Chapter 7
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.
I went 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.
“Hey, JaBria!” I shouted over the loud TV.
She darted her eyes from the TV and looked at me. Her face showed shock and then happiness.
“Hi!” She waved, jumping from the chair and running over to me.
I squatted at her level and hugged her. “How are you doing, pretty girl?”
“I’m okay! Just bored.” She pouted. “Grandma said we can’t go outside and play.”
I looked back at Gloria, and her smile was no longer there. I could tell she felt bad, but her body was too weak to have JaBria ripping and running in the yard.
“Don’t be sad. Grandma’s not feeling well today. Let me get her in bed, and then you and I have some cleaning to do. We want to make sure that Grandma’s taken care of so she can feel better. Okay?”
She nodded.
“Start picking up your toys, and I’ll be right back.”
JaBria sped off to pick up her toys.
“Thank you, baby,” Gloria expressed.
“Come on. Let’s get you hydrated and in bed. Show me the way to your bedroom.”
Gloria led me down a long hall to her bedroom. In the process, I admired the rest of the house, and everything was well-maintained, despite the current state of the living room. Once we reached the bedroom, I pulled back the covers and helped her into bed.
“Do you mind if I move around in your kitchen? I’m going to grab you some water and see if I can get something on your stomach.”
She nodded. “Sure. Make yourself at home.”
I smiled. “Get some rest, and I’ll be back to check on you shortly.”
By the time I made it back to the living room, JaBria was picking up her toys and juice boxes.
“Good job, JaBria. It’s so big girl of you to pick up after yourself and help your grandma.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“We can pause this if you would like to help me cook your grandma some food to make her feel better.”
JaBria nodded and came running toward me. I grabbed her hand as we waltzed into the kitchen. I hoped Gloria had the ingredients I needed, but if she didn’t, I would try my best to make something out of what I had.
An hour later, I had whipped up a pot of chicken and rice for Gloria.
I learned to cook this for my mom when she experienced days of weakness.
I first made JaBria a bowl and sat her in front of the TV.
I then made a bowl for Gloria and fixed her a glass of water.
I knocked before I let myself in. She was softly snoring and looked to be at peace.
“Gloria,” I called. I placed the food down on the nightstand and tapped her shoulder. “Gloria, I need you to wake up and eat.”
She stirred in her sleep, but eventually, she woke up.
“How long was I asleep?”
“A little over an hour. I made chicken and rice. You don’t have to eat all of it, but just enough to coat your stomach.”
I helped her sit up in bed and placed the bowl in front of her.
“It smells good. I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”
I shrugged. “I learned this recipe when my mom was sick. It got us through some rough days.”
Before she could respond, her bedroom door flew open. My eyes darted quickly to the door. To my surprise, it was Jabari, and he stood there with a pissed off look on his face.
“Mama, what the hell is all this? JaBria is in the living room by herself while you’re in bed and not answering the phone.” He paused, then looked at me. “What is going on?”
“Jabari, I was feeling sick. I called you ten times, and you didn’t answer, so I called Amina.”
I looked over at Gloria, confused on why she was explaining herself.
“Mama, you could’ve called more. You know, eventually, I would’ve answered.”
“I’m sorry, son, but I don’t know if I would’ve been able to keep up with her any longer.”
I couldn’t take it any longer. Jabari had a lot of nerve trying to come in here and scold his mother.
“Are you serious right now? Instead of you coming in and saying thank you or apologizing, you’re in here trying to lecture your ill mother on calling me instead of you?”
“Yo—”
“As she stated, and I’m sure your phone did too, she called you, but you didn’t answer.”
“But—”
I held my hand up and cut him off. “You need to be thanking your mother for calling me because the situation could’ve been worse.
” I felt my tears building. “If your restaurant is more important than your family, then you have some reevaluation to do. Some people don’t even have a mom to do things like this for. Don’t take it for granted.”
I looked back at Gloria. “I’m going to head out before I disrespect your house because of your son’s behavior. I’ll call and check on you later. Get some rest.”
I walked out of the room, rolling my eyes at Jabari.
JaBria had curled back up on the couch, but this time, she was sleeping.
I grabbed my keys and darted out of the house.
Jabari had pissed me off. I shouldn’t have used the passing of my mother as rage, but it wasn’t right for him to come at his living mother that way, when I wish I had just one more day to spend with mine.