Chapter 24
Deshona
I’m a trash ass, raggedy ass, horrible daughter. I can’t recall the last time I called or talked to Mom since I left home, and now look. Were her overbearing and man-hating ways so bad that I have avoided her? What if she dies? Jesus! What am I gonna do without my mother?
What if everything is okay? What if you’re tripping for nothing? What if . . . what if . . . what if . . . Maybe you should stop beating yourself up.
I wipe the tears that fall rapidly from my eyes, as they’re about to make it hard for me to see.
From the moment the nurse at OSU said her name, my mind has been on a constant merry-go-round.
I didn’t hear much after she told me that she was calling on behalf of Roslyn Edmonds and that I needed to get to OSU as soon as I could.
Alijah’s truck and my leg must be in sync because the minute it stops, my leg stops bouncing.
Patience and chivalry are two things I don’t have time to wait for as I bolt from the vehicle like someone has doused it in gasoline.
“Deshona! Deshona!”
My mind is on my mom, so I don’t have time to wait for or acknowledge Alijah.
He’ll have to just catch up. I run past people with no regard for running into them, shouting ‘excuse me’ along the way.
I burst into the front entrance and huff when the metal detector goes off and the person near the doors stops me.
“Ma’am, I need to check your purse,” the Robocop says with a glower that I return easily due to this inconvenient interruption.
“I don’t have time for this,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
“Damn, you did me a solid, man,” Alijah says, and he sounds like he’s out of breath as his penetrative eyes peer intently into mine.
Please, bae. I know. I just can’t right now.
“Can we talk after I find out what’s going on with my mom?”
“Your little ass is lucky I understand your headspace. Come on so we can see about your mom,” Alijah says when the Robocop gives the clearance to continue on toward the information desk.
My shaky hands rest on the desk as I wait for the woman behind it to acknowledge my presence. I don’t wait to be called up to the desk, so maybe that’s why she hasn't spoken to me or looked up from her computer.
“Excuse me, miss,” I say in the fakest, politest voice I can muster.
Keep ignoring me, bitch, and I’m gonna yank you by those blonde extensions you failed to hide properly.
“We need some information,” Alijah says, and that’s when the woman looks up, lust in her green eyes.
“Hello. What can I do for you, sir?” she asks, showing all thirty-two of her teeth, and I bite my lip to keep from going off on her ass.
“You can’t. But you can assist my lady,” Alijah gruffly says before his eyes shift to me.
“What room is Roslyn Edmonds in?”
The woman rolls her eyes and types into the computer and frowns like I’m inconveniencing her or something.
“I need your ID for a visitor badge, and then someone will lead you to the correct floor.”
“So, you’re not gonna tell me the room number?” I ask.
“It’ll be on the visitor pass.” The tone of her voice grates on my nerves, but not wanting to delay getting to my mother any further, I remove my driver’s license from my purse and hand it over.
The woman takes it like it has shit on it as she goes about the business of scanning it and printing me the access I’ll need to see Mom.
She then sweetly asks Alijah for his license, and my blood boils with fire.
Once we have what we need, the woman calls for a volunteer to escort us.
I take a step from the desk before I return and speak.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot something.”
“What?” She snaps.
“Your boss’s name. Now.” I paste on an award-winning smile as I stare at the woman whose eyes flash with remorse.
“Here it is, ma’am,” another woman at the desk says as she hands me a sticky note with a name and number written on it.
“Thank you,” I say and walk off as Alijah laughs beside me.
“Well handled, mama.” Alijah connects our hands, and then we follow the man to wherever Mom is in this huge hospital.
The more steps we take to the bank of elevators, my mind returns to the serious nature of my being here.
I bite the inside of my bottom lip as I wipe my free hand on my pants.
Thankfully, I didn’t know what Alijah’s plans were for me today, so I dressed in jeans, a shirt, and some tennis shoes.
Time flies, and before I realize it, I’m outside a room with the door closed.
