Page 22 of Savannah Sweethearts

“You don’t think something happened to her, do you?”

I tried not to let my mind go there. I was prepared to fight for custody, but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Sabra. She was the girls’ mother. I shook my head. “I hope not. I guess we’ll wait and see. If I don’t hear from her by tomorrow, I’ll call her mom.”

The next morning, I still had no word from Sabra, so I called Anita Thomas after I dropped the girls off at school. She was just as good a grandmother as my own mom, but she and Sabra had a volatile relationship. I was pretty sure it was all Sabra’s doing.

She said Sabra had called her and told her she was going to Atlanta to audition for a television show and that I was keeping the girls longer. This was news to me.

Her concern for the girls was evident as her voice shook. “They can come stay here if you need them to.”

She didn’t get to see the girls as often as she would like, so I was happy to make her an offer. “How about they come over tonight and stay the weekend with you? Maybe Sabra will be back by then.”

“God bless you, Tyrell. You are a good man, a good daddy.” She sniffled as she hung up.

It was hard to believe Sabra had been so reckless to leave like that. She wasn’t usually that irresponsible to just run off when it was her time with the girls. I knew when I had them she liked to go off with her girlfriends for long weekends, but I usually knew ahead of time.

All I could figure was that at this point, she had abandoned her daughters, and my custody case had just become a whole lot easier. It was documented in the school schedule that she was supposed to get the girls, and she hadn’t shown up. It broke my heart for Saffi and Sami, but it gave me hope.

When I picked up the girls, I told them they were going to Granny Anita’s house for the weekend because Momma was out of town. They were thrilled to have fun with Anita and their cousins.

As we were leaving, Ashley stopped me. “Since they’re going to their grandmother’s, how about I take you out on a date tonight?”

“You’re going to take me out?” Despite my stress levels, the idea of Ashley taking me out was fascinating.

She crinkled up her nose at my smile. “Yes. My treat. You need some time to relax after this week.”

We set up a time for her to pick me up, and I took the girls to their grandmother’s house. The day was already looking brighter.

Ashley

I picked Tyrell up at his mother’s house, just like I used to do in high school. He could never pick me up when we were teenagers because my parents did not approve. It had been easier for me to go to his house. Plus, I loved his mother.

I knocked on the door wearing the same jeans and blouse I had worn to work. Thankfully, nobody had peed on me or spilled juice all over me. It was a banner day.

Mrs. Harris hollered through the window. “Come on in, Ashley. It’s open.”

I let myself in and went straight for a hug from Mrs. Harris, who sat in her favorite chair. She was positioned in front of the television with her leg propped up, a sandwich on a stool next to her.

“Do you want us to bring something back for you? Or we could order in and stay here.” I mentally began thinking of who delivered nearby.

She waved me off. “No, no, darlin’. You two go and have fun. I’m just gonna sit here and catch up on my shows that I can’t watch with little eyes nearby.” She looked me up and down. “I don’t need big eyes, either.”

I giggled at the thought of her watching something racy. “Mrs. H., what are you watching these days?”

She wrinkled her nose at me. “Never you mind. How about you refill my tea real quick? I don’t know what’s keeping that boy.”

Her glass of tea sat nearly empty, so I took it to the kitchen and refilled it. When I set it down next to her, Tyrell came out from a back room.

“You didn’t tell me you were here.” He kissed my temple.

Glancing at the clock, I chuckled. “It’s just now 5:30. I was here to see your mom first.”

Again, Mrs. Harris waved me off. “Both of you, go on. I have a date with Netflix. I’m fine.”

We bade her goodbye and exited the house. In the car, I laughed. “I never thought your mother would force us on a date.”

“She tried so hard to convince me to try to get you back. She has always known.” He shook his head. “Well, I’ve always known, but she was willing to say it.” With that, he leaned over and kissed me.

Since we were both casually dressed, I took us downtown to the more touristy area of the city. I loved playing tourist from time to time. There were cheesy gift stores and chocolate shops and restaurants galore, all with the water nearby. It made for a relaxing date night.

---