“What are you laughing at, big head?”
“Big head?”
“That’s what I said,” Rhonda replied, rolling her neck.
“Whatever. I’m just here to see Dad eat his scrumptious breakfast that you threw together. And I do mean threw together.”
“Shut up!”
“Okay, you two, that’s enough,” Frank said, quickly defusing the argument.
“Daddy’s gonna love this breakfast,” Rhonda said, turning back to her father. “Here you go, Daddy,” she said extending the tray toward him.
Frank Jr. covered his mouth with his hand to further conceal his smirk. Frank looked down at the badly cooked food and came up with a brilliant idea. He hated to do what he was about to do, but it was the only thing he could think of to get himself out of the jam he was in. he reached for the tray and ‘accidentally’ knocked the tray onto the floor.
“Daddy!” Rhonda shouted in horror.
“Oh my God, baby girl. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“Oh, daddy, I worked so hard on it too.”
“I know you did, baby girl. I’m really sorry.”
Rhonda looked down at the floor with sad eyes. She sniffled a couple of times, which made Frank feel like crap. Frank looked up at his son, who gave him a ‘Now I know you did that on purpose look,’ With sadness in her eyes, Rhonda turned to leave the room. Frank couldn’t take it. He had to do something to make it up to his little girl.
“Rhonda, baby, hold up a second. Let me make it up to you.”
“Make it up to me how?” she asked.
Frank had an answer already prepared.
“Well, I could take you and you brother to that restaurant y’all like so much.”
“IHOP?” the two of them said in unison.
“Yep.”
Frank Jr. and Rhonda both threw their hands in the air and celebrated.
“You two go get dressed and wait for me downstairs. I’ll be down as soon as I clean up this mess and get dressed.”
“Yes! Thank you, Daddy,” Rhonda said, as she moved to leave the bedroom. As she walked past her brother, she looked at him and winked.
37
For the third time since they’d left, Frank glanced in his rearview mirror. He didn’t know what was going on or why Frank Jr. choose to ride in the backseat with his sister, but he smelled a rat. Something was up. He could feel it in his gut.
“Okay. You two have been giggling ever since we left the house. Just what in the devil is so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing Dad. We’re just back here chillin’,” Frank Jr. said. Frank glanced at the rearview mirror again.
“Yeah, I can see that. But that’s not what I asked you. I asked you what the two of you were laughing at.”
“Oh, just something that happened at school the other day,” Rhonda interjected. For the next ten seconds, silence engulfed the car.
“Well?” Frank Sr. said.
“Well what?” the kids said in unison.
“What happened in school that was so funny?”
Frank Jr. and Rhonda shot each other a glance. Neither of them had expected their father to ask that question. The look between them wasn’t lost on him.
“Come on Dad? Really? You really want to know what went on in our school?” Rhonda asked.
“No, not everything. I just want to know what has my kids laughing like a couple of hyenas,” Frank said, smiling.
“Just kid stuff, Dad, come on,” Rhonda said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Yeah, okay,” Frank said, willing to drop it for the moment.
He pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and found a spot near the entrance. He was surprised that the parking lot was so empty on a Sunday morning. He checked his watch and realized that it was almost eleven thirty.
“Guess it’s not morning anymore,” he mumbled to himself. Even though midday was approaching, Frank still had his taste buds set on breakfast food, pancakes in particular. The IHOP they were getting ready to enter did serve lunch, but Frank had his mind and heart set on pancakes. Apparently, so did his children.
“Man, I can’t wait to get in there and put the smash on some chocolate chip pancakes,” Frank Jr. said hungrily.
“As greedy as you are, I’ll be surprised if you don’t order everything on the menu,” Rhonda cracked.
“Shut up Anna. You need to be eating everything on the menu, as skinny as you are.”
“Whatever, bucket head.”
Frank Sr. just shook his head and smiled. It amazed him at how the two of them went at it so much, but always had each other’s back. he decided that he would call one of them on it once they began eating.
