“Did you see I got you some hot chocolate, too?” I pointed to the cup.
“Thank you. I’m sure you have some work to do.”
I wanted to be offended by her suggesting I had something better to do than check on her. That wasn’t the case, but I kept it to myself.
“Work can wait. I wanted to check on you. I want to be here for you, River, in whatever way you need me to be.”
Her breathing hitched for a second as she looked at me.
“You don’t have to, Coye. You’re not my man.”
The smirk on her face let me know she was joking, but it was enough to make me back off for now. I was just glad she at least tried to joke.
I stood from the chair and walked over to her. She looked at me like she didn’t know what I would do.
“You’re right, Babygirl. I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be there for you. I promise, whatever you need, don’t hesitate to call me.” I kissed her forehead, then left the room.
I could only hope she knew how serious I was and called me if she really needed me.
“Did she eat?” Momma Dana asked when I made it back downstairs.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure she needs some space. I did tell her to call me if she needs me. That goes for you as well. I’m getting ready to check on your son on my way to work.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
“Thank you, Coye, for always looking out for us.”
“I’m only trying to return everything y’all have given me over the years.” I kissed her cheek. “Call me if you need me,” I reminded her before I left the house.
There were plenty of days and nights I was at their house while my mom worked. They treated me like I was one of their kids, so it was only right that I did things for them. I sponsored vacations, paid to get things fixed, and a bunch of other shit. My life could have turned out differently if it weren’t for them. My mom did the best she could, but it was hard for her. I respected them and my mother for everything they did for us over the years.
When I made it to my car, I called Jordan.
“What’s good, bro?” I asked when he answered. “I called to check on you.”
I heard him sigh, and he probably rubbed his hand over his head.
“Man, it’s been a rough night. I had to explain to the kids as much as I could without stressing them out. I don’t want to think the worst, but how can I not? Cancer ain’t shit to be playing with. Like, I could lose my pops, man.” He broke down, and my chest squeezed.
I didn’t want to think about losing any of our parents, especially not to some shit like that.
I gave him time to get himself together before I spoke again. “We aren’t claiming no bad shit. I’m here for you, bro, just know that. Whatever happens, I got y’all.”
“I appreciate you, bro. I know River is going to take this shit the hardest. I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer. I know she’s at my mom’s house, so I know she’s not alone.”
“Yeah, I dropped some food off to them. Mom’s said River wasn’t trying to come out of her room.”
“I’ll go by there in a little bit. Let me get myself together. I’ll holla at you later.”
“No doubt.”
I hung the phone up and focused on the road. I thought about River the whole time I drove. It was going to be a struggle keeping my feelings for her to myself.
For daysafter my father told us about his diagnosis, I had isolated myself from everyone. My family and friends checked on me, but I only responded to let them know I was alive. That was all I could give them, because I tried to wrap my head around his diagnosis. I googled all types of treatments, diets, and holistic things we could do to help him.
By the time I emerged from my home, I felt optimistic about the next steps.
Instead of going to work, I decided to hang out with my father to see how he felt. I knew he had to be feeling ten times worse than the rest of us. He was the one that had to go through this process, but we all would be there for him and each other.
