Page 77 of Whatever It Takes
“You wanna go sit over there with Miss Macie? She got her Kindle with her. Y’all can read together.” Like always, Saint’s nana was sitting underneath the shade with her Kindle and a glass of sweet tea.
She huffed. “I guess. But Blessing, you need to be safe out here. I’ve been praying for you and your brother. Send Dru overhere so I can pray over him, too. This world ain’t right, and you better do whatever to protect you and your family.” Her small hand brushed against my flat stomach before she stood with her cane and made her way over to Miss Macie.
“Big brotherrrr.” I sang as I walked over to the men. Messiah was standing by the grill, sipping a beer.
“Whatever you want, ask yo’ nigga for it.” He said, waving me off.
“And whatever you want, you know I got it Bless baby. That nigga act like he ain’t got more money than me.” Saint chuckled.
“I wasn’t even about to ask for shit.” I rolled my eyes, “Dru, my granny said she wanna pray over you before you leave.”
“Aight, Bless. Where’s Chanel?” He asked, glancing around the backyard.
I shrugged, trying to spot her. “Last time I saw her, she was by the food table with Kaia.”
Messiah choked and frantically looked around the yard. I shot him a questioning look. He waved me off again before walking away. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I was actually going to mind my business this time.
An hour later, the girls were pulling out of the driveway, headed to prom. Saint had his driver chauffeuring them around for the night.
“You okay?” I asked Chanel as she plopped down on the couch next to me. She nodded her head and assured me she was fine, but the look on her face told me otherwise. “Nah, tell me what the fuck is up, Chanel. You’ve been in a mood for the past hour.”
She sucked her teeth and folded her arms across her chest. “My fucking period is late,” she whispered.
My eyes widened. “How late?”
“Late enough for me to need a pregnancy test.” She looked up at the ceiling, blinking away tears. “What the fuck am I going todo with a baby, Bless? I just bought a space for my salon, and my hairline is doing amazing. I’m selling out every restock. Dru has been so busy, I barely see him most days. I can’t do it.”
I reached over and pulled her into me. “I’m sure your period is just trippin’, and if that’s not the case, then you know there are other options. Whatever you wanna do, we can do it.”
“Bless, come here!” I heard Saint yell from the garage.
“Hold on, girl,” I said before standing from the couch. A sudden wave of dizziness caused me to stumble back onto the couch. “Oh shit,” I snickered and stood again.
“Girl, what the hell?” Chanel laughed.
I waved her off and made my way into the garage. “Yes, Papa?”
“Look.” He waved me over. I gasped at the small kitten snuggled in a corner.
“Oh my gosh. Where’s the mom?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, bae. I’m about to call a vet and see if we can bring him in and find a home for him.”
Shaking my head, I squatted down to get a closer look. “Nooo,” I whined. “I wanna keep him.”
“He looks too young to survive without his mom,” Dru said. Messiah nodded in agreement.
“First of all, y’all don’t know shit about animals. And why the fuck are y’all out here in the garage?” I squinted, looking around at them.
“You worried about the wrong shit, Bless. Call that vet clinic on 98th and see if they take walk-ins.”
My eyes watered as I stood. “Fuck you, Messiah. Call yourself!” I snapped and walked out of the garage. I could hear footsteps following behind me. I knew it was Saint because his scent invaded my nostrils.
“Baby, chill.” He pulled me into him and spun me around to face him. “Why are you crying?” He asked, wiping my face.
I shrugged and sniffled, “That was mean, and he needs to leave.”
“It’s not that deep, Bless. You’re probably just tired. You wanna go lie down? I’ll make sure everything gets cleaned up.”
