Page 31 of Judgments of Fire and Desire

“Love you too,” we said in unison.

When he walked off, my mama said, “I’m glad he didn’t go further in about Kyrie. He said people are really after him for the death of Darlene Doll. It’s to the point where the family is even trying to file a civil suit.”

I frowned. “Are you serious? They are wasting their time and money. That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah. That’s what a lot of people are saying.”

“Hey, y’all.”

I looked up to see Ms. Carolyn, Kyrie’s mother, as she sat across from us, where Samuel had once sat.

“Hey, girl!” my mama said excitedly as she glanced over at me.

I hated that she didn’t tell me she was coming. I hated being blindsided like this.

“Samuel had to leave?”

“Yeah, he got a call.”

“Hey, Genesis. How are you, baby?”

I glanced up at her, and all I could see was Kyrie. “I’m okay.”

I wasn’t okay. I felt like I was about to suffocate. My mama really should have told me. Dragging my fork across my plate, I picked over my food I had planned to fully devour mere minutes ago. My appetite was gone without a trace, and I suddenly felt nauseous. Standing, I excused myself from the table and practically ran to the restroom. As soon as I closed the door to the stall, the nausea stopped. I was just standing here, looking like a fool now.

I went ahead and urinated while I was in there, then went out and washed my hands. I wet a paper towel with cold water and put it to my face to calm me down. My reflection spoke volumes. It reeked of sadness, despair, and loneliness. Today was the day I would make some major changes. If I was going to be the fire chief one day, I had to be a pillar of strength, one that people could look to for leadership. If I was going through my own personal crisis, how would I lead them through crises at work?

Going back out to our booth, I smiled politely and sat. “You okay?” my mama asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” Turning my attention to Ms. Caroline, I asked, “How have you been?”

“I’ve been okay, considering.”

I nodded and stared at my plate, noticing the looks the two of them were giving each other. Choosing to pretend that I didn’t see them, I started eating my food and felt my appetite somewhat coming back until Ms. Carolyn said, “He misses you, and he’s just as miserable as you are.”

I lost it. “Well, he’s the one that pushed me away. I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to help him through what he was feeling, but he couldn’t see a woman protecting him. Oh, excuse me,hiswoman protecting him. Was that a reason to leave me like I meant nothing to him? I gave everything I had to our relationship. I fell in love with a man that chose his pride and ego over me. So, at this point, I don’t care to know that he misses me. He can do something to change it.”

I dropped my fork and grabbed my purse then left the table. I could hear my mother calling my name, but I refused to turn back. Apparently, Kyrie was doing fine, physically. When I got to my car, I couldn’t even release any tears. I was so angry. I just wanted to get away from them before I got disrespectful. Instead of going home, I went to the gym. Surely, that would help me work off some aggression.

As I satat my desk, going over a case, the lieutenant of the police department came inside. He stood there until I was done with what I was doing, then said, “Hello, Judge. In light of the recent threat, we think it would be best if we relocated you.”

“Relocated me where?”

“It will be another place in the city. We will change your car, and you will have to take a leave of absence. We think it’s the best thing to do to protect you until we catch the perp.”

“Perps, Lieutenant. Perps. There are more than one.”

“Yes, Your Honor, we’re aware. The camera footage we got of someone messing with your vehicle doesn’t match the body type of the person that broke into your home.”

My eyebrows lifted. “So they had video footage of the person that broke into my home?”

“Yes, sir. No one told you that?” he asked, somewhat nervously.

“No.”

“It was two of them. Their faces were covered.”

He was stumbling all over himself now. First, he said it was a person that broke into my home; now he was saying it was two. I slowly shook my head, then asked, “Do you have a place in mind to locate me to?”

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