Page 5 of All The Smoke

“And?” I laughed. “I know I ain’t living like a saint, but I ain’t out here lowering my value either, disrespecting myself and my kids by selling myself for a few bucks either.

I might be hustling and shit, but you better believe Solo never gon’ have to.

He gon’ know the value of a dollar and how to get some fuckin’ money at the very least. I don’t sell shit around him either, so he don’t know what I do.

Both of your kids see you walking around in next to nothing and truly if it weren’t for parental controls that I oversee, they would have both probably seen your naked ass on the internet. ”

“Fuck you,” she hissed.

“I’m good on that, love.” I smiled. “That pussy too friendly and you don’t got ya priorities in order enough for me.”

“Nigga—”

“Speaking of priorities,” I cut her off. “Why the fuck my son complaining about a toothache and shit?”

“Probably because he’s a child, Smoke.” She rolled her eyes. “Kids eat junk food and candy.”

“Ah,” I stated sarcastically and nodded.

“Another thing you don’t monitor. I really want to fuck you up for slacking on my son’s shit, but I ain’t even in the mood to kick your ass today.

I’m gon’ get him right, but know if I gotta schedule another emergency appointment for him then yo’ ass gon’ need the fucking dentist to get you right next, aight? ”

I could see the fire dancing in her eyes but Brianna knew I didn’t play about my son and his health and hygiene. If she wanted to be a slack, nasty bitch then that was on her, but I was applying pressure behind my kid, no doubt.

“And change the location of the party because I would hate to come over here and act like Bishop and First Lady’s son,” I said and smirked before making my exit. Nothing else needed to be said and money needed to be made.

“I didn’t get to eat breakfast at Gigi and Bishop’s, Daddy,” Solo said as we made our way to his appointment.

Looking in my rearview at his face buried in his tablet, likely playing one of those stupid ass games, I smiled.

My baby loved to eat and he ain’t eat no lil shit either.

He ate like I ate, steaks, lobster, shrimp, pastas, all that shit.

I couldn’t even recall the last time he ate from a damn kids’ menu.

“You ’bout to get ya teeth checked out, Solo.” I chuckled. “You don’t want food in your teeth or ya breath to stink do you? It could be some ladies in there.”

“Old ladies.” He laughed.

“They not all old.”

“Old enough. Can we go to Morningside when we leave?”

I nodded. “I got you. I’ll take you to Gravity Zone and shit if you don’t cry when you get ya mouth worked on too.”

“Yeah right, I don’t cry.”

“I know, but you probably will have to get your shit pulled today, so…”

We had pulled up to the dentist’s office, so I parked and had Solo climb over the front seat to get out with me.

He knew how to buckle himself in and get himself out of the seatbelt, and it was a hassle letting my seat up so I let him put his feet on my shit and dirty it up to make it easier on us both.

“Why you copy me today, Daddy?” he asked as we made our way inside.

“Copy you?” I grinned. I knew he was talking about the fact that we were both dressed down in ball shorts and a white tee, but hell I had a fucking time last night so I grabbed something quick and just told Bishop to dress him comfortably since he had clothes and shit at their crib.

“Yeah. You always try to dress like me.”

“Yeah, aight.” I mushed his head playfully. “You always trying to be like ya pops and shit.”

“I had these first.” He smiled, referring to the cement Jordan 4s he wore. Solo thought he had everything before me when in reality I bought the majority of our shit at the same time, he just wore his before me.

We checked in at the front desk then I chilled in the waiting area while he went to fuck with the play area.

Solo was a nice and friendly kid, the complete opposite of me when I was coming up.

I wasn’t the one that like to kick it with anyone, even when I was a lil nigga, but my son did and I loved that about him. I wanted him to be better than me.

I checked in with my homeboys while we waited. I had a few people trying to grab some work from me so I had Bino pull up to grab my money. Scoot was too busy laid up.

The sound of my name being called had me tearing my eyes away from my phone screen and traveling to the doorway that led to the back of the office.

The prettiest milk chocolate colored woman dressed in blue scrubs that hugged her slim-thick frame to perfection was standing there.

Her hair was pulled into a bun on top of her head with the exception of a few curls that hung loosely on the sides and back of her neck.

“Solomon Tate?” she called out again, breaking me from the trance she had me in and my son came darting over to me.

