2. Divinely Positioned #2
“Kira, girl, are you even listening to me? I’m just running my mouth and you ain’t saying shit.” Kira cracked a smile. That’s because I have nothing to say, she thought.
“I hear you, Jazz,” she reassured her.
“Oh, and before I forget, Keshia got a paternity test on that little boy she bragged about being Chill’s, and ummm…
it’s true. That hoodrat bitch couldn’t wait to post the results on Facebook.
I wish you would’ve beat her ass when you had the chance.
I know y’all broken up or whatever, but that shit was foul how he had that hoe all up in your house while you were at work, talking about she was his cousin on his daddy’s side, that’s why you never met her.
You were right all along about the vibes you felt from that hoe. ”
Kira felt her blood begin to boil. This was the whole reason her Facebook account was deactivated.
No matter how hard she tried to escape the bullshit, somehow it always found its way back to her.
She inhaled deeply and said calmly, “I don’t care.
He’s no longer my concern. Whatever he’s got going on is his business.
You don’t have to keep me updated. I’ll talk to you later, I have to get to work.
” She ended the call and stood there for a moment, phone still in her hand.
She refused to let old wounds show up where they had no place.
The anger passed just as quickly as it came.
She grabbed her keys and headed out the door, choosing peace, even when it showed up uninvited.
Once her Uber arrived, she didn’t joke or ask a million questions about Harlem.
She didn’t hear the music or the traffic outside.
She sat quietly, staring ahead, somewhere far from the city passing by.
By the time they pulled up to the hospital, Kira had gathered herself.
She stepped out of the car, took a deep breath, and tried to slip back into the version of herself the world expected.
Wynter noticed instantly that something was wrong, Kira not being her cheerful self.
She didn’t want to invade her privacy, so she gave her the space to process, but with a gentle rub on her back, she wanted her to know she was there if she needed her.
The gentle rub on her back made her feel exposed, as if she wasn’t doing a good job of hiding old wounds cracking back open.
She looked up at her with a warm smile in appreciation.
Kira walked into room 501 to check on her patient, whose room was filled with dozens of red roses.
To her surprise, Mrs. Holloway was sitting up in her bed.
She had suffered complications with her heart, and the odds had been against her.
It felt like a miracle seeing her now, just a week ago she had been hooked up to so many tubes, and now there were barely any.
Kira was witnessing God work in real time.
The sight brought both a smile and tears to her eyes.
For a moment, it made her forget everything she had just been through.
“It’s so good to see you, Mrs. Holloway.
How are you feeling today?” She sighed. “Baby, alive, like I’m twenty-five,” she said, and they both shared a heartfelt laugh.
“And I feel even better seeing you. Come here, baby,” she added, reaching out her hand.
Kira took it, and Mrs. Holloway tightened her grip.
“I just want to thank you, dear. While I was sedated and could hardly open my eyes, you stood over me and prayed for me. You sang to me, and I cannot thank you enough.” Kira smiled, wiping a tear away as she realized Mrs. Holloway had recognized her voice.
“You don’t have to thank me,” she said softly. “My prayers are free.”
“You just as sweet as you want to be,” she said, patting her hand.
“You can’t have me crying at work,” Kira added, wiping her face with the bottom of her shirt. “The roses are beautiful. They must have cost a fortune, somebody loves you real bad,” she said, changing the subject before the emotion overtook her.
“I appreciate that, but baby, they’re not for me. They’re for you. You help keep my spirits up. You help me survive more than you would even know.” Kira stood there, confused. At that moment, Mrs. Holloway’s son walked into the room.
“I hope you’ll accept my gift, ma. I wanted to give them to you personally, but…
I didn’t know how you would receive me. I wanted you to know it was genuine.
” In that moment, her heart melted into a thousand pieces.
He made her feel seen without trying too hard.
He looked into her eyes as if their souls were already tied, as if he understood something about her without needing to ask.
He showed appreciation without expecting anything in return.
It may not have meant much to others, but to her, it meant everything.
His presence demanded respect. She could tell he was protective but gentle, not to mention handsome.
He gave king energy without saying a word.
Kira was speechless, so many emotions happening at once.
Gratitude, disbelief, and a tenderness she wasn’t prepared for settled in her chest. She wasn’t used to being seen like this, not without asking, not without conditions.
The moment caught her off guard, softening something in her she’d kept guarded for a long time.
Kira’s mind was racing as anxiety washed over her, leaving her struggling to find the words to say.
“That’s a very kind gesture, but you didn’t have to. I was just doing my job. I didn’t do anything special.”
“Says who? And let’s say I agreed, why are you not open to receiving?
Just because something isn’t special to you doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t see it differently.
You are an angel, a blessing to me and my mom.
Allow me to be the same to you.” He placed his hand over his chest. Kira hated that she cracked a smile.
“I don’t even have a car.”
“Oh, you take the subway?”
“Heck no. I’d probably get lost and never make it to my destination,” she chuckled.
“ It’s not that hard. Where you from, ma?”
“Detroit.”
“Okay, I see you. What part?”
“The North End, but I guess you could say the East Side to make it simple. So yeah, I Uber here every day.”
“I don’t mind taking you home. I’m a good dude. I don’t bite, I promise. Besides, my mom would kill me,” he said, glancing over at Mrs. Holloway. She lifted her fist, jokingly reassuring Kira. What time is your shift over?” Kira checked her watch.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I have to go. Later today, we should be moving you to a regular room, Mrs. Holloway.
Your healing journey is a testimony. Hopefully, in the next couple of days, you’ll be back home where you belong.
” She turned to her son. “Thank you again for the roses. It was a pleasure meeting you, sir.” With that, she made her exit.
As soon as she left the room, she took a deep breath.
She walked quickly down the hall with a smile on her face, her shoes echoing softly against the polished hospital floors as lights blinked above patient doors and the familiar scent of antiseptic lingered in the air.
She had to get out of there before she folded.
Kira knew she liked him too much already, and she didn’t even know his name.
But his deep brown eyes felt as though they could see right through her soul.
He had the most beautiful smile she had ever seen, the kind that belonged on the pages of a magazine.
“I see someone is in a good mood now,” Wynter said as she caught up with her, weaving past a rolling cart and a nurse rushing by. “Don’t be selfish. Share the good news. Shit, I want to smile too.”
“Girl, it’s just that Mrs. Holloway has improved so much in just a week.” Kira shook her head softly, still amazed. “God is so good. Sometimes it’s just a gentle reminder that He may not show up when we want, but He’s always on time.”
“Amen,” Wynter added, pressing her lips together as she nodded.
“That’s good.” Wynter smiled, then lifted a brow. “Did you see her son? He’s fine. And he’s a business owner, a barbershop and a tattoo spot.” She laughed under her breath. “When I walked past the room, I saw the way he looked at you.”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” she said quickly, waving it off, trying to downplay their interaction.
But she would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t feel the attraction.
The urge to get to know him and see what he was made of tugged at her, but she couldn’t afford to lead with her emotions, moving too fast just to be loved, just to not be alone.
She knew she had to protect her heart before it was broken again.
Breaking the soul tie with Chill had been one of the hardest things she’d done, but with each day, he faded further into the background as she chose to focus on what was ahead instead of what was behind her.