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“Alright. When you need me, I’ll be outside the door. We only have a few minutes before we’re lining up, so don’t be too long.”
“I won’t. I just need a minute.”
After another pat on the back, he let me be. I wasted little time searching for my phone; I found it within seconds. Nature’s contact was the first on my list. I tapped the screen and listened as her phone rang. The first call eventually rolled over to voicemail.
Come on, Nay.
Pick up, baby.
I tried again, this time getting an answer on the third ring.
“Milo?” she rushed out, panic in her tone.
“Everything is fine, baby,” I assured her.
“Are you alright?” Her voice lowered. “Hey, can you guys give me a second?”
There were a few seconds of silence before she asked again.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m trying to be, Nature, but this shit is hard, much harder than I imagined. I want my Pops. I want my Ma. When I look out there today, I won’t see either of them and that shit eating me alive.”
“Listen to me, Milo. You have every right to be as hurt as you need to be, as scared as you are, as angry as you are. Grief doesn’t have a timeframe. It doesn’t have a clock. It never stops. It just hurts a little less. I will always hold space for your pain, even on our biggest day. If I have to hold your hand myself to get you down the aisle, then say the word and I’m on my way. I don’t care, Milo. Whatever it takes, baby.”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Yes, baby. And not just today, always.”
“I know. That’s why I love you.”
“So, what’s it going to be?”
“I’ma be there already, Nature. Just meet a nigga, you know, whenever you get time.”
“Luckily, I’ve got time now.”
“Then I’ll be waiting.”
I ended the call with a lighter heart and a bigger smile. I two-stepped toward the door, pulling it open to find my brothers all waiting on me, Chemistry included.
“Ya niggas ready?”
“Born ready,” Makai responded.
“I love y’all niggas. I appreciate your support on this day.”
“One love,” they all said in unison.
* * *
Just after thelast few petals from Aussie’s basket hit the floor, silence coated the room. Nature rounded the corner, leaving everyone speechless. The cream dress she wore hugged every curve on her slim frame. It was perfect, just as she was.
Shit, Nay.
I rocked back and forward, shifting my vision from her to the ground, desperate to find the smallest form of relief. Her beauty was staggering. Watching her make her way down the aisle with her father at her side rocked me to the core, leaving me dismembered. My heart was in pieces and so was my head.
Fuck, baby girl.
