Page 23 of Nobody Praying for Me

She stretched her eyes wide, letting me know the question caught her off guard. I watched her lean back in the seat and begin to nibble on her bottom lip. Her eyes bounced around, possibly trying to keep in time with her racing thoughts. Finally, she sighed and glanced at me. “You looked like you needed a reason to smile.”

The genuine concern in her eyes made my throat go dry. I gulped down the emotion wanting to bubble up as I recalled that day. “That was the day Sissy got her diagnosis,” I shared with her. “I was feeling so helpless and fucking angry at the world because, for the first time since our parents passed away, there was something neither money nor being present could fix. Kaos was already locked up for a couple months, so I felt like I failed him. His situation was a jab from left field; then the diagnosis was like a right hook that dropped me on my face.”

I knew I could be completely vulnerable with Charisma without being seen as weak or sassy. She allowed space for me to be a man who had the world on his shoulders. That was one of the reasons I loved her. She saw everything I tried my hardest to hide.

“I didn’t realize that. I thought, if I can make him smile and get some help at the same time, it would be a win for both of us.” I blew out a breath because that was a fucking understatement. “Can I ask you a question?” I nodded, giving her the floor to do so. “What made you help me?”

I tossed the question around in my mind. I remembered thinking she was beautiful, but there was something floating lifelessly beneath the surface of her eyes. “You looked like you needed a reason to trust in God again.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, tightening her grip on my hand. “And that was a few days after the robbery happened. I had run out of all the money I kept on my Cash App. That was one of my lowest moments,” she confessed in a soft voice.

I kissed the back of her hand again and smiled when she gave me her eyes. “You surely didn’t look like it. You tried to play a nigga too. Ain’t wanna let me take you on a date or nothing.”

Her laugh brought a smile to her face, and I was glad to lighten the air. “I did not think you would seriously be interested in me, and I was just focused on getting gas.”

I winked at her just as we pulled up to our destination. “Well, you got that and so much more.” I caught a glance of the tattoo on her neck and brought it up. “You know, I’ve always wanted to know what the tattoo on your neck means.”

She reached up to touch the script and sighed. “It means the lord is my strength in Sanskrit.”

Realizing it had a spiritual meaning, I asked a follow-up question. “I figured you weren’t raised in church, so how do you have such a relationship with God where you rely on him?”

She tightened her grip on my hand. “I definitely wasn’t raised in church, but one day, I came across a sermon on YouTube.” Her eyes spaced out, and she shook her head softly. “The message spoke to me and gave me hope when I really needed it. Having a relationship with God is how I was able to survive this long, if I’m being honest. I just always told myself one day, my life would get better, and one day, it did.” She slowly looked at me with adoration sparkling in her brown irises. “It was the day I met you.”

I kissed the back of her hand because I understood her on a deeper level. God had brought us together when we both needed it most. “My life got better the day I met you too, Pretty.” Nodding toward the shopping center we’d just pulled up to, I said, “We’re here.”

Charisma glanced out the window, trying to figure out where we were, but other than being in the Red District, I knew she had no clue. “Where are we?”

Unbuckling my seat belt, I shut my truck off and smiled. “You’ll see in a second. Come on.”

I hopped out first to walk around and open her door for her. Intertwining our fingers, I pulled her closer to my side and led the way into the empty unit in front of us. Pulling a pair of keys from my pocket, I used one of them to open the door. Once we stepped inside, I watched my girl look around with knitted brows and a slack expression.

“Kalm Alexander Savage. . . what is this?” she finally asked. Hearing my government name only made me smile when she said it. The space was so empty that her voice echoed off the walls.

Instead of responding, I tossed the keys in my hand toward her. She barely caught them in time, but even still, her face told me she had no clue what was going on. “It’s the home of your coffee shop or whatever else you want it to be.”

Her body froze, mouth wide open and all, making me chuckle. “Are you playing with me right now?”

Closing the distance between us I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Nah, you told me you never had any ambitions, but you would be happy doing something simple like opening a coffee shop one day. I told you a while back that I wanted to do something nice for you. When I watched you sell all your designer bags, clothes, and shoes for dirt cheap when you moved out of your apartment, I realized you are not a woman who is into super flashy and materialistic things. And since you said you’ve had niggas who tricked on you before. . .” I gave her a side eye realizing I was still a little salty about her telling me that.

“Oh my gosh. I didn’t mean it like that. Stop looking at me like you wanna fight me.”

The playfulness in her voice was the only thing that made me relax. “Anyways, them niggas bought you bags and designer clothes, but I bet they never invested in your dreams because they don’t love you the way I love you, Pretty. I honestly wouldn’t have survived the last few months without you being here. This is not only my gift to you but a token of my heart. It’s in your name, but I will cover all costs to get you started.”

I barely had all the words out before she was crashing into me. She wrapped around me with a vice grip I couldn’t break if I wanted to. The sobs that ripped through her encouraged me to rub small circles on her back while cradling her head to my body like a baby.

“I told you I have your back, and I mean that. Weren’t you just singing for me to love you like I’ve never loved in the car? Well, this is me doing that. I want to make the rest of your life easier because I know it’s been far from that for the first twenty-eight years of it. You said I couldn’t save you, but I’m doing my part by providing for and protecting you. Now, no matter what happens with us, you will have something to fall back on.”

Out of nowhere, she leaned up and popped me right in the mouth. “You don’t want to spend your life with me, Kalm Alexander Savage?”

“Of course I do, baby.”

“Then don’t say no shit like no matter what happens with us, because the only thing that’s happening is getting married and having some babies. You’re stuck with me now, or else I’ma get Two and Sissy to help me jump you.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re crazy as hell,” I told her.

“No less crazy than you, babe. We’re a perfect match.” As she placed her lips on mine for a kiss, I had to agree. There was no other woman who could match my energy the way Charisma did. Her bravery and boldness were reasons I had no choice but to open my heart to her.

Glancing around the empty unit, I asked, “What are you going to name this place?”