"What's his name?"
"Jayden" she mumbled out around the straw in her mouth as she sipped on her juice.
"Jayden huh… Is he stuck on idle?" Daddy always wanted to know if the bum had a job or was just somewhere hanging out on the corners of the street, basketball courts, or bus stops just hanging or idling around wasting time. You can do bad all by yourself honey… You don't need any help to starve to death, his mantra suddenly replayed in her head with his question. Mia couldn't help but smiling. Her father always made her smile whenever she was down.
"He owns his own business."
"Hmm, now that's a change in pace. Brother?" Skip dubiously asked. Not too many black men his daughter's age were about work let along owning their own business. She nodded her head telling him yes he was African-American.
"Hmm, okay… Older man?" If the man owned his own business and was black, two things came to man; either his daughter was into older men or the man in question was into some illegal activities- namely selling drugs. Sugar daddy or hash slinger, either way Skip figured it was time to pay some visits to the gun range. It had been a while since he had gotten his practice in.
"Nope… He's my age… maybe a little older… I'm not sure." She answered honestly and unknowingly alarming her father. He needed to check this young Duke out. He needed to find out what kind of shady business was he in and if this 'business' was only a front for laundering his dirty money out.
"Where's this shop?" Skip asked in a no-nonsense manner that caused Mia to stop sucking on her drink and stand up.
"Daddy no! Daddy no… He doesn't even like me…" She pleaded. Suddenly the flashbacks and bad memories came back to her from her prom. Was it really a prom when your date stands you up for fear of his life?
"Daddy not again… please…" She pleaded and her father couldn't help but laughing at her overreaction. He knew she was remembering her prom.
"What? I'm not going to do anything… I'm just going to check him out… I know a police detective… Gonna get a background on him. Check out his priors… maybe get a sample of his DNA."
"Daddy, please don't… I'm serious… Jayden doesn't even like me… Besides he…" Mia's words faltered when she thought about their last argument and Jayden running off to find someone to lay up with.