The Realest Ever (38 page)

Kyra
opened her eyes and turned the key again.

This time the Escort started right up.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Donovan
was deeply depressed when he left his mother’s house.  The drive home was a lonesome one.  It was hard to believe that his life changed so drastically, so suddenly.

Last night he was with Kyra and her children.  This morning they made plans to have lunch with his mother.  Three hours
later Donovan talked to Aunt Ruth, and the clouds blocked out the sun.  Now Donovan’s disposition was just as gloomy as the skies above Overbrook Meadows.

He
didn’t know where life would lead him or what was to become of his relationship with Kyra.  He thought he’d have time to consider his next move, but when he rounded the corner onto his street, Donovan saw a familiar car parked in his driveway.  There was a knot in his stomach as he pulled in behind Kyra’s Escort and put his truck in park.

It looked like the sky was dumping rain from buckets
.  Through his windshield, Donovan could see Kyra watching him in her rearview mirror.  Her eyes were dry but grief-stricken.  For the first time since she returned to Overbrook Meadows, Kyra looked completely lost and vulnerable.  Donovan hadn’t seen that look in her eyes in more than fifteen years.

He turned his truck off and sat for a few seconds.  He watched Kyra in her rearview mirror until the drops of rain on his windshield made it impossible to see.  He opened his door and stepped out into the downpour. 
After a moment, Kyra did the same.  Donovan walked slowly towards her, oblivious to the coolness of the thousands of raindrops headed in his direction.  His expression was hard and indecipherable.  Kyra’s eyes were large and apologetic, filled with hurt.  They met at her bumper.

Kyra
looked up at him.  Her mouth moved.  Sounds came out, but they weren’t words.  She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, for using drugs and for not telling him about it.  She wanted to tell Donovan that he was her everything, and she didn’t know if she could live without him.  She wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to take her back, but she needed somewhere to go, just for a couple of hours, so she could dry off and get her bearings and decide what her family’s next move was.

She wanted to say these things, but Donovan only heard a long, desperate moan that was
drenched with so much grief and regret, merely listening to it caused damage to his psyche.  It broke his heart, much worse than learning her secrets did. 

He reached for her.  She didn’t respond.  Donovan stepped to her and wrapped both of his arms around her.  Kyra stiffened, for a moment, and then she went completely limp, as if she’d been carrying the world’s burdens for too long, and she
had no strength left.  Donovan held her tighter.  Kyra buried her face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.

It was hard to say how long they remained this way.  They were not deterred by the constant rain, the rumbling thunder or even the four eyeballs watching them anxiously from Kyra’s Escort.
 

They held each other like they did
when Donovan was twelve and Kyra was eleven, and they got caught in the rain as they walked home from school one day.  All of the other kids ran for cover when the thunder clouds ripped open.  But that was also picture day, and Kyra wore pumps that were slippery on the sidewalk.  Rather than fend for himself, Donovan walked with her the whole way, holding her hand so Kyra wouldn’t slip and fall.  It was one of her most endearing memories.

When she was strong enough to stand on her own, Donovan released Kyra.  Without a word, he walked to the Escort and opened the back door.  He bent to reach inside while Kyra stood stoically in the driveway.  He
r throat caught when Donovan emerged from the vehicle with Kat in his arms.  The toddler held on to him tightly as Donovan reached back inside the car and grabbed one of Kyra’s suitcases with his free hand.

He looked Kyra in the eyes and told her, “Come on,”
and then he turned and walked to the house.

Kyra didn’t move.  She was too stunned.
  Quinell finally exited the vehicle.  He went to his mother and took her hand.  Kyra didn’t look down at him, but she did follow when he led her to Donovan’s front door.

By the time they got inside, Donovan was in the kitchen.  He held Kat in one arm while he searched his pantry for marshmallows. 
He already had four packs of microwavable cocoa on the counter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

THE FINAL CHAPTER

THE REALEST EVER

They didn’t talk about what happened at all that first day.  Kyra’s kids were as stressed out as she was.  Donovan saw the fright and uncertainty in their eyes.  As a teacher he knew that what they
needed most was love, structure and a sense of normalcy.  It would have freaked Kat and Q out even more if Donovan and Kyra disappeared and had a long talk, so they barely left the children’s sight. 

Everyone changed out of their wet clothes, and then they had cocoa with marshmallows in the kitchen.  Donovan made ham sandwiches for lunch.  Afterwards he went to the den
and played video games with Quinell while Kyra and Kat napped and watched television in the living room.  Donovan took them to CiCi’s Pizza for dinner.  When they got home, he suggested they play a family game.  Quinell picked Chutes and Ladders. 

Th
e board game was as lame as Donovan remembered, but Kat and Q liked it.  They were in good moods when Donovan sent them to bed at ten o’clock.  Kyra wasn’t in a good mood, but she hid her emotions well throughout the day.  She finally broke down when she crawled into bed with Donovan at eleven-thirty.  He held her while she cried, and he wouldn’t let her talk about anything that happened that day. 

“We don’t have to talk about
it tonight,” he told her.  “Just go to sleep, baby.  I know you’re tired.”

