Chapter 2
I got dressed for the day in silence. There were so many things going through my head that I couldn’t hold on to a single thought. It all seemed to be a jumbled-up mess as I stumbled around my room to make sure I had everything I needed for the day.
I grabbed my keys and my phone off the nightstand before leaving the room. I still had about two hours before the pickup was scheduled. I walked down the hallway to look over Sakani’s room.
I’d tried my best to keep it simple. Right now, there was only a bed, a dresser, and a TV.
I wanted to leave him enough space to make the room feel like it was really his.
I knew this day would be just as crazy for him, so I also had a gift sitting on the bed, waiting for him.
Once I was satisfied with the setup, I headed out the door.
It didn’t take me long to make it to my next destination. Mama Bea stayed only about ten minutes from me, so I stopped at her house to check on her as much as I could. She was the closest thing to family I had left, and she never let me forget it.
“Well, ain’t you a sight to see?”
Mama Bea wore a house dress, and her hair was up in those big rollers as she opened the door. She smiled and pulled me into a hug. Her hugs were the closest I ever got to feeling one of my own mama’s hugs since she passed.
“Hey, Ma,” I replied, handing her the bouquet of lilies I’d stopped and gotten her on the way. Lilies were her favorite flower, and her face always lit up when I showed up on her doorstep with some. Just as I knew she would, she smiled from ear to ear.
“Thank you, baby. Come on in here. I made you some breakfast,” she said, leading the way to the kitchen.
“You didn’t even know I was coming.”
“I know you better than I know the back of my hand. I knew you would be nervous about going to pick up that boy, and when you get nervous, you like to eat.”
“That was when I was a kid. You love holding on to old stuff.”
“The way you already taking a seat at the table is telling me not much has changed.”
We both laughed because I knew she was right. I woke up craving her food, so I already knew this would be my first stop before heading to the group home. I’d had a few ice breaker meetings with Sakani before today, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about bringing him home for good.
“I just never thought I’d be adopting a kid.”
“I don’t see why not. You always were good at looking out for others. You did a damn good job with my boy. Even though y’all were the same age, he always looked up to you. It was like he knew you would have an answer when no one else did.”
“You know, the second time I visited Sakani at the group home, he was outside, playing ball with some of the other boys. The game got heated, and him and another kid was going head up just like me and Rome used to. I never missed Rome more than I did that day.”
“I know, baby. It’s a pain that never goes away.
You and Rome were best friends, just like me and your mother.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.
It could be something as small as watching In the Heat of the Night or something as big as her boy showing up on my doorstep hungry that brings a wave of emotions. ”
“Now, don’t you start all of that.” I got up from my seat and went over to hug her.
Mama Bea was usually all smiles and jokes, but I knew talking about Rome and my mama stung a little bit.
My mom and Mama Bea had been best friends since elementary, and when they got pregnant around the same time, they decided to raise their boys together.
Rome’s pops did stick around for a little while when we were young, but I never met mine. I remember Rome’s dad taking us to the park, and I’d be praying mine would somehow be there, waiting. That shit never happened though. That was what really motivated me to adopt Sakani.
My mama was the best woman I ever knew. She stepped for me in every way possible and went above and beyond to try to make sure I never felt the absence of my dad, but there were just some things you couldn’t shield a child from. The experience of never having a father was one of those things.
“Oh, I’m just so proud of you, LaMicheal.” She grabbed both of my hands and looked into my eyes before continuing. “I know you are nervous, baby, but you are going to be the best father to that boy. I just know it.”
“I really hope so. You know I didn’t really have no examples. All I can do is put my best foot forward like I do with everything else.”
“Honey, you have served this country and inspired men all around the world with your actions. Raising a child is not going to break you.”
“I just hope I can make him feel at home, Ma.”
“You will. Now, go on, have a seat. Let me fix your plate.”
I went back to my seat as she continued moving around the kitchen.
It wasn’t long before she joined me with two plates, one for each of us.
Mama Bea knew exactly what to do because she’d made a breakfast I couldn’t refuse even if I wanted to.
My plate was running over with grits, eggs, bacon, sausage, and honey butter biscuits.
I wasted no time digging in because my stomach was about to touch my back. The grits had just the right amount of salt and butter. The bacon was crispy just the way I liked it, and the biscuits melted in my mouth.
“I didn’t get him a lot of stuff yet. Maybe I need to go back to the mall,” I said, finally putting the fork down but still in my own head.
“Or you can just wait until he comes home. Right now, you will just be going out blindly buying stuff. Let him come home first, LaMicheal, and he will tell you what he needs, if he needs anything at all.”
“You right, Ma. Well, I hate to eat and run, but I gotta get out of here. I don’t want to be late to my first day of fatherhood.”