The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,29

now, I don’t like this, Donovan. I don’t like anything about it.”

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When they got inside, Donovan gave his woman a long, comforting hug and they sat together on the sofa. He told her about his lunch with Kyra, from the moment he picked her up to the worry he felt when he dropped her off.

Brianna wanted more details, like what went through his mind when he saw Kyra and how he felt when they hugged. Donovan was as open as possible, but he drew the line at letting Brianna play psychiatrist.

When he was done talking, she asked the same question Kyra asked when Donovan dropped her off.

“Why do you feel like you have to do something to help her?”

“I don’t know,” Donovan said. “I just do.”

He kicked off his church shoes and pushed them to the side of the coffee table. His tie and button-down were already draped over the arm of his recliner.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Brianna said. “I understand a friend wanting to help a friend, but you haven’t heard from her in fifteen years. Why are y’all still so close?”

“I know,” Donovan said. “No one does. You would have to understand what it was like when we were kids. What she and I went through together.”

“Then tell me.”

This is senseless, Donovan thought. There was nothing he could say that would make Brianna feel better about him spending time with Kyra or any other woman. But he didn’t mind reliving some of the memories. Maybe if he talked about it out loud, he could help himself understand why he needed to be Kyra’s guardian. Why him? Did God really assign Donovan this role, or did he take it upon himself, way back in the day when he was too young to know any better?

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He told Brianna about meeting Kyra in grade school. She was quiet and small for her age. Kyra didn’t have nice clothes. Sometimes she came to school with her hair half done, like she styled it herself without an adult around to give her a once-over before she left the house. Kyra had a brother named Duke who was two years older. Her sister Jessica was a year older than Duke. Every now and then Kyra was fortunate enough to attend the same school as one of her siblings, but for the most part she was on her own.

Donovan and Kyra weren’t in the same grade, either. They only saw each other at lunchtime and occasionally before or after school. The first time they spoke was during recess when Kyra was in the 3 grade. Donovan noticed her walking alone near the gym while most of her peers were involved in games with at least one other person.

Donovan approached Kyra and asked if she wanted to play with his yo-yo. The smile that lit up her face changed Donovan’s heart in ways he still didn’t comprehend. He would never forget how awkward and vulnerable Kyra was. For the next twenty minutes Donovan’s only intention was to keep a smile on the quiet girl’s face. The following day he sought her out again with the same goal in mind.

The first time Donovan walked Kyra home from school, it was because a clique of bad girls tried to attack her. Kyra allegedly stole a dollar from one of them. Donovan was more sympathetic than upset when they arrived at Kyra’s home and she admitted to stealing from her classmate’s purse. Donovan gave her all of the money he had in his pocket (a buck fifty), and told her to ask him the next time she needed money. She never did, but Kyra would take a bag of chips or the desert from his lunch whenever Donovan offered.

What Donovan found most endearing about Kyra was the beauty and joy she possessed on the inside despite the obstacles in her daily life. Kyra’s mother, Deidra, smoked crack cocaine. Kyra never met her father. Kyra’s brother Duke was a budding criminal, spending the bulk of his adolescence in juvenile detention centers and alternative schools.

Kyra’s big sister, Jessica, had seen way too much. She was hardened and bitter about life. Jessica barely reacted to the hell their mom put them through. The only comfort she offered Kyra was the certainty that after awhile she’d get used to it.

With Donovan, Kyra found one person who never criticized her about her hand-me-down clothing or her dopefiend mom. Donovan was there for her when Kyra wanted to talk about the most dreadful situations, like