“We have to check ourselves, allow us to do our job and this will go smoothly. You don’t want to mess with us, ma’am.”
“Wait one damn minute. It’s me you don’t want to mess with, so let's be clear, I will allow you access, but this isn’t going to go how you want it. You must not know who my father is,” I fussed.
I hated to name-drop, but Carl had me confused with someone else. He didn’t scare me. I knew my shit was legit, and they were fucking with me. This had to be a joke.
“It was your father who provided the report, Ms. LeJune. Please step aside. We’ve got work to do.”
“Hold up, man, did you say her father sent you? And you know her inspection is up to date, but you don’t care. Let me check your credentials,” Houston spoke up for me because I couldn’t speak for myself right now. My father was trying to sabotage my business. I couldn’t understand why he was being so malicious. If this were over, me not working for him, I could assure you this wouldn’t change a damn thing.
“Sir and who are you?”
“Don’t fucking matter, you got credentials or not, homie?”
“Ok, let's try this tomorrow. Ms. LeJune, we will be back tomorrow to start the inspection. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“That’s what the hell I thought,” he commented before closing the door. I watched out the window as the three men climbed in their service vehicles. The building was old, and I was worried that my father had sold me the business in hopes of using it against me.
“This is some bullshit,” I screamed, grabbing my things. Before I did anything I was going to visit my father. He needed to explain this shit and his motive. I already knew his motive, he wanted to send a warningshot. He wanted me to know that at any moment he could take the one thing that made me happy. This was disturbing and I hated that Houston had to see me coming unglued.
“I’m sorry this is going down. I’ll fight your pops if you want me to,” he mentioned face as stiff as a board. He wasn’t joking, and I considered it. He wasn’t the only one that could send a warning shot. “Real shit, Teaghan, this is foul, and I can handle it, just say the word.”
“Houston, it’s ok really. Thank you for buying me some time. What time should I be ready?”
“You still wanna go out after this?” he asked.
“Yep, he can’t win and take everything from me,” I smiled. I’m sure my father wanted me to fall apart over this situation, but I wasn’t going to. Eventually, everything would work out in my favor. I was doing kingdom work. This was my gift and it could be done anywhere. I was confident that sooner or later this would blow up in my father’s face. It didn’t remove how pissed off I was, but I wasn’t going home to cry in my pillow, about this. He got my attention and that was about it. No victory would come from his malicious acts.
“Be ready by six, don’t forget to dress nice. Text me your address,” he said kissing my cheek and squeezing my hand.
We left out together and I was headed to see my father. He had some explaining to do and it couldn’t wait until I calmed down. His disregard for what I wanted out of life was out of line. The only thing I kept thinking about as I drove was my patients and how long this would take. What would I do with my time? How would I fuel my ignited passion while sitting home? I couldn’t sit around doing nothing. I couldn’t even enjoy the idea of having a date later due to his shit.
* * *
At home, I could hear laughter coming from the kitchen. It brought back happier times, and I winced. Franklin could be happy, but I couldn’t. That was some shit that was going over my head. All his life he claimed he wanted to be at the forefront for the people. That’s what made him happy and no one pushed that on him so where did he figure he could push hisshit on me.
“Dad, I’m disappointed,” I said, cutting him and my mom right off. I slammed the report down on the counter. She looked between us, and his smile disappeared. One for Teaghan, I thought. No smiling would be going on while I was in turmoil.
“Dear, can you excuse us?” he said, speaking to my mother but looking at me.
“Not so fast. Mom, stay here,” he wasn’t about to keep her in the dark and leave himself out of the dog house. She needed to hear about his last stunt. My mother was a wonderful, soft-spoken lady who assumed her husband could do no wrong. Good things came from that, but it always left me feeling alone and like she didn’t have my back. That was the weird part of our relationship. I loved her even though she never stood up for me and my dreams. “Dad reported my building to Building and Codes today. I’ve been shut down. Happy now?”
“Frank?” she screeched again look between us both. We were both locked in a stare-down. I wanted him to say something that made sense. That would soften the blow. Anything that would help me walk from my childhood home with love in my heart for him.
“Dionna, I just brought it up in casual conversation. I can’t help what anyone does with it from that point,” he shrugged.
“Really, Dad? I wish you would just understand that working for you isn’t something that I want to do. I think the work you do is wonderful but it’s not for me. You can’t keep forcing me to do something that would make me miserable because you want me to do something else.”
I would never take away from my father’s career choice, but I wasn’t going to be stuck in a dead-end profession just so he could accept me.
“Frank, this has gone on long enough. Teaghan isn’t a competitor you can just screw with to fit your view. She is our daughter. She is smart, she loves what she does, and she does a damn good job standing in the gap for children that may not have someone otherwise. What you did was childish, and I’m disgusted with how you’ve been carrying on. Let her live or deal with me.”
“Dad can’t you see this is causing unnecessary conflict. You act like I’m stripping or prostituting.”
“This just isn’t what I had in mind for you and I don’t know that itwill ever change. You should not be making pennies when you can make a life for yourself that is beyond your wildest dreams. That’s just how I feel. I reported you because working for me is where you need to be,” he fussed as if he didn’t care that what he was saying was insane. Me and my mother just stared at him unsure of who we were looking at. He was a stranger in my eyes, a nobody, an intruder.
“Mom thank you for finally seeing what I see, I’ve got a date to prepare for. Talk some sense into this stranger or forget about me.”
“A date,” he asked.