The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,5
was so excited when he finally got Facebook pulled up, he entered his password incorrectly three times in a row.
When he got it right, he emphatically jabbed the button that said Yes he would accept Kyra as his friend. Yes, yes and hell yes! And finally, after a full fifteen years with absolutely no contact, Donovan saw the woman who had become somewhat of an obsession. Kyra was so beautiful, Donovan stared in awe, unaware that a joyful tear rolled down his cheek.
“Oh God, thank you.”
Kyra’s profile was new, and it didn’t offer much information about what she’d been up to since the last time Donovan saw her. But it revealed enough to make him more and more joyous at every click.
Kyra’s hometown was listed as Overbrook Meadows, and her current location was also Overbrook Meadows. Donovan assumed that was a mistake, but he prayed that it was true. He longed to see Kyra with his own eyes and touch her and hug her. Donovan clicked some more and learned that Kyra wasn’t just beautiful, but she was a mother now. In one of her three pictures, she was holding an adorable baby girl in her arms. The child was the spitting image of her mother.
Donovan put a hand to his mouth and sniffled. He wasn’t an emotional guy, but this was not the average Facebook encounter. Kyra was Donovan’s best friend ever since they met in grade school; Donovan in the fourth and Kyra in the third. There was never an attraction between them, and many were baffled by how thoroughly they bonded. When Donovan learned that Kyra lived less than half a mile from his house, he rode his bike to visit her nearly every day. During the summertime they would be together from sun up till sun down. They made tree houses and army forts in the bushes, and they loved to roll their pants up and explore creeks and ponds, in search of tadpoles and baby turtles.
Kyra’s home life was rough back then. Donovan was the one person who always loved her. He never hit or talked bad to her. They became play-brother and sister, and when the abuse at Kyra’s house reached a peak, Donovan did everything in his power to save her. He was only a child himself, but he stood up to adults for Kyra. He comforted Kyra when her mom went to jail, and Donovan even talked his mother into letting Kyra live with them when they were in high school.
Finding Kyra on Facebook was like finding his twin brother or a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Knowing she had grown into a beautiful, healthy adult was one of the greatest gifts Donovan ever received.
A sound at the door alerted him to a visitor. Donovan wiped his face quickly as Kevin entered the office with books in hand. The sweat on Donovan’s face effectively masked the tear that he was much too manly to shed in the first place.
“What you doing, Coach?” Kevin approached and stared over his shoulder. “Who’s that? She fine.”
Donovan chuckled. “She’s an old friend. I haven’t seen her in fifteen years.”
“Dang,” Kevin said, studying the picture more closely. “Is that why you look so happy?”
Donovan nodded.
“How you find her?” the boy asked.
Donovan gave him a look. “I guess common sense ain’t that common…”
Kevin laughed. “Oh, you found her on Facebook?”
“Yeah,” Donovan said, his eyes still glued to Kyra’s picture.
“You can find anybody on Facebook,” Kevin said.
“I guess so,” Donovan agreed. He went back to Kyra’s profile so he could send her a personal message.
“You gon’ ask her out?” Kevin wanted to know.
“Boy, go sit down,” Donovan said. “This is my sister. She my play-sister. We used to live together and everything.”
“She still fine,” Kevin said as he made his way to a desk. “Y’all didn’t never kiss or nothing when she was living with you?”
“Boy, I just told you she’s my sister.”
“You said play-sister, Coach,” Kevin noted. “So y’all not really related. I know I wouldn’t be able to live with a girl if she looked like that – especially if we weren’t really related.”
Ain’t that the truth, Donovan thought. “Be quiet so I can send this message,” he said. He sent a quick message to Kyra and then went and stood before Kevin’s desk. “Alright, what are you having problems with?”
“I don’t know how to graph these functions,” Kevin said. He dug his math book from his backpack.