I was telling her about my new car. I have to thank you again for helping me with that, Donovan.”
“I didn’t do much. I found out about that charity through our counselor at school.”
“You’re so modest. You won’t take praise for anything.”
Donovan grinned. “Okay, you’re welcome. I’m glad you like the car. But you’re probably the only person I know who would refer to a ’99 Escort as ‘new.’”
“It’s new to me.”
“Yes it is. You know, if your aunt doesn’t like me, and the only thing I’ve ever done is try to help you, maybe she doesn’t want you to get too independent. She wants to hold you down, which is worse than a regular hater.”
“For real,” Kyra agreed. “I think she wants me to stay here so she can keep getting food stamps and whatever else she’s trying to scheme on. Yesterday she asked if she could put my kids on her tax return next year. I haven’t even been here two months, and she’s already thinking about tax returns!”
“Damn,” Donovan breathed. “Yeah, you got problems.”
“What else is new?” Kyra said. “Anyway, I don’t mean to be calling you with this mess all the time.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“What about you?” Kyra said. “How was your day?”
“It was fine. I’m good.”
“How’s your girlfriend? Is she feeling any better about, you know, me?”
Donovan considered his response. He wanted to tell Kyra what happened, but there was a chance Kyra might do the unthinkable and say she had more-than-friendly feelings for him. Donovan would have to come clean about his feelings for her, and then they’d prove everyone right by jumping into a (most likely doomed) relationship.
It was silly, but Donovan needed to prove to himself and his mom and even to Brianna that he didn’t break up with her so he could be with Kyra. The best way to do that was to keep Kyra in the dark about the breakup, for now at least.
“Brianna’s fine,” he said. “I haven’t had any problems with her.”
“That’s good,” Kyra said. “Did you take your mom to church today?”
“I did,” Donovan said. “It was nice.”
“I want to go to church sometimes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why you say it like that? Don’t you think I should go?”
“Of course,” Donovan said. “I didn’t mean to sound surprised. I’m happy to hear that.”
“I would go with you,” Kyra said, “but me and your mama should probably never be in the same building at the same time.”
Donovan chuckled. “You can come to church with us if you want.”
“Please!” Kyra said with a smack of her lips. “I know Miss Beverly don’t like me.”
“As a matter of fact, I talked to my mom about you today. She told me to tell you she’s sorry.”
Kyra’s mouth fell open. “Sorry for what?”
“I don’t know,” Donovan said. “Kicking you out, treating you bad when we were kids.”
“She apologized?” Kyra never expected that, not in a million years. “Why?”
“Because I told her she was wrong for hating on you. I told her you were my friend, and you weren’t going anywhere. And you never did anything wrong in the first place. I got sick of her talking noise about you.”
Kyra made it back to her aunt’s house. She sat on the front porch with a huge smile on her face. “You’re such a good friend, Donovan. You’re too good to me.”
“I just want you to get yourself situated, so you can be happy.”
“Me, too,” Kyra said. She stared at the purplish sunset disappearing behind her neighbor’s house. “I can’t wait ’til I have a normal life like you. I wanna sit on the porch at my own house, have a good job so I don’t have to struggle anymore. I want to start going to church. Maybe I’ll meet a man…” Like you! A man just like you! Kyra giggled at her subconscious. That was silly talk. There was no chance of her meeting a man just like Donovan. He was as unique as the stars that were starting to appear in the sky above her.
“You’ll have all those things,” Donovan assured her. Deep down it hurt to think of Kyra in the arms of another man. But Donovan would never interfere with the desires of her heart. “Everything will work out for you,” he promised.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE FORGOTTEN STORY
The next few weeks were filled with progress for Kyra. It felt like God finally took her off the bench and put her in the game of life, saying, “Alright, baby. Show me what you got.”
Kyra got her car