The initials on the side panel cause my heart to race.
R. Edmonds. This is real. Mom is in the hospital.
I stand unmoving in front of the door, trying to will myself to be okay and open it. Alijah steps up and rubs my back soothingly, and for a second, all I can do is take slow breaths while I fight the urge to sob.
“I’m right here with you. You can do this, mama. You’re not alone,” he whispers.
It’s the encouragement and motivation I need as I push the lever down on the handle and slowly enter the room.
The machine’s light beeps speed up my heartbeat as I move at a turtle’s pace toward the drawn curtain.
With lead and weights on my feet, I walk around the curtain, and tears instantly form and fall down my face.
Mom sleeps seemingly peacefully, but there’s a cast on her left arm, her left leg is elevated with a cast on it, and there are bruises on her face.
“M-M-Mom.” My voice is shaky as I try to gain control over my emotions and the tears streaming down my face.
My eyes shift to the machine where Mom’s vitals are, and while I have no idea what any of it means, I stare blankly at the numbers on the display. Mom's light grunts draw my focus back to her.
“Mom.” I cry.
Mom’s eyes flutter and slowly open as they land on me. “Dee.” Mom’s voice is low and hoarse, which increases my emotions.
I swiftly make my way to her, throw myself into her right side, and cry loudly. My emotions are all over the place, and although she will be okay, the buildup and unknown along with her apparent injuries have me feeling a lot right now.
“I’m OK, Dee baby. I told your hardheaded brother not to call you,” Mom says as she tries to rub my head with her good hand.
“H-he didn’t,” I say without moving my head from her bosom.
“Oh. Who called worrying you, and who’s your friend?”
The latter question forces me to lift my head as I peer up at her, but her gaze is on Alijah.
For a second, I forgot he was here with me, because I became consumed with the scene the moment I got on the other side of the curtain blocking Mom from everyone’s entrance in the room.
Oh shit! It just got real. God, please don’t let her show out in here.
I lean up and wave Alijah forward with a weak smile.
“Mom, I want you to meet Alijah. Uh, Alijah, this is my mom, Roslyn,” I say as I introduce the two.
“I hate to meet you on these terms, Ms. Roslyn,” Alijah says.
“Looks like you didn’t heed my advice to find some pussy to play in,” Mom says.
A pin drop can be heard in the room as my brain short-circuits from Mom’s statement. Her tone lacks feeling, so I’m unable to tell if she’s being serious. But then a weak and raspy laugh from Mom’s mouth hits the side of my face.
“You’ve gotta lighten up, Dee,” Mom says before she shifts her attention to Alijah. “I hate this is our first meeting as well, young man. I’m assuming you hold some significance to my baby, or you wouldn’t be here.”
Alijah opens his mouth to respond, but I beat him to the punch because this is a stance that I have to make for myself.
“He does. I’m in love with him. He’s the reason for my smile each day. He’s the man I see when I dream every night. He’s the forever I didn’t think I’d ever get to have.”
“Well damn. You better talk that shit, mama,” Alijah says before Mom can reply, and my chest expands with merriment.
“Right. You better let me know then, Dee,” Mom adds.
With my eyes on Alijah, I make a public declaration. “I love you, Alijah.”
“I love you more, mama,” Alijah says without hesitation.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Y’all just fucked me up with this little display,” Mom says with laughter in her tone.
For the first time since I walked into the room and saw her condition, I smile, relief settling in my body.
I don’t know if it’s the drugs Mom is on, but either way, I’m excited to know that she doesn’t have a negative outlook about Alijah and me.
But I’m gonna write this day in my calendar so I can remember it later.
Roslyn Edmonds just might have gotten past her outlook on men as it pertains to me.
Maybe my ass should have left the city a long time ago.
Two Weeks Later . . .
“Are you sure you have everything?” Alijah asks for the fourth time, and I huff before answering him again.
“What’s wrong? You’ve asked me this question more times than necessary.”
