My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I pulled it out to see who it was.
My wife:
Grandma is okay. She just had a little cough. I think she’s getting a cold. We got her some medicine, and we’ll sit here with her for a little bit. Are you having fun?
Me:
Tell her to get some rest, and she better leave Mr. Walter alone. And no, I’m not having fun because you aren’t here.
My wife:
I’ll tell her exactly what you said. Of course you can’t have fun without me. I’m going to give Grandma her medicine then head home soon. I’ll see you later.
Me:
Let me know when you get home.
She sent me the thumbs up emoji, so I slid my phone back into my pocket.
“Arsel, what’s up?”
“Onyx.” I stood up to shake his hand. “Dr. Foster, or should I say Dr. Blackwell.” I hugged Maverick, who was Onyx’s wife.
She was a gastroenterologist who sometimes saw patients in the emergency room.
“I go by Dr. Blackwell now. You see the ring.” She held her left hand out and laughed.
Onyx stood next to her with his arms wrapped around her waist and chuckled.
“Where’s Janiyah?” Maverick looked around the room.
“She couldn’t make it.”
Onyx pulled the chair out so Maverick could sit down. I was glad they were at our table, because I barely talked to the people I worked with. Onyx and I weren’t friends, but we had a good rapport.
“Aww. I was hoping she was here. I finished one of her books the other day, and I wanted to talk to her about it.” Maverick giggled.
“I’ll be sure to let her know.”
They talked to me about their kids, and I told them about Mikayla. I even pulled out my phone and showed them pictures of her.
Talking to them made the rest of the time go by quicker. As soon as I finished dinner, I headed home.
Janiyah promised me something, and I was ready to cash in on it. We might not be able to do everything I wanted since Mikayla was there, but I definitely was going to lay up with my wife. We had to make up for the months we weren’t together.
I felt bad that I couldn’t go to the event with Arsel. My dress was too cute not to be seen, but I figured I’d have another chance to wear it. There was always some type of event going on at the hospital.
Once my grandma said she wasn’t feeling well, I knew I needed to make my way to her. It wasn’t often that she got sick, so I was a little worried at first. Luckily, it was just a common cold, and with a little rest and medicine, she would be okay. I teased her about being fast with Mr. Walter because he had a cold as well. I was happy that Grandma was living her best life. She deserved happiness after helping raise me over the years. Mr. Walter seemed to be treating her well, so he was alright in my book.
After Mikayla and I left my grandmother’s house, we came back home and played a little until she went to bed. Once she was out, I cleaned up a little around the house. It would have been a good time to get some writing done, but my mind wasn’t focused on it. I wanted to be with my husband, but that wasn’t possible. Arsel told me I could have called him to come home early, but I wanted him to enjoy himself. He was really taking his role as Mikayla’s godfather seriously. He made time to play with her every day, even the days when he had to work. He also made time for us, so he deserved a little downtime. I knew he didn’t talk to many people at work, but he wasn’t antisocial.
Since we couldn’t be together, I decided to do something special for him at home. He let me know when he was on his way home, so I got everything prepared while I waited.
I heard him the minute he entered the house and entered the alarm code to lock up the house. I sat quietly while he walked up the steps, then stopped to check on Mikayla. It didn’t matter what time he came home; he always checked on her whether it was her naptime or bedtime.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened, and Arsel stopped in his tracks. The side of his mouth lifted into a smirk.
“So that’s what you on?” He stepped into the room and closed the door.
