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My sister, Barbara thought. Hearing that, she felt a swirl of emotions in a split second. It went from, she’s not my sister, but yeah, she is, to, what the fuck is she doing here? And then she thought, I don’t need your help, but I’m glad you were here, because I kinda did need you.
“Your sister?” Streak took a step back, looked back and forth between the two sisters and saw the resemblance. “That mean she’s…”
Tenikka nodded her head as comprehension dawned on his face. “Bobby Ray’s daughter. So, if you don’t feel like dying, you need to walk.”
“I’m sorry,” Streak said quickly to Barbara and walked away.
Barbara was surprised at the effect the mention of her father’s name had on Streak. He was scared, Barbara thought.
“Come on,” Tenikka said. “Time for you girls to go.”
On the way home, Destiny passed out in the back seat while the two sisters had their first chance to really talk. Sure, they had spoken before, but each bared a certain degree of animosity toward the other. So, riding in the car together was a little uncomfortable, especially for Barbara.
“Does our father know you out here like this?”
“No,” she said quickly.
First off, Barbara didn’t like the sound of the words, our father, coming out of her mouth and at the same time, she was nervous, because the last thing Barbara needed was for this sister wanna-be to tell her Daddy.
Tenikka laughed. “Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna run and tell him,” she said, and Barbara relaxed a little, but I still ain’t feeling that ‘our father’ shit. “We’re sisters; we gotta look out for each other.”
I don’t need you to look out for me. “I guess,” Barbara said and rolled her eyes. But you did just look out for me.
Tenikka shook her head. She didn’t need the attitude, but she did understand it. This entire situation was going to take getting used to for everybody and that included her. One day she was an only child, and then suddenly she had a father, a brother and three sisters.
“Look, Barbara, I know you don’t like me. And truth be told, when our father introduced me to you, I didn’t like you either.”
“Why?”
“I was mad at you.”
“Me? What I do?”
“Nothing. That’s why I got over it.”
“But why was you mad at me?”
“’Cause I didn’t have it like you had it. I didn’t grow up with a father. It was just me and my mother and we didn’t have a whole lot, so I didn’t grow up pampered princess like you did.”
“But daddy didn’t know about you,” Barbara said quickly in defense of her father.
“I know the truth now, but growing up, it didn’t make no difference, I didn’t have a daddy. I didn’t have a daddy to spoil me like he spoils you,” Tenikka said.
“He doesn’t spoil me,” Barbara said, and she knew she was lying when she said it. That’s why she couldn’t be mad at Tenikka for calling her pampered princess, because it was true. She was Barbie. That’s what her girls called her. She used to hate it, but she had gotten used to it. Barbie was the princess who had it all, and that was Barbara.
“Yes he does,” Tenikka laughed. “’Cause he spoils me now. This car, my clothes, my condo, he brought all that shit for me and he pays my tuition. I know it’s to make up for all the years he wasn’t there for me. But he does it and I know he would have treated me the same way he did you.”
“But he didn’t know.”
“Well, yeah, he did.”
“He did?” Barbara questioned and Tenikka told her sister how when her mother, Keisha Mack, got pregnant, she would tell anybody who’d listen that it was Bobby Ray’s baby. But because of the reputation Keisha and her twin sister, Connie had for being available and easy, Bobby denied that the baby was his.
He didn’t know that Connie was the one that was available and easy, Keisha had just gotten caught up in her sister’s reputation. She wasn’t easy, Keisha was in love with Bobby and she was heartbroken when he denied their child.
When Tenikka was born, there was no doubt in Keisha’s mind that Bobby was the father because she looked just like him. “He can’t deny this baby anymore,” Connie said that day at the hospital.
But Keisha’s response was. “Fuck Bobby.”
