6. Kalm Alexander Savage
KALM ALEXANDER SAVAGE
The feeling of grease stinging my skin reminded me of the bacon in the pan.
My mind had drifted off to the beauty passed out in my bed.
I kept replaying the events of last night back in my mind like a movie, and I had questions.
That nigga who tried to snatch her up gave me a bad feeling.
Then when I saw Charisma was so scared that she was literally shaking, it brought out the real me.
I guess I should’ve been proud because whenever that bull came out of me, he was hard to tame.
One look from Charisma in the bathroom, and I found myself returning to my normal temperament.
I had no intention of bringing her home, but that plea not to leave her had pulled at my heartstrings.
I couldn’t leave her in that club if I wanted to.
Removing the crispy bacon from the pan, I set it aside to begin on the pancakes.
I glanced up when I saw Oasis out of the corner of my eye.
She stood there with her blanket wrapped around her body, leaving only her sleepy face exposed.
She looked just like my brother and I except she was a girl and wore lemonade braids in her hair. “Good morning, Sissy,” I greeted her.
“Good morning, Brother. Did you sleep on the couch last night?” I guess she’d eyed the covers I’d left sitting over there, even though I’d folded them up.
“Uh, yeah, I had a guest last night. I let her take my bed, and I slept out here.”
The biggest smile appeared on her face before she rushed over to me. That little bit of information seemed to wake her all the way up. “A guest? Who is it? Is she your girlfriend?”
I bopped her on the nose. “Why so many questions?” I maneuvered around her to grab the bowl of pancake mix I’d already prepared.
“Because you’ve never brought anyone home. This is the most exciting thing to happen around here since we found out I have cancer.”
Hearing that word made me flinch. I slowly turned to face her and saw glitter in her eyes.
Clearly, hearing about my overnight guest truly was entertaining for her.
“Speaking of that, you have your port surgery tomorrow morning. I’ve been thinking about hiring someone to care for you because training camp starts soon, and I need to participate in my next match. ”
While I didn’t want to be away from my sister, I knew I had to fight for the prize money.
Both she and Kaos needed things that would cost, and as their brother, I was going to do whatever to get it for them.
Kaos needed a good lawyer, while my sister would have medical bills in the coming months.
I never wanted either of them to feel like a burden to me, so they would never hear me complain about a financial strain.
“I’m sorry you have to go through this because of me.” She pouted, and I saw that her sadness returned like a dark and menacing cloud floating above her head.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. As your brother, you know I’ma always make it happen.”
She sighed with a groan. “I know, but you shouldn’t have to do everything. Like the timing is terrible. Kaos needs a lawyer so he can get his wrongful conviction overturned. You can’t take on the financial burden that comes with having a sick sister too.”
I stopped cooking to give her my undivided attention. “I can and I will take on whatever comes our way. You are not a burden, Oasis, and neither is Two. I would give my life for y’all, so don’t ever think I see either of y’all like that, because I don’t, and I never will.”
I knew she was about to cry before her tears even got the chance to appear. She walked into my open arms, and I rocked us side to side as I comforted her. Since I couldn’t fight their battles for them, the least I could do was provide the money they needed to keep them afloat.
“You still have a beautiful and long life ahead of you, Oasis. So does Kaos. What our family is going through right now is a temporary test of our strength, but I know we’re going to be alright.”
She sniffled with a nod. “I know, but after we get through this, I’m going to need God to take us off the strongest soldiers list because I can’t take anymore.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, because I agreed wholeheartedly. “I’m with you when you’re right,” I joked, making us both laugh.
If Charisma hadn’t cleared her throat, we never would’ve realized she was standing there.
Oasis and I looked up at the same time to find her standing in the doorway, wearing the t-shirt I’d given her last night to sleep in.
The shirt was so long it came past her knees, or maybe she was just short as hell.
Either way, I liked the sight of her in my clothes.
“Good morning,” she said, suspiciously eyeing my sister and me. I could only imagine what was going through her head. But she had to know I wouldn’t bring her home if I had a woman living with me, right? While these were my thoughts, the expression on her face suggested otherwise.
“Good morning,” my sister said cheerily.
She released me to walk over to Charisma while I went back to cooking the food.
I had to throw out the pancake I was making because it’d gotten burnt to a crisp during my talk with Sissy.
“You must be the guest who stayed in his room last night. I’m Oasis, his little sister, but you can call me Sissy. ”
She held out a hand for Charisma to shake. I peeked over my shoulder in time to see Charisma’s body slacken before she even sighed in relief. “Whew, girl, I thought I was going to have to beat him over the head with that frying pan over there.” She accepted her hand and shook it. “I’m Charisma.”
My sister bounced excitedly on her toes. “You’re so pretty. Are you his girlfriend?”
I shook my head at the nerve of this girl. “Sissy, stop being rude, and mind your business.”
Charisma snickered softly, using her hand to cover her mouth. “I am not his girlfriend,” she replied, putting a sour taste in my mouth.
I pinned her in place with a glare. “Yet,” I said with an attitude.
She blushed while Oasis squealed and jumped up and down. “Y’all would be so cute together. My nieces and nephews would be so cute too.”
