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First thing on the agenda was to calm her down. I carefully weighed my words before speaking, and when I did speak, I used my sef tone. “Listen to me, Star. This is why you shouldn’t sneak around in other people’s stuff. You know men. They must do what they must do. Guns are a part of our lifestyle, there’s nothing scary about that. I have a gun beside my bed.” I yanked the drawer of my night table open and tilted the phone to show her my gun. “See.”
“Oh,” she breathed out.
“Yeah, oh. Do you have a habit of looking through his stuff?”
“No,” she exclaimed.
“Then this is probably not the first time he’s carried guns into the house. He seems smart enough not to get into fights, but when shit goes down, shit goes down, and he was likely caught off guard by more than he could handle on his own. He got a good beating. It happens. Not the end of the world,” I replied with a dismissive wave of my hand.
“What about my grandmother’s cross, the locket with your hair, and the other stuff?”
“He’s Romanian,” I scoffed as if that explained everything. “Naturally, he’s feeling sentimental after we broke up. You’re an empath and you’re bonded to your brother, so of course, you’d absorb his stress. Something’s going down at work, and we broke up, but that’s all there is to it. I’m sure he has a very good reason for each of the things you brought up, but because you snooped around, you don’t have the whole story. Stop letting your imagination run wild and calm down.”
Putting up a brave front, I inhaled deeply and insisted, “Nothing is going to happen to your brother.”
Probably a lie, but there was no need for the girl to get hysterical over something she had no power over. If this had to do with his secret, which I was almost certain it did, then Star and her mother might be in danger. And I needed her remaining calm and thinking clearly.
“Listen, Star, this gives me the opportunity to tell you something I’ve been meaning to say for a while. You’re like the little sister I never had, and your mother is like the mother I never had. I care for you both, and if you’re ever in trouble, you come to me. I’m your woman. Don’t worry. If anything should happen to Tatum, which it won’t, you can always count on me.”
“Why are you saying this right now?” she asked hesitantly.
Guiding her away from her fears, I said, “Because your brother and I broke up, but it doesn’t mean you and I should break up as well. I’m powerful enough to protect you if you ever need to seek sanctuary here. I just want you to know I love you, and if you should ever need me, I’m here for you.”
“Umm, thank you, Clara. I love you, too. You’re like the big sister I never had,” she said softly. “I trust you. It’s the reason I called you when I saw the guns. I didn’t want to worry Mama. I guess, you’re like family.”
“You can tell me anything,” I assured her. “You can visit me. You can live here if you want to get away from New York. You can start a new life in California. You can do anything you want. I’m here for you.”
“Okay.” She paused. “You’re sure this isn’t coming from Tatum’s guns?” she asked tentatively.
“No,” I replied firmly. “I’m giving you options. I’m a great believer that women should have options, and I’m your number one supporter. And if you’re ever troubled about anything, you call me. I know you have your brother, but sometimes you need the guidance of a woman who’s not your mother. That’s where I come in.”
I was trying to coat my message to something benign, yet hoped my words resonated with her. If her world blew up into smithereens, as I feared it might, she’d remember my promises, and she’d come to me.
Star was such a proper young woman, so well-behaved and polite. Courteous as ever, she said, “I love you and thank you, Clara.”
I didn’t know what kind of trouble Tatum was in, and I didn’t know how he was going to get himself out of it, but I wanted his sister and mother to know they had a place here with me.
“Anytime, Star. Seriously, call me anytime. Now that we’ve got your worries and my confession out of the way, I have one last piece of advice to give you. Stop sneaking around your brother’s bedroom and let him focus on the job in front of him. Focus on being a teenager, on your schoolwork, and your friends. He wouldn’t like knowing you’re worried about him.”
I was stooping low, using a guilt trip to get her out of worrying about her brother, but it was my job to worry about him. God knows, I would do enough worrying for her and me combined.
