Page 67 of Sunday

“Hey. When did you get here?” His voice was gravelly and thick with sleep.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I tried waking you earlier, but you were in a deep slumber.”

I watched as he looked around the living room and took in the fact that I’d cleaned it. He scratched his beard, which had also grown unruly in my absence.

“My bad about the mess that I left,” he apologized. “I was gonna clean it. Didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Yeah, it looks like the house wasn’t the only thing left in a mess,” I remarked when he scratched his growing hair.

“I missed my weekly appointment.”

“I’ve never known you to ever miss an appointment with your guy in all the years I’ve known you, Cedar.”

“Baby, trust me. I had more important shit on my mind than making it to the barber.”

I blew out a breath before I replied. “Yeah. I can empathize with that one. Listen, why don’t you go upstairs, wash your face and hands, and join me at the table.”

I headed to the breakfast nook and took a seat. I sat there for a few minutes, reflecting on the distant past and recent past.

“Lord, please grant me the strength to tell my truth and empower Cedar with the grace to forgive me.”

The minute I finished my little prayer, Cedar walked in and took a seat at the table.

“When did you do all this?”

“While you were sleeping off your hangover.”

He stared at me for several seconds before he asked, “Is this your final goodbye brunch or something?”

I smirked and nodded. “I deserved that.” Reaching my hands across the table, I wiggled my fingers. “Let’s pray.”

Cedar lifted an eyebrow in surprise because, in the past, he had always been the one to initiate prayer between us. But while I’d been away, the power of prayer had been reawakened within me. It was the one thing that had gotten me through the summer of recovering from my addictions.

“Father, fill CJ and me with peace as we consume this meal that I have prepared with your blessing. Help us to communicate openly and honestly and find our way back on the journey You’ve planned for us. Amen.”

We ate in silence and were halfway through our meal before he spoke.

“So, why are you back?”

“Did you not want me to come back?”

“Of course I did. You ain’t been answering my phone calls or texts, Sunny. I didn’t know what to expect.”

“My parents told me you came by.”

“I did. Went through that whole town ready to turn that shit on its head.”

“I was in the next town over, Briar Bush, where Nils lives.”

“Figures.”

“I needed some time away, CJ. Arguing with you and not having space for my thoughts was more than I could handle.”

“You can’t run out whenever we have problems, Sunday. You have to face them no matter how difficult they may be. What lesson will you be teaching our son if that’s how you handle problems?”

“It wasn’t easy. You were accusing me of cheating and?—”

“You didn’t do a damn thing to make me feel secure.”

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