door.
"This ain't over, Dy," he told her as he walked out the door.
Dynasty came from behind the couch and yelled at Clyde as he jumped in Terrell's truck."Oh, it's over, all right. So stop coming over to my sister's house. I don't want to play cards with you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to know you exist. Do you hear me, Clyde?" She slammed the door, locked it, then sat down and cried.
Kenisha went to her sister and softly rubbed her back."It'll be okay, Dy."
She looked up."When? I haven't seen an okay day since your crazy mama birthed me."
"She was your crazy mama first."
They both laughed, then Dynasty asked, "You got any Kool- Aid?"
Kenisha went to the kitchen, poured two glasses of orange Kool- Aid, walked back into the living room, and handed her sister a glass. "I had no idea, Dy. You told us that you lost the baby because of some kind of accident."
Dynasty took a couple of gulps, then set the glass down."Yeah, Clyde accidentally kicked it out of me."
Kenisha flopped down on the couch next to her sister."I didn't know, Dy. Dawg. What made him do it?"
Sniffling and wiping the tears from her face, Dynasty asked, "Besides being crazy?"
Trying not to laugh, Kenisha nudged her sister."What happened?"
"We were at MJ's drinking and having a good time when Carlton walked in."
"Your ex-boyfriend Carlton?"
"Exactly. Well, Carlton spoke to me, and I stupidly spoke back. Clyde snatched me out of that club, took me home, and proceeded to beat me from one room to the next. He said that my baby probably belonged to Carlton. That's when he kicked me. Over and over again."
"If I'd known, Dynasty, there's no way I would have let Terrell bring that dog in here."
"Don't worry about it. The sad part is, I think I still love him."
"How you gon' love somebody that did some mess like that to you?"
"I never said I wanted to love him, Kenisha. I'm all messed up, torn up inside. I just can't stop my heart from loving his no-good behind."
They sat there in silence for a while, both recognizing the irrational desires of the heart, the longings that just couldn't be denied, even when danger signs glared in their faces. Kenisha was still in love with James, her first love, but he was in prison, so she was trying to make things work with Terrell."Well, if you really love him, have you thought about giving him a second chance?"
Why, why, why did she think Clyde could change? Not a day went by that Kenisha didn't long to talk to her sister, her best friend, again. But her sister was dead, and she had sent her back into the arms of the man who had murdered her— this was her greatest sin. Cancer was her atonement.
A nurse stepped into the room, causing Kenisha to lock her memory back into the past.
"All right, we're done for today. You can put your clothes back on, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Same time, same place," Kenisha said with false cheer.
The nurse walked over to her bed and put a hand on her shoulder. With sympathetic eyes, the older woman said, "I know this isn't easy for you, but I'm going to try to make you as comfortable as possible every day you have to come to radiation. Okay?"
Compassion wasn't something Kenisha was used to receiving. It made her uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and asked, "Do you know how much longer I need to come here? I have kids. I can't keep dropping everything to be at the hospital."
"You don't have any other options. You need this radiation so we can get that tumor small enough to operate."
"What's your name?"
"I'm sorry, I thought I told you my name. It's Lori Myers."
"Well, Lori, do you have kids?" The woman looked to be in her thirties and so thin that Kenisha doubted she had ever carried any children.
"I'm not married yet," Lori said.
Why did these professional types always think you had to be married before having kids? Kenisha didn't understand them at all."Well, I'm not married, and I have three." She stood up and put her clothes on, then turned back
"This ain't over, Dy," he told her as he walked out the door.
Dynasty came from behind the couch and yelled at Clyde as he jumped in Terrell's truck."Oh, it's over, all right. So stop coming over to my sister's house. I don't want to play cards with you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to know you exist. Do you hear me, Clyde?" She slammed the door, locked it, then sat down and cried.
Kenisha went to her sister and softly rubbed her back."It'll be okay, Dy."
She looked up."When? I haven't seen an okay day since your crazy mama birthed me."
"She was your crazy mama first."
They both laughed, then Dynasty asked, "You got any Kool- Aid?"
Kenisha went to the kitchen, poured two glasses of orange Kool- Aid, walked back into the living room, and handed her sister a glass. "I had no idea, Dy. You told us that you lost the baby because of some kind of accident."
Dynasty took a couple of gulps, then set the glass down."Yeah, Clyde accidentally kicked it out of me."
Kenisha flopped down on the couch next to her sister."I didn't know, Dy. Dawg. What made him do it?"
Sniffling and wiping the tears from her face, Dynasty asked, "Besides being crazy?"
Trying not to laugh, Kenisha nudged her sister."What happened?"
"We were at MJ's drinking and having a good time when Carlton walked in."
"Your ex-boyfriend Carlton?"
"Exactly. Well, Carlton spoke to me, and I stupidly spoke back. Clyde snatched me out of that club, took me home, and proceeded to beat me from one room to the next. He said that my baby probably belonged to Carlton. That's when he kicked me. Over and over again."
"If I'd known, Dynasty, there's no way I would have let Terrell bring that dog in here."
"Don't worry about it. The sad part is, I think I still love him."
"How you gon' love somebody that did some mess like that to you?"
"I never said I wanted to love him, Kenisha. I'm all messed up, torn up inside. I just can't stop my heart from loving his no-good behind."
They sat there in silence for a while, both recognizing the irrational desires of the heart, the longings that just couldn't be denied, even when danger signs glared in their faces. Kenisha was still in love with James, her first love, but he was in prison, so she was trying to make things work with Terrell."Well, if you really love him, have you thought about giving him a second chance?"
Why, why, why did she think Clyde could change? Not a day went by that Kenisha didn't long to talk to her sister, her best friend, again. But her sister was dead, and she had sent her back into the arms of the man who had murdered her— this was her greatest sin. Cancer was her atonement.
A nurse stepped into the room, causing Kenisha to lock her memory back into the past.
"All right, we're done for today. You can put your clothes back on, and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Same time, same place," Kenisha said with false cheer.
The nurse walked over to her bed and put a hand on her shoulder. With sympathetic eyes, the older woman said, "I know this isn't easy for you, but I'm going to try to make you as comfortable as possible every day you have to come to radiation. Okay?"
Compassion wasn't something Kenisha was used to receiving. It made her uncomfortable. She cleared her throat and asked, "Do you know how much longer I need to come here? I have kids. I can't keep dropping everything to be at the hospital."
"You don't have any other options. You need this radiation so we can get that tumor small enough to operate."
"What's your name?"
"I'm sorry, I thought I told you my name. It's Lori Myers."
"Well, Lori, do you have kids?" The woman looked to be in her thirties and so thin that Kenisha doubted she had ever carried any children.
"I'm not married yet," Lori said.
Why did these professional types always think you had to be married before having kids? Kenisha didn't understand them at all."Well, I'm not married, and I have three." She stood up and put her clothes on, then turned back
Similar Books
Blood and Thunder
Alexandra J Churchill
Steamed 4 (Steamed #4)
Nella Tyler
Hammer - Galactic Cage Fighters 5
KD Jones
Parker's Island
Kimberly Schwartzmiller
When She Was Gone
Gwendolen Gross
Bestiary
Robert Masello
Emancipation Day
Wayne Grady
Revenge of the Tiki Men!
Tony Abbott
Always in Her Heart
Marta Perry