Eventually Kyra did fall asleep, though he
r mind was filled with worries.  Donovan took her in tonight, but he wouldn’t discuss what their situation was.  Kyra didn’t know if he’d put her out in the morning or ask her to stay forever.  To make matters worse, Kyra forgot to log on to her banking account and request a stop-payment for the check she gave her aunt.  She knew that she might have as little as three hundred dollars to her name come sun up, but somehow she was able to sleep.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

The next day Donovan called-in to work and suggested Kyra do the same.  She did as he asked.  Donovan’s word had always been law for her.  Donovan made a few more phone calls during breakfast, and then they took Q to school.  When he got out of the truck, Quinell asked his mother, “Are we going back to Mr. Mitchell’s house when I get out?”

Kyra lowered her gaze.  She and Donovan still hadn’t discussed
it, and she didn’t want to put her foot in her mouth.

Donovan leaned forward and told
the boy, “Of course you are.  Where else would you go?”

Q
smiled and nearly skipped into the building. 

Kyra continued to keep her eyes averted as Donovan pulled away from the school.  She was so ashamed of herself, she
feared she would never be able to look Donovan in the eyes again.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Two of the calls Donovan made that morning were to daycare facilities.  The first one was on Seminary, not far from Quinell’s school.  Donovan took Kyra to meet the staff and check out their services.  After a brief tour, Donovan and Kyra left the building, and he asked what she thought about the place.

Kyra
toted Kat on her hip.  She was quite perplexed about everything Donovan was doing.  “Think about what?”

“About
this daycare,” he said.  “Is this somewhere you’d feel comfortable leaving Kat?”

“Oh, um, they’re kinda expensive.”

“You’re not going to find a licensed daycare that will take care of a two year old for less than one-fifty a week,” Donovan stated. 

“But I only make two thousand a month,” Kyra
said.  “That’s almost half my money.”

“If you know someone who babysits from their home, you can try that,” Donovan said.  “But
real daycares are reliable.  A babysitter might turn you away if she stayed out at the club too late the night before.  Plus daycares have healthy snacks and educational activities.”

“But what am I gonna do about finding somewhere to stay?” Kyra asked.  “I can’t live off
fourteen hundred a month.”

“I thought you were staying with me.”

Kyra’s heart shuddered.  “We haven’t talked about anything yet.”

“I told Q he was coming to my house after school,” Donovan said. 

“But you haven’t said anything to me.”

“I just said, ‘
I thought you were staying with me
.’”

Kyra couldn’t get a read on him.  She could tell he was
still upset, but he was trying his best not to show it.  He was having a hard time looking her in the eyes, which made Kyra feel even more self-conscious.

“Donovan, you know what I mean.  We haven’t
talked
, about what happened, about what my aunt told you.”

“Let’s get Kat situated fir
st,” he said.  “Do you like this daycare, or do you want to see the one closer to your job?”

Kyra didn’t want to do anything until the
y talked, but she knew she wasn’t going to get her way.  “I wanna see the other one.”

“Alright.  Let’s go.”

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Dono
van took her to the Child and Family Solutions daycare near J.T. Elder, and Kyra quickly fell in love.  The center looked like a small school, complete with a playground in the back and two former teachers running it.

Donovan said the
main question Kyra should ask herself is whether or not she felt comfortable leaving her daughter there every morning.  She said yes.  They went to the front office and filled out paperwork.  Kyra felt like she was signing her life away, especially since she and Donovan hadn’t talked about what happened, but she knew he wouldn’t let her do anything she’d later regret.

“Are we keeping her today?” the co-owner
, a woman named Mrs. Hampton, asked after Kyra was done with her paperwork and her first payment had been processed.

Kyra said, “No
.”

B
ut Donovan said, “Yes.”

Mrs.
Hampton grinned.  “You young couples…  Do you need a minute to think about?”

“No,” Kyra said.  She had no idea what Donovan had in mind, but he was always three steps ahead of her.  “We’re leaving her today.”

“Great,” Mrs. Hampton said.  She got up and led them out of the office.  “Right this way.  I think they’re doing arts and crafts now…”

When they got back to his truck, Kyra asked Donovan, “Why didn’t you want me to keep
her today?  I’m not working.”

“You will be,” Donovan said.
  “We have to get a bed for Kat.  And I’m not setting up another bedroom without your help.”

“But Donovan…”  Kyra had a strange mix of emotions.  On one hand she was excited that he still wanted to be with her
.  But she was also worried because she hadn’t told him what happened.  “Aren’t we going to talk about any of this?”

“Yes,” Donovan said.  “We can talk right now.” 
Rather than start his truck, Donovan turned in his seat and looked at Kyra.  He sighed.  “What do you want to tell me?”

Kyra’s
eyes widened.  She couldn’t believe she was the one begging for this conversation.  This was a terrible idea!  “I, I don’t know…”

“Start with Leonard,” Donovan said.  “What happened yesterday?”

That was an easy one.  Kyra told Donovan about Leonard’s unexpected visit.  She told him how Leonard refused to show her his arms and how he cursed her out before he left.

“Is he still going to take you to court?” Donovan asked when she was done.

Kyra shook her head.  “No.  I don’t think so.”

“What if he does?”

“I don’t know.”  Kyra shrugged.  “What do you think I should do?”

“You’
d have to get a lawyer,” Donovan said.  “If Leonard’s as bad as you say he is, you’ll probably win the case.  But if he gets clean, and he
really
wants to be with his daughter, you can’t and shouldn’t fight that.”

“I won’t,” Kyra said.  “But he doesn’t care about her.”

“Time will tell.  What about your aunt?  Why is she so mad at you?”

Kyra told him about the argument over her paycheck and how much she was supposed to pay for rent and baby-sitting. 
She also told him about the things Aunt Ruth said when they were packing up to leave her house.