ICY

eight.

                                      JETSON

         "Jetson, I need you to grab McKenzie and get her ready for school" Natalie said in a rushed tone. I could hear her feet running around in our bedroom, and I knew that meant she would be running late for work if she didn't leave in the next ten minutes. My body was sore, and nothing in me wanted to arise to get my step-daughter ready for her day.

"Jett, get up! Her bus leaves in fifteen minutes and I don't have time to dress her!"

I pulled my head from underneath the sheets, and flung my tired body out of bed. Natalie was dashing through the room like a chicken with its head chopped off, her black pencil skirt rising above her belly button and patent leather heels finding it hard to withstand the carpet.

She wore no shirt, only a bra and her naturally short hair still in its rods. I bypassed her hectic morning routine, to find McKenzie in the bathtub waiting to be assisted.

"Alright Ken, its time to get out" I said, gesturing for her to hop up.

She did as I said, and I wrapped the frozen themed towel around her and hauled her off to her room while making plane noises. She giggled, and once we were in her room I safely landed the plane, aka McKenzie onto her bed. Her outfit was already picked out for the day by Natalie, and I helped her whenever she got stuck pulling down her shirt or pulling up her skirt.

"High five!" I said, proud of her for doing most of it herself.

I myself didn't have kids yet, however that didn't stop me from loving McKenzie like my own. She was only five, and I had the pleasure of meeting her mother only two years before when I was only a young nineteen. An old soul for sure, I always had a thing for older women and that's how I fell in love with the twenty seven year old Natalie Rodman.

She was everything my young ass wasn't - accomplished, confident, and I could tell she wanted the kid the moment she spotted my huge frame walk into her clothing store that sat in Willow Grove mall. I didn't have shit to my name, because frankly my parents took care of everything for me.

I would soon be starting my training to become a detective, just like my father, and his father. While I was young, I had my head right on my shoulders and I was was ready for the white picket fence life.

"Alright babe, I'm out" Natalie said poking her head in, "Don't forget, my parents' tonight at 8. I'm closing the store at 7 so I can make it"

I nodded, and hoped that nothing came up while on the force today or otherwise I would have to cancel like multiple times before. Natalie and her parents hated when I had to do that.

We gave each other a goodbye peck, and not too long after I was watching McKenzie run to her bus and hop on, waving excitedly through the window as she drove away.

With only an hour to go before I myself had to get to work, I quickly showered and threw on my suit for the day. I would be following up on the Jones case, and had to prepare myself for the repeating conversations with witnesses that may have had any clue about where Mr. Solomon Jones vanished  to.

After doing my short morning routine, I was out the door and on my way to the office.

"Yo, yo" I answered my ringing phone on the Bluetooth of my car.

"Boy, What I tell you about answering your phone like that" my mom spat though the phone, "I ain't no, yo"

"Sorry ma, I didn't look at the caller ID" I laughed, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine Jetson, how are you? Did you remember to Thank the Lord this morning for the sun and the sky?"

"And for the grass and the birds too mama" I snickered, "How could I forget?"