15. Brittish Abernathy
Two days.
It had been two days since the debacle at the game, and no one had heard from Nyle.
No one knew where he was. His phone was off.
His house was empty. When he left the field that day, something told me I should’ve followed him.
Something told me not to let him leave, but I wanted to respect his wishes.
What happened with Renee was too damn much.
Even I was still feeling the effects from it.
Never in my life had I wanted to beat a bitch down like I did her.
Hearing the things she said and seeing how she acted caused me to black out.
That was how I knew I was in love with Nyle.
Whenever AJ was around, I handled myself well.
He’d never seen me act out until that day.
While I felt bad, he thought my anger was justified, and it was.
Still, I hated he had to see me like that.
I hated the boys had to see Nyle like that.
The game ended up being rescheduled because none of the boys had the mental or emotional capacity to start back playing. Some of them were crying. Some of them were angry. Nyle was deeply loved by them, so it hurt them to witness everything.
AJ asked questions. He wanted to know more, but I only told him what I thought he could handle.
Seeing my baby upset like that made me want to really beat Renee’s ass.
Now, AJ was just as worried as me about Nyle.
He’d been with me ever since, and every few hours, he would ask if I’d heard from Nyle.
My doorbell ringing startled me. I was sitting on my couch, drinking wine with thoughts of Nyle running through my mind. Setting my glass down, I dragged my feet across the floor and went to see who it was. A small smile graced my face upon seeing my family standing there.
Before I could even get the door open good, I broke down crying. Mama brushed past Daddy and my brothers and wrapped her arms around me. With my hands covering my face, I melted into her embrace and bawled.
“It’s okay, Britt. Let it out, baby,” she encouraged in a soft tone.
There was nothing like a mother’s love to heal what was broken. It was crazy how my emotions eased just from seeing her. When I stopped crying, I wiped my face and loved on my daddy and brothers.
“Sorry, y’all,” I expressed as Dionte draped his arm around my shoulders.
He kissed my temple and said, “Don’t apologize. I can tell you needed that.”
“Hell yeah. Look how red her nose is, over there looking like Rudolph.”
Leave it to Diamond to make light of the situation. I gave him the finger and a playful shrug when he tried to hug me. Of course, I gave in. He and Dionte held onto me for a little too long. I was on the verge of tears again, so I backed away.
AJ came running around the corner and immediately squared up with Dionte.
All I could do was shake my head at them.
Dionte followed AJ to his room while everyone else followed me to the living room.
Daddy sat next to me with his arm draped over the back of the couch.
I snuggled up close to him and released a shaky sigh.
“I’m so worried about him,” I admitted. “So is his family. None of us knows where he is, and it’s nerve-racking.”
“Tells us exactly what happened,” Daddy said.
Leaning my head back, I briefly closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths before running everything down to them. Mama had a horrified look on her face while Daddy had to sit up with her forearms resting on his knees. When I was done, the room was silent for a while.
“Yeah, I know.” I broke the silence, grabbing my wineglass and taking a sip. “It was a lot for me to take in when he first told me too. It still is, especially after witnessing everything I did.”
“That’s some weird, sick shit, man.” Diamond wagged his head. “I figured it was something deep when we had dinner with him and his family, but damn, . . . I never would’ve guessed that.”
“Me either. It explains so much when it comes to how he was. He made so much progress with me, and I’m terrified this is going to mess it all up.”
“And if it does?” Daddy asked as he turned to look at me. “Will you be willing to go through the process of fixing it again?”
That was a good question.
“Honestly, it depends on how receptive he is to me supporting him. He shuts down when his mental isn’t right. I’ve told him how to communicate with me when he’s like that, so I guess it’s up to him on whether he can or not.”
Mama and Daddy shared a look that Diamond and I immediately caught onto. My head whipped back and forth between them, waiting for one of them to let us in on why they were looking that way.
Daddy was the first to speak. “Your mother and I talked about this before coming here, and I figured we could use her post-partum depression as an example. We know it doesn’t compare to what Nyle went through, but we had to deal with the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of it.”
“The mental part was the hardest,” Mama spoke.
“I empathize with Nyle when it comes to that. Getting out my head, fighting the inner demons, was the hardest thing for me. I didn’t want to get out of bed.
I cried, thinking about how much I loved y’all but wasn’t strong enough to push through to take care of y’all.
I can only imagine what is going through Nyle’s mind.
If it wasn’t for your father, I wouldn’t have gotten through it.
He became everything for me and y’all, each time. ”
“I did because it was easy. I did because of how much I love all of you.” Daddy chimed back in.
“There were days your mother wouldn’t speak, but I knew when she needed me.
She tried shutting me out many times. I didn’t let her, because I knew that wasn’t what she needed.
So, I stayed close by while giving her the space.
In the end, I truly believe love has a way of healing people. ”
Once again, I was crying. I’d always known my parents’ love story was beautiful, but they continued to reveal more parts that gave me hope for me and Nyle. Love did have a way of healing. I was a witness. Nyle provided it for me, so I wanted to do the same for him. I prayed I could.
“How can I do that when I don’t know where he is?” I questioned in between sniffles.
Diamond inquired, “Do you think anyone in his family knows where he could be?”
I shrugged. “He hasn’t spoken to anyone, but I could ask them and see.”
“Do that,” Mama encouraged as she came over to sit next to me. She placed her hands on top of mine and smiled. “I can see how badly this is bothering you, which lets me know this man means so much to you.”
“You don’t know the half, Mama. We clicked instantly, and he wasn’t moved by me trying to play hard. He said he was going to be in my life one way or another.” I snickered, thinking about how Nyle loved throwing the friend card at me. He had an ulterior motive, and I should’ve known I’d fall.
“So, think of it like he’s playing hard to get right now. He was persistent with you, so be persistent with him. Show up for him in ways he needs but doesn’t speak on.” Mama peered over at Daddy and winked. “I know what it’s like to need it.”
My family didn’t know how much I needed them and their advice.
They stayed with me for the rest of the day.
We ordered pizza, played games, and just talked.
Not only did it help me stay in good spirits, but it seemed to heal a little something in AJ as well.
Between losing his step-grandfather and witnessing everything with Nyle, my baby had been through it.
Mama, Daddy, and Diamond left, while AJ convinced Dionte to spend the night. I’d always kept extra clothes for that purpose. As I was lying on the couch, AJ came and snuggled up under me.
“Where’s your uncle?” I asked, kissing his temple.
“He’s in the shower. Are you okay, Mama?”
I nodded. “I’m better than I was before.”
“Have you talked to Nyle?”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t. I plan on going to his grandmother’s house tomorrow to see if they know anything.”
AJ sighed. “I just hope he’s okay. I can’t lie. I miss him.”
“I do too, baby. I really do.”
“Maybe, when he comes back, we can do something special for him. He’s always doing something nice for others. I think we can return the favor. Maybe it’ll help him feel better.”
“I love that idea. Do you have anything in mind?”
For ten minutes, I listened to AJ ramble off different ideas. We agreed on two of them, but he wanted to include the team, so we decided to present the ideas to them before deciding.
To know my son cared about Nyle spoke volumes.
It reminded of me of how quickly he adapted to Zaina.
Asher had dated two women prior to her, and AJ wasn’t feeling them at all.
The day he met Zaina, he immediately vibed with her.
He might have been a little hard on Nyle, with him being a man pursuing his mother, but he warmed up quicker than I expected.
Two days was enough. I wouldn’t and couldn’t go another day without my love. He needed me, and I needed him. I’d find my way to him. I could guarantee it.