Page 255 of Invisible Bars
“I’m.. I’m fine,” I assured her with a chuckle, then took a seat next to her. “You remember when I first came here… broken, shaking, scared of everything?”
She nodded.
My hand twitched, and my voice pitched up.
“Watermelon!” I blurted out, then blinked through the sting behind my eyes.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
“You… you didn’t laugh at me or judge me. You didn’t even really question why I was here. I mean, y-you asked if I was here against my will—but you knew how far to go without pressuring me. You just… gave me space. Gave me kindness I didn’t even know I needed.”
I let out a shaky breath, blinking back more tears.
“Now youdidgive me them sleeping horse pills—but I needed that.”
A small laugh slipped between the ache in my throat.
“Y-you always made sure the food was to my liking. Like… when I told you I liked my eggs a little r-runny, and you never forgot. You started adding extra honey to the cornbread ‘cause you caught me sneaking seconds. You would even make me a cup of peppermint tea before you would end your s-shift after I mentioned it h-helps me sleep better.”
My voice cracked and my shoulder twitched, but I didn’t stop.
“You didn’t treat me like I was broken; you treated me like I mattered… like I belonged.”
She chuckled quietly, wiping her own tears now.
“Then you ran me that bath. You called it a ‘royal bath.’ Said every woman needs one every now and then… even the s-strong ones.”
Ms. Shirley’s lips quivered into the smallest smile.
I gave her hand a squeeze.
“I think… I clung to you because…”
My voice caught. My shoulder jolted with a tic, and my hand twitched against my leg.
“Because you remind me of my grandmother.”
I sucked in a breath as the tears came faster.
“She’s mine! Stop the clock, Nana!” The words spilled out loud and raw, my body jolting with the tic.
Ms. Shirley didn’t flinch. She just waited… like she always did—like my grandmother used to.
“You’ve never treated me like I was broken,” I added, quieter, chest tight. “You’ve always treated me like I mattered… like I belonged.”
I looked up at her, wiping beneath my eye with the back of my hand.
“So now it’s your turn. Your turn for me to take care ofyou.”
Ms. Shirley tilted her head, narrowing her eyes.
“Okay. But wait. In that bathroom? The big one with the marble tub? That’shistub. Mr. Kors will have my tail if he catches me soaking in his sacred man spa.”
I rolled my eyes and waved her off, a tic hitching in my throat.
“Girl, please, Gravy boat Gucci gang!” I barked out, then exhaled through my nose. “Ms. Shirley, I run this house j-just as much as he does. I dare him to say something. It’s… it’s fine. I promise.”
Ms. Shirley looked at me for a long moment—then stood.
