A WEEK LATER
Tyree’s birthday crept up on me like a thief in the night. It’s something that I wasn’t looking forward to. Since it’s his birthday, I decided to make a trip out there to see him. Before I headed to the cemetery, I stopped by Publix to grab him some flowers and balloons. I know a lot of people bought their loved ones fake flowers so they’ll last longer, but I just couldn’t see myself doing that.
Maniac pulled up to the entrance of the store, and I got out the car and went inside. The flowers and balloons were right there soon as I walked through the door. I went over to the flowers and picked out him a red rose bouquet and then stepped to the counter to get him some balloons made.
“Hi, I’d like to get a couple balloons. Those two right there will be perfect,” I said as I pointed at the birthday balloons.
The guy grabbed them and blew them up for me. He handed me the balloons, and I went to self check-out. I always used self check-out whenever I was in Publix because it seems to move faster than a regular line.
After I checked out, I exited the store, and Maniac was still parked at the door as if it was a parking space. Shaking my head, I neared the car. He leaned over and pushed the door open for me.
“Did you get everything you needed?” he asked soon as I slipped into the seat.
“Yeah.” I shut the door, and he waited ’til I fastened my seat belt before pulling away from the curb.
I sat there in silence as he drove to Tyree’s grave. Since he’s been buried, I’ve only been there a couple of times. Each time, I found my heart breaking in my chest. We ended up burying him in the same cemetery where Ma was buried. He’s resting at her feet. Uncle Tyree paid for space around her so that once I die, I can be buried with them too. I’m not sure if that’s where Maniac would want me to be, but it was my wishes. I’ll want to be back with my family again.
The car came to a halt, bringing me from my thoughts. I looked up and we were parked in the grass near the cemetery. Maniac got out the car and rounded to my side. I grabbed the balloons and flowers and got out the car. Slowly, we strolled up to Tyree’s headstone. My heart weighed heavily as if weights were pulling it down as I stood there, staring at my brother’s name.
My eyes drifted over to my mama’s tombstone. Hers had angel wings on it. Removing one of the roses from the bouquet, I placed it on top of her headstone.
“I really hate that she’s not here to see the woman that I’ve become. It bothers me that she won’t be here for when I have my baby. She wasn’t here when I got married. She’s missing out on all the important parts of my life.” Moisture filled my eyes. It always bothered me whenever I thought about my mama. For some time, I used to think it was my fault that she wasn’t here. Iblamed myself and even sometimes Tyree did as well whenever he got angry with me.
“She’s always here with you in spirit,” Maniac said as he gripped me by the hand and pulled me closer to him. “She’ll always be here with you. I’m sure she’s proud of the woman that you’ve become.”
His lips pressed firmly against my temple. “Thank you.” I tied the balloons to the bouquet and rested it on the ground in front of Tyree’s headstone and then took a step back. Removing my phone from my pocket, I snapped a picture of both of them and then put it back up.
We stood there for a while in silence as I connected with my family. “I miss him,” left my lips.
“I know,” Maniac replied. My head rested against his arm. We stood there a few moments longer before going back to the car.
For lunch, we ended up going to this place downtown called Hamburger King. I wanted a good ass cheeseburger and wanted to see if they could hit the spot. They were delicious, but it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. Maybe next time I’m craving a burger, I’ll try one of those food trucks. It ground my gears the fact that they mostly came out after dark. A lot of them only served during late night hours. I thought it made no sense.
They were only dealing with people who were out late or coming from the club. In my opinion, they’d make way more money if they came out during dinner time. I understand that with everything closing so early around the city, a lot of people who be out late don’t be having much to pick from to eat, but dang, they need to start rotating hours or something. Maniac besick and tired of me sending him out late night to find the food I’m craving.
As we headed to the car, I noticed this white cat running across the parking lot. Maniac took one look at me and said, “Don’t even think ’bout it,” and hit the fob on the car.
Soon as he turned his head, I jetted behind the cat. No way I was about to let that cat stay out here all alone in this parking lot. “Here, kitty,” I called out to it as I went behind it. The closer I got to it, I realized it wasn’t an average cat. It’s a fucking Savannah cat. I know it belongs to someone. That cat costs thousands of dollars. I’ve always wanted one of them but knew that I couldn’t afford it.
The cat stopped and looked back at me. To my surprise, it didn’t even run away when I got close to it. “What the fuck is that?” Maniac asked soon as he caught up to me. By then, I was already holding and snuggling the cat.
“It’s a cat.”
“No, the fuck it’s not. That shit big like a got damn dog. Put it back.”
My lips quivered as I tried my best not to erupt in laughter at him. “Bae, this is a Savannah. It’s bigger than an average cat. I’ve always wanted one of these.” I scratched the cat’s head and the collar jingled, letting me know that he belongs to someone.
“No, the fuck you don’t.” He reached for the cat and it snapped at him. He yanked his hand back and frowned. “Put. That. Shit. Back.”
“I can’t keep him anyway. He belongs to someone. See,” I told him and showed him the tag on the collar. It has a phone number on the back. “I’m going to call her and let her know that I found her cat.” Removing my phone from my pocket, I dialed the number. As it rang in my ear, I stared at the cat.
“Hello?” the woman’s voice came through the line.
“Hey, I’m calling to let you know that I found your cat.”
“You found Oscar?”
“Yes, ma’am. Is there somewhere that I need to bring him to?”