“She’s calling us, Daddy.” He grabbed my hand and began to pull as if he could really move me from my seat.

“Chill, Solo.” I chuckled as I stood and motioned for him to go ahead of me.

“Me and my daddy’s name is Solomon Tate,” Solo said once he took ol’ girl’s hand for her to lead us to the back. “But they call me Solo and him Smoke sometimes. Not my Gigi though, or Bishop. They said that daddy’s name isn’t of the Lord.”

“Solo, relax.” I laughed.

“Solo?” She looked at me then my son. “Is that what you would prefer that I call you?”

He nodded. “Daddy says that Solo is way more fly than that bullsh?—”

“Aight, man.” I laughed again and nudged him. “You talk too much.”

Chuckling, she nodded and said, “Okay Solo, my name is Kaori but you can call me KK.”

He beamed. “Okay, Ms. KK.”

He knew to put that “Ms.” in front of her shit. I let him bullshit around a lot and so did I, but he had manners and respect and shit.

“Mr. Tate, you can sit over there.” She pointed to the bench in front of her examination chair. “And Solo, you can hop up here.” She patted her chair. “Do you need my help?”

“I got it,” he said as he climbed on the chair and I took a seat in front of them.

I watched her intensely as she worked on my son and made small talk with him. I had met all of the chicks that worked in this office and at his doctor’s shit because I needed to know who was around and working on my son, but I hadn’t ever seen her.

“You new here?” I asked.

Her movements paused as she glanced my way. “Yes. I’ve been here for a little over a week.”

I nodded. “You did this shit before?”

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“You ask all of the dental assistants these questions?”

“Naw, just the fine ones.” I smirked and she blushed.

Clearing her throat, she tore her eyes away from me and got back to working on my son, but she did tell me this was her first time working in an office setting.

She was still in school and shit, so she was only there part-time.

I thought it was dope to be real. She was a really pretty woman and had a nice ass body.

Most bitches I knew like that were trying to be social media influencers or porn stars or some shit, like my baby mama.

The dentist joined us a little after to take a look at Solo’s mouth and let me know they were going to extract the tooth since it was broken. How his little ass had split his tooth was a mystery to me but if pulling it was gon’ keep my boy happy and healthy then I was with it.

They moved us back to an actual examination room to do the procedure and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Kaori.

I hadn’t ever been so fucking mesmerized by a woman’s looks and voice.

Shit legit had me in a trance. I loved Bri back in the day and definitely thought she was the best thing smoking when I was a lil nigga, but Kaori was different.

She had this beautiful aura to her that instantly attracted me and has me wanting to get to know who the fuck she was.

Shit was scary honestly because I hadn’t ever experienced that before.

As my eyes ran amuck, trying to etch every fucking thing about her into my head, they landed on a spot on her neck. Shit was very vague, damn near nonexistent, but I still saw it.

A bruise?

I found myself frowning, damn near about to tweak the fuck out wondering where it came from and if a nigga was putting hands on her.

I didn’t play that shit. Although I talked shit and threatened Bri’s stupid ass all the time, I never put hands on her and never would.

I would just pay some hoes to do my dirty work for me if it ever came down to that, which I doubted.

I didn’t even realize how long I had been in a trance, locked in on shorty, until the dentist’s voice tore me away, letting me know they were done and I could grab my little man and jet.

“Daddy, I’m still hungry,” he said and yawned. “And do I have to go to school?”

“Naw, lil man, you gon’ kick it with your old man today,” I answered as I helped him into the car.

By the time I got in his ass was fading, so instead of going to Morningside like he’d asked, I just got on the Munchies app and ordered him some oatmeal that he’d eat when he got up and me a traditional breakfast platter which consisted of bacon, grits, eggs, sausage, and toast. I wasn’t even hungry, but I knew I was gon’ be ready to punish some shit when I got done smoking.

After putting my order in, we pulled into traffic and headed to the crib.

I was gon’ take the day off to chill with Solo and let him stay the night with me again so I could keep an eye on his tooth and shit for the day.

His mama would be busy running off at the mouth on the fucking phone or shaking her ass somewhere so she wouldn’t be paying him any attention.

I was still vexed about her allowing him to eat all that bullshit to the point he was breaking his teeth anyways.

I knew he was a kid and liked to eat a bunch of bullshit, but I monitored his intake.