“That’s what I’m here for, and your grandmother’s coming by in a few hours. Our job is to make sure your mother’s cool. Your job is to go to camp and be the best cheerleader you can be. Those college scholarships aren’t gonna earn themselves.”
“You’re paying for my college, Daddy.” She made her way to the sink.
“Says who?” I gathered what I needed from the refrigerator to start breakfast.
“You’re rich.”
“And you’re talented. Your talent’s gonna take you to college. Just like mine took me.”
“Uncle Silas said that I don’t have to try that hard. He said that you ran so I could walk.”
“He . . . what? That’s not even how the saying goes. I’mma hurt your uncle Silas.” Leave it to my younger brother to be spouting stupid shit to my kid.
We worked in silence for a little while. Harmony hobbled into the kitchen just as I was plating the food. Her leg brace made her gait both slower and more careful than usual.
“Hey, Mommy.” Mikayla ran over, stopping herself just before plowing into Harmony. She wrapped her arms around her mother.
Harmony had surgery on Friday afternoon. She was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. All she wanted when she got home was a shower, some food, and some sleep. Her mom, Mrs. Alston, had helped with the shower. Mikayla and I had helped with the food. This was my first time seeing her since we took her up a tray at about 4:30 p.m. the day before.
“Hey, my baby.” She hugged Mikayla back.
“Good morning. You hungry?” I asked her.
“So hungry, and it smells good, too.”
I fixed her a plate, then the three of us sat down to eat.
After breakfast, it was a mad scramble to find everything Mikayla needed for the day. I alternated between watching her look for her practice shoes, to helping her look for her practice shoes, to fussing at her that she was going to be late, so forget the practice shoes. Apparently, things had been so hectic when I picked her up from camp on Friday to take her to the hospital tosee her mother, we forgot the practice shoes were in the rental car.
“Daddy,” she said once we were settled in the car and had both calmed down from the practice shoes shenanigans.
“What’s up, Kay Kay?”
“I’m supposed to leave with you on Friday when you go back to Chicago?”
“Yeah.”
“But my mama hurt herself. If I go to Chicago with you, she’s gonna be by herself.”
“Your grandmother will be here with her.”
“But my Nana doesn’tlivewith her. She won’t be here all the time.” She huffed out a sigh. “My granddaddy is needy,” she complained. “He’s gonna want his wife home with him. He’s not gonna let my Nana be with Mommy the way she needs to, . . . the way I would.”
“Oh, okay. I’m with you. You feel like you need to be here for your mom as she recovers from this injury?”
“Yes,” she said with relief that I understood, like I was dumb or something and there was a chance that I wouldn’t understand. I wanted to laugh. “At least until she’s out of that knee brace. She can’t even really bend her knee.”
She had a point. “I can’t argue with you when you’re making sense. You want to postpone your time with me to take care of your mom. Got it. So . . .”
“So you have to tell her. I know my mama. If I tell her I want to stay, she’s gonna start talking about the parenting plan and about how important it is that both of you all get your time with me.”
“It is important. My schedule during the season is crazy, and I need to make sure that I get my time so I can soak up the essence of Mikayla.”
She pretended to gag.
“But I get how important it is to you to look out for her and be there for her. It’s you and her against the world, just like it’s me and you against the world. I’ll talk to her.”
She bounced up and down in the seat. “Thank you, Daddy! And ask if I can make up the week with you. Instead of staying one week, I’ll stay for two.”
