The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,79

don’t know that,” Beverly said. “And you’re too scared to wait and make sure. But I’m telling you, it’s better to find out before you make any major changes in that girl’s life. You told me yourself; she’s been through enough. You know I love you, baby. And I wish you and Kyra the best. But I think you’re rushing into things. Have you talked to Kyra about this? Is this what she wants, too?”

Donovan sighed. “She said we need to talk about it.”

“Then talk to her,” Beverly said. “Listen to her – if you won’t listen to me. Trust me, I’m not hating on Kyra, or whatever you called it.”

Donovan chuckled.

“I’m not even complaining about you missing church this morning,” Beverly continued.

Donovan had to lower his gaze again.

“I just want what’s best for you,” his mother said. She reached to hold his hand.

“I know,” Donovan said. “And I love you.” His eyes scanned the table. “…You and these leftovers. You don’t need all of this food, do you?”

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Aunt Ruth tried to talk to Kyra when she got home, but she went straight to her room and changed clothes. She took her kids out for a late lunch and then went to get groceries with her very last food stamp card. Kyra would get her first check from the school district in five days. A month after that, she’d have a steady income for the first time in over a year. Kyra couldn’t wait to move out of her aunt’s house, but she still had to face her when she went home.

Aunt Ruth didn’t help tote the groceries inside, but she helped Kyra put them away in the kitchen. While they worked, Ruth told her, “Girl, I got something to tell you.”

Kyra told her kids, “Go to your room.”

Ruth waited until they were gone before she said, “Leonard called.”

Outwardly, Kyra didn’t respond. She continued to put away the food. But inwardly Kyra’s whole body suddenly felt cold and sick. If she was near a toilet, she was sure she’d vomit.

“Did you hear what I said?”

“He called from jail?” Kyra asked. She continued to work around her aunt who now stood by the stove with her arms crossed.

“No, he’s not in jail,” Aunt Ruth announced. “He say he’s out of jail.”

Kyra’s knees buckled. She really was going to be ill. But she kept moving. She didn’t want her aunt to know how much the news troubled her.

“How’d he get the number?”

“From one of them folks in Little Rock. I don’t know who. Everybody know where you at, Kyra. Ain’t no secret.”

“What’d he want?”

“He want you to call him,” Ruth said. “I took down his number for you.” She went to the table and found a tablet. “Here it is.”

Kyra continued what she was doing. She felt the beginning of a bad headache.

“You gon’ call him, ain’t you?” her aunt asked.

“I don’t know,” Kyra said.

“You got his baby,” Ruth reminded. “You got to call him, if he wanna know about his baby.”

Kyra finally went and stood in front of her. “He doesn’t care about Kat. He never did.”

“That’s not what he told me. I talked to him for a long time. He pissed ’cause you took Kat out of state. He think that’s illegal. And I know it is.”

“Oh, you know it is?”

“Yes, and you know it too, Kyra. If that man wants to see his daughter, you have to let him. And if he go and get a lawyer and tell them you took his daughter out of state, they can take that baby from you. They’ll give Kat to him.”

Kyra’s heart burned at the mention of someone taking either of her children away. That happened once before. Kyra would never let it happen again, especially not over a lowlife like Leonard.

“He’s on drugs,” she said. “Nobody’s going to give my baby to a drugged out father.”

“He said he’s clean now.”

“Whose side are you on?” Kyra wanted to know. “Why you taking up for him?”

“I’m not taking up for nobody,” Aunt Ruth said. “I ain’t doing nothing but telling the truth. I hope you do keep your kids, if it was up to me. I think you a good mother.”

But Ruth’s smug smile canceled out her positive words. Kyra knew that her aunt was tickled pink over this dilemma.

“I’m not calling him,” Kyra decided. Her aunt had her so riled up, her heart was racing. “Since you like talking to him, you can tell him that. Tell him to try to