"Did the police even come?"
"Nawl she was lying about that." I said passing her the red crayon she had asked me for. It was the morning after my open house. exhausted was the least I could say, after everything. Lani still had me up at 7am in the morning, drawing pictures. My ass woke up because I knew she wouldn't let up until I gave in.
"You should've told Debo to beat ha, she look strong like him." I giggled cause she was the definition of ghetto.
"I hate the police." She said after some silence and I looked at her asking her why? Just to further the conversation.
"Because my uncle said so. If he don't like em' I hate em'."
"Damn like that?"
"Yup, I wanna be like unc unc when I become big that's why I gotta hate the same things."
"But you can't just think like that....sometimes there are some good polices."
"Sometimes, but that's not all the time. When me and unc unc was watching a movie they said New York has the top most co-corotion cops in the country."
"You mean corrupt?"
"Yes, that word."
"How you even know what the means?"
"I don't but unc unc said it means bad." I nodded smiling cause at least Night was teaching her something.
"Yeah it does but still though Lani, don't be out here being mean to the police okay?"
"Okay, I'll be nice." She said with a huff, finishing off her sun that she drew in the corner. "Ari?"
"Yes baby."
"You got siblings?" She asked and I shook my head.
"Sadly not, I'm the only child."
"You're lucky, I bet you were spoiled."
"Umm not really, my mom didn't have a lot of money so I wasn't really."
"How about your daddy?" I shook my head.
"I didn't live with him."
"You ever saw him?"
"One time... on my 8th birthday." I said thinking about it.
"You're lucky, Ive never met my daddy. My unc said he in heaven but I be wanting to talk to him sometimes. Tell him I'm smart cause night always says I'm smart like my daddy." "You wanna see him?" She asked me and I nodded. I waited for her to leave the bed before I wiped the tear that had fell. I felt sorry for her that she would never get to see her father. The way she talked about him like she knew him made it even more sad.
"You see? That's my daddy and that's my momma." She said handing me a wrinkled photo of her parents. Lani looked like her momma but she was also her father look alike.
"You look just like him lani." She started smiling.
"I know everyone say so." She said as I gave her back the picture and she got up again going to put it away. The picture was probably dear to her cause usually she would sit something right where she was at.
"Laylani!"
"Yes!" She yelled back running back to the room, with her hair bouncing every step she took.
"I love you." I told her wrapping my arms around her little body. "You my lil baby."
"I love you too but why I can't be a grown up I don't wanna be a lil' baby." She said genuinely sad that I called her a lil' baby.
