Wade

I had just gotten home from school, when I saw a Ford truck in my
driveway.
I reckon I should introduce myself. My name's Vendala, but all my
friends call me Dala. Anyways, I'm 17, I have brown hair and blue eyes.
I'm 5'3.
I got out my truck and walked into the house. I saw mom and dad
talking to a young man. He looked about my age if not older.
Mom looked at me and smiled. "Dala, this is Wade. Do you remember
him?"
I looked at him, then back at mom. "Can't say that I do," I told her.
"Where's Clorise at?"
"She's sleeping," Dad told me.
"Dala, you were five when you met him for the first time," Mom told
me.
I smiled, "then of course I don't remember him," I paused. "How long
has she been asleep?"
"About an hour and a half," Mom told me. "Then he came over when you
were 10," she paused. "I guess I'll get to the point. He's gonna start
going to school here to finish his senior year."
"Ok," then I heard Clorise start crying, so I ran to my room and got
her out of her crib.
"Hey Clo," Mom said.
"Say hi, Grandma," I said to Clorise.
Wade looked at me. "You're a senior right?" he asked.
"Yeah," I told him smiling.
Mom looked at me, "Can you show him around school tomorrow?"
"I reckon, but I have to go do homework now," I told her.
"Ok, can you pick him up? He doesn't know how to get there."
"Yeah, where do you live?"
"Up the street, I'm the third house on the right," Wade told me
smiling.
"So he lives next to G-Ma," I told mom.
"Yeah," she said smiling.
"Alright, be ready by 7:15. I wanna get a head of the buses that come
down this road."
"Ok, I'll be ready," he said smiling.
"Ok," I looked at mom. "I'm gonna go do my government homework, and I
told Cassie I would call her and help her on it too."
"Do you want me to watch Clo?" she asked.
"Would you? It'll only take like 15 minutes," I told her.
"Give her to me," she said smiling.
"I'll be right back, Baby Girl," I handed her to mom, said bye to Wade
who was gonna leave in a few and walked to my room.
I called Cassie and helped her with the homework and told her about
Wade.
Around 5:30 I fed Clorise and mom wanted to get her to sleep, so I did
her laundry and made some bottles, then studied.
Around 6:30, Clo woke up, so I played with her. At 8:00 I got in the
shower and mom brought Clo in there to take one with me.
Mom put her to sleep at 10:30 and then I went to bed at 11.
The next morning, Dad came in at 6:45 and woke me up. I got dressed in
a pair of flare jeans and a baby doll tee that said 'Angel.'
I grabbed my stuff and closed the door quietly after me. I took the
monitor into Mom's room so she could listen out for Clorise.
I made some bottles for Clorise and left the house at 7:10 with
Dad.
"Don't forget to pick up Wade," Dad said before getting in his
truck.
"I won't, bye love ya," and he pulled out and I pulled out after
him.
I pulled into Wade's driveway at 7:12. He came outside. He was wearing
a pair of baggy jeans and a white tank under a red button up
shirt.
He climbed in and smiled at me. "Thanks again," he said.
"No prob...so tell me about you," I told him smiling.
"Well, I'm from Tennessee, my family moved down here when I was five.
Then we moved back to Tennessee. Then at Christmas we came down here
when I was ten, then we went back. Then last month, Mom decided to move
down here....so here we are."
"That's neat," I beeped the horn outside of Cassie's house. She was
getting in her car, so she waved and beeped back.
We continued talking then the question came. "Are you Clorise's
mother?" he asked me.
I looked at him, "Yes, I am her mother."
"Where's the Dad?"
"I don't feel like talking about it," I told him, pulling into the
school's parking lot.
"Oh, ok...you don't have to," he paused. "But, if you ever need
someone to talk to....I'm here."
"Thanks," I replied hopping out the truck. Cassie pulled up beside us
and got out her car.
I introduced Wade to Cassie then we started walking up to the school.
The buses start coming at 7:30, so we stood outside and waited for our
friends to come.
At 7:35, the first bus came. It was late. My friend Deandrew got off.
He walked over to us and gave me a hug.
"Why didn't you drive today, D?" Cassie asked him.
"My car wouldn't go forwards," he replied.
"Do you have transmission fluid in it?" I asked him.
"I don't know," we continued talking. Our other friends showed up and
then the bell rang.
"Come on Wade," I said grabbing his arm. "Stay close, the crowd
pushes."
"I can tell," he said grabbing my hand.
I got him to the office and they sent us to Guidance. He had already
signed up and everything so all he needed was his schedule.
He got that, and we walked out. We went back to the office and Ms.
Woodbrook wrote me a pass to get to class after I finished showing him
around.
We had first block together. That was Government. I told him we had
that with Cassie.
Then he had Mr. Suplee for carpentry for second block. I showed him
where that was.
"After second, we eat lunch. Meet me outside at that pole," I said
pointing to it.
"Ok," then I showed him where his third block was.
"I have this class with you," I told him smiling.
"What class is this?"
"Music Appreciation with Ms. Kahn."
Then I showed him his fourth block. "You have Intro to Food with Ms.
Ward," I told him.
"I don't want a food class."
"It might be fun," I paused. "Besides, you can cook me a good Southern
dinner." I told him smiling. We headed back to our first block.
