That right there surprised me more than anything. The staff knew her. They wasn’t starstruck or impressed. They was comfortable with her, happy to see her and jokin’ with her like she was part of the place. That’s when it clicked that Treasure ain’t come here for me. She came here ‘cause this was somewhere she loved.
We got seated in a booth near the window, sunlight spillin’ across the table, and Treasure slid in across from me with that same easy calm she carried everywhere. I picked up the menu even though I already knew I was gon’ want everything on it.
“What you feelin?” Treasure asked, lookin’ at me over the top of her glasses.
I smiled a lil’. “Honestly, everything.”
She laughed. “That’s how you know you’re in the right place.”
When the waitress came back, Treasure didn’t hesitate. She ordered oxtails smothered in gravy, collard greens, candied yams, and a side of mac and cheese, plus cornbread on the side like it was non-negotiable. I went with fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, greens too, and yams ‘cause if she was gettin’ them then I was gettin’ them too. Sweet tea for both of us, no questions asked.
While we waited, my mind drifted back to earlier, and I couldn’t help myself. “Can I just say,” I started, my voice softer, “watchin’ you deliver that baby was one of the most amazin’ things I ever seen.”
Treasure smiled but shook her head like she ain’t wanna sit in praise. “It’s not about me,” she said. “It’s about the mother and the baby. I just help them meet each other.”
That humility made my chest ache in a good way. “Still,” I said, “you move like you was born to do that. Like you knew exactly what to do without thinkin’.”
She looked at me for a moment, like she was readin’ somethin’ under the surface. Then she leaned back against the booth and asked real calm, “What’s your story, Toni?”
The question caught me off guard, even though I felt it comin’. My fingers tightened around my purse and I had to swallow before I answered. “Kay’Lo done told you some things, I’m sure.”
She nodded. “He has, but nobody can tell your story better than you.”
I stared down at the table for a second, then looked back up at her. “My mama died when I was nine,” I said, my voice calm even though my chest tightened. “She got hit by a car on her way to work. One minute she was here and the next minute she wasn’t.”
Treasure didn’t interrupt. She just listened.
“I went to live with my grandma Glo after that,” I continued. “And I love her. That’s my heart, but life with her wasn’t easy. We struggled… A lot. She did the best she could, but sometimes love ain’t enough to fix everything.”
I kept it surface level, not diggin’ into the things I wasn’t ready to say, and Treasure didn’t push. She just nodded like she understood without me havin’ to explain it all.
After a moment, she spoke. “I grew up poor,” she said. “Real poor. Before Kwame, before all of this. I know what it’s like to scrape and pray and keep going anyway.”
I blinked at her. “Really? Poor, though?”
She smiled at me. “Really. And I see a lot of myself in you. Your strength. The way you love. The way you still show up even when it hurts.”
I nodded and blinked my tears away. I didn’t say much after that.
The food came then, plates heavy and steamin’, and for a few minutes we just ate, moanin’ over how good everything was and laughin’ about how Kay’Lo used to sneak food before dinner when he was little. Treasure told stories about him bein’ hard-headed and sensitive all at the same time, and about how he always felt things deeper than other kids.
At one point, I put my fork down and took a breath. “I know his daddy don’t like me,” I admitted, my voice low.
Treasure sighed but didn’t look surprised. “Kwame doesn’t like what he can’t understand,” she said. “But he loves his son. But, Kay’Lo will always protect you from the things that hurt you. That part, you don’t have to worry about.”
That helped more than she probably knew.
After we finished eatin’, we hugged the staff goodbye and stepped back outside. The sun was lower now, and the air was cooler. Treasure pulled me into her arms again, and for a second, I let myself just be held.
On the drive back, I felt lighter.
When we made it back to her mansion, she dropped me off at my car, and squeezed my hand. “You got a good heart, Toni,” she said. “Don’t forget that.”
I watched her pull away, then sat in my car for a moment before startin’ it. Then I finally left.
As I drove home, the day replayed in my mind, and even though nothin’ was fixed, I felt stronger, like I had someone in my corner who saw me and wasn’t goin’ nowhere.
To me, that shit meant everything.
