“What are you doing here?”
“We came to get you. We ain’t had a Taco Tuesday since you left. Somebody been depressed.” He tried to whisper as if I couldn’t hear him. Sakani was a traitor, and I knew I’d never win with him when the choice was between Shanet and me.
“You didn’t even stick around for the last one.” She playfully punched him on the shoulder.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“So you brought Sakani as backup. Smart move.”
“He’s always my favorite play.”
“Yeah, that’s because you know it works.”
“Yo, can I talk to you for a minute?” I checked.
“Uh, yeah. Sakani, can you keep my mom company until I come back?”
“I got you, Dr. E.”
Sakani walked over to Shanet’s mom, and she came toward me. We kept walking until we were out of earshot, but we could still see them.
“So, you came home, huh?”
“Yeah. I had a lot to figure out. I needed to know why I was stuck in the cycle of trying to fix people. I realized it was due to not healing from what I went through as a kid. All I wanted to do was make my mom better so that we could have the life that I thought we deserved, but no matter what I did, it never worked. Now that I’m an adult, I had to realize there will always be times where it ain’t nothing that I can do.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“I know I shouldn’t have been there with Devonte that night, but he made a threat on your business.”
“Yeah, I found out about that. That’s the last threat he ever gon’ make.”
“I’m glad you know now, but honestly, if you would’ve given me a chance to explain that night, the way you felt about the situation could have been avoided. It’s the same thing you did in the beginning.”
“I have a problem with trying to leave people before they leave me. I’m working on that.”
“I understand, but I can’t help you with that.”
“You don’t have to. I’m not asking you to fix me, Shanet. I’m asking you to stay while I fix myself.”
I pulled the ring that Mama Bea helped me choose out of my pocket and dropped down to my knee. Her eyes immediately started to water. Sakani and Shanet’s mother stopped in their tracks like they had been watching the whole time.
“Shanet, you have changed every single part of my life. I knew you were special the first time I saw you at that group home. I knew I loved you when I saw how much Sakani felt loved when you were around. The relationship you have with him is so natural. Nothing about it is forced or fake. I walked into the group home to adopt a kid and left with a whole family. You are home for us. So, I’m asking if you think we could be home for you. Will you spend the rest of your life with me, baby?”
“Yes.” Shanet bent down to hug my neck before she kissed my cheek. I stood and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around me as our lips connected again.
I tossedand turned and then tried to lie on my left side for the third time in a row. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get comfortable. It was the kind of excited uncomfortableness that made it impossible to go to sleep.
I couldn’t believe that someone actually wanted to marry me. This wasn’t a man who had abused me for years, discarded me, or didn’t even care about how I felt. Stone never treated me like I was nothing. He was a real man who actually thought I was beautiful. Stone sent me flowers, took me out on dates, met my mother, and cared about kids. He built a business of his own and served his country.
Stone was a real man, and he wanted to marry me. He saw value in the woman I was, and he came all the way to the countryto get down on one knee in my mother’s garden. How could I sleep after a day like that?
I sat in the bed and looked over at Stone. He was still asleep. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. It almost looked like he had a smile on his face, which normally held a natural mug. Seeing him so at peace made me happy.
I threw my legs out of the bed and got up. Then I put my overcoat on to leave the room. I wanted to go down to the kitchen and get something to drink. I went straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water before taking a moment to lean on the counter. Out of nowhere, tears just started falling from my eyes. For the first time in my life, I had everything I ever wanted.
I had my mother back, and she was sober and healing. I had Stone, who was working on himself, and I had Sakani, who was one of the greatest gifts in my life. I had a job that I loved, a passion that fulfilled me. I had never thought I’d be at this point in my life, but I was, and the tears streaming down my face were evidence of how grateful I was.
“Girl, why are you down here crying?” Mama asked.
