Page 87 of Girl, We Go Together
“Kass…” Cayla said in disbelief.
“Kassy Kassy.”
“Oh shit,” I said as soon as the words left Oriana’s mouth.
“My bad, Mama,” I quickly apologized to Cayla for the profanity in front of the little one.
At her age, like most kids, I looked at them like little minions who didn’t know shit about English.
“You like this?” I asked Oriana as I pointed to the picture on the box.
She smiled widely, and then I quickly remembered that I had the other stuff to get out of the car.
“I gotta get the sheets and mattress from my car. I’ll be right back.”
I kissed Cayla on the forehead and looked behind her into the kitchen.
“Damn, it smells good in here.”
I looked at the pots and pans on the stove and smiled. This woman had cooked dinner, and I couldn’t wait to put this bed together, get out of the shower, and see if she was any good at it. It damn sure smelled like it.
“I cooked dinner,” she stated the obvious.
“Good, ’cause I’m starving. I’ll be right back. Be ready to buzz me in.”
She grabbed her keys from the rack on the wall and handed them to me. I rushed downstairs, making sure to get everything out of the car. I even brought over my toolbox just in case the tools I needed weren’t in the box. I let myself back into her place, and when I did, I saw that the box and my bag were no longer by the front door. I walked to her bedroom and saw that Cayla was taking the things out of the box while Oriana was in her nearby playpen tossing around a doll like the thing owed her money.
“What are you doing?”
Cayla had the instructions in her hand and the pieces laid out across her floor.
“I’m trying to see how to do this.”
I sucked my teeth, walked over, and playfully snatched the instructions from her.
“Girl, watch out. You can busy yourself with whatever. I’ll have this together in like thirty minutes.”
I helped her up off the floor, and she took Oriana out of the highchair, then walked into the living room with her. Once I was alone in the room, I got to work. She had the perfect empty spot in the corner of her bedroom where the bed fit perfectly.
“Mama…” I called out to Cayla.
“Ma… Ma,” Oriana mimicked me, and the shit made me laugh.
“Both of y’all need to stop yelling.” I heard Cayla’s voice along with the sound of her slippers dragging against the carpet.
When she came into the room, she smiled as she put Oriana on the floor. She walked right over to the bed and lay down. It was like she knew it was for her.
“I think she likes it,” Cayla said with a smile.
I looked over at her and saw her trying to get under the blanket. I rushed over to help her. I was sure that sometime during the night, she would find her way into Cayla’s bed because that’s where she was used to sleeping, but at least she had a bed of her own that she could always go to. I did a light stretch and then yawned.
“Go get in the shower. I’ll bring you your bag, a rag, and a towel. And I’ll have your plate ready by the time you get out.”
This woman was a wife without the damn title, and I hated how men before me couldn’t see that shit. Well, actually, I loved that their blind asses obviously couldn’t read because now she was with me, and I had no intention of ever letting her go.
“Alright.”
I always made sure to give her some affection before I left the room. After I lightly kissed her on the lips, I walked to the bathroom. I ran the shower and noticed that there were bath toys pushed to the corner of the tub. Dating a single mother came with this exactly: toys in random areas, and some nights of fussiness, but I was ready to fully step into this role.
