I blushed, standing in the house alone, reading that paper over and over again. We had been through so much, and for thefirst time in a while, Gio wasn’t a recurring thought in my mind. But more like a passing memory that didn’t bother me.
I tried to call Love and thank him for the flowers when my call got sent to voicemail, and he responded back with a text.
At the movies with Amir, I will call you back in a few.
I said, “Okay,” and went back to sit down.
I didn’t know what to do with myself. I didn’t know my girls were going to be working, or that Love was taking Amir to the movies. My parents were even too busy to pick up my call.
After hours of waiting to hear back from Love or my girls, I decided to take myself out to eat. I was hungry and craving different things.
In my room, I pulled out some of the new clothes that Love bought me to grow with my belly. I tried a few on and finally picked a dress that I liked when I heard the doorbell again.
I took my time answering it, thinking it was just something else that Love ordered, when I heard banging at the door with my name being yelled behind it.
I left my room a mess and went down to answer the door, and was surprised to see my girls.
“Where the hell y’all been?” I said as I swung the door open.
They laughed at me. “Oh… you missed us?” Renee asked.
I laughed. “I did until now. Y’all forget about me?” I asked playfully.
“You are slowly turning into a balloon. How could we forget about you?” Deja added.
We walked into my living room, and Kenya looked around at all of us funny.
“Y’all, I’m not even trying to play, but I have to blow up a bathroom. My stomach is killin’ me.”
I shook my head. “Uh-uh, don’t use my hallway bathroom; go down to Love’s.”
Kenya shook her head. “Nah, I’ma go upstairs.”
And she took off running up the steps.
“Well, while she does that, why don’t we go into the kitchen?” Renee asked. “I need me a snack.”
They pushed me into the kitchen and was looking all around for something they wanted to snack on. I didn’t say shit and just let them do them while talking about what they wanted to do for the day.
I half listened, looking at my phone trying to pick what we were going to eat, when I heard the front door shut, making my head shoot up.
“Kenya?” I yelled out, and it was silent.
“Love, Amir?” Still no response.
Renee and Deja looked at each other, then back at me.
“It was probably just the wind. I might not have closed the door all the way,” Deja said.
I stood up and walked outta the kitchen with them following behind me, trying to stop me from going to the front door, when the door flew open, and Kenya walked back in.
I tilted my head at her.
“What were you doing?”
She looked around like I wasn’t talking to her.
“Huh?” she asked.
