by Tina Martin
When the nurse left the room, Edith sat down next to Kalina. She swallowed hard and said, “Kalina…um…” Tears fell from her eyes. “I think it’s time for us to face the reality that your mom is not going to leave this hospital.”
“Don’t say that, Edith,” Kalina cried. “Don’t say that.”
“I don’t want to say it. She’s my sister and I love her, but it’s time to face reality.”
Kalina shook her head. “No.”
“Kalina—”
“No, Edith. I will not give up on her. I can’t give up.” Kalina exited the room in tears. With her vision blurred, she made her way to the cafeteria where she sat down at a table in the corner and dabbed her eyes with a napkin. She took out her laptop, hoping that by working, she’d forget her aunt’s words, but even after sending fifteen emails, the tears kept flowing – almost like they were uncontrollable. And she didn’t bother wiping them away anymore. So what a few people had walked by staring at her like she was a crazy person? She didn’t care. She was in pain.
“Your aunt told me I would probably find you here.”
Kalina looked up when she heard Bryson’s voice. How long had he been standing there?
Bryson sat across from her, not saying anything for a while. He observed her, watching tears fall, one after the other each one feeling like a stab to his heart. In a calm, caring voice, he said, “I think you need to talk to someone…a professional.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You do, Kalina.”
“Then I won’t. I’ve been dealing with this for years on my own—”
“And that’s the problem,” he said, interrupting her. “You need to talk to someone.”
Kalina slammed her laptop closed. “And tell them what, Bryson? That my mother is dying? What would be the point? It’s not like a therapist can make my mother any better.”
“The therapist would be for the purpose of helping you, Kalina…helping you to cope with all that’s going on.”
Kalina covered her face with her hands, still in tears and exasperated. She flipped her laptop open again and began working.
Bryson sighed. “I brought you some dinner.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat, Kalina.”
“I’m…not…hungry, and I don’t need you here with me, Bryson. I’d rather be alone.”
“I’m sure you would like to be, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Frustrated, she asked, “Why can’t you leave me alone?”
“Because I care about you, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
Kalina swiped tears from her face.
“Kalina, look at me, please.”
She looked up at him, into his worried eyes. “Please eat. You need to eat, sweetheart. Please.”
Kalina closed the laptop and placed it in the chair beside her. She would rather have been alone, but then she thought about all the things Bryson had done for her the night before. And he didn’t have to bring dinner to the hospital, taking time out of his day – his life – to help her. But he did. The least she could do was show her appreciation for it. She pulled the Styrofoam tray in front of her and opened it to see that he’d brought her some rotisserie chicken, peas and mashed potatoes. She took the plastic spoon from the package, tasting the mashed potatoes first.
“You like it?”
Kalina nodded. “Where’s your food?”
“I ate already.”
“Oh.”
Kalina ate quietly, feeling Bryson’s eyes on her. Her tears had since dried up. “Thank you for bringing dinner.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And thank you for cleaning up my bedroom and the kitchen. I know you thought you were in the middle of a war zone when you stepped into my house.”
“No, I just know you.”
“Oh gosh…you think I’m a slob.”
“No, not at all, Kalina. I know what you’ve been going through. If I was under as much stress as you, I’d be too preoccupied with other things to worry about chores.”
Kalina continued eating, taking a bite of chicken.
“So are you staying here tonight?” he asked.
“I want to. Edith wants me to leave, though. I don’t think she wants me to be here when it happens…when mom dies.”
“Kalina, you shouldn’t be—”
“I know I shouldn’t be thinking about that, but I’ve thought about it every day for years and now, I feel her slipping away. It’s such a helpless feeling to love someone so much, yet not be able to do a thing to help them.”
“Kalina, I’ve seen all that you’ve done for your mother. You take care of her medical bills and you work nonstop to make sure you have the funds to do so. You visited her frequently, even when she doesn’t know who you are, and yet she can do nothing in return for you. That in itself says a lot about you…about your character.”
“I just wish she knew I was there. That Edith was there. She’s going to die thinking that she was alone because the only person she halfway remembers is Stanley.”
“And you said he’s never tried to contact you or Edith to find out how your mom was doing over the years?”
