Page 39 of Differences

He sighed. “She’s in there now. She’s not handling this well, but I’m here.”

“Okay. ’Well, I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Aye, Taja?”

“Yeah?”

“Take care of my boy. He’s really gonna need it.”

“I got you.”

We hung up the phone, and I sighed. I cried tears for Rae and Weston. Granted, I didn’t know their mother, but losing a parent had to be devastating. I cried a few more tears before wiping my face. I had to figure out how I was going to tell Weston that his mother was gone. After a few more deep breaths, I turned on my heels and made my way back on the inside. While walking toward the living room, Weston startled me as he sat straight up, looking at the TV.

“Wes,” I softly called.

“She’s gone, isn’t she?”

“Wes, I’m so sorry.”

He turned and looked at me. His eyes were bloodshot red, and his face was full of tears. My heart shattered into a million pieces seeing him that way. I ran over toward him and wrapped him in my arms.

“My mother is gone,” he sobbed. “Why her? Why my mama out of all people?”

I said nothing. The only thing I could do was pull him close and tight. The ticking time bomb had gone off.

“What am I going to do?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about all that right now, Weston. Stop trying to find a solution, grieve. Just grieve.”

“How do I do that?”

“By going to go say goodbye to your mother.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that, Taja.”

“Yes, you can.” I placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Will you go with me?”

I smiled through my tears. “When I promised I wasn’t leaving your side, I meant that.” I kissed his lips. “I’ve got you, Wes.”

13

Weston

The walk to my mother’s hospital room seemed longer than any of the other times I visited. My heart thumped out of my chest. Taja kept a tight hold on my hand as she guided me up to my mother’s room. She was keeping her word, and it wasn’t going unnoticed. We were steps away from her room, and I stopped walking, causing Taja to stop as well. She turned around, facing me.

“Need a moment? I know this is tough. Take your time. We don’t have to rush.” She squeezed my hand.

My throat was tight and filled with pain. I couldn’t speak, so I nodded my head. She smiled softly and pulled my hand. Taja knocked on the door before opening it.

“Hi,” she softly voiced, making our presence known.

Rae was sitting in the chair beside my mother’s body. Keezy stood behind her, softly rubbing on her shoulder. Rae looked up, and the look on her face sent a blow to my body. She was defeated. It was hard for me to lose my mother, but for Rae, I could only imagine the pain she was feeling. She was going from seeing and being with her every day to not seeing her anymore.

“Hi, Taja,” she mumbled through her tear-stained face. She looked at me and said nothing. She turned her head back to my mother.

Taja looked back at me. She leaned over and whispered, “Go over there. Take your time and say what you have to say. Don’t hold back.” She placed a peck on my lips.

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