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“Nothing will change, Granny. I just want to forget about it.”
“And I want my Charles to still be alive, but we can’t always get what we want,” the older woman clipped before looking at the men in the room. “King, Mike, may I please have a moment with Sugar and Enigma?”
Mike nodded. “Take all the time you need, Mrs. Steiner.”
The second the door closed, Granny took Sugar’s hands in hers and said, “Look, sweet child, I know it hasn’t been easy for you and you’ve suffered horrendously, but there comes a time when hiding isn’t enough. You’ve been belittled, harassed, abused, demeaned, and treated worse than anyone can imagine because of this town. Aren’t you tired of it all?”
Sugar slowly nodded.
“Only you can make it all stop. Only you can stand up and shout, enough. No more. Because if you don’t, this town is going to think they can continue treating you the same way. I understand your trepidation, your fear of confronting your accusers. It’s scary, but you have so many people supporting you, wanting to stand beside you. Lean on them, Sugar. Draw from their strength.”
“I’m afraid,” Sugar admitted, tears rolling down her face while she looked at Granny.
“There is a saying by Nikita Gill that I absolutely adore. ‘Never mistake her silence for weakness. Remember the air stills, before the onset of a hurricane’. Be the hurricane, Sugar. Show this town how mighty you really are.”
It was late by the time we all made it back to the clubhouse, everyone refusing to leave Sugar in her time of need. Knowing Sugar was exhausted, I called and spoke with Mrs. Potter, who agreed to keep the boys overnight.
With her hand in mine, she said nothing as she silently walked up the stairs, worn out and ready for bed. I didn’t have to look at my brothers and the other women to know they were all worried about Shug. After everything my woman had endured, she was at her limit. She was done. She couldn’t take much more.
I knew she was close to her breaking point. I feared that if she hit it, I wouldn’t be able to put her back together again.
All I wanted to do was wrap her in all the goodness and grace I had in me and protect her from the world. For so long she’d fought alone, refusing to engage, letting this town beat her down, one word at a time.
There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. She had to know that, and as much as I wanted to wrap her in cotton and keep her close to me for eternity, that was impossible. There was going to come a time when Sugar was going to have to stick up for herself. I just hoped that when that day came, she’d realize she wasn’t alone. That me, and everyone who loved her, would be there to support her.
“Baby, why don’t you go take a shower? You’ll feel better.”
She said nothing, releasing my hand and silently walking into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Hearing the water turn on, I sat on the bed, leaned forward, and held my head in my hands as I let go of all the anger, frustration and pain I was feeling on her behalf. I refused to show my pain in her presence. She’d been through enough already.
Sitting there in the darkness, I cried for my best friend, wanting so much to erase her years of torment.
“Enigma?”
Turning, I stared at King, who looked concerned, standing in my doorway.
“You okay, brother?”
“No. I’m not okay. How do I fix this for her? Everything in me is shouting to take her away from Rosewood, so she never has to deal with this town ever again. Why is this fucking town so damn cruel?”
“It’s not the town, brother. It’s one person.”
“Sugar is one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met. She only wants to live her life and be happy, but that bitch won’t let her. Why won’t she let her?”
“I don’t know, brother, but don’t give up yet. We are all feeling her pain tonight. What she went through tonight, goes through on the daily… it isn’t right. All we can do is be there for her. Show her that she is loved. That we want to be a part of her life.”
“I’m losing her, King,” I whispered as tears rolled down my face. “I can’t lose her. Not when I just got her.”
“You are not going to lose her,” King vowed, as he stood straight. “You concentrate on Sugar. Take all the time you need. Your brothers have this now.”
King said nothing more as he quietly closed the door, leaving me to ponder what he meant by that when the bathroom door opened.
“Who was that?”
“King,” I whispered, looking at the most magnificent woman I’d ever known and wondering how I ever got so lucky to have her in my life. Everything exquisite, wonderful and loving in my life was because of her.
If only she knew how amazing she truly was.
