5. Kyro #2
I made sure everything was where I wanted it to be before Rashad and I left. I also grabbed my weekender that was packed. Something told me that I would be spending the night at my baby’s place tonight.
Unfixable Fix . . .
Every time I stepped foot into Scribbled Excellence, I was filled with pride.
This was my baby’s baby. It showed in the simplicity of the design as well as the comfortability of the space.
When you first came in, you were greeted by a receptionist at the welcome desk.
A lot of the staff that worked here were paid through the government work-study program and were students at Augusta University.
There were couches, televisions, and game systems for kids to chill at.
On the first floor, was open concept with tables where the kids could create, do homework, eat, or just chill.
There were self-portraits of children on the wall that had benefited from the program and moved on to great things.
The purple, black, white, and gold decor matched her self-designed logo.
There were also classrooms on the first floor.
When you climbed the stairs to the second floor, there were more classrooms and spaces for kids to create, chill, or whatever. There was also a kitchen on that floor. On the third floor was Tomorrow’s office, a conference room, and an art gallery.
My woman was blessed to have people in her corner who were able to secure this building for her through federal grants. There were so many contributors that made such an impact on the success of the organization.
“Hey, Kyro,” Jasmine, one of the receptionists, greeted. “TJ is in her office. She’s been in there all day.” Her voice was quiet.
Yeah, something was definitely wrong because TJ, as everyone here called her, loved to interact with the kids. “Thanks, Jasmine. I’ll head up there. You doing good?”
She nodded her head. “Yes, I’m good. I got an A on my art theory test.”
“That’s what’s up. Keep up the good work. Remember, if you get straight A’s, then that’s a free three-hour session,” I reminded her. I offered this to all the students who were over eighteen and in school.
She told me that she remembered before I walked off toward the stairs. “Kyro! Kyro!”
My attention turned to the little boy that yelled my name from across the room. “What’s up, Drew. What you got there?”
Drew was a seventh grader who wanted to be a tattoo artist when he grew up. I couldn’t lie; little man was already a beast when it came to raw sketching. When I started to come around here, a lot of the kids took to me, which was cool. “It’s a sketch that I did for class. Look!”
I took it from his hand. The A+ sat boldly on the top of the page. My hand went to the top of his head, and I lightly shook it. “That’s what I’m talking about. Yo, this is dope. Make sure you put it in your portfolio, man.”
“I am. You here to see Miss TJ? She’s not feeling good. She been in her office all day.” Damn, everyone knew my baby didn’t feel well.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m here to check on her and take her home. You know I got to make sure my woman is okay. That’s what . . .”
He smiled, then completed my sentence. “That’s what real men do. Tell her I hope she feels better.”
After I greeted a few more kids that came over to show me their projects, I was on my way to her office.
I knocked on the door before I came in. She looked up from a paper on her desk.
Her face was dressed with a scowl before she realized it was me.
A faint smile appeared, but that wasn’t the smile I wanted.
“What’s up, baby?” I asked after I walked behind her desk.
My hand reached for hers. Once I had it, I pulled her out of her seat to be blessed with her lips on mine.
Her arms wrapped around me tightly. When I pulled away from the kiss, her arms tightened around me. My hands rubbed her back, and my lips kissed her temple. “I’m so exhausted,” she mumbled.
I ushered her to the couch in her office. I sat first then allowed her to straddle my lap. I wasn’t sure what it was about this position, but she loved it. “Why are you exhausted, love?”
She huffed. “I didn’t get any sleep last night. Like zero sleep.”
I had a late-night tat session that didn’t end until two this morning. I didn’t think to call her because I assumed she would be asleep. “Baby, if you were awake, why didn’t you call me? I would have come over and slept with you. What’s going on?”
She sat up with tired eyes. “When I got home yesterday, we had a house guest. I walked in my apartment, and Michelle was sitting at my dining room table eating dinner like she belonged. Kyro, I wanted to fuck Tuesday’s care-about-everybody ass up.”
“Where did Tuesday run into her at? That was random for them to just run into each other.” I never met their mother, but I was sure that Tuesday didn’t hang out in the same place that crackheads did.
Tomorrow sucked her teeth. “Tuesday claimed Michelle happened to be walking past her school as she got out. Happened my ass. She knew if she got to Tuesday that she could manipulate her into just about anything. My sister wants so badly for my mom to be this mom that she’s never going to fucking be.
Even our dad has told her that from behind the damn walls. ”
I could see what she meant when she spoke about Tuesday. She loved her mother although she barely knew her. The trauma that Michelle left behind was less when it came to Tuesday. Her heart had so much love to give, and it wanted so much of it.
“Okay, love. Why didn’t you sleep, though?”
She stared at me with tight eyes. “Because Tuesday told Michelle that she could spend the damn night. There was no way that I would go to sleep and wake up with my damn refrigerator missing. She wasn’t going to get my ass.”
My laughter had a mind of its own. “Baby, the refrigerator though? You thought your mama would steal your refrigerator while y’all slept? I don’t think that was something that she could have gotten out of the house without y’all hearing her do it.”
“Kyro, crackheads are innovative and have the strength of an ox. Her ass could have probably strapped that shit on her back and was out in less than ten minutes,” she said seriously.
“That was not going to happen on my watch. I was right in the recliner in the living room, and her ass slept on the couch.”
I shook my head. “Baby, why did you come in today? You could have just stayed home.”
“I had meetings this morning that I didn’t want to miss. I booked these meetings months ago. I’ll sleep tonight, I guess,” she said before she fell forward on my chest and placed her head on my shoulder.
There was nothing that I could say. All I did was rub her back.
Her breathing slowed, and I knew that it was only a matter of minutes before she would be out like a light.
When I heard light snores, I smiled. The remote to the television was near me on the couch, so I grabbed it and turned on the game. For now, I would let her get some rest.
About an hour into her nap, my phone rang beside me. I glanced at the caller ID. Tuesday.
“What’s up, sis?”
There was shuffling on her end. “Kyro! Kyro! Is Tomorrow with you? I tried to call her and she didn’t answer.” Her sniffles put me on high alert.
I abruptly leaned up, which caused Tomorrow to stir before she awakened. “Yeah, she’s right here. She was taking a nap. What’s wrong?”
“Is that Tuesday? What’s wrong with her?” Tomorrow asked while she stretched.
Tuesday’s cries were soft but there. I wasn’t sure who needed to be fucked up, but someone did. “Um, she needs to come home . . . Something happened.”
“Are you safe, Tuesday?” It took her a second to confirm. “Alright, we’re on the way.”
“Baby, we need to get to your house. She said that something is going on there,” I told her.
Worry etched her expression. I had no idea what happened, but I knew that it couldn’t be good. After Tomorrow jumped up and grabbed what she needed, we were out of there.