“Welcome to IHOP. Would you prefer a table or a booth?” a young waitress asked. As soon as Frank Jr. saw who it was asking the question, a vibrant smile spread across his face.
“Hey! I didn’t know you worked here,” he said.
Because of their father’s imposing stature, the young lady couldn’t see Frank Jr. or his sister walking in behind him. The smile the young lady returned to him was temporarily put on hold when she saw Rhonda. The two young ladies stared at each other for a few seconds before both of them rolled their eyes. Kisha’s smile returned when she focused back on Frank Jr.
“Yeah, I started a few days ago,” she said.
“Dad, you remember Kisha, right?”
“Yes, I do. It’s nice to meet you again, young lady,” Frank Sr. said, nodding his head in courtesy. Rhonda popped her lips, which earned her a nudge from her father. Something was going on between the two young ladies and if his son were going to continue seeing this girl, he would have to have to find out what it was and get to the bottom of it. It was one thing for someone to be rubbed the wrong way, but these two girls seemed to have a genuine dislike for each other.
“Nice to meet you again too, sir,” she said. “Would you and your family like a table of a booth?”
“A table would be fine. Thanks.”
Kisha turned and led Frank and his two children to a table in the rear corner of the restaurant.
“Someone will be with you to take your order in a moment.”
Kisha continued to smile at Frank Jr. as she left. The gesture caused Frank Jr. to blush. Now he was really glad that his sister had tricked his father into bringing them here. Rhonda, on the other hand, shot daggers at Kisha as she walked away.
“Okay Rhonda, what’s the story with you and that girl? You mean mugged her when I dropped Jr. off to meet her at the movies, and you’re doing the same thing now. What’s going on between you two?”
“I just don’t like her,” Rhonda stated flatly.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I just don’t,” he lied.
“Rhonda, no one dislikes anyone for no reason. There has to be one.”
Rhonda simply shrugged. There was indeed a reason that she didn’t like Kisha, but she wasn’t about to reveal it to her father and brother.
“I think she’s just mad because Kisha is pretty and she’s ugly,” Frank Jr. said, laughing.
“Shut up, jerk!”
“Rhonda, lower your voice,” Frank said, sternly.
“Sorry Daddy. He just gets on my nerves sometimes.”
“And you,” he said, glaring at his son. “I don’t ever want to hear you call your sister ugly again, do you hear me?”
“Uh . . . okay. Sorry Dad.”
Frank had a perplexed look on his face. He and his sister went at it all the time, so he couldn’t understand why his father had seemed to get so upset with him this time. What he didn’t know was that his father had seen many women’s self-esteem destroyed by males drilling into their heads that their looks were inferior, even when they weren’t. He’d seen quite a few women come into the precinct with their heads down and their spirits broken, all because some piece of shit man had ruined their self confidence with hateful words and candid putdowns. When Frank was sure that his son had gotten the message, he smiled sligh
tly. After all, this was a family breakfast and he did want the mood to remain festive.
“Son, you baffle me at times,” he said as he crossed his arms and cupped his chin with his thumb and forefinger.
“Huh? What are you talking about dad?”
“Like I said, you baffle me.”
“What do you mean? How?”
“Well, you’re always giving your sister a hard time and making fun of her.”
“And . . . that’s what big brothers do.”
“Yet, you damn near beat that boy at your school to a bloody pulp.”
“’Cause, that’s what big brothers do,” Frank Jr. said smiling at is little sister.
Frank Jr. couldn’t dispute anything his father had just said. While it was true that he gave his sister a hard time, he wasn’t going to let anyone else do it.
“Oooo, Daddy, you said a cuss word,” Rhonda said, imitating a three year old.
“So what’s you point?”
“Ms. Sadie’s gonna get you for that.”
Frank looked around the restaurant a few times, then looked back at his daughter. He held both of his hands in the air, palms up as a wry smile creased his lips.
“Well, Ms. Sadie ain’t here, is she?”
“Well, I might just have to tell her what you said.”
