Me,myself and my pride (7-13)

“I had a nice long chat with my greatest enemy today.” I say aloud to myself. From behind me in a back room my pride walks around and sits right next to me on the couch.
“Oh? What he say?” she asks laying her legs across my lap.

“He asked me if I was functionally illiterate.” I respond scrunching her toes with my fingers.

“What?” she asks

“I told him I misread something and he accused me of being functionally illiterate.” I said wiggling her toes with my finger. “Don’t you remember?” I ask her.

“You really don’t allow me around your father anymore.” She said leaning up and brushing my head with her hand.

“Well now you see why.” I replied taking in the pleasure of her hand. “I look at the floor most of the time.”

Taking her hand away from my head she grabbed my chin. “You let him talk to you like a child.” She said her eyes searching for her self in mine.

“Until I reach my dream it’s all I can do.” I told her looking deep into her eyes. With a deep sigh she looked away from me and leaned back into the couch. We sat in silence me and my pride.

I continued to rub her feet until she spoke again. “Things are going to change pretty soon, you ready?”

I again squeezed her toes with my hand. "What do you mean good or bad way?”

She smiles at me and says “What did your role model say? Any place is better than here.”

“True.” I nodded; looking down at her feet I lightly rubbed the bottom of her foot with my fingers.

Raising her foot up to my face she wiggles her toes and smiles “Kiss it.”

Keeping my face toward her toes I look at her with my eyes. “you know I wont.”

“Ugh.” She lets out. “you’ll kiss that girls but you wont kiss mine.” She complained with a frown and smile to match.
My face hid no emotion from her. She dropped her smile and whispered. “You think about him still?” Taking her legs out of my lap she scoots next to me on the couch. “Listen…” she begins. “In one ear out the other.” She takes my hand and holds it between hers. “He said you were worthless and a piece of shit. You haven’t forgotten, I know. You work so hard for what you see in your eye. Do you believe it worthless? If you don’t why do you believe him?”
I kept my head down looking at my lap and shook my head. She squeezed my hand “Do you believe your dream worthless?”

“no.” I finally said aloud.

“Good.” She smiled satisfied, again taking her hand and rubbing the back of my head. “your dream will come true, and then you can stand to look him in the eye.”