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“You good to go, boss. I think that put you back in action,” I told Rich, one of the regular customers at Q’s Auto Repair.

“Boy, I’m so glad I came down here. The folks at the other place had me thinking I needed a new transmission. I ain’t got no money to be replacing the transmission on this old-ass truck. I’m trying to get what’s left out of it before I start throwing around money.”

“Well, I think that tune-up put you back in the game for a while.”

“I appreciate you. You know I’ll be back when it’s time to get this oil changed again.”

“We’ll be here,” I assured him as I headed inside to wash my hands.

I was starving, so I couldn’t wait to get out of the shop for a minute and grab lunch. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I dried my hands on a paper towel. Pulling my phone out, I smiled at a text notification from my daughter. I missed her like hell, but nothing made me prouder than having a freshman in college.

Amber: Miss you dad.

Me: Miss you more, baby girl. You know if you need me I’m jumping on the road no matter what time it is day or night.

Amber: I know. Please don’t jump on the road. I’m fine. I just knew you were going crazy since I haven’t checked in for a few days.

She was right, but I wasn’t going to admit it. My daughter had been trying to convince me that she was grown ever since she left for college. I didn’t like that concept.

I cried at her high school graduation just like I did on her first day of school. Amber was my pride and joy. She was my little girl, but I wanted my baby girl to bloom into the woman she was meant to be. As hard as it was, I knew I had to let her grow up.

Me: Either way. I’m here.

Amber: Oh, I made an A on that anatomy test.

Me: See, I never doubted you. How many times do I have to tell you you’re a genius?

I wasn’t just saying that because I was her dad either. Amber was smart as hell. She probably got most of that from her mom. I wasn’t a dummy by a long shot, but I never cared about school. Most of my education came from the streets. Her mother, Crystal, was a certified bookworm.

My daughter took after her mom in that department. She was studying to be a pediatrician. Although my pockets didn’t like the idea of my daughter being in school for the foreseeable future, I couldn’t wait until she had a white lab coat with her name on it.

“I’m headed out. Anybody want anything from the sandwich shop?” I called to the guys as I moved through the room.

I knew better than to ask, since every hand in the room shot up as they simultaneously yelled out their orders.

“Jake, call it in. Get me a meatball sub on Italian garlic,” I told one of the mechanics.

By the time I made it to my car, my phone was ringing again. I took it out of my pocket before climbing in the car. Seeing Victor’s school’s name immediately gave me indigestion. I was so sick of going down there that I didn’t know what to do.

Victor was smart as hell like his sister, but if he wasn’t fighting, he was saying something to prove just how smart his mouth was. Every time he acted out, I had to go to the school for a conference.

“Hello,” I answered, deciding not to avoid the inevitable.

“Mr. Woods, Victor has been in an altercation. We need you to come down at your earliest convenience.”

“An altercation? Is he OK?”

“He’s fine, but since you’re our only contact, we need you to come pick him up,” the woman stated.

I threw my head back as I tore out of the lot and raced in the direction of my son’s school. I had taken off a few days the previous week because Victor had caught the virus going around his school. Now I had to go pick him up for fighting. It stressed me out that I didn’t have anyone who I could rely on when it came to my son.

Although Amber’s mother and I were never a couple, I made sure to do more than my fair share when it came to showing up for my daughter. I never wanted Crystal to feel like she was a single mother just because we weren’t in a relationship.

My son Victor’s mom was a whole different story. I met her when she was a stripper at Club Velvet, and we fooled around for a couple of months before I found out that her drug of choice was cocaine.

That wasn’t that much of an issue for me since the shit was casual. To each his or her own. Back then, most of my income still came from my coke business. So, who the hell was I to judge?

In my wildest dreams, I didn’t imagine that one night the condom would break, and seven and a half months later I would be the father to a premature little boy whose mom couldn’t even be bothered to visit him in the NICU. She admitted that she had been messing around with a couple of other guys who helped her out with her bills and wasn’t even sure that I was Victor’s dad. Once the paternity was proven, I went through hell to get custody of my son.