“Not once, Bryson. He’s been completely absent this whole time, but why should he care about us when he was a new life. It’s just…it’s not right.”
“No, it’s not right.”
Kalina dabbed her mouth. “I don’t understand why he couldn’t work through it with her. That’s what true love is supposed to be, right? If the tables were reversed, she would not have left him like he left her. I know she wouldn’t have.”
“All I can tell you is that people grieve in different ways. Now, I personally find that what your father did was very cowardly. He should’ve stayed, helped her, supported her and not left that burden on you and Edith, but he didn’t. He has to answer to God for that.”
Kalina suspired. “Yeah.”
“In the meantime, I’m worried about you.”
“And, like I told you last night, it’s not your job to worry about me. You have your own problems and issues, I’m sure.”
“I do, but you’re at the top of that list.”
Kalina didn’t want to smile, but a lazy, brief one peered through. “How is it that nearly a month ago I had no idea who you were and now, we’re friends?”
“I guess sometimes, when you meet people, it’s not by chance. It was because you were supposed to meet them, and I truly feel I met you for that purpose…to help you.”
“Well, I think it’s sweet, but I don’t want you to get sucked up into my drama. You’ve done enough for me already.”
“I could do more, and I will do more. I’m here for you, Kalina. Someone has to teach you that not all men are not like your father.”
You’ve already taught me that. Kalina closed the lid on her food tray.
“So are you going to stay the night?” Bryson asked again since she didn’t give him a definite answer when he asked her earlier.
“Yes. I’ll leave early in the morning so I can let Lizette in to work.”
“Then I’ll stay with you for a little while and keep you and Edith company.”
Instead of trying to talk him out of it, she placed her hands on one of his hands and said, “Thank you.”
Her touch ignited something in him. It was the first time she’d ever really touched him intentionally. And from that one touch, he knew she deeply appreciated all the things he was doing to help her.
CHAPTER 27
In the morning, Kalina gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, hugged Edith and headed home to shower. After filling Lizette in on her mother’s condition, she opened her laptop. Scanning through the emails first, she saw that Bryson had spent the night answering more emails. She smiled, then decided to thank him.
From: Kalina Cooper
To: Bryson Blackstone
Subject: thanks
Just opened my laptop and realized you had been up working last night.
Thank you, Bryson. I’ll find some way to repay you. I promise.
--
Kalina Cooper
Editor | CEO
The Cooper Files
_____
After sending the email, she got an idea for a new post and poll on the blog. “Hey, Lizette…”
“Hey, what’s up?”
Kalina swiveled her chair around and said, “You know what I’ve been going through with my father and all, and I want to put this out there on the blog…not my story per se, but something related to it. Can you come up with a post about marriage and sticking around when the other party gets sick? I’m thinking we can title it, In Sickness and Health, with two question marks behind the title, then on the right sidebar, I want a new poll asking readers if they left someone or know of someone else who left a spouse because they were sick.
“Hmm…” Lizette tapped her nails on the desk.
“You have a suggestion?”
“Yes I do, actually. I think it will resonate more with readers if they knew your story, Kalina.”
“My story?”
“Yes. And quite honestly, I think it’s time you found out why your father left your mother the way he did.”
Kalina shook her head. “I know why he left her. He’s a coward.”
“Kalina…”
“Well that’s the reason. What other reason could there be?”
Lizette shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why you need to go to Fayetteville and pay your father a visit.”
“What?”
“Talk to him, face-to-face, then tell your story.”
Kalina thought about it for a few minutes. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“It will be good for the blog, Kalina. Just think about it before you make a decision.”
“Okay.”
Kalina turned back to her computer, then saw an email reply from Bryson. She clicked on it:
From: Bryson Blackstone
To: Kalina Cooper
Subject: Re: thanks
I’m not looking for repayment, but I could use your advice on the houses I’m looking at today. If you can’t make it, I completely understand. Just thought I’d put it out there in case you needed to do something to clear your head for a while.
--
B. Blackstone
_____
She could use an outing to take her mind off of things, especially considering what Lizette was proposing. Her father leaving like he did had been a thorn in her side for a long time. Maybe it was time to face him. But since she was under enough pressure as it was from her mother being hospitalized, she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
CHAPTER 28
“So you never emailed me back,” Bryson said, as soon as Kalina answered the phone. It was a little after five, so he knew Lizette had already left for the day.
