Speaking of cute, there’s Po. Waiting for me. I swear, with his looks he could get away with anything he wanted to. We chatted as he drove me home, dropping me off at the end of the driveway so my dad won’t get too upset. He did remind me of the party at his place tomorrow night. Said it was an early-end-of-school-slash-graduation-but-not-really party. Confused me a little bit but he told me to dress informal and that all the girls coming planned on wearing a skirt or dress. Hey, if he’s recommending to me what I should wear, I’ll take the advice. I won’t want to ruin the theme of a party.
When I walked through the door my dad did his usual first-middle-last name joke asking for an iced tea from the fridge. He said he was joking but I was in such a good mood I brought it to him anyways. Being the kind of dad he is, he accepted it and drank it anyways. So, I sat down right beside him and watched his early morning broadcast that I had recorded. Vanetta-Tope Police Department once again proves to be corrupt! Coming up after the break. I record all my dad’s broadcasts. He is an early morning anchor and shoots till about 1pm some days. One of the best damn anchormen in the world, and hands down the best there is in Arizona. Gene is a close second, in my opinion. Dad always talked about her, but I’ve never met her. Believe it or not, he got me interested in the news. I always found a special kind of joy in seeing the good in the world and seeing the good people of this country go out and try to fix the bad things that were broadcasted. It would be cool to help out the world any way I can, but I think I have to get through college and see where that will take me. I just want a happy life for my father and I, because as long as we’re happy, both alone and together, then that’s what matters most to me. Dad decided to go up to bed right after dinner, saying he had a long workday and he was tired. He also apologized about lashing out at me. Of course, I accepted his apology. I know he means well! I went to my room too, texted Po almost the rest of the night. Except for the times where I was texting Derrick about everything that went down. That fight was hilarious, and I had to make sure he didn’t get in trouble for any of it. They deserve it anyways. He said he didn’t get in any trouble but Myan and Milo did for harassment. I’m glad the little guy didn’t get in trouble; he is definitely my hero. I know he knows that too and I gotta say I love the guy for it. I also heard from Po when I told him about the fight that he invited Derrick. This party will be really fun; I just can’t wait to have some Po and me time. I’ve been waiting for so long and this party is the perfect opportunity. Tomorrow is another day.
…
Coming out of the studio after a long day of work, Gene and I just had some small talk about our children and our lives. Boring talks but we enjoyed it because it was our talks. I noticed Tate is nowhere to be found. “Gene, have you seen Tate?”
“Cordell, I don’t know who that is, remember? Are you sure he isn’t just in your head?”
“No, Gene. He’s not. He usually greets me though.”
“I don’t know. I gotta go. Have a good afternoon, Cordell!”
“You too.”
There are multiple post-it notes on my car however… ‘Hey Cordell, sorry I can’t be there to have our quick chats. My wife is working late so I had to go to the grocery store and prepare dinner. Always good to do something nice for the wife. ’ This probably could’ve been a text, but Tate doesn’t like phones, says that the government is tracking him. Good ol’ Tate though! One hell of a guy. Always wants the best for everyone. He never told me about a wife but I’m sure she’s a very lucky woman to have him in her corner. So, I hop in my car with the notes and head home. I actually got off of work a little late today, but I can still make it home in time before Heather.
I got home and it was pretty late. About 2 hours from when I’m usually off. I saw the time and knew I wouldn’t have time to shower if I wanted to greet my little darling, so I just held off for a bit. Not like I’m working in a warehouse for a factory where I could get really dirty, like an auto shop too. Heather comes home and I do the classic running joke…
“Heather Hummingbird Hendricks!”
“I know, daddy!”
I laughed. “It’s just a joke this time, babes. No need!”
But my wonderful daughter brought me one anyways. Said she was in a really good mood today. Usually school takes her out of it, so I was surprised when she said that, even more so when she said it was from school. Her friend Derrick apparently hit two bullies in her last class, sounds like