“Oh, is that right? You mean to tell me that you’re going to snitch on your own father?”
“That’s her––Queen Tattletale,” Frank Jr. said.
“I’m not a tattletale, because if I was, I would tell Daddy about what you did in school last month.”
Frank Jr. frowned. He had no idea what Rhonda was talking about. Immediately, he began to replay in his mind what he could have done that would land him in hot water with his father. Had he been paying attention to his sister, he would have seen her wink at her Dad.
“Girl, you’re tripping. I ain’t done crap,” he said when he couldn’t remember anything that he’d done. Frank Jr. then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
“Whoa there, young man. Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Nothing. Just checking my email,” he said, telling a half-truth. While it was true that he was going to check his email, he was also going to scroll Facebook.
“Liar. Your behind was about to get on Facebook,” Rhonda said.
“And you know the rules. No social media when we’re doing a family outing,” Frank Sr. said, sternly.
“Yeah, jerk.”
Frank Jr. looked at his father. “Dad, how come you never say anything to her when she calls me names?”
“’Cause when I call you names, I’m telling the truth,” Rhonda said smartly.
“Rhonda,” Frank Sr. said, looking at his daughter.
Ignoring his sister’s verbal jab, Frank Jr. stared at his father as he waited for an answer. It had been bothering him for a while now that his father always seemed to let Rhonda slide on the snide remark she made toward him.
Frank Sr. weighed his options. He wanted to teach his son the proper way to conduct himself when dealing with a smart-mouthed female, but he didn’t want his daughter to get the feeling that she could talk to a man however she saw fit. He decided to wait until he and Frank Jr. were alone to discuss the matter.
“We’ll talk about it when we get home, all right?”
“Yeah, all right,” Frank Jr. answered. He wasn’t thrilled with his father brushing off his question, but he understood the look that Frank Sr. was giving him. ‘Not in front of your sister’ it said.
“Is that Principal Ponder?” Rhonda asked, interrupting the conversation between father and son. Frank and Frank Jr. turned their heads toward the entrance just in time to see Grace Ponder point in their direction. Frank Jr. frowned as a greeter lead her to their table.
“Ah man, what the heck is she coming over here for?” he wondered.
“She’s probably coming over here to tell Daddy what a disappointing student you are,” Rhonda answered.
Frank Jr. cut his eyes at his sister. He was getting tired of her smart mouth. Seeing the tense look on his son’s face, Frank Sr. figured that it was time to reign in his daughter.
“Rhonda, that’s enough,” he said, sternly.
“What I do?” Rhonda asked in her innocent tone.
Usually, the tone would soften her father’s attitude toward her, but this time even he was getting tired of her shenanigans.
“You know what you’ve been doing. You’ve been picking at your brother ever since we go here, and I want you to stop. Understand me?”
A satisfied smirk slid across Frank Jr’s face as Rhonda stuck out her lips and pouted. Frank Sr. didn’t notice either of their facial expressions. He was too busy gawking at Grace Ponder. As soon as he’d gotten done chastising his daughter, he turned his attention back to the principal. It took every bit of self-control he had to keep the muscles in his face from forming a smile.
Grace Ponder, however, was smiling from ear to ear. Frank watched mesmerized as she glided across the floor and stopped at their table.
“Well hello, Detective Stone. I saw you guys as soon as I walked in. May I join you?” she asked.
“Sure,” Frank said as he quickly stood up and pulled out a chair for her. Frank Jr. and Rhonda looked at each other. They were both speechless. Having their principal sit down and join them for breakfast was something that neither of them ever thought would happen. As the initial shock wore off, Frank Jr. and Rhonda had two very different thoughts going on in their heads. Frank Jr. started getting suspicious. It was the second time he’d seen Principal Ponder since he’d gotten into the fight at school. He was beginning to wonder if his father had secretly instructed her to keep an eye on him and report back to his father.
