Wings of a Butterfly

I sit in the booth with my mom waiting for...my dad, I guess. She is messing around with her phone waiting for a phone call or something, texting her friends who chose now not to reply, scrolling through her ringtones, anything. And me? I sit next to her, hands jammed in my jacket pockets, listening to all these people and their New England accents. With their "Woters" for water and "Warsh" for wash.

I also think about how my dad had first found contact with me. One day out of the blue, my mom got a phone call from him. He asked why she didn't tell him she was pregnant, that they could've raised me together, instead of on her own.

I walk outside for some air.

"What in God's name is that?" A group of guys walk towards the restaurant I just exited and look at me. One of them is pointing straight at me laughing. "I think that's a little hottie that wants to get humped by the Dreamseller!" I look behind me and then at them. "Yeah that's right, sweetheart! I'm talkin' to you!" The skinny one with the big nose says.

"Um..." I say and return inside and run to the bathroom. I peek out the door and see the group of guys sit down at the booth my mother is at. "What the...?" I walk to the booth.

"Sofia, what was your hurry?" My mother asks in her slight East Indian accent.

"I...uh..." I point to the big nosed guy.

"Novak! That's my daughter that you were talking about!" The guy wearing a black fedora hat, black scarf, white shirt, purple blazer, black jeans, and black buckled boots and sunglasses yells.

"Shit Bam, I didn't know!" Novak says with his arms in the air in apology while the rest of the guys laugh.

"What?" Mom asks.

"Nothing." Bam laughs.

"Does she talk?" One guy in a baseball cap asks.

My mother shakes her head, "Only when she has something to say. Sofia, this is your biological father, Bam. Bam, this is your daughter Sofia."

Bam looks me up and down and nods, "Yep. She's mine."

"How can you tell?" Baseball Cap guy asks.

"Well, she's got my personality, kinda. Ariina’s eyes, she's got my hair too, 'cept longer. She's neon white, like muah, and her name rhymes with mine." He finishes.
I raise an eyebrow, "I'm not neon."

"Sounds like she's got your mouth, too." Novak laughs.

"Hey! Why didn't you guys tell me that you were leaving the gas station? I walked 30-somethin' steps just to get here!" A boy about my age runs over to our booth and puts his hand on Novaks' shoulder.

"Oh yeah, this is Novaks' perverted little brother Ray." Bam nods his thumb in Ray's direction. Ray stares at me with his jaw agape.

"What?" I snap.

"Woah." Ray says and smiles. "This your kid, Bam?" He asks.

"What's it look like you little shit?" Bam says. "Info: That's Dico, Dunn, Rake, Novak, Jimmy, and Evil Jared." Ray points to all the guys.

"Hey." They all grumble.

"Well, this was a nice meeting, but I think we should get going now." Mom says and starts to get out of the booth with me following her.

"Hold up!" Bam says, "That's it? Just a little five-minute meeting? I'd like to get to know my kid, Riina!"

Mom turns around. "Well, what do you suppose we do, Brandon?" She hisses.

"I dunno, Ariina , maybe she can stay with me for a few weeks! I promise I'll take good care of our daughter, since you didn't even let me fuckin' know she even fuckin' existed!" He yells. The restaurant goes silent and people start to stare.

Mom sighs "I guess we could work something out."