Annaka

saw me. Both of Tia’s parents presented as black, though Jonathan was mixed. Jonathan’s mother, Lillian, was black. And his father, Ben, was a white man. Both Tia and my families held a close generational bond through the years. We were basically one big family.
“Annaka.” Jonathan gave me a hug. “Come sit down, do you want a coffee?”
“No thanks—bit late for that,” I declined. “And actually, it’s just Anna now. But I could use a seat after today.”
In the kitchen Jonathan made a coffee for himself. Then he turned to me and said, “I’m going to miss your grandfather. I love him and I always will. He left behind a beautiful family of strong people.”
In a way it felt awkward, because I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I hadn’t lost anyone before, so this was all new to me. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
“How’s Jayla?” Clare asked. “We’re all rooting for her down here. I heard she took a leaf out of Rudy’s book and teaches now.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Everyone knows Mom in Halifax. She’s always being featured in articles or stories, and has her worked showcased all the time.”
Being the daughter of a sought-after artist wasn’t exactly an easy task. I wasn’t Anna Brooks; I was The Daughter of Jayla Brooks. I didn’t hold resentment because of that. I was just tired and wanted to be my own person, form my own identity. But when your mom is a nationally recognized art superstar, it isn’t exactly easy to find your own voice.
“That’s great to hear.” Clare sounded proud. “She left here with so little, and made so much of herself. She was always so driven and strong, and I can see it in you.”
Everyone always expected me to follow in my Mom’s footsteps, and that weighed on me. I had great grades in school, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my future. I wanted to use this summer to find a job and save up money for university; I was hoping I’d find my path through there. But I learned that plans can change in a blink of an eye.
“I’m still trying to find what direction I want to go in,” I replied.
“Go wherever your heart tells you,” Jonathan said.
Such generic advice didn’t really help. But then again, Jonathan was a real sitcom kind of dad.
I heard a door slam, followed by Tia entering the room wearing a baggy hoodie and coming straight towards me.
“Yo! Glad y’all had a chance to catch up with Anna, but I’m going to be stealing her now. Thanks for coming to the party.”
“Aha. Don’t stay up too late, you two. Good to see you,” Jonathan said, smiling at me.
I smiled back.
Tia took me downstairs to the basement. When we got down the steps, I was immediately hopped on by something big and furry. It was a big brown, black, and white dog.
“Woah! Calm down, big guy,” I said as I gently let him down.
“And that’s Taz. You probably remember him as a pup.” Tia petted him. “Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy.” The dog barked like a good boy.
I remember Tia took Taz in right before Mom and I left. Tia had found him as a puppy; he had been wandering alone in the parking lot of a grocery store, abandoned. Tia had always had a soft spot for puppies. It didn’t take long for her parents to come around, and just like that, Taz had a new home. He probably didn’t remember me, but I’m sure he was just excited to see someone new. I stood up to see that the basement had been transformed to look more like a small apartment. There was a carpet underneath a sofa and reclining chair with bright red and green Christmas lights stapled to the walls. It was spring, but I guess Tia had free rein to let her imagination go.
“Make yourself at home. My parents let me live down here now instead of that small bedroom on the top floor,” Tia explained.
“This place is pretty lit,” I admired. “So, what’d you get?”
Tia pulled a bottle of rum from her baggy hoodie. “Score! There’s some cola and glasses down here, sit tight.”
I sat on the chair, Taz flopped down below me, and I admired Tia’s set-up. I couldn’t believe she still had a CD player; I looked at her collection and it was full of bands I’d never heard of before. Before long she came back with two drinks and handed me one.
“Hey, who are these bands?” I asked.
“Oh, those ones? Just local bands. I buy their merch when I can. Maybe someday they’ll make it big and I can sell their crappy first EP and get rich. You never know when you’re sitting on gold.” She shrugged.
I sipped my drink and sat back in the chair. I wasn’t a big drinker.
“So…how is Halifax anyways? A big city girl returning to her small hometown must have stories.”
I laughed. “Halifax isn’t a big city, but if you’re into hipster cafés, craft beer, and gentrified neighbourhoods, you can check it out.” I paused. “Not much has changed here. I’m happy to come back somewhere that’s easier.”
Tia cocked an eyebrow. “Easier? In what way?”
“In Halifax everyone cares too much about what everyone else is doing, thinking, who everyone was friends with. I was lucky to keep my head low.”
“Must’ve been hard when your Mom is Jayla Brooks.”
“Yeah, it was. Everyone would always have this large expectation of me. When you have a parent who’s well known, I guess it makes it harder to find your own way.”
“Why do you say that?” Tia asked.
I have to say, I appreciated the bluntness Tia offered. Most of the time I find myself cautious about opening up, and it was nice having someone who just wanted to skip right to the point. Even after ten years, she was super easy to talk to.
“Everyone thought I wanted to follow in her footsteps. But I want to