Bless
BLESS
I had just stepped out of the shower. My skin was still warm and damp as I smoothed shea butter over my body. I felt rare and profound happiness, a lightness in my heart that I hadn’t felt in years. It was rare, but I remembered this feeling. It was the bliss that I’d had before Ri’s murder. Now that Legacy and I had finally come back to each other, and there were no more secrets between us, my heart and mind felt so free. It was like a new beginning, and I was relishing every moment of it.
After I was done moisturizing my skin, I moved towards the closet in search of the tote that I kept all of my beachwear in. Most of my swimwear pieces were “mom bikinis” that I wore when I took the kids to the beach or on vacation. Most of them had a match for Zara and Riley.
The sound of my phone ringing interrupted me as I entered the closet. I made an about-face, searching for the phone in haste because I assumed that it was Legacy informing me that he was on his way back.
I found the phone in the master bathroom on the sink. Seeing Darrell’s name on the screen, I answered quickly, “Hey, Darrell. What’s up?”
“…” His voice was frantic and shaking. “You need to get to the University of Chicago right away. Legacy’s been shot.”
The world around me tilted so suddenly and dramatically that I got dizzy. I held on to the bathroom counter to steady myself. “What? No, no, no! Is he okay?”
“I don’t know,” Darrell replied. His voice cracked, signaling his own sorrow, which made me unravel. “They didn’t tell me much. Just that he’s in surgery.”
I stood there for a moment, paralyzed by fear and disbelief. This couldn’t be happening, not now when we had just found our way back to each other.
I took a deep breath, trying to gather my strength. I couldn’t unravel. I had to get to the hospital. I had to get to Legacy.
“!” Darrell shouted.
“Y-yes, I’m here.” I looked in the mirror and realized that my face was soaked with tears.
“You’ve gotta get it together so you can get here, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Hurry. Please .”