“Hey, Auntie Lyric.” Essence blushed. She, too, was fond of Lyric.
“Come on. You kids look like you could use some breakfast and a bed. Let’s get you guys settled in. Get in. I’ve got the bags.”
“I can’t let you do that alone,” I told Lyric, heading for the tail of her truck.
“You’re not letting me, Ever. I’m demanding. Now, get in the truck. You’ve done enough, love. Your hardship ends here. It’s time to relax,” Lyric emphasized.
Silence sat between us as emotions flooded me at once. Deciding against challenging her, I followed directions and headed toward the passenger side. Essence and Emorey followed me. I put them both in the backseat and strapped them down, already cringing at the missing money from my account that a new car seat for Emorey hadn’t even taken yet.
Once the girls were settled, I slid into the passenger seat. I wasn’t sure how, but Lyric had beat me. She was already seated when I pulled my seatbelt over my waist. When we didn’t pull into traffic immediately, I turned to her to see what the issue was.
“What?” I asked, noticing she was staring at me.
“Here,” she responded without answering my question.
My eyes fell, finding and then following her hands as they sat neatly banded and stacked bills in my lap. Each band had a $1000 label on it. With furrowed brows and an aching chest, I turned a bit more in my seat and begged for an explanation from Lyric.
“That nigga not stopping shit for you, Ever. I’ve just been waiting on you to make the call. You don’t owe me anything. Get on your feet. Don’t rush into getting a place to stay. Stack your money at my place. You can stay as long as you’d like. It’s big enough for us all. That’s eight thousand dollars. I’ve already gotten Emorey into my mother’s school, so don’t worry about that. I can take her once she wakes up. She can do a half-day today.
“That’ll give you time to get Essence prepared for tomorrow. You’ve already filled out the necessary paperwork. We can stop by once Emorey is at school to finalize things. Look in the glove compartment. There’s a printout from one of my brother’s goodfriends who owns a cash car lot. Find one you think you’ll love that’s within your budget, and we can pick it up tomorrow when the girls are away.”
“Lyric.” I couldn’t gather anything else. That was all I had. That was all that would come out. “I have to pay you back. I promise I will.”
“Win, Ever. That’s how you can pay me back,” she responded, finally putting her truck into gear and pulling out of the parking spot she’d been occupying.
NOTE.
Between the covers of this book ismyart piece —beautifully paired words structured formycreative satisfaction and later consumed by others for enjoyment.
It’sleisure for you, it’slife for me.
This is just a book to most.It’s art for me.
Myart. I’ve hadmytime. Haveyours.
happy reading
ONE
Three weeks later…
Sundays were alwaysthe busiest and for them, I was so grateful. I’d worked three Sundays in a row and hadn’t gone home with less than three hundred dollars in tips. Though I wished I was at church worshipping with my babies, I knew there would be a time for it. Right now wasn’t it. The thought saddened me as I stared blankly at nothing in particular.
Each Saturday night, I dropped the girls off at my mom’s in preparation for an early morning shift that didn’t end until afterfour. I didn’t mind the long hours because it gave me more time to wait on more tables, which resulted in more tips.
Only a few hours after I’d submitted my application, I received a call from Baisleigh, my boss, and the owner of Baisleigh’s House. She scheduled an after-hours interview for me the same day after explaining to her that it was my first day back in town, and I needed to get my girls into school before stopping by.
At seven-twenty that evening, I was signing the employee documents, getting a code for the register, and having my schedule printed at once. Baisleigh had hired me on the spot, willing to take a chance on someone who was willing to take a chance on themselves. My transparency sat well with her. She, too, had once experienced a narcissistic partner.
The following day, after driving off the lot with the Avalon that had cost me five-thousand dollars, I headed straight to work. It was a day of training and one that had overwhelmed me to the point of tears once I made it home to my children. Since Essence was discovered in my womb, I’d been a stay-at-home mom, afraid of losing her like I’d lost Dylan. Dewayne supported us, so working wasn’t on my agenda. My job was to take care of our home, and I did it well.
“Ever!” Baisleigh yelled, startling me as I stared out the window at the blazing sun.
“Hmm?” I snapped my neck in her direction. From the tone in her voice, it was obvious that it wasn’t her first time calling my name. So lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t heard a word she’d said.
“Are you OK?” she asked, concern etched in her forehead lines.
She was darling; beautiful inside and out. With her, everyone was on the same playing field, from the janitors to the managers. She made working in hospitality simple and so did her customers. They were the most respectful bunch of peopleI’d ever met and from all walks of life as well. I hadn’t had a bad encounter with anyone yet and according to the staff, I probably wouldn’t. It was highly unlikely. Just as Baisleigh was a respectable boss, her customers respected her and her place of business.
