Page 26 of Differences

Rae looked back at me. We locked eyes, but neither one of us said anything. She seemed to be trying to figure out what sort of time I was on today.

“May I?” I asked, pointing my head at the extra chair near our mother’s bed.

“She’s your mother too, Wes. Of course, you can sit there.”

I looked at Taja, and she smiled. I slowly walked over and sat near Rae. She softly stroked my mother’s hand. My eyes made their way upward toward my mother. The tubes that ran through and out of her body hid her beautiful face. Her hair was all over her head, and her eyes were shut. The machine near her bed displayed her vitals, beeping every few seconds. I’ve never seen my mother so defeated. My throat tightened, and my eyes watered. My soul and heart began to fill with regret from the many years that I’d mistreated my mama. If I had listened to her that day, then I would’ve been able to save her, yet my many years of walking around with a chip on my shoulder had me feeling like the worst person on this earth.

“Rae—”

She held her hand up, stopping me. “Wes, if this is about money—”

“Nah, Rae. I was going to suggest that if you want to go home, get a change of clothes, or have something decent to eat, go ahead. I can stay here with Mama.”

“Huh?” She placed her hand on my forehead as if she were checking my temperature. “Are you sick?”

I playfully slapped her hand. “Chill, but nah, go ahead. I can keep her company.”

“Weston, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive.”

Rae’s eyes watered, and she wrapped her arms around me, giving me a tight hug. I returned it, hugging her even tighter.

“Thank you, baby brother.”

My heart swelled, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold the tears, so I playfully pushed her off.

“Wow, you do smell,” I joked.

Rae playfully slapped my arm. “Shut up, Tank Head.” She wiped at her tears and stood from the chair. She placed a soft kiss on my mother’s forehead and gathered her items. As soon as she placed her purse on her shoulder, she dropped her head and shook it.

“I just realized I rode with mama to the hospital. I need to get an Uber.” She began scrolling on her phone.

“Um...I can take you,” Taja softly offered from the corner.

“You sure?” Rae asked Taja.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re exhausted, and driving a car while sleepy is not a good idea. I don’t mind at all, as long as Tank Head is okay with me driving his car,” Taja teased.

I huffed. Annoyed that Taja heard Rae call me by my childhood nickname. However, I didn’t mind at all. Actually, I was appreciative that Taja would volunteer her time to help my sister while she was also helping me. I dug in my pocket and handed the keys to Rae.

“Don’t be joy riding in my shit,” I warned, looking at both of them.

“Oh, we will!” Taja squealed as she walked out of the room.

Rae looked over at me with a smile. “I like her.”

I said nothing as she walked out of the room to catch up with Taja. There was nothing for me to say because Rae wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

10

Taja

Isat in the car while Rae ran into the store to get her some toiletries to take back to the hospital. We had already made it to her home, where she had showered, changed, and packed a fresh bag. She even had enough time to do her hair. We had been gone from the hospital for two hours, and despite having only met Rae for the first time two days ago, she was a great energy. We didn’t discuss anything personal, only gossiping about the latest celebrity tea. She was big on celebrity drama, and so was I. While waiting in the car for her to return, I decided to shoot Weston a text to see how he was holding up.

Me:You doing okay, Tank Head?

I stared at the three bubbles until his text came.

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