Page 6 of You Make Me Feel

“I’m going to Richard’s. You want something?”

“Naw. I appreciate that, but I’m actually leaving for lunch when you return. I’m meeting Sidney at Bruno’s.”

That was a shocker. He rarely left for lunch. Just as Shannon had said, he was an overachiever. The man was damn near sixty, possibly over sixty, but worked like the company was just starting out. He’d been in business for over thirty years and had built up quite a rapport with business owners in the area and abroad. We often had to travel out of town for audits at least once a month. This company had to be next to the word “success” in the dictionary, yet he grinded like there were still heights he hadn’t reached.

“Okay. Well, I won’t be too long. Is Mr. Sylvester coming in today?”

Chance Sylvester was a partner in the firm. Mr. Wesin had also been a partner, but he died several years ago, before I started working here. “He said he might be in a little later. His wife had to go out of town, and he had to get the kids from school. She won’t be back until three. I’m glad I’m done with all that. My son is living his best life, so we may never have grandkids unless his ass slips up somewhere.”

I chuckled. His son, Graham, was very handsome, but that nigga was an obvious flirt and didn’t give a fuck about what he let fall out of his mouth. He was like thirty-two or so now. I remembered one time he came into the office, and that nigga told me how good I looked and that I looked even better from the back. That was only our second encounter. I told him that if he spoke like that to me again, I would inform Mr. Taylor that he was harassing me. He didn’t cross me again. Apparently, hedidrespect his dad, if no one else.

I chuckled. “And here I haven’t even started yet. Well, I’ll be back in a little bit.”

He nodded, and I power walked to my car. My mind immediately returned to Jarod and the fact that he contacted me. I would forgive him for not doing this in person and just see what he had to say. If he were tactless, regardless of what he expected to gain from our connection, I would have to burn my hopes and wet dreams until they disintegrated into nothingness.

As I headed to Richard’s, I received another text. Allowing my car to read it to me, it said, “I can’t wait to talk to you.”

I smiled slightly. Since Layna was off today, I knew I needed to get my food and hurry back. She was another CPA who worked with us. The firm didn’t have a lot of employees, but it had just enough to keep it moving like a well-oiled machine. However, Mr. Taylor liked three of us to be there at once. One was a receptionist, and two were accountants. He and Mr. Sylvester were the only two who could be there alone, for obvious reasons.

When I got to Richard’s, I saw Ki making her way inside. She was running late too. That was probably why she didn’t respond to my message. I quickly made my way inside, finding my mom seated at a table with a number positioned on it. She always ordered for us because she knew what we liked. I could only shake my head. We knew if we wanted to try something different, to let her know so she wouldn’t order the usual.

Apparently, they must have been out of whatever she ordered and were cooking more. Richard’s Café had a setup like a cafeteria line, like Luby’s Cafeteria. The only difference was that it was all soul food. I usually ate the smothered beef tips, cabbage, and black-eyed peas. Kiana always went for smothered pork chops, cabbage, and pinto beans.

I kissed my mother’s cheek, then Kiana’s, and took a seat. They were staring at me like I’d done something wrong. I frowned as I asked, “What?”

“You just look overly happy, so we’re on guard for what’s going on,” my mama said.

“Man, y’all had me thinking something had happened. I’m just having a good day. It’s been busy, but that’s helping the time pass quicker.”

“Oh. Well, I wanted to take the two of you to lunch because I have some news to share with you about your father. He didn’t want to be here because he didn’t want to see the emotion in your eyes in a public place.”

Well, if that didn’t put me on edge, I didn’t know what would.

“What’s going on?” Kiana asked.

“He has a couple of clogged arteries in his chest. They want to try to put in stents first to see if that helps. If it doesn’t, they will have to do a triple bypass operation.”

I was silent for a moment. While we were both closer to our mother, it wasn’t to say that we didn’t love our dad. Tears fell down Ki’s cheeks. I knew the pregnancy had her overly sensitive because she usually didn’t cry that easily. My eyes began to water too. “How will they know if the stents are working?”

“They’ll do an ultrasound or something to check the blood flow,” Mama said as Ki shook her head.

“I hate that for him,” Ki said.

“Me too,” I added. “I’m coming over when I get off.”

“Me too,” Ki said.

My mama nodded and swallowed hard. This was the first time I’d heard of my dad having any health issues. As far as I knew, he was healthy. “So when did they find out about the blockage?”

“He complained of chest pains, so they did some testing to check. He’s at ninety percent blocked in one of his arteries. The doctor said that because the percentage of blockage is so high, they will most likely have to do a bypass operation.”

“Mama, get a second opinion. These Beaumont doctors don’t have the latest equipment and surely don’t educate themselves on the best treatments. Medicine is constantly evolving, and we can’t afford to have a doctor who doesn’t study. They could kill him here in Beaumont. Take him to Houston. Does he have to have a referral?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Okay. Let me do some research on cardiologists in Houston. While the Bible says not to put your trust in any man, I have a little more trust in doctors and hospitals out there than here. Plus, we’re Black, and excuse my language, but they factor in shit based on race that is totally stereotypical and not what’s always best for the patient.”

“Thank you, Ki,” Mama said.

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