Rhonda, on the other hand, felt that Principal Ponder was trying to get close to her father and she didn’t like it one bit. Even though her mother was laid up in a hospital bed comatose, that still didn’t give her father any right to be seeing some other woman. It didn’t matter that her father hadn’t initiated either meeting between the two of them. That was beside the point. Rhonda didn’t want anyone trying to replace her mother. Up until now, she’d always liked Principal Ponder, but that was slowly beginning to change.
“Good morning Frank Jr. and Rhonda. How are you two doing this morning?”
“Uh . . . I’m good,” Frank Jr. said.
Rhonda remained silent. Her disdain for the entire situation wouldn’t allow her to speak. Frank Sr. nudged his daughter. He didn’t know why she suddenly had an attitude, but he wasn’t about to be embarrassed by her behavior.
“Oh, sorry. Hi Ms. Ponder,” she said unenthusiastically.
Grace Ponder barely noticed her dry tone. She was too busy focusing on Frank Sr. She’d been thinking about him a lot lately. Although she knew that he was off limits, it didn’t stop her from being attracted to him. She wanted so badly to broach the subject of his wife to gauge where his head and his heart were but realized that now wasn’t the time. Grace Ponder also knew that, technically, it wasn’t illegal to date the parent of a student, but it was unethical to the highest order. She didn’t care. Detective Frank Stone was her type of man. Tall, handsome, rugged, and employed.
38
The ride on the way home from the restaurant was quiet. Rhonda sat in the backseat seething from the fact that Grace Ponder had interrupted their family time. Sitting directly behind Frank Jr., she was able to see the right side of her father’s face. She couldn’t be sure, but she could have sworn that she’d seen remnants of a slight smile. This caused her to become even more irate. If Grace Ponder thought that she was going to wiggle her way into their lives and replace her mother, then she had another think coming. In Rhonda’s eyes, Marilyn Stone was the greatest woman ever to walk the face of the earth, and no one would ever be able to take her place. Frank glanced in the rearview mirror and noted the sour expression on his daughter’s face. Her arms were folded over her chest and her lips were poked
out.
“What’s your problem?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she replied, flatly.
Frank cut his eyes to his son in the passenger’s seat. Frank Jr. was busy reading Twitter feeds and wasn’t paying attention to his father or his sister. Frank Sr. tapped his son on the shoulder to get his attention. When Jr. looked at him, Frank jerked his head In Rhonda’s direction and shrugged his shoulders. His son responded by shrugging his own shoulders and giving his father a look that said, ‘I don’t know what the hell is wrong with her.’ It still hadn’t crossed Frank Jr.’s mind yet that his principal was hitting on his father. He still thought that it was some kind of conspiracy and that his father and Miss Ponder were in cahoots about something he may have done in school.
“Okay,” Frank Sr. said, giving up his inquisition. “Well, since I’m off today, I was wondering if y’all wanted to go to the movies today. If not, then we can just find something on cable and order a couple of pizzas later.”
Because he knew his children so well, Frank knew what the response would be before he even asked the question. Frank Jr. was seventeen years old and the last thing he wanted to do was be seen at the movies with is father, and he definitely didn’t feel like sitting in front of a television watching some old, boring movie that his father was surely going to pick out. Besides, Frank Jr. had plans of his own.
“Uh, sorry Dad, but me and Wallace have plans.”
“Oh yeah? What kinda plans?”
“We entered an X-box basketball tournament. The winner gets five hundred dollars.”
Frank Sr. raised an eyebrow.
“Five hundred dollars? Are you sure this is a tournament?” he asked.
“Yes Dad, it’s a tournament,” he responded, knowing exactly what his father was getting at. Frank Jr. had already been hustled once trying to gamble, and Frank Sr. was determined not to let it happen again. It was roughly six months ago when he’d sent his son to the store to pick up a few items, but when Frank Jr. returned, not only did he not have the items, but he also didn’t even have the money that his father gave him to get said items. A headache started to set in as he desperately tried to think of a good enough story to tell his father when he got home. The second he stepped inside the house though, his father knew that something was up
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