“What if he has a girlfriend? I don’t want to break anything up.”
“You wouldn’t know if you don’t talk to him. What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t get answers unless you ask, baby sis.”
The thunder rumbled louder and shook my house. It must have done the same for Danita ’cause I heard her yelp.
“Let us get off this phone before we get struck by lightning. Remember what I said. Reach out to that man. I love you. Be careful.”
“Love you.”
We ended the call, and I fell back onto the pillow. Danita’s words echoed in my head. She was right. It wouldn’t hurt to get to know Jabari more. The worst that could happen would be finding out he is in a relationship. Then again, we don’t have any emotional ties, so it wouldn’t bother me. I made a mental note to call Jabari soon, but tonight, I was going to rest my eyes during the storm.
Today was my day off,and like most of my days off, I spent it relaxing on the couch, watching a movie. The credits rolled as I wiped my tears from the new romance movie. It was about a woman falling in love with her brother’s best friend. The two fought tooth and nail to be together and, in the end, love prevailed. Romance movies, books, and TV shows were my guilty pleasure. Then, to top it off, I accompanied it with a bowl of popcorn, a bottle of wine, and my favorite blanket. I looked forward to my days off after having to deal with the shit I dealt with on the job. It gave me time to decompress and reset.
Before I began searching for another movie to watch, I needed to refill my wineglass and replenish my bowl of popcorn. My mouth watered as I poured the sweet wine into the glass. Iwent to sip, but my phone rang, stopping me midway. I huffed and walked over to see who was ruining my alone time. My siblings knew not to call during this time, and I had the job on the block list because Patrick had tried several times to get me to come in on my day off. I looked at the phone, and it was an unsaved number.
“Hello?”
“Amina? Nurse Amina?”
The voice was familiar, but it was so faint and weak that I could barely make it out.
“This is her. May I ask who is calling?”
“It’s Gloria.”
My heart raced. “Gloria, how are you doing? Is everything okay?”
She huffed as if she were out of breath. “No, baby. I hate to call and bother you, but I could really use your help right now.”
“Okay. What’s going on? What can I do?”
“If I give you my address, can you come over to my house and help me with JaBria? I don’t feel well, and I can’t seem to tend to her and myself at the same time. I’m throwing up, having sweats, and I just feel weak.”
I couldn’t help but wonder why she was watching JaBria and why not Jabari or JaBria’s mother? It made little sense for him to leave a busy kid with Gloria, knowing what she was going through. My heart went out to Gloria because I knew if she weren’t feeling so weak, she wouldn’t have called.
“I know I’m asking for a lot, and I can pay you. I just need a bit of help. Jabari had to handle some things for his restaurant and had to run out real quick, but he hasn’t made it back yet.”
“No worries at all, Gloria. Let me get your address.”
Gloria fired off her address, and I placed it in my GPS. I was only twenty minutes away from her house.
“Gloria, I’m only twenty minutes away. Let me slip on some shoes, and I’ll be over shortly.”
For the first time since we got on the phone, there was a sense of relief in Gloria’s voice. “Thank you, Amina. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. See you soon.”
Once we hung up, I sped through my house searching for my keys and shoes. I already had on black leggings and a cropped tee, and my hair was in a bun, so I didn’t have to get dressed. Once I found my keys, I didn’t waste time sprinting out the door. I quickly started my car and sped out of my driveway. I was thankful that the traffic wasn’t heavy, as it allowed me to knock a couple of minutes off my arrival time at Gloria’s house.
I arrived at a small, quiet community and pulled up to a white one-story house with a bright blue door. The front yard was filled with flowers, and a swing was located on the porch accompanied by rocking chairs. It was the cutest house I’d ever seen. The other homes in the neighborhood were the same, but they did not stand out like Gloria’s house.
I didn’t waste time putting my car in park and jumping out. I ran up the steps and rang the doorbell. I waited patiently for her to answer. When Gloria opened the door, a sense of relief filled her face. She wore a pink, flowy gown and a matching turban wrap. I could tell she felt bad from the weak smile she tried to give me and the color of her skin.
“Hi, Amina, baby.”
“Hi, Gloria. Let’s get you down and resting,” I insisted, reaching for her hand.
I walked further into the house, and the living room was in disarray. Toys, cookies, and juice boxes were all over the house. JaBria was laid out on the couch watching cartoons with the volume on as loud as it could go. She didn’t have a care in the world as she laid there in her small tank top and shorts.
