jaliyah in the bounce house with Jabari, and Raine. She held a tight hold on Raine and her small but loud giggles could be heard miles away.

"That's my babygirl man." Vince smiled.

Dave's smile shrunk a little.

"Yeah, she's beautiful. Jazmine makes some pretty babies." Dave licked his lips.

Vince chuckled, "Man to man, you gonna start respecting me. Now I'm a real man and I don't have no problem with you being around because I'm secure and so is my relationship with my wife. Our kids get along and our kids are blood so we gonna see each other, I advise you to grow the hell up. God ain't give you a second chance for no reason. Don't keep that same negative bullshit energy you had before, that shit dead." Vince preached before going back to the bounce house as other kids climbed in. He was just making sure his kids were good; including Jaliyah.

The words Vince just spoke swirled in Dave's head, he was given another chance and needed to right his wrongs.

Walking over to where Jazmine sat eating pineapple, green bell pepper and pepperoni pizza , he took a seat across from her.

She chewed up her food before washing it down with some root beer.

"Wassup?" She looked into his eyes. Something Dave has always found to be so intimidating.

"It's crazy how you're married. Jabari is already 6 and you just had a baby." Dave chuckled.

"That's life, I couldn't be happier though. I can't believe Jaliyah is already 12, next year she's gonna be a teenager, you ready for that?" Jazmine laughed out.

Dave stared off to where his babygirl was running around playing.

"Man, I'm not. I'm just glad she forgave me, though" he turned to Jazmine, "Speaking of forgiveness, I gotta to apologize for my past ways and how I've been acting recently. You know it hurts when your own son doesn't like being around you." He let out an uneasy chuckle.

"He will come around. He really runs off of people's energy, your energy been real off Dave. I mean I know we have our issues, but we are parents and anything and everything you do affects our children. You can talk to me because I'll be damned in hell before I let you go back to the old Dave. I will actually dice you." Jazmine pointed her pizza cutter at him before cutting another slice of pizza.

"Nah, I can't go back down that road. I'm just looking to settle down and make my babies proud. It's time for me to be a true man."

"I'm glad you see that. But, I also need to address you on how you treat my husband. He has been there for all of us through everything. He is like a second dad to Jaliyah, you are going to have to respect him. He does take care of your children, Dave and he is one of the very few who actually loves them as if they were his own. He is a great guy and has done nothing to you and if you can't respect him then you can't respect me or our children and that's a big problem." Jazmine spoke.

"Na, I completely understand, me and Vince already talked on that."

"Good, I dont play about my husband." Jazmine smiled at Vince throwing Raine in the air as she hollered and giggled, drooling all over the place.

Dave smiled and nodded his head. He missed the days when Jazmine would look and feel those ways about him but, times have changed and he fucked that up himself.

She literally dropped that zero: him and got her a hero: Vince. And he was forever grateful for Vince taking the lead with his family and being there for and with Jazmine. Deep down, he knew she deserved happiness. And her happiness was Vince.