After he was  reading his son a story, they hugged one another, and he turned on his son’s radio to some classical easy listening music. Slick then stood up from the edge of his son’s bed and head out the door after flicking off the light. It was late when he got home, and Jasmine wore a face that was filled with contempt considering him to be beneath her. The contention started, and he already knew he had no chance of winning.  She spouted “Can’t you ever come home at a decent hour?” “I can’t really do much about me…” Slick tried to talk but was quickly interrupted. “Your son miss  you!”  Silence filled the room.  Without a word, Jasmine crawled into her side, turning away from Slick, and fell asleep. Jasmine continued to give him the silent treatment, which she kept up for about a week. Because of this, Slick decided to  stay overnight at Paul  house during the time they weren’t speaking. He felt tormented with thoughts concerning the family and its wellbeing. It seemed they could never make any decisions together about it. What more could he do? He was trying to provide the basic needs for both his family and Paul the best he possibly could. His Dad had told him before to settle down and have a family. He was his ancestor who conceived him through his mother. A male guardian, he told him “Yak got to make sure food is on the table. Yak got to settle down and listen to me boy.”  He was young enough then that he wasn’t truly able to understand what his father was saying. As a mentor of sorts, his own father trained him. He spent many hours of his day out in the fields tilling the soil for a living. His profession came so naturally to him, as if it were as simple as breathing. He worked by the sweat of his brow, certainly a hard worker. He once told his son “Boy, remember and don’t yak forget, yak family comes first always, and if yak have anything left yak get it, yak hear?”   He hung around him until he was convinced his father was right. They would always walk home after his father had worked hard in the fields, his son marveling at the dedication he put into caring for his family. They would talk and play little games to pass the time  walking.  He reminded his son “I never did get much learning done from the school books because I wasn’t there long enough. But what I do have, it belongs to you.” “Daddy, will we be home soon, I’m hungry and thirsty!”  “Come on, keep walking, there is a small spring of water up ahead.”  “Wow, this water is so nice and cold, I could drink this stuff until I exploded!”   “Now  I think that’s enough. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.” Slick cherished those memories they shared.  They ate a quick breakfast but then it was off to school. Then they drove for 13th street on-ramp to interstate 30 east. Slick knew that he had a lot of responsibility to care for his family and its impact would make him feel  depressed from time to time never the less he was determined to stay there and keep them safe. Even with as difficult as their situation was, it still paled in comparison with his father’s job. He just had to wonder if he’d be up to the challenges ahead after already walking through so much fire. He knew he would have to be, his father told him to be, and so he shall.  He thought going to school would be a good idea.