The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,99
nothing about it. You call yourself being all in love or whatever. Why can’t you tell him the truth?”
“It’s not your business!” Kyra shouted. She didn’t understand why her aunt couldn’t grasp that.
“He called my phone,” Ruth repeated. “I didn’t call him. He called me!”
“He didn’t ask you about none of that shit you told him!”
“Well, I think he need to know about it,” Ruth stated. “How about that? I told him ’cause I think he need to know.”
“But why?” Kyra bawled.
“Because you using people, Kyra. You using people, and it ain’t right, just like you doing to me. You didn’t wanna pay me my money when you got paid. You fucked off your food stamps. I told you them people would give you some money just to live here, but you didn’t wanna do that either. Everything I tried to get you to do, you wouldn’t do nothing! And then you got this man and the other one coming over here, taking you out to fancy places.”
“So? What about it?”
“They wouldn’t have done nothing for you if they knew the truth!” Ruth said. “If you wasn’t gon’ tell ’em, then I had to be the one to do it. You can try that sneaky shit somewhere else, ’cause you sure as hell ain’t doing it here!”
Ruth was in her face, chin up, top lip curled in a sneer. She looked like she could defend herself if Kyra took a swing. But the more Kyra studied her face and listened to the words coming out of her mouth, the more she realized it wasn’t worth it. This confrontation was a waste of time.
The world had not been kind to Aunt Ruth. She had three marriages that ended in divorce. The one thing she had to show for it all, her son Michael, hadn’t called the house since Kyra had been there. Aunt Ruth was bitter and lonely, and she was sick and tired of being bitter and lonely. She tried to ruin Kyra’s life because misery loves company.
Kyra knew that the longer she stayed there, the more she would lose to the curse that had been placed on Ruth’s household. Kyra felt like she’d been running all her life. Now it was time to put her Nikes on again.
“You ain’t even worth it,” she said and abruptly left the room.
Aunt Ruth followed her down the hallway.
“What you mean by that?”
Kyra ignored her. She went to her room and locked eyes with Kat and Quinell who were sitting on the bed where she left them. She tried to give them an encouraging smile, but her eyes were wet and sorrowful. Kyra dropped to her knees and dragged both of her brother’s suitcases from under the bed. She threw them on top of the mattress and told Quinell, “Get all of your clothes. Put them in that one.”
Quinell hopped off of the bed and ran to his dresser. He yanked it open and scooped up the contents of the first drawer.
“What are you doing?”
Aunt Ruth was standing in the doorway. Kyra disregarded her as she gathered Kat’s toys and Q’s school supplies.
“I ain’t say you had to leave,” Ruth said. “I’m not putting you out, Kyra.”
No one responded. Kat sat on the bed with her eyes on her aunt.
“Get all your shoes,” Kyra told her. She had to snap her fingers in Kat’s face to get her attention. “Get all your shoes,” Kyra said. “Get Quinell’s, too. All the shoes you can find. Put them in this bag.” She gave her daughter an empty trash bag. The toddler crawled off the bed and got to work.
“Where you gon’ go?” Ruth asked. “You ain’t got nowhere to go, Kyra.”
Kyra didn’t respond, but she heard everything. The fact that Ruth’s assumption was correct made her Kyra’s tears flow even harder. Where was she going? The women’s shelter? Back to Little Rock? It was hard to believe that thirty minutes ago Kyra had a man who loved her and wanted her to move in. She was sure Donovan still loved her, but they weren’t on speaking terms. She knew he would no longer welcome her with open arms.
Kyra and her kids continued to pack hastily while Aunt Ruth hovered in the doorway saying things that didn’t matter at all, like, “I’ll call him back and tell him it wasn’t true,” and “I’ll give you your check back, and you can pay me just a thousand,” and “I won’t charge you for rent, if you stay,