Page 43 of Still Made For You

“Umm, hey mama.” Saya spoke into the phone nervously.

“Saya?! I know damn well this isn’t my daughter on this phone after she left me for dead!” Saya giggled, wiping tears from her eyes.

“I’m sorry, ma. I promise it wasn’t like that at all. I’ll have to explain when we see each other.”

“You’re damn right. As matter of fact, I’ll be taking a half day today. Once you get a chance to check on your father, bring my daughter in love to see me!” Saya smiled hard at my mother’s request.

“Will do. I love you, mama.”

“I love you too, baby. If you need me for any reason, you already know I’m here for you. I’m sending prayers to you and your father. We may have had our issues, but I’ll always care for him. Saya, don’t make me have to hunt you down miss lady! I love you, too.” My mother proclaimed before disconnecting the call.

“I already know my family is going to be more focused on you when we get here. River and Triniti have been asking about you lately. Those two are convinced we were soul mates or some shit.” I laughed it off although there was this lingering feeling deep inside telling me everything was happening for a reason.

“They’ve always been wise beyond their years.” She smirked. The remainder of the ride I let my thoughts take over as I prayed for God to spare my father. My heart wasn’t ready to say goodbye. It never would be.

twelve

“FamilyofProsperGraham.”My head lifted from Renegade’s shoulder hearing them call his father’s name. We’d only been here for forty-five minutes, but it seemed like a lifetime when you’re waiting to hear about your loved one. Granny Lula, along with Renegade and his siblings stood up to hear the updates. I sat back because I was only here for moral support. They stepped out of the room which caused me to immediately go into prayer.

Saint squirmed in my lap before climbing down, I reached out for him to stop him from running off.

“Saint, come back here!” I hissed, to which he responded by laughing at me. Another little boy ran out from behind a chair and the two of them took off to a corner. Saint was slightly older than him, but he didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“If he’s anything like my son, they can’t sit still to save their lives. I’m Miyana, by the way. Everyone calls me Yaya. I’m Messiah’s wife.” She held her hand out for me to shake. There was a little baby latched to her chest which told me she must have recently given birth.

“Aww, it’s so nice to meet you. My name is Saya. I’m an old friend of the family.”

“Humph, old friend my ass.” Serenity chimed in, walking over to give me a hug.

“I thought that was you, but my mind was so focused on what was going on. How’ve you been and where the hell have you been?” Her hug felt warm and sincere, so I gladly accepted.

“It’s a bit of a long story. Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to catch up soon.”

“Oh, we will. That man didn’t track you down for nothing. Welcome home.” She snickered.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I didn’t feel comfortable with him driving by himself, so I decided to come to show support to the family. You all have been there for me over the years, so It’s only right.” I expressed.

“Girl, no need to explain. I said what I said.” We both giggled as some of the other women introduced themselves to me. It was crazy seeing all of these women here because when I was dating Renegade most of these men were single. Now here they are married with families of their own. So much had changed over time.

“Where’s my man?! Why wouldn’t anyone call me so I could be here?!” A mystery woman entered the private waiting room. No one seemed alarmed by her presence, so I assumed they knew her.

“We notified our family as this was a family emergency. You are not family, which is the reason you weren’t contacted. The better question is why your so-called man didn’t feel it was necessary to have you by his side. Hell, we don’t even know who you are.” Serenity instigated. I watched the scene unfold wondering who she was connected to.

“I don’t know what your issue is with me, but I’m not going to allow you to disrespect me. The only people I’m concerned about is my man and my father-in-law.” Her declaration sparked my interest considering the fact that Prosper only has two sons and neither of them were married as far as I was aware.

“See now you’re delusional. There is not a single ring on your finger which means you’re not family. If you want to speak with our cousin later on, that’s between the two of you. We are dealing with a personal matter and we’re asking for privacy from all outsiders.”

“Hey, this is not the time or the place. I’m not sure who you are or who you’re dating, but as my niece stated, this is for family. Whoever you’re connected to is going to have to reach out to you later. It’s best that you leave.” Miss Faith instructed. The lady glared back at her before turning to walk away.

“Gee, baby! There you are! My friend told me about your dad, and I rushed right here! I’ve been calling you all night. You had me worried sick.” My stomach dropped when her arms wrapped around Renegade as he stood there, stoic. The despondent expression on his face sent my anxiety into overdrive.

“Gee, what’s going on?” Loyal and Messiah walked over to him, politely gesturing for the mystery woman to move out of the way. The two of them embraced him in a hug as we waited for him to speak.

“They’re saying he had a seizure and got a concussion when he hit the ground. He’s groggy, but he’s awake. He’s ass is in there talking shit to Granny right now.” He laughed while wiping tears from his eyes. I wiped my own because the fear in his heart was so strong, I felt it in my chest.

“Baby-”

“Aye, didn’t my aunt tell you to scram! Who is this broad?!” Messiah roared. Emotions were high and it was abundantly clear whoever she was could not read the room. From the way Renegade looked at her, it almost seemed as if he was just now realizing she was in the room. Even though she’d hugged him not too long ago. He’d spaced out from the present, something he did often when the world became too much for him to handle. I wanted to hold him in my arms and tell him everything would be okay. Renegade always tried to carry the world on his shoulders even though it was much too heavy to do alone. I hate it because whenever he felt overwhelmed, he’d shut down until he could figure out a way to fix it. My intuition told me this wasn’t anything he’d be able to fix.

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