That stupid date kept replaying in my head over and over, why did I agree to be open minded? Maybe I was just curious and really wanted to find out about this mysterious person but was I really attracted to a male? His voice didn't sound macho masculine but it is a few octaves lower than mines. He said he went through some changes, what kind of changes could that be? Could both of our parents force us to be something that we're not? Because if so then this could be our gateway out of this marriage. Maybe we could get married then go our separate ways, we would meet up for business proposals but live separate lives in the same house, that could definitely work. I wasn't attracted to men, if anything I actually disliked them but Kwashie was an exception. I liked him as a person, I didn't feel any sexual attraction towards him.. we could be like brothers and sisters or best friends! I need to tell him that I'm gay. I took out my phone to call him when I realized that I didn't have his number, maybe my mother did.

"Mother," I said walking into the kitchen.

"Yes Zidania?" She said looking up from her coffee and paperwork.

"Do you by any chance have Kwashie Ekuban's number," I asked.

"No," she said turning her attention back to the papers.

I sighed and walked away when I heard her say, "Richard has it."

I ran back up to my room to call Richard, he had three phones and the one I was about to call he would surely answer.

"What's the emergency???" He picked up on the first ring.

"Send me Kwashie's number."

"That's not an emergency," he hissed his teeth.

"It is. You said I should get to know this person soooo send me his number." I said.

"I'll text it." He sighed.

"Thanks dad, you're the best." I shouted.

"Someone's excited about that."

"Isn't this your emergency only phone? Why're you still talking to me?"

"I.." he started but hissed his teeth and disconnected the call.

In a minute my phone beeped suggesting that I have a new message and there it was, Kwashie's number waiting on me to use it. I saved it and then hit the call button.

"Ekuban speaking," he picked up on the fourth ring.

"Uhhhh..." No words could come to my mouth.

"Who is this?" He asked.

"Uhmm.. I just called to say here is my number." I stumbled over his words.

"Is this Zidania?" His African accent was thick.

"Uh yeah.." I dragged out.

"I shall save it, my love." He said.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I am doing well Zidania and how are you?"

"Can you call me Zim please and I'm fine."

"Sure, Zim." I could see him smiling on the other end. I could hear it in his voice.

"Thanks, I gotta go."

"Okay. I will call you later when I am through with my business."

"Bye."

"Ciao," He said and disconnected the call.

I held my phone in my hand staring at it, I think something is definitely wrong with me. I should've said that I was gay but what would his reaction be? Mother did say that I wasn't to embarrass the family but I don't want to be in an unhappy marriage. I wanted to marry for love and that love was supposed to be with Carter Jones, I wanted to be selfish and keep her but I didn't want her to not fully have me. I'd be married and she would just be there on the sidelines, not really getting the recognition that she deserves. I'm now realizing that I don't deserve her, maybe it's better off this way. Since I was 15 she's been there with me to help me out of my depression and to feed me ice cream whenever my mother would get too rough. She cleaned up my cuts and kissed my scars. I was sad. I turned on my television and it was already on Cartoon Network, I never really changed the channel anyways but all that was showing were re-runs and I got bored instantly so I took up my controller and turned my X-BOX on deciding to play some Ghost Recon and maybe Halo later on.

"Zim." I heard a knock at my door so I paused the game.

"Come in," I said sitting up on my bed.

"Hey, have you left your room since morning?" Richard asked.

"Yeah I left before I called you to ask for the number, which was like thirty minutes ago or something. Why you home so early?"

"Zim, it's after 7 in the night." He said.

"What??" I was puzzled. My drapes were drawn so no natural light came in. I took up my phone to see that it was indeed after 7 PM.

"Well, that sounds like a no. Dinner's ready." He said and left.

I threw the controller onto my bed and got up. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and went to my closet for a pair of sweat pants and a feminine looking tank top. I left my room, running down the stairs to get to the dinning room before my mother started shouting my name. We didn't have a chef, my mother prepared everything herself and it was only the three of us anyways. I sat at my seat with her and Richard glaring at me, I held out my hand so they could each hold one and my mother prayed.

"Amen.." I said. I scooped out rice covering half of my plate then filled the rest with Mac and cheese, salad and baked chicken. I knew she had stew at the other end of the table but I needed to clear some space on my plate first before I added any.

They were talking and I was busy shoveling food into my mouth and sipping wine. If it's one thing my mother knew how it do, it was cook. The mac and cheese was peerrrfect! I had enough space on my plate to get some stew so I reached over and scooped some up.

"You are going to get fat if you continue eating like that," My mother said.

"Nope,"I lifted my shirt to look at my toned stomach. I didn't beg Richard for a home gym for nothing.

"That's my girl," Richard lifted his hand for a high five which I gladly hit his open palm.

"Sophie," Richard got my mother's attention.

"Yes Richard?" My mother answered.

"I was thinking. Since Zim is willing to go through with the marriage for us do you think you could allow her to start dressing how she wants to?" He asked her.

"Her name is Zidania and no, I cannot allow her to be running around looking like some dyke. She needs to present herself like the perfect wife she will be." She countered.

"Well I guess we're going to have a disagreement then because I think she deserves it and I also think you shouldn't use that word." He shot back.

I sat quietly looking with the wine glass in my hand.

