I couldn’t help but chuckle with her as Sidney rolled her eyes playfully. To say they were sisters, they looked nothing alike. “I think it’s cool that two sisters married two brothers.”
They glanced at each other and smiled, like there was an inside story I wasn’t privy to.
“Mm-hmm,” Sonya said. “Let me check this roux.”
She turned and went to the stove as Sidney stared at me. I could feel my face heating up. Finally, she said, “Graham picked a beautiful woman to be plastered all over the internet with.”
I couldn’t subdue my laughter. She joined me. “Umm… thank you?” I said in a questioning manner.
“That’s a compliment, along with the facts. The paparazzi seems to love you.”
I slightly rolled my eyes. “I still haven’t figured out why.”
“You haven’t? I have.”
My eyebrows lifted, but I remained silent. I didn’t know what to say, nor did I know where this conversation was headed.
“When your purpose is strong, people are drawn to you to try to stifle you. Baby, your aura is strong. There are people who are afraid of your potential. Don’t you think people that know you are feeding the media? They will do whatever they have to do to be a hindrance to you fulfilling it. Satan won’t win. The man you are signing with has claimed power over him. It’s time for you to do the same. Stop putting yourself in compromising situations. Graham is my son, but that nigga is a ho. However, God still used him. Imagine if he aligned himself in God’s will. Same for you.”
Once again, I was left speechless. I stared up at her and let a tear fall down my cheek. She walked over to me and said, “Graham is changing. He would haveneverhad us at a woman’s house. All of this was his idea. He wanted to provide you with overwhelming support. Don’t tell him I told you, but he’s smitten. Honestly, I think you are too.”
I brought my hands to my face, covering it. If she could see that, then I was sure everyone could. She put her arm around me, and said, “Go spend time with him and tell him how you feel. I’m pretty sure he will reciprocate.”
When she walked away, I said, “Thank you.”
I spun around on my bar stool, and my eyes landed on Graham. He was staring right back.God, I hope she’s right.
Arlie was staringat me hard from that barstool. I wasn’t sure why, but I was about to find out. Just as I was about to get up, she stood and made her way to me. My eyebrows lifted slightly. I could see my dad watching from his peripheral. He told me I was doing the right thing by being here today and doing everything I did. I refused to tell her it was all my idea though. I didn’t want to let on just how much I was feeling her without knowing if she felt the same or was at least willing to explore a relationship with me.
She sat next to me and tucked her feet under her, then leaned against me. I licked my lips as I stared at her. I lifted my arm and put it around her, staring at her as she snuggled against me. I wanted to pull her to my lap and cradle her like a baby. Instead, I kissed her forehead. When I lifted my head and saw my dad and Uncle Shawn smiling at me, I chuckled. I was gonna hear all the bullshit on our way back to my house.
Everyone would be staying with me tonight. I was off for two weeks. I didn’t tell Arlie that part. I’d gotten suspended for two weeks. At this point, I didn’t even care. That just gave me more time to make sure she was okay. Seeing her today had hurt my heart. I could tell she was struggling, but I could also tell how our presence had made a difference. The bags under her eyes were extremely pronounced, and the sadness in her eyes was damn near debilitating.
I knew she wasn’t gonna stay at the repast, so I made sure to get Uncle Shawn to a store where he could get everything they needed to make gumbo. Aunt Sonya wouldn’t be safe in a grocery store out here. People idolized her, especially in Texas. The same was becoming true for Sharee. She’d been in a lot of music videos over the past few years and had made appearances in TV shows as well.
When I told Noah about Arlie’s brother dying, I knew he would want to be here, but he took it a step further. He wanted as much representation from YKMN as possible. Since it was last minute, he knew he wouldn’t get as much, but it was worth a shot. It was easy for my family to be here since they were in Beaumont and Dallas, not far from Houston. Everyone else was primarily based in Baltimore. That took a little more planning.
Everyone was talking about random things. I glanced down at Arlie to see she had fallen asleep. Kimaji smiled while looking at her. They were so close. I was thankful for Kimaji, because I wouldn’t have known anything had it not been for her. I would have found out about his death, but that would have been it.
“I’m glad she’s resting.”
“I can imagine she hadn’t been sleeping well.”
“No. It’s been rough the past few days.”
I nodded, then asked the million-dollar question. “Was that your mom y’all got into the car with at the cemetery?”
She nodded with a slight smile on her face. “That’s her. She saw you and was completely frozen. I didn’t tell her that we had connected.”
I nodded. “I look like her.”
“You do. So much so.”
“So, umm . . . when do you think I can meet her?”
Her eyebrows scrunched together. “For real?”
“Yeah, but don’t tell her.”
