I helped Zurie out of her jacket and tucked her into bed, pulling the covers up and adjusting her pillow. Her body was still fragile, and her energy stayed low throughout the day. I sat on the edge of the mattress and ran my fingers through her curls while she looked up at me with those same tired eyes that had started to feel older than they should.
“You still gotta leave?” she asked, her voice soft and barely there.
I swallowed, trying to keep my smile from shaking. “Just for a little while. Six weeks. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Her bottom lip poked out slightly, and I leaned down to kiss her forehead. She didn’t say anything after that, but just turnedover slowly and held her teddy bear closer. I stayed there for a few more minutes, watching her breathe.
That guilt sat heavy in my heart, and it didn’t let up no matter how much I tried to rationalize it. I knew I was doing this for her. I knew the only reason I was going to that estate was to try and win something that could save her life, but I also knew what kind of condition I was leaving her in. And that’s what kept eating at me.
Mama wasn’t stable, and that was the truth. As much as I wanted to believe she could handle a few weeks of keeping Zurie fed, clean, and safe, I knew better. I had watched her zone out too many times, nodding off in the middle of a sentence or losing track of what day it was. Daddy wasn’t no help either. He came and went like a storm, loud and wild, breaking things and demanding money, never once asking about his daughter’s health or what the doctors had said.
If anything happened to Zurie while I was gone, I’d never forgive myself.
I stood up and left the room, walking back to my bedroom and grabbing my phone. Kash was laying across my bed, going through outfits again, but I barely heard her. I was too focused on the number I hadn’t dialed in years.
I took a deep breath and called my Uncle Lionel.
It rang twice before he answered. “Yeah?”
“Hey, Uncle Lionel. It’s Pluto.”
“Oh, hey, baby girl. Everything alright?”
I sat on the edge of the bed, pressing the phone tighter to my ear. “Kinda. I need to ask you something, and I know it’s last-minute, but I didn’t know who else to call.”
He didn’t say anything at first. He just waited.
“I… I got selected for something. A program that’ll take me out of town for a little while. Six weeks or longer, and I can’t take Zurie with me. I don’t feel right leaving her here.”
“What’s going on with her?”
“She’s sick… real sick. It’s her brain. The doctors say she needs surgery, but it costs a lot, and I’m trying to find a way to get the money.”
I could hear him breathing on the other end.
“I don’t trust my mama to watch her,” I admitted. “I wish I could, but I can’t, and if something happens while I’m gone…”
I trailed off because the thought of it made my chest feel like it was cracking.
“I just need her to be somewhere safe.”
My uncle lived in Chapel Grove with his wife. I knew it wasn’t perfect, but it was better than here.
“I was wondering if you and Aunt Deanne could take her. Just for the time I’m gone.”
He didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “Hold on. Let me speak with Deanne.”
He put the phone down, and I sat there staring at the wall while Kash slowly sat up beside me. Minutes passed before he came back.
“Yeah. You can bring her.”
I closed my eyes, relief washing over me so heavy I thought I might cry right then.
“I know it’s last-minute,” I said quickly. “I leave tomorrow morning. Is it okay if we drop her off tonight?”
“Yeah. Just pack her some clothes. If she got extra blankets, bring those too.”
“Thank you, Uncle Lionel. I mean it. Thank you.”
