Page 73 of Girl, We Go Together
There was a pause. Not a long one, but just enough for me to picture him processing.
“That’s cool. My grandma’s home tonight. Bingo got cancelled, and I’m sure she’d love to watch her.”
I blinked. “Wait, for real?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “She loves kids. Oriana can hang out with her while we go out for a few hours. I know it’s been a while since you saw her, but you can bring her in to make sure you’re comfortable.”
I hesitated. “Kassidy, I don’t want to impose?—”
“Cayla,” he said, his voice firm but gentle. “You’re not imposing. Let me do this. I got y’all.”
For a moment, I couldn’t say anything. My throat tightened. After all the ways I’d learned not to depend on a man, hearing that kind of assurance again felt foreign. I wondered if he was saying all the right things now and would turn on me in the end, just as Orion did. I didn’t know, but I wanted to give him a shot, a fair one. One that didn’t have my insecurities or my baggage attached to it.
“Okay,” I finally said. “Let’s do it.”
“Good,” he said, his smile practically audible through the phone. “I’ll be there in an hour. And wear something that’ll make me forget how to breathe.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I hung up. Butterflies started to wake up in my stomach. Briefly, I wondered if this is what a mature start to a relationship felt like. Kassidy had all his ducks in a row; he had his shit together. He was a totally legit man, who, so far, was stepping hard as fuck. I washed Oriana up and put her on something cute before packing her diaper bag. I then checked how I looked about four times before heading downstairs with her, her bag, and her car seat. I hoped I didn’t sweat and mess up my makeup on the way down.
When Kassidy pulled up, I was standing outside with Oriana on my hip. The little barrettes in her hair were bouncing with every little movement she made. He double-parked, got out, and smoothly walked over to us. He was dressed casually, yet he still showed off how he was on his grown man shit. He wore straight-leg pants and a button-up with a dark blazer that matched thepants. Loafers graced his feet, and that damn haircut was sharp as hell. I could tell his barber took his time when he moved the blades around his goatee.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, leaning in and kissing my cheek softly before greeting Oriana. “Hey, little mama.”
She gave a shy smile while clutching the top of my dress. She was so wishy-washy at times. Just earlier today, she was feeding the man popcorn at the movies, and now she was acting funny. Kassidy led the way to his car and then opened the back door to put Ori’s car seat in. Once he had it buckled and secured, he turned around and smiled at me.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said, settling Oriana into her car seat.
Once I had her nice and strapped in, he closed her door and then opened the passenger side for me. It took me a while to get comfortable in the seat, but once I did, he closed the door. I couldn’t seem to find my spot in the car because sitting with this dress on made me feel stuffed. I tried not to let the fiddling I was doing on the leather material become noticeable.
During our long conversation last night on the phone, Kassidy told me that he lived in the basement apartment in his grandmother’s house. I wish I still had someone like that in my life. That backup security blanket came in clutch if things in your life ever went to shit. Living in a house that was paid off, I was sure, gave him so much wiggle room to save. So much wiggle room to live. Just thinking about it had me silently praying for better days for myself. I yearned for more financially stable ones.
The ride to Kass’s house wasn’t long. His grandmother had owned that house for as long as I could remember. We made a few turns through the old neighborhood, and everything looked smaller than I remembered. The houses, the corner stores, and even the park we used to walk through after school. But when he turned onto his street, it was like time folded back on itself.Ms. Flora’s house looked exactly the same. The porch swing was still leaning a little to the left, she still had flowerpots lined across the steps, and those wind chimes still hung, catching the breeze. Kassidy had come around to open the door for me, and I went to take Oriana out the back while he grabbed her bag. His grandmother was standing at the door before we even made it up the walkway. Her silver hair was wrapped neatly in a scarf, and her glasses were perched low on her nose.
“Lawd have mercy,” she said, her face breaking into a smile as her eyes landed on me. “If it isn’t little Cayla Carmichael!”
I laughed instantly, smiling back.
“Hi, Ms. Flora. It’s been a long time.”
She waved her hand. “Too long, baby. Last time I saw you, you were rushing down the street with ya jean backpack hanging off your shoulder and your head in a book.”
“Oh my God,” I said, laughing harder. “I can’t believe you remember that bag!”
“How could I forget? You wore that thing until the strap started tearing, and then ya mom came and asked me to sew it up. She would stitch a damn dog leg up like nothing, but was scared to ruin your favorite bag.”
We all laughed, and even Oriana giggled at the sound of her voice. She had this animation to the way she spoke that kept you engaged with what she was saying. Kassidy stood beside us, grinning. I could tell he was standing there on the sidelines, soaking up the interaction between me and his grandmother.
“Nana, this is Oriana.” He nodded toward my pride and joy in my arms. “Y’all good for a few hours while we're just going to dinner?”
“Of course,” Ms. Flora said. “I already told you I’d love some company.”
She reached out for Oriana, but I noticed the faint stiffness in her step. It was the way her balance shifted unevenly as she tookmy baby into her arms. Her smile never faltered, but the limp was there. It was subtle, but I peeped it.
“You okay, Ms. Flora?” I asked gently.
I didn’t want Oriana to possibly be too much for her. She would be chill one minute and then rip and run the next. It was a hassle for me, so I already knew it could be overwhelming for someone more than twice my age.
