Page 57 of Memphis

“Absolutely,” the doctor assured him.

“Is the treatment painful? Is it going to mess me up like chemo or something?” I questioned.

“Chemo isn’t usually a route we take. For you, we’re going to start with a daily dose of aspirin to thin the blood andsome blood draws to help lower your hematocrit,” Dr. Johnson shared.

“Th-that’s it?” I squeaked.

“Well, you’ll also need to modify your diet, avoid salt, exercise, avoid low oxygen environments—no mountain climbing or skiing. Maintain good skin care. You’ll need to avoid extreme temperatures when you can. Really bundle up during wintry weather. Avoid hot tubs?—”

“Aye, can you write all that shit down? I ain’t gonna remember all this,” Bo inquired.

The poor doctor’s eyes widened at the gruffness in his voice, but she still managed to reply with, “Yes, of course. We’ll be sending you all home with a multitude of information.”

Bo squeezed my hand, and with a bright smile, told me, “We got this, baby. We can do this.”

Returning his smile, I agreed, “Yeah, we can.”

31

“Is no one going to say anything?” I asked as my eyes roamed the room. My words were met with sustained heavy silence.

Finally, Umber spoke up. “We don’t know what to say. Cancer? I just…” she shook her head, standing from the kitchen table.

“Umber, did you not hear everything I said? It’s treatable and not necessarily terminal.”

She nodded but didn’t respond verbally.

“Wedidhear that. It’s just that…this is scary, Mem,” Lilith murmured.

I nodded. “It is, but this…it’s not like with Mama. We caught it early, and it’s more chronic than terminal. Treatment is simple, and the main thing is me actually taking care of myself.”

Again, Bo was sitting right beside me, his hand engulfing mine, his eyes glued to me. This man was proving to be my rock for real.

Wow.

My eyes wandered over to my father whose attention didn’t seem to be focused on anything or anyone. “Daddy, you okay?” I inquired.

Flanked by his two wives, he shifted his eyes to me as he sighed. “No, I ain’t. I ain’t nowhere near okay, but I know you. You’re smart and tough. Always been a fighter. You sound confident, so I can’t do nothing but trust you.” Looking at Bo, he added, “She’s your wife. She might be strong, but you better have her back. I don’t play about my girls.”

I held my breath, hoping I wasn’t going to have to fuck my husband up for talking crazy to my daddy.

“Sir, I have loved your daughter since the day I met her many years ago. She’s my heart, my everything. I will lay down my life for her in a second. Whatever she needs, I got it,” Bo said.

Daddy nodded, and when my eyes found my brother-in-law, Ray, I saw something rare in his—respect, and I instinctually knew it was for Bo.

In the darknessof our suburban bedroom, I buried my face in his chest and inhaled deeply. He always smelled like an intoxicating combination of bergamot, musk, and utter audacity with an overflow of confidence.

“What’s on your mind, baby?” he asked, his deep voice oozing over me like warm chocolate.

Lifting my head, I kissed his neck. “Wondering when you’re going to tell your family about my illness.”

He chuckled. “Never. They don’t need to know. Ain’t their business.”

“O…kay.”

“Baby, Zaccai is a coward who hates me because I’m not one. Tavares is a fucked-up kid who can’t get past his trauma to see that I truly cared about him and tried to take care of him. I even sent him to therapy, and he jumped on the damn therapist. Layla is just fucking trifling and hangs on to my mother for money. And my mother?” He paused. “My mother had my father killed, and she knows I know it.”

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