his smile couldn’t get any bigger. “Well, I’m here now, and I want to show off my amazing daughter.”
“Sir, are you on the list of family members or friends that can pick her up?” Susan crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t just let anyone have contact with our kids.”
“Ms. Susan, this is my dad.” Michele took a possessive stance in front of Cody. She dug in her back pocket and grabbed her cell. “I’m calling my mom.”
“Michele, you don’t have to call Shon.” Cody started marching up the stairs.
“Sir, you can’t enter the premises.”
Cody stopped, turning around to meet her stare. “Instead of asking me all these questions, why don’t you ask me for my ID and go check to see if I am on the list?”
The lady’s lips thinned, and she rushed past him up the stairs.
“If I said yes, are you just going let me in without verifying who I am?” Cody twisted around and continued toward the double doors.
“Good morning, Cody.” Crystal smiled as they entered the center.
“Hey, Crystal,” Cody replied.
“You see, Michele, your dad made it after all.” Crystal touched Michele’s arm.
Susan watched Crystal’s interaction with Cody. “You know him?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, this is Michele’s dad.” Crystal began writing in a note pad she had in her hand. “Shon introduced us weeks ago. Why, is there a problem?”
“No, there’s no issue, Crystal.” Cody swiped the card the youth center had given him when Shon signed him in as Michele’s dad. At the center, every time you dropped off or picked up a kid, the adult needed to swipe their card. Susan looked at the card in his hand. “Susan didn’t know Michele had a father,” he said with sarcasm in his tone.
“What!” Crystal arched her eyebrows, looking at the blonde lady.
“Sir, you could’ve just told me.”
“Ma’am, you were rude to my child and me.” Michele pulled his hand. “I will be complaining.”
“Dad, come on.” She guided him down the hallway. “They are about to start the father, kids dance challenge.” She giggled. “I hope you can dance.”
“Oh, baby girl, your daddy has moves,” he chuckled.
“We’ll see.” She smiled up at him, opening the door to the lunchroom.
Music blasted from the center speakers. They’d turned the lunch area to a dance hall. All the chairs and tables were pushed to the side of the room. There was a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The boys and their fathers were on the far right, standing by, and the girls and their fathers were in the middle of the floor, getting ready to dance.
“Come on, Dad, they’re about to start.” Michele guided him to the front of the other girls.
“Dads … and daughters…” Crystal yelled into the mic. “Are you ready to wobble?”
“Yes!” Michele giggled, jumping up and down, clapping her hands with the other girls.
Everyone lined up when the music began playing. Michele started dancing next to him. She moved her hips from side to side, jumping forward, and she shook her body before jumping back. Michele stepped to the right, left, and then back. “Dad…” She stopped dancing, looking at him. “You don’t know how to wobble?”
Cody smiled and jumped in, following the group to the right, left, and then back. He added swag with every step he took, dropping it low, swaying from side to side. He doubled stepped, making his little girl laugh as she followed his lead. They were laughing and having fun. She turned to the side, and they continued the dance routine. Michele’s smile made this all worth it. He didn’t realize how much he needed her in his life. He had everything a man his age wanted, except a family, and now they were at his fingertips, and he would do everything in his power to hold on to them.
The song ended. “Dad, you were great. How did you learn to dance like
“Sir, are you on the list of family members or friends that can pick her up?” Susan crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t just let anyone have contact with our kids.”
“Ms. Susan, this is my dad.” Michele took a possessive stance in front of Cody. She dug in her back pocket and grabbed her cell. “I’m calling my mom.”
“Michele, you don’t have to call Shon.” Cody started marching up the stairs.
“Sir, you can’t enter the premises.”
Cody stopped, turning around to meet her stare. “Instead of asking me all these questions, why don’t you ask me for my ID and go check to see if I am on the list?”
The lady’s lips thinned, and she rushed past him up the stairs.
“If I said yes, are you just going let me in without verifying who I am?” Cody twisted around and continued toward the double doors.
“Good morning, Cody.” Crystal smiled as they entered the center.
“Hey, Crystal,” Cody replied.
“You see, Michele, your dad made it after all.” Crystal touched Michele’s arm.
Susan watched Crystal’s interaction with Cody. “You know him?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, this is Michele’s dad.” Crystal began writing in a note pad she had in her hand. “Shon introduced us weeks ago. Why, is there a problem?”
“No, there’s no issue, Crystal.” Cody swiped the card the youth center had given him when Shon signed him in as Michele’s dad. At the center, every time you dropped off or picked up a kid, the adult needed to swipe their card. Susan looked at the card in his hand. “Susan didn’t know Michele had a father,” he said with sarcasm in his tone.
“What!” Crystal arched her eyebrows, looking at the blonde lady.
“Sir, you could’ve just told me.”
“Ma’am, you were rude to my child and me.” Michele pulled his hand. “I will be complaining.”
“Dad, come on.” She guided him down the hallway. “They are about to start the father, kids dance challenge.” She giggled. “I hope you can dance.”
“Oh, baby girl, your daddy has moves,” he chuckled.
“We’ll see.” She smiled up at him, opening the door to the lunchroom.
Music blasted from the center speakers. They’d turned the lunch area to a dance hall. All the chairs and tables were pushed to the side of the room. There was a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The boys and their fathers were on the far right, standing by, and the girls and their fathers were in the middle of the floor, getting ready to dance.
“Come on, Dad, they’re about to start.” Michele guided him to the front of the other girls.
“Dads … and daughters…” Crystal yelled into the mic. “Are you ready to wobble?”
“Yes!” Michele giggled, jumping up and down, clapping her hands with the other girls.
Everyone lined up when the music began playing. Michele started dancing next to him. She moved her hips from side to side, jumping forward, and she shook her body before jumping back. Michele stepped to the right, left, and then back. “Dad…” She stopped dancing, looking at him. “You don’t know how to wobble?”
Cody smiled and jumped in, following the group to the right, left, and then back. He added swag with every step he took, dropping it low, swaying from side to side. He doubled stepped, making his little girl laugh as she followed his lead. They were laughing and having fun. She turned to the side, and they continued the dance routine. Michele’s smile made this all worth it. He didn’t realize how much he needed her in his life. He had everything a man his age wanted, except a family, and now they were at his fingertips, and he would do everything in his power to hold on to them.
The song ended. “Dad, you were great. How did you learn to dance like
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