His voice got softer, but no less intense. “You came in here talking about legacy,” he said, “but Black love is part of that too. Our people ain’t survive on land alone. They survived because they held each other. They survived because when one person was about to fall, the other one lifted them…you forgot that part.”
Her lips shook.
Zaire stepped close enough to feel her breath. “I would’ve paid it,” he said, “all of it. Not to own you…not to control you, but because you shouldn’t have to fight everything alone, not with me standing right here.”
Her tears spilled again.
Zaire pressed his finger to the side of her head. “I’m not a man who dips when shit gets heavy. I don’t disappear. I…don’t...fuckin’…fold.”
“You should’ve told me,” he whispered. “Not because of the headlines…not because of the cameras, but because you’re not supposed to carry our future alone. Because you’re supposed to trust me with all of it. I’m a man, Meadow.”
Her face crumpled.
His voice dropped to that low, raw register only she could pull out of him. “Baby…” He leaned into her, bending to make sure she heard him loud and clear. “I’m trying…for us.”
She broke - sobbing into his chest, body shaking with all the fear, shame, exhaustion, love, and grief she’d been holding since the moment those reporters stepped foot on her land.
Zaire wrapped his arms around her. “Pay, the fuckin’ bill, Meadow.”
Days had goneby and Meadow was still sad. Zaire was still in Juniper but he’d been keeping himself busy just to avoid her. His Mama, wasn’t acting funny with her, so Meadow took that as a win.
The weather had been nothing but rain and storms ever since Zaire’s fame brought them to their doors.
Neighbors called Ray twice, maybe three times, letting him know reporters had been spotted parked near the local diner. Some even approached folks to ask questions. The gossip wheel was turning without oil, squealing loud enough for Meadow to hear it inside the house.
It was a mess, a shit show and she was worn thin.
She was now holed up with Magnolia, just listening to the rain and her brain reminding her how stupid she’d been. Meadow hadn’t even had the energy to talk to Tia long. She was ready to jump on a plane but Meadow begged her not to.
Ray had been out in the shed claiming to be fixing something. Meadow knew he was sitting out there in that old rusty chair with his shotgun over his lap. That was his way of protecting what he loved.
Magnolia always hated storms. Meadow didn’t realize she’d slipped into her Mama’s room until she was sitting on the edge of the bed, smoothing the blankets over legs that used to dance circles around Ray for fun.
Magnolia’s breathing was uneven. Her eyes fluttered but didn’t fully open until the lightning cracked again.
“Mama,” Meadow whispered, brushing her fingers through her hair. “It’s okay…I’m here.”
Magnolia blinked a few times, confusion sliding away like fog. For a moment her gaze sharpened. “Where’s Ray?” she asked.
Meadow’s chest pinched. “He’s in the shed.”
“You tell him stop runnin’ from the rain. He used to run outside barefoot. Swear he could catch lightning.” She chuckled softly. “My Mama hated him…always keepin’ up noise. But I told her, ‘One day, that boy gon’ love me like the world never did.’”
Meadow felt the words hit her throat like a bruise.
Magnolia kept going, voice wandering through an old memory. “And he did. Loved me every day…even now. Even when my mind forget everything but his name.”
Meadow swallowed hard, tears welling. “Mama…”
Magnolia reached blindly for her hand, squeezing it with a surprising strength. “When love shows up, baby…you hold on. You hear me?”
Meadow nodded, her whole body trembling. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t let fear take it from you,” Magnolia whispered, eyes drifting closed again. “Fear ain’t never loved nobody, especially not a Black woman.”
Meadow bent over her mother’s shoulder, crying as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t shake the bed. She still heard her.
Magnolia muttered dreamily. “I hope you find your Ray.”