“Ain’t it? I think so too,” I said, encouraging her.
Chrisma frowned, which only made me laugh. I fixed my sister a plate then handed it to her. “Do me a favor and eat in your room while I talk to her. Aight?”
She accepted the plate and nodded. “Okay, cool. I can’t wait until Two calls. I’m going to tell him you have a girlfriend.”
Before I could tell her not to start spreading lies, she skipped out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with the brown-skinned beauty who was watching me pensively. “You feeling aight?” I questioned while making a plate for her next.
“Yeah, I think so. Thank you for taking care of me. I didn’t get sick, did I?”
I shook my head with a smirk. “Nah, you behaved yourself for the most part.” The eggs, bacon, and pancakes were aromatic, and I knew she thought so by her growling stomach. She took a seat at the dining room table after I set her plate there. “You want orange juice, water, or Gatorade?”
“I’ll take the Gatorade. I feel so empty,” she admitted.
I grabbed her a blue one then placed it on the table.
After making my plate, I joined her with a bottle of water.
We held hands for prayer then began eating our food.
Neither of us seemed to be in a rush to speak, and it wasn’t awkward at all.
I realized that I liked the feeling of being around her, not requiring work or effort.
Everything came as natural as the beams of sunlight glimmering through the curtains.
“Thank you for what you did last night,” she finally said, breaking the ice.
I gulped down some water to wash down my food before responding. “It was nothing. Something about that nigga was off.” Just being reminded of it had my hand clinching into a fist around the water, making the bottle crinkle. “That’s your nigga or something?”
She looked completely disgusted by the idea when I glanced at her. “Ew, what? Hell no! He was someone I trusted but not anymore. Now he’s nothing to me, and I want nothing to do with him.” The more she talked, the smaller her voice, body, and aura got.
Nodding, I allowed her words to ruminate in my spirit before I brought up the conversation I really wanted to have. “Have you ever thought about giving up dancing?” I probed for insight on her mindset surrounding her work. Not to judge her but to see if she was looking for a way out.
She slowly chewed the bacon she’d just taken a bite of.
Even though I knew it tasted delicious, her face scrunched into a ball as if a sour taste filled her mouth.
“Yeah . . . I would like to, but I don’t have any other skills.
Being a dancer is literally all I know. Sometimes, I think of doing something like opening a coffee shop, but it’s a pipe dream. ”
Sitting my fork down, I got down to business. “Do you think you could take care of someone?”
She blinked twice then gulped. “Take care of someone? What do you mean?”
I sat back in my seat, thinking about the reality of what was to come for my sister next.
I still hadn’t fully wrapped my head around her diagnosis, because there was no time.
I had to start planning for the things she couldn’t think of, such as hiring someone who could accompany her when I couldn’t be there.
“My sister was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and after her port surgery, she will have to start getting chemotherapy on a bi-weekly basis,” I shared with her, heart heavy and in my throat.
Pain spread from my heart chakra to every other energy center in my body until I was hurting everywhere.
I saw the color drain from her face. Her body jerked forward as she sat up straight as a board, nearly knocking into her plate. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, Kalm.” Her voice cracked, and I knew she was being genuine in her reaction.
I swallowed my own tears as I rested my chin on my hands.
It took me a minute to untangle the knot in my gut so I could speak again.
“It caught us off guard, but we’re here now, and I need to hire someone who can attend treatments with her while I’m in training camp.
” Glancing up at her, I said, “I’m asking you because I know you have something going on.
This is the home my parents left for us.
We have an extra bedroom that you can live in rent free, and I will pay you for accompanying her. What do you think?”
She drummed her fingers softly on the table. “You trust me that much, Kalm? We just met.”
“I could ask you the same thing since you came home with me last night when you were under the influence. Not that I would ever do anything to harm you, but we just met,” I repeated her words back to her, staring deep into her eyes.
It was a challenge that started a fire between us.
The gleam in her eyes told me she happily accepted it too.
“Touché,” she said with a laugh. She sighed then allowed her head to drop back while she looked at the ceiling.
“I’ve only ever taken care of myself, but I’m willing to learn whatever I need to so that I can help you.
What you did for me last night truly means something to me, so you have my support on this.
No one should be able to find me here.” She whispered the last sentence, but I still heard her.
“Even if they did find you, I would never let anything happen to you, Pretty,” I admitted boldly.
She shared her gorgeous smile with me. “After last night, I believe you. Anybody who goes up against you is a fool.”
I chuckled with a nod. “That part.” After a pause, I returned my attention to her. “You’re not afraid of me?”
“No. You haven’t given me a reason to be. I don’t usually trust easily, but it’s something about you that I can’t stay away from. Every time I see you, it’s like I have to get close to you, or else it feels like my heart is going to crawl out of my skin.”
Hearing her say exactly how I felt, I reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for trusting me, Charisma Rae Jones. I promise you won’t regret it.”
She bucked at me for using her full name. “I don’t think I will either, but only time will tell.” I could only smile at her words while she went back to eating the remaining food on her plate. She looked so relaxed that I was willing to do whatever to ensure she always felt like that around me.