The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,19
she had a lot more love to give. But Beverly was stubborn when she made up her mind about something. She knew no man could ever measure up to Darrell, and she cherished her home too much to let some mangy dog chew it up. Donovan offered to find her a cat, declawed. Beverly was not interested.
“Why don’t you give me a grandbaby?” she’d asked instead. “If I got more love to give, I’ll save it for my grandbaby.”
Donovan made a left on Seminary.
“Brianna didn’t go out partying last night,” he said. “She just doesn’t like to wake up early on Sunday.”
“That’s part of the sacrifice,” Beverly preached. “Sometimes you have to do things your body doesn’t want, if you want to follow Jesus.”
“Why you telling me?” Donovan asked. “I got up this morning.”
“I was thinking maybe you could pass the word along to your girlfriend,” Beverly suggested.
“But I don’t care if she goes to church,” Donovan said honestly. “I thought you liked Brianna.”
“I do,” Beverly said. “She’s beautiful, and she’s smart. But if she was a heavy-praying woman, too…” She held a finger in the air. “That would seal the deal for me. I’d be proud to give you away at your wedding.”
Donovan chuckled. He told her countless times that a mom does not give her son away at a wedding, but Beverly wouldn’t give up the dream.
“You’re my only child,” she had replied. “I got to have some role in your wedding – besides just sitting there. Why does the bride’s family get to do everything?”
Donovan drove past the Golden Corral they usually stopped at after church.
“Where you going?” Beverly asked.
“I forgot to tell you, I can’t have lunch with you today, Mama. I’m meeting someone.”
Beverly frowned. “Someone like who?”
Donovan smiled. “Kyra.”
Beverly frowned some more. “Kyra who?”
Donovan fought hard to keep from cracking up. “You know which Kyra.”
Beverly’s eyes widened. She removed her glasses and fixed a serious look on him. “Kyra who?”
“Reynolds, Mama. Kyra Reynolds.”
Beverly’s mouth fell open. “Aw hell.”
Donovan laughed. “We just left church, Mama.”
Beverly didn’t give a damn. “Don’t tell me that girl is back in this city.”
“She is,” Donovan said. “And she’s not a girl anymore, Mama. Kyra’s a grown woman.”
Beverly stared at her son like his nose just fell off. “Donovan, don’t play with me.”
“I’m not,” he said. He couldn’t wipe the smirk off his face. “She moved back last week. And she found me on Facebook. I talked to her yesterday.”
Beverly stared in silence for a moment, and then she brought a hand to her face and rubbed her forehead. “Jesus,” she muttered.
“It’s been fifteen years,” Donovan said. “I know you’re not still mad at her.”
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” Beverly asked. “Do you want to send me to an early grave?”
“No, Mama. Of course not.”
“What the hell is Kyra doing back in this city?”
“She can live wherever she wants to, Mama.”
“Did she come back for you?”
Donovan frowned. “No.”
“Then why she look you up?”
“She was my best friend,” Donovan reminded. “Why wouldn’t she look me up? I’ve been looking for her, too.”
“Looking for her when?”
“All the time,” Donovan said. “Tell me you’re not still mad at her.”
“I’m not mad. I just can’t stand her,” Beverly said matter-of-factly.
“Mama, that’s cold.”
“Donovan, don’t sit there and act like this is brand new. You know I can’t stand that girl. Never could. She ain’t never brought nothing but trouble.”
“She never caused me any trouble, Mama. You’re exaggerating.”
“I remember when she used to follow you home,” Beverly said. She was staring at the traffic, but what she saw was a memory tucked deep inside a recess of her mind. “When y’all were kids, I remember thinking, Aw, look at my baby trying to help that poor, homeless girl. But I made the mistake of feeding her ass, and she wouldn’t go away. She was like a bad fungus infection, just, just always there! Always knocking on my damned door: Is, is Donovan here?” Beverly scrunched up her face and mocked Kyra with a childish voice. “I wanted to tell her Hell no! Not for you! Not never!”
“Wow.” Donovan watched his mother in amazement. It was hard to believe they had totally different recollections of the same person. “Kyra never did anything to harm you,” he said. “Why you acting like that?”
“It’s not what she did to me. It’s what she almost did to you! Had you in all types of trouble over there.”