Before he can respond, Alijah’s phone rings, and he connects it with his eyes on me.
“Hello. Yes, Ms. Roslyn. We’re about to leave now. I know. Okay.”
My forehead wrinkles because I didn’t know that Mom and Alijah had exchanged numbers.
We have been back and forth to Columbus since her accident.
Alijah has been just as hands-on with her as I have been.
Seeing him lift Mom into his truck the day she was discharged from the hospital made me fall even deeper in love with him.
We’re currently at Mom’s house about to return to Kaigood for the week.
I have been stalling around to see if LeKendric would bring Mom home before we left.
He had come in an hour ago and whisked Mom out of her house without giving me a chance to tell her bye.
“Why is Mom calling you? I didn’t even know you had her number or vice versa.”
“It was Ms. Roslyn’s idea, and I didn’t see any harm in it. Are you ready to go?”
My nose twists, and I give him a blank stare because he didn’t answer my first question. I grunt when a couple of seconds pass with Alijah watching me without uttering a word.
“Yes, I’m ready. I didn’t get to tell Mom bye though.”
“We’re only going home, mama. You can call her on the way.” Alijah smirks before he leads me out of the house and to his truck.
I fold my arms over my chest and close my eyes as I prepare to ignore Alijah the entire drive back to Kaigood.
Sure, I’m acting like a brat, but he’s been acting funny all day, and I don’t know what to make of it.
Bratty behavior isn’t usual for me, but love can make a person act brand new.
I don’t like the idea of my man hiding anything from me.
Alijah sings along with the song on the radio as he backs out of Mom’s driveway.
I do my best to tune him out, but damn, his voice makes my juices flow like a weepy willow.
I somehow drift off as my heart rate relaxes to the steady yet sexy baritone of Alijah’s singing voice.
Time must have gotten away from me, but my eyes pop open when the truck comes to a stop and the engine is cut.
I open my eyes and look around because I know it’s too soon for us to have made it home.
“Where are we?”
“I figured we could grab something to eat before we got on the road.” Alijah doesn’t give me a chance to respond as he exits and comes around to my side to help me out of the truck.
“How can you be hungry after that big breakfast I cooked for us this morning?”
“I’m a growing man, mama.”
“But I’m not hungry.”
“Okay. Well, indulge me because I am. You can order a drink or something while I eat.”
Alijah connects our hands and leads us to the front entrance of what looks like a mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall place.
I was born and raised in Columbus, but I’m not familiar with KR’s Kitchen.
At the door, Alijah releases my hand and pulls the door open so I can enter first. My eyes balloon when I see the people gathering in the intimate yet cute restaurant.
There’s a banner above the back wall that brings tears to my eyes.
Marry Me Mama
I turn to look at Alijah and cover my mouth when I see him down on one knee. “Bae.”
“I moved to Kaigood with the intention of starting over. Of avoiding women so I could repair the tear in my heart. But what I found was something that I couldn’t avoid.
You were the unexpected torment I didn’t plan for.
The day after your bat met my body, I knew there was something special about you outside of your mean ability to land your weapon. ”
Laughter from the group around us makes Alijah pause for a moment. His family is with Mom, LeKendric, Korrena, and her husband as witnesses to this moment. When Alijah continues and produces a black box, I realize that this isn’t a dream.
“Finding the right person hasn’t been easy.
But the moment you came into my life, everything felt complete.
I know we haven’t been together long, but I don’t need months or years to know that you are the woman I want to spend forever with.
Will you take a chance on loving me into our golden years and every day God gives us? ”
“Yes.”
It’s risky, and we still have much to learn about one another, but my answer about this man feels right.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and for the first time in my life, I’m taking this leap without hesitation or fear.
Thunderous applause, cat calls, and ruckus sounds from behind us as I fall into Alijah and kiss him like we’re alone in this room.
To me, . . . we are. This love with this man fulfills me in the best way.