“Oh trust me, it’s coming. I can feel it in my bones. Your spirit is too mesmeric. Hell, I’m even drawn to you. It’s going to happen and it’s going to happen fast, darling. Probably when you least expect it, too. This time, though, you’ll attract your forever. It won’t be on that temporary stuff, so I hope you’re ready.”
I’m not ready. My words replayed in my head. I’d just told Luca that last night. To hear his mother speak the same words had me shaken to my core.
“I’m trying to get ready,” I admitted with a sigh. “It’s not easy coming from ground zero.”
“But it’ll be beautiful. Trust me. You’ll look back at these moments and be filled with so much gratitude. These are your founding blocks. Your future starts now, not yesterday. So, just continue to make these days count and you’ll have nothing to worry about. You hear?”
“Yes.”
“Now, kiss the girl goodbye and go on about your day. She’ll be fine. I wish y’all would stop picking her up so early. I could always drop her off to Lyric’s when I leave.”
“You’ve done enough,” I assured her.
“Well, I want to do more, and I be bored when she leaves. Think about it and let me know.”
“I will. See you later, Em.” I leaned in and kissed her chubby cheeks.
Everyone pitching in to make my life easier had me full of emotions when I made it back to my car. I could feel the pricking of my eyes, but I willed myself not to cry. I’d waited so long to make the move back to Channing, afraid of the obstacles I’d be facing. Now that I was home, I hadn’t stumbled upon one.
Lyric had made sure I was comfortable and wanted for nothing from the jump. She’d already set the girls up for success by the time we made it. The car that she’d practically given me by handing me so much cash was the reliable piece of transportation that I thought I wouldn’t be able to afford for months.
I was ready to ride the bus with my girls every day if it was necessary, but it wasn’t. Everything had worked itself out and was still working itself out. I had so much to be thankful for, and I prayed I showed just how thankful I was for the constant support I was getting.
Get it together, Ever.It was nearing the eight o’clock hour when I dropped both of the girls off. I had a twenty-minute drive, but with traffic it would be at least thirty minutes until I got to work. My shift started at 8:30, which was perfect. I had a thirty-minute meeting with Baisleigh about an upcoming event. One of our regulars wanted a birthday brunch for her and twelve friends.
It was my first event, and I couldn’t wait to bring it to life. I wanted to get Baisleigh’s permission to reach out and offer my cake making services to the birthday girl, Tamara. It was a hobby I’d picked up before leaving Channing, and still loved so much. I’d handmade all the girls’ birthday cakes and even some for holidays like the Fourth of July.
I’d wanted to start a cake decorating business for years but hadn’t had the time or energy because I was always taking care of the girls. With everyone in my corner and ready to step in, I knew it was finally time to put that business idea to the test.Being the event coordinator at Baisleigh’s connected me with the very audience that I’d be serving. It was a win- win situation. Or, at least, that’s how I saw it.
NINE
I madeit to work with seven minutes to spare. Traffic was surprisingly light on the expressway. With the extra time on my hands, I downloaded the Instagram app to my phone again. The app appeared on my screen in a few seconds and was ready for use. I chose the option to create a new account and followed the prompts.
ESinclair, I thought for a username.
No. Too revealing. Anyone can find me like that.
ForEverSinclair. Still too close to my name.
SincerelyyEvv,I finalized. It was perfect and it was available.
When the new profile popped up, I immediately switched my settings to private and started my bio. I didn’t mark my locationor use my actual name. I stuck with Evv – Cake Creator for the identity line and kept things short. More than anything, I wanted a place to show more work than play. Heck, I hardly got out to play, excluding the last two nights.
I opened Lyric and I’s text thread and downloaded the pictures she’d sent me. I chose my favorite and used it as my first post. My camera roll had many selfies that I wanted to consider as my profile picture, but I thought about how easily I’d be able to be identified. So, instead, I opted for a photo of me holding Emorey’s cake for her third birthday. It covered almost my entire face.
My time ended before I was able to play around with the app, but before I exited my car, I found Lyric’s profile and requested her. She immediately accepted, which let me know she was up on social media rather than doing any work. The green bubble on her stories appeared instantly, which let me know that she’d added me to her close friends list.
I played the stories she’d collected over the last twenty-four hours and gasped. She’d caught me on the dance floor at the bar, totally embarrassing myself while under the influence. I grinded against her body without a care in the world.
Though I thought I looked absolutely silly, I noticed one thing about that moment that I was thankful for.My smile. It was genuine because I was genuinely at a place of peace and finding happiness that I didn’t know existed on the flip side of my breakup. I thought that I’d be sad and confused, trying to make it from day to day. But in three short weeks, I’d begun thriving much more than I ever had while with Dewayne. Money wasn’t even an issue.
For once, my bank account had a healthy savings and some money in the checking account. I had adapted the 10 percent rule quickly when getting to Channing. I spent only 10 percent of my earnings and saved the rest. I didn’t have any bills piling up.My only responsibility was gas, cell phone bill, and feeding my babies.
My tips were deposited into my account at the end of each week. I still had twenty-two hundred dollars of the money that Lyric had given me. The check that I received from Baisleigh’s so far, I hardly saw because as soon as I received it, I snapped a picture and put it directly in the bank.
My smile. Even intoxicated, it was still evident that, in that moment, I was happy. The next few stories were simply about her getting her morning started, which she invited everyone to watch. The final one was heart-gripping, causing me to halt just before opening the door to my job.
“Look who just decided to pop up, unannounced!” she shared with only her close friends, eventually fanning the camera around to show both Laike and Luca. The pace of my breathing picked up slightly as I replayed the story over and then over again. It wasn’t until the third time that I realized she had two tags on the bottom, one belonging to Laike and the other to Luca.
