Page 13 of A Cancer's Embrace
“Hey, JaBria!” I shouted over the loud TV.
She darted her eyes from the TV and looked at me. Her face showed shock and then happiness.
“Hi!” She waved, jumping from the chair and running over to me.
I squatted at her level and hugged her. “How are you doing, pretty girl?”
“I’m okay! Just bored.” She pouted. “Grandma said we can’t go outside and play.”
I looked back at Gloria, and her smile was no longer there. I could tell she felt bad, but her body was too weak to have JaBria ripping and running in the yard.
“Don’t be sad. Grandma’s not feeling well today. Let me get her in bed, and then you and I have some cleaning to do. We want to make sure that Grandma’s taken care of so she can feel better. Okay?”
She nodded.
“Start picking up your toys, and I’ll be right back.”
JaBria sped off to pick up her toys.
“Thank you, baby,” Gloria expressed.
“Come on. Let’s get you hydrated and in bed. Show me the way to your bedroom.”
Gloria led me down a long hall to her bedroom. In the process, I admired the rest of the house, and everything was well-maintained, despite the current state of the living room. Once we reached the bedroom, I pulled back the covers and helped her into bed.
“Do you mind if I move around in your kitchen? I’m going to grab you some water and see if I can get something on your stomach.”
She nodded. “Sure. Make yourself at home.”
I smiled. “Get some rest, and I’ll be back to check on you shortly.”
By the time I made it back to the living room, JaBria was picking up her toys and juice boxes.
“Good job, JaBria. It’s so big girl of you to pick up after yourself and help your grandma.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“We can pause this if you would like to help me cook your grandma some food to make her feel better.”
JaBria nodded and came running toward me. I grabbed her hand as we waltzed into the kitchen. I hoped Gloria had the ingredients I needed, but if she didn’t, I would try my best to make something out of what I had.
An hour later, I had whipped up a pot of chicken and rice for Gloria. I learned to cook this for my mom when she experienced days of weakness. I first made JaBria a bowl and sat her in front of the TV. I then made a bowl for Gloria and fixed her a glass of water. I knocked before I let myself in. She was softly snoring and looked to be at peace.
“Gloria,” I called. I placed the food down on the nightstand and tapped her shoulder. “Gloria, I need you to wake up and eat.”
She stirred in her sleep, but eventually, she woke up.
“How long was I asleep?”
“A little over an hour. I made chicken and rice. You don’t have to eat all of it, but just enough to coat your stomach.”
I helped her sit up in bed and placed the bowl in front of her.
“It smells good. I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”
I shrugged. “I learned this recipe when my mom was sick. It got us through some rough days.”
Before she could respond, her bedroom door flew open. My eyes darted quickly to the door. To my surprise, it was Jabari, and he stood there with a pissed off look on his face.
