Hers was Jill Scott, so when I saw that she would be in town, I had to get us tickets. Unfortunately, I didn’t become aware of the concert soon enough, and the only tickets left were on the lawn, but at least we were in the front.
“I like being in the comforts of my home, reading a good book, and you won’t make me feel bad about it.”
I laughed. “I would never make you feel bad, but it’s okay to go outside sometimes.”
Since we were on the lawn, I did my best to make it nice and romantic. Of course, we had our lawn chairs, but I also ordered a big, cushy blanket for us to use. There was a deli that prepared baskets of food for outdoor events, and I ordered one with all her favorites.
“As long as I’m with you,” she said, then kissed me on the cheek.
The singers that came up before Jill Scott were good, but we weren’t fully engaged, just enjoying the music.
“How do you feel about Nyeem being gone?” I asked.
She sighed, but her smile let me know her response wouldn’t be sad.
“Not nearly as bad as I thought I would. I’m glad I didn’t go with y’all to set up his dorm, because I would’ve been a mess. When y’all left, I went in his room and cried for an hour.”
“I knew your eyes looked puffy, but you played it off like you were just tired.”
“I was tired of crying, especially when my son was only twenty minutes away, and I’ll probably see him every day.”
“Today was the last time you’ll see him until two weeks from now.”
She gasped before whining. “Kilo, you can’t keep him away from me like that. I’m his mother.”
“I can and I will. You don’t get any special treatment because I love you.”
“I can’t believe you. I thought?—”
“If you thought I would let you break the camp rules, think again. He’ll be all right, and so will you.”
She folded her arms across her chest and pouted. I let her give me the silent treatment for a few minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore.
“You ready to see what kind of food is in the basket?”
Food always did the trick. She finally unfolded her arms and turned to me.
“Yes, please.”
I sat on the blanket and asked her to join me. I put the basket between us and opened it. We had her favorite flavors of sparkling cider, fresh strawberries, pineapples, and grapes, an assortment of cheese and crackers, pasta salad, and chicken Caesar wraps.
“This is amazing, baby. You did all of this yourself?” she asked.
“I can’t lie to you, baby. There’s this new deli downtown that hooked all this up. One of my office assistants told me about it.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. I love it.”
“Good.”
We enjoyed the food and music for a while, and when the lights dimmed, we knew it was showtime.
“Here she comes, baby,” Nyomi said with excitement.
She was focused on the stage, but I needed her to look at the huge screens on either side for a moment. Thankfully, whoever had the mic told everyone to do just that. When the video of Nyeem appeared, I heard Nyomi gasp, but I didn’t look her way.
“Hey, Ma. I love you so much, and I want to thank you for raising me to be who I am. I’m so proud to be your son, and I appreciate every sacrifice you made for me. I’m in college now, and it’s time for you to live your life. I’ll always need you, but it’syour time now. Coach Kilo wants to marry you, and I think you should say yes.”
Next up was Mr. and Mrs. Kurrie, followed by Robby, then Skye. They all had beautiful, meaningful, and emotional words for her, and by the time the messages were over, Jill Scott took the stage.
