Damaged: Jovian’s Revenge Read Free

living like this.
    Ki
    My heart stopped when I heard my baby’s voice. I’m sitting in the living room waiting for them to bring him home. I really don’t care about Jovian knowing where I live long as he brings Khalil home. Now, Miguel needs to come home and my life will once again be complete. They pull up in the driveway and we run to each other. Tracy and the kids run down the stairs.
    “Khalil!” Everyone screams in unison.
    I run over to Jovian and hug him. He holds on to me. He cries on my shoulder and I shed tears too. Jay walks over to us and hugs us. And as always Tracy cries too. Khalil runs up the stairs to his room.
    “Mama!” he yells as he jumps down the stairs one by one.
    “Yes Khalil?”
    “Who’s been in my room? My wrestling ring is missing.”
    “I missed you so I put it in my room with my Barbie dolls.” Korea says .
    As they run up the stairs , I sit on the couch finally relieved. My baby is home.
    “Aye , anybody hungry? I gotta throw some food on the grill,”  I say as I walk to the kitchen. “Tray , Jaylin , Jo- do ya’ll want something to eat?”
    “I know I do,” Tracy says.
    “I’m hungry too and fix me an egg sandmich first.” Jo says.
    “Aight .I got to run to the store first. I’m starving.” I say as I head up the stairs to shower and change clothes.
    I stop at Khalil’s room and watch as all of my children play together. Khalil and Kylan climb on his new treehouse bedroom set. Jovian walks in the room.
    “Is it okay if I stay?” Jovian says.
    “Yeah. I want you to.”
    “Fo real?”
    “ Yeah, you promised me you would bring him home and you did.”
    I walk to the bed and pick up Khalil. He smells like cigarettes.
    “You wanna take a bath lil man?” I ask.
    “Yeah, but only if daddie stays in the bathroom with me.”
    “Of course son. Your momma going to the store and I’m gonna stay here with ya’ll until she gets back.”
    “Thanks Jovian . I got to go jump in the shower. Don’t let them out of your sight.”
    “Aight Ki.”
    I walk into my bedroom , close the door, and lock it. The vent from the kids room reveals all of their crazy conversations. I listen as Jovian wrestles with his boys, picks out their clothes so they can get in the tub. The Jackson 5 Greatest hits CD plays as he dances with the girls.
    I grab my gray and blue Memphis Tigers sweats and my blue and gray Nike running     shoes. Soon as I hit the shower, my body relaxes and I feel so clean. I wash away all the hurt, anger, pain, guilt, and frustration I felt since my baby been gone. As the tears flow, I pray to God that any mother enduring this pain will somehow find peace.
    I step out of the shower, dry myself off, and rub my body with tropical–scent Shea Butter. My floor length mirror shows a reflection of a woman that is stressed. In one week I dropped ten pounds, but all that’s going to change. The first thing I’m thinking about is food. It’s about to go down.
    I look in the mirror one more time before I head out to the store. The glow in my gray eyes is back. My skin doesn’t look pale anymore. I’m back. I walk into the bathroom and Jovian is sitting on the toilet watching Khalil play in the tub.
    “Khalil, I’ll be right back,” I say as I kiss him on his forehead.
    “Okay, momma. Can I get some kiwi’s ?” he asks as he dumps his Shawn Michael wrestling figure in the water.
    “May I and yes you can.”
    I walk out of the bathroom down the stairs to the living room. Tracy is the  corner spaced out and Jaylin is in the chair asleep. I grab my purse and purse.
    “Come chick . Let’s G-O”
    “Aight Ki . I need some air anyway, “ Tracy says as she follows me out the door.
    Before we leave out the driveway , I text J.D.
    “He’s home . Did you find my husband?”
    Miguel
    I don’t know how it happened , but I woke in a car on Lamar and South Parkway in South Memphis in a brown Chevy Impala. To my surprise, no one touched me. This means I haven’t been