"You'll like Mr. Medjuck, he's nice," then we walked in and I gave him
the pass and he told us what we were doing.
When that class was over, we went our separate ways.
In second, I was talking to Deandrew when Wade came and knocked on the
door.
He looked at me and smiled. I walked over to him, "what's the
matter?"
"Mr. Suplee wants to see you," he told me.
Ms. Cauffiel said I could go, so I walked out with Wade.
Turns out, Mr. Suplee wanted me to help Wade out at home to catch him
up on things, so I told him I would. Then I went back to my art
class.
The bell rang to go to lunch, so I walked down the hall and went
outside to wait for Wade to get there.
He came outside and then we walked back in the school.
"Are you hungry?" I asked Wade.
"A little," so we got in line. Cassie and Deandrew showed up along
with Daphne and Wendell, two of our friends.
I bought an oatmeal cookie and a drink. Wade brought a whole lunch as
did Wendell, Deandrew, Cassie, and Daphne just got fries.
Then we went outside to eat.
We were out there talking a eating when Adrian came over. "Hey Babe,"
he said giving me a hug.
"Get the hell away from me," I said pushing him away.
"Oh, come one Girl! You know you like me."
"Leave her alone," Deandrew said.
"Stay out of this," Adrian said glaring at D.
"Just leave her alone," Wendell said standing up.
"She don't like your stink ass," Cassie said smiling at him.
"Hey! Ad, come over here! Leave the Slut alone!" Adrian's friend
called over to him.
Wade looked at me.
"Who you calling slut boy?" I yelled at him.
"You! You have a three month old," Esau, Adrian's friend said.
"At least I take care of my baby, you have two and you don't help
their mom's out at all."
Then the bell rang so they went in. They were juniors.
Wade looked at me. "Who were they?"
"Just some juniors who likes Dala," Wendell said answering for
me.
"Oh," we continued eating then the bell rang, so Wade and I headed to
Mrs. Kahn's class.
We had fun in that class. When the bell rang, I told Wade to meet me
at the pole after school, then we went our separate ways.
I had teacher cadet class. I have that class with my friends, Dixie,
Tania, and Shanika.
The bell rang so all four of us walked out to the pole and waited for
Wade and the others.
Wade came walking out with Deandrew. "Hey Dala, D and I have the same
food class," Wade told me smiling.
"But we're gonna switch out," D said.
"To what class?" I asked.
"Teacher Cadet," Wade said.
Dixie looked at me and winked, "ya'll would be the only boys in that
class."
D looked at me, "ya'll have that class right?"
"Yeah, we have that class," Dixie answered.
"Then we'll have fun."
D got on his bus after giving me a hug and then the rest of us went
down to the parking lot.
"Hey Dala, do you think you could take a look at my engine please?"
Wendell asked me.
"Sure, what's the problem?"
"It seems to click every time I go over 50."
"It's a loose wire probably, pop the hood and I'll take a look."
He popped the hood and I took a look at it. I was right....it was a
loose wire, so I tightened it up for him.
Then Wade and I got in my truck and went home.
I dropped him off at his house and told him I'd pick him up in the
morning if he wanted.
"The same time?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright, I'll be ready."
I went home and did my usual routine. I played with Clorise, fed her,
gave her a bath and then got her to sleep. Then I went to bed. The next
day was the same and that's how it was for the rest of the year.
Wade and D got in my Teacher Cadet class, they had fun.
The last day of school, Wade and I got to school like usual. But this
time, we were holding hands. That's right, we started dating a couple
months after he moved down here.
"So Dala....you going to college?" D asked me.
"Yeah, are you?"
"I might," he paused. "I'm gonna wait a year though."
"I'm taking night classes at Piedmont, so I can watch Clorise during
the day," I told him.
The bell rang, so we all went into the school and had our last day of
High School!
The bell rang at one and Wade and I met all the others at 'our'
pole.
Wade and I said bye to all the others and we left the high
school.
I went home and played with Clorise. Wade came over later and all
three of us went to town.
A year later, I started going to night classes at Piedmont while Wade
went full time.
Wade came over and hung out with me and Clorise when he didn't have
class.
And that's how it went until I graduated along with Wade four years
later.
A year later Wade and I got married. Clorise was our flower
girl.
Mom had wanted to watch Clo one day, so me and Wade hung out around
our house when the question I thought he had forgotten about, came
up.
"Dala, are you ever gonna tell me about Clorise's dad?"
I looked at him. "I hoped you had forgotten about that."
"I just want to know about him," he said giving me a small
smile.
"Ok," I paused. "His name is Fabian Manpreet."
"Didn't he go to school? I think there was a Fabian in my carpentry
class."
"He was. That's why I didn't tell you who he was because you would
have said something to him."
"You're right, I would have," he paused. "How come he never asked
about Clo?"
"He didn't want a reputation of being a father?"
"Did you date him?"
"Yeah, for about six months. He got me drunk and raped me."
"I'm sorry Hunny," he said giving me a hug.
An hour later, we went to pick Clorise up from Mom.
We were a happy family. Clorise calls Wade daddy. I never told her
about her real dad. Just letting her think Wade was.
That's how our life went. Clo grew up and went to college and got
married. She had a baby, making Wade and I grandparents.
We loved spoiling her baby girl, Callina, then we would send her home
to her mommy and daddy.