"Where is all of this coming from?" She asked him.

"I just think she's of age and can make decisions on her own." He said. True dat!

"You have to understand Richard, she needs guidance."

"Does she really? I've spent the last three years watching you pester and beat her and she has done nothing but accept everything. She has perfected both languages, her posture is unbreakable and she embodies a strong woman. Why is that so hard to see?" He stated. Oh, you a truther?

"This is not up for debate." She said trying to drop the argument.

"You are right. ZIM, from now on you can dress how you would like to and express yourself as you see fit." He exaggerated on my nickname.

"Thanks DAD," I exaggerated the dad with a smile.

"This is unacceptable," my mother bickered.

"You hear something?" Richard asked. Oh my god, he's around me too much.

"Lemon Grab," I answered pouring more wine into my glass.

"Could be, how about we watch some tv afterwards? I would like to show you the contract." He said.

"Big bet."

Mother didn't leave the table, she ate in silence and waited on us to finish so she could clean the table up afterwards. I followed Richard to his office and sat in the chair in front of his desk. He walked around to his big leather chair and sat down, he opened a draw and took out a folder dropping it onto the polished desk.

"Here is the contract, read it through. Your signature is the only one missing from this contract even though it is still valid with or without it." He said.

"Then why is it needed?" I asked.

"Formality and legal consent but it was created before you were 18 so as your legal guardian we signed for you."

"So why is it needed?" I asked again.

"And again, formality."

"I know that you're gay but no one else does. I made sure that I included consent in that document, and also compromise. I got you girl but you have to have me too. There is something that will come to the light sooner or later. I knew you were gay from the beginning, well at least I figured because of CJ and how you would dress like a little tomboy. What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to change who you are to please us and this contract." He was rambling, he rambled when he was trying to hide something.

"What are you not telling me?" I asked him.

"It's not my business to tell."

"I am your business, literally. So tell me."

"Buts it's not about you."

"Then who is it about?" I asked.

"Can't tell you."

"I'll sign."

"Still can't tell you."

"I'll sign and I'll go out on another date with Kwashie."

"Oooh that's a big bargain," he laughed.

"Do we have a deal?"

"No," he continued laughing. "Come on, I checked the schedule and Adventure Time should be having a marathon tonight." He got up and opened the office door waiting on me to walk out.

"You're despicable," i said while flashing my hair.

"It's what I do best," he locked the door behind him and walked to the family theater.

Once we got there, he pressed a button on the wall and spoke into the receiver.

"Sharon? Ah yes, Richard here..... you know?... how do you know?... well I guess that makes sense... bring us some snacks please.. it's me and Zim.... strawberry and chocolate chip cookies... oatmeal and granola... yes... yes.. there's new liquor in the cabinet.. bring whiskey.. yes that's all... no, nothing else.. yes.. yes... no... Sharon, just bring the snacks that were mentioned.. yeah I know but you're asking too much... don't geez me woman.. gosh." He let the button go and rolled his eyes.

He and Sharon bickered 24/7 and it was funny. He was kind to me all these years, never talked down nor belittled me and I loved him as if he were my own father. The theater was pretty small, it wasn't as big as the one at CJ's house but we enjoyed it. We sat down beside each other and he took up the remote turning the projector on. We missed the first two episodes in the marathon but it was for an hour and each Adventure Time episode was like 15 minutes or less I think.

"Adventure time, come on grab your friends," I grabbed his hand and looked over at him. "Let's go to very distant lands. Jake the dog and Finn the Human, the fun will never end. It's Adventure Time!" I sang out.

We laughed and watched the episode. I always found it funny that Jake had the more human name of the two, I always wanted a dog he might not be able to do everything that Jake does but he'd be a great companion. Sharon came in with the snacks and the drinks. We both got individual ice cream tubs so I took my strawberry and he took his chocolate, I shook out the granola from the container into the tub and began eating grabbing for a chocolate chip cookie every now and then.

"It's a good thing we have a home gym," Richard said and I laughed out. He was right because we ate like fat fucks.

"It's a good thing Sharon makes us green juice too," I added.

"You're right because we would've been one of those rare cases were fit people actually die from heart disease." He said still laughing.

"Damn Richard," I continued laughing too.

We ate our cookies and ice cream and drank our whiskey in contentment while watching our Adventure Time marathon. He introduced me to whiskey since I was 16, said I should learn how to handle my liquor and ever since then we would sit and drink whiskey straight or on the rocks while reading the daily newspaper. I'd also drink cognac, I've come to have a love for dark liquor that vodka tasted bland to me. I looked over at Richard and realized that he was the best thing that has happened to me, not even to my mother but to me. He took me from poverty and brought me up to this lavish lifestyle that my mother could never do for us. I couldn't be ungrateful could I? He wasn't a terrible step father, he was actually the best and he still looked out for me even though he signed my hand away in a contract three years ago. It's contradicting and confusing I know but I appreciate what he did and his keen eye, I couldn't ask for more. Well I could but I wasn't going to, I was going to sign that contract. I wondered why it had a non disclosure form attached as well, I was going to sign that too since we wanted to keep our business within the family. The McGlashans and the Ekubans. I wasn't going drop my last name so maybe McGlashan Ekuban? That's long but it would have to suffice. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all....