“Toast it is. I love toast… and waffles with chocolate hazelnut butter.”
Shayna’s eyes grew when I said chocolate.
“We’ll save waffles for another day.”
She nodded with a huge grin.
We enjoyed butter, cinnamon, and sugar toast while lounging on the sofa; Trzy sprawled out between us.
“Yellow pillows.” She bounced a little against the decor pillow. “I like yellow. I like red too.”
The kid had excellent taste.
“How old are you?”
“Six.”
I nodded. If she would have been seven, I might have explained the many shades of yellow, including my Spanish yellow pillow, a bit brighter than saffron which my mother loved. Maybe once she felt more settled, we’d discuss color swatches. One thing was for certain: Shayna was the resplendent kaleidoscope Everson needed in his life.
“Who brought you to Everson’s last night?” It wasn’t any of my business, but my favorite pastime was peep-holing, so of course I had to ask her.
“Judy.” She licked sugar from her finger.
“Did you live with Judy?”
Shayna nodded.
“Is Judy your family?”
She nodded. “Ne-ma’s sissy.”
“Where is your Ne-ma?”
“With Jesus.” Shayna didn’t hesitate. She said it like her Ne-ma ran to the grocery store.
I, however, fought back tears while the lump in my throat began to swell.
“Evson’s gonna take care of me. Judy says he buy me dolls.”
The only thing uglier than the hairless feline between us was the cry I fought back.
“Evson’s my family now. He gonna love me.”
I blinked and swatted away my tears before she saw them. For someone so little, she could pack a hard punch to the feels. I could barely breathe.
“So did you sleep well last night?” I cleared my throat and wiped the remaining moisture from my eyes.
“I got scared on the couch, so I sneak-ed into Evson’s bed.” Her eyes grew big with excitement. “It’s the biggest bed I ever seen!”
I laughed. “Did he wake up?”
She shook her head. “No. I just hugged his arm until mama visit me. She only come if I sleepin’… in my dreams. She’s always in my dreams.”
Aaannd… more tears! I jumped up and took our plates to the kitchen, grabbing a wad of paper towels to deal with my out-of-control emotions.
Shayna slid off the sofa, lugging Trzy with her. My diva cat proved to be quite submissive. I never would have guessed. They plopped on the floor by Shayna’s backpack.
“What happened to your leg?” she asked, keeping her focus on the contents of the bag she dumped onto my floor.
