Nobody's Son by Zaria Garrison Read Free Book Online Page B

and begin snoring loudly.
    â€œMarion, I didn’t know you were here too!” Miss Minnie screeched.
    Rip slowly opened his eyes realizing that it was early Sunday morning. Miss Minnie stood over him wearing a bright pink flowered dress with a matching huge pink and white hat. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up.
    â€œGood morning, Miss Minnie. I got here last night. How are you?”
    â€œI’m fine, just fine. You boys better get up or you gonna be late for church.”
    Rip threw the quilt off of his lap and stood up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring any church clothes with me this trip. Maybe I’ll go next time.”
    â€œYou can borrow one of my suits,” Semaj suggested.
    Rip noticed his cousin standing in the doorway dressed in a charcoal grey suit with a black tie and white shirt.
    â€œUm, all right, I guess. Give me a few minutes to get dressed and I’ll join you guys.”
    In their small community the local AME church was only a few miles down the street. After Rip was dressed, he offered to drive both Semaj and Miss Minnie in his Chrysler 300.
    â€œThis is a nice car, Marion,” Miss Minnie remarked once she was seated in the backseat.
    â€œThanks, and please call me Rip. I hate being called Marion. That sounds like a woman’s name.”
    â€œI’m not gonna call you by that awful drug name. I thought you’d left that lifestyle behind you after you got shot,” she said.
    Feeling reluctant to discuss his past, Rip quickly changed the subject. “Marion is fine, Miss Minnie. I only hear it when I’m home, so I guess I can tolerate it.”
    After church, Rip was anxious to get back to Atlanta, but he felt Semaj stalling as he made a point to speak to and hug almost every single member of the congregation. When he heard Semaj accept an invitation to dinner with the leader of the Men’s Worship group, Rip felt that he had to step in.
    â€œUm, Semaj, you have to go work in the morning so I think we’d better get back to Atlanta. We won’t be able to make that dinner.”
    Semaj looked over at Rip. He didn’t want to go back to Atlanta. He wanted to remain in South Carolina around the people who reminded him of his childhood and his home. He wanted to stay there forever and revel in all of the feelings he’d only felt when he was there. But he knew his cousin was right. He was hurt, he felt defeated, but he couldn’t hide forever. He knew that he had to go back to Atlanta and go on with his life.
    They returned to Semaj’s grandparents’ house, and after they’d changed clothes and Miss Minnie had gone to her trailer for her Sunday afternoon nap, Semaj asked Rip to sit with him on the back porch because he was finally ready to talk about the day he met his father. When he was done speaking he looked over at Rip for a reaction.
    â€œSo this dude who’s supposed to be America’s favorite dad both on TV and off just looked you in the eyes and lied to you?” Rip asked.
    â€œHe sure did. He’s such a phony. I remember seeing him on TV after he adopted his oldest son. He went on and on about how much he’d always wanted a son and that he couldn’t wait to be a father. He even had the nerve to thank God for blessing him with his son. What a hypocrite.”
    Rip sat seething with anger at the way his cousin was treated. “So what are you gonna do about it?” he finally asked.
    â€œNothing. I mean, what can I do about it? I can’t force him to be my father. It just really got to me, but I’m good now. I’m heading back to Atlanta later today, and I’ll explain everything to Ellen. We’ll finish planning the wedding and life will go on.”
    â€œI just don’t like letting this jerk get away with the way he treated you. You are a grown man with a successful career so he should have known that you didn’t come to him looking for money or