“Sorry. I got distracted with some ideas Lizette and I were tossing around for the blog.”
“So I take it you can’t come with me.”
“Would you be disappointed if I didn’t?”
“Yeah, actually I would,” he said honestly. “But I understand if you can’t make it.”
“Do you want me to meet you, or—?”
“So you are coming with me?” Bryson asked.
“Yes. I can leave right now.”
“Wonderful. Get your purse and come on outside. I’m already parked in front of your house.”
“You are?” Kalina said standing, peeping out of the window, watching his Mercedes slow to a stop in front of her house.
“Yes…just pulled up. You want to ride with me?”
She laughed. “You’re a piece of work, Bryson.”
“What? Just thought I’d come by in case you said yes. If you said no, I would’ve drove off and not even had mentioned I was here.”
She giggled more. “Yeah…sure. I get the feeling you would’ve coaxed me into coming with you anyway.”
“Probably.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought. Anyway, I’ll be right out.”
“Okay.”
Kalina jogged downstairs with her phone, walked to her bedroom to grab her purse and, after she’d locked the front door behind her, she got in the passenger side of Bryson’s car.
“Good evening,” he said, looking over at her with a pair of dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.
“Good evening,” Kalina told him and before she could stop herself, she leaned close to him, then pressed her lips against the side of his face.
Bryson closed his eyes behind his shades, feeling an ache in his abdomen. Her lips touching him had nearly rendered him unconscious.
“So where are we off to?” Kalina asked.
Bryson glanced at her. “Did you just kiss me or did I imagine that?”
Kalina giggled. “I kissed you, now where are we going?”
Bryson smirked. He hadn’t seen her this chipper in a while. He knew it was probably something she was forcing herself to do, but still, he appreciated her taking the time to do this with him. “There’s a house not too far from here…the GPS says it’s about two miles.”
When they arrived, he parked behind Isaiah’s car.
They both got out of the car, then Bryson walked up to the front door with Kalina beside him.
“Hey, man. Good to see you again,” Isaiah said. “Hi, Kalina. Good to see you again, too.”
“You as well, Isaiah.”
He stared at her for a moment.
Bryson noticed Isaiah staring Kalina down so he decided to break the man’s trance by bringing his hands to a clap and saying, “So Isaiah, tell me what we got here.”
“Oh, ah…this is a four bedroom, four bath, two-level home. The kitchen is equipped with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. All of the bedrooms are upstairs. Go ahead and look around.”
Walking to the kitchen, Kalina said, “Wow. This is nice.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. The kitchen I have now is a lot bigger than this, though.”
“That’s what you should’ve done,” Kalina said. “You should’ve taken me by your house so I can have something to compare your likes to.”
Had she really never been to his house? He didn’t realize that until now. “I’ll take you by there later,” he said.
She followed Bryson upstairs while Isaiah remained standing in the kitchen. Bryson wasn’t too impressed with the size of the bedrooms, especially the master. His current master bedroom could hold a king size bed, a sitting area and two large dressers. This bedroom could only fit a king-size bed and nothing more.
“What do you think, Bryson?” Kalina asked, sinking her index finger in his front pocket and tugging at his pants.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a grin on his face.
“Getting your attention. What do you think about the house?”
“I’m not feeling it. Let me go tell Isaiah to mark this one off the list.”
“Okay,” she said, following him.
She stood outside, admiring the landscaping of the house while Bryson spoke with Isaiah on the inside. When the men finally stepped out, Isaiah locked up place and returned the key to the lockbox while Bryson told Kalina a little about the house they were going to see next. He said it was about fifteen miles away. The two headed for Bryson’s car when Isaiah said, “Hey, Kalina.”
She turned around and said, “Hey. What’s up?”
“Can I speak to you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
Isaiah headed for his car, so she followed him there. “What’s up?”
“I didn’t think you were seeing anyone or interested in seeing anyone because you turned me down cold, but now I see you with Mr. Blackstone like y’all are a couple.”
Kalina smiled wide and said, “I’m not seeing anyone, Isaiah.”
“Oh, come on…you’re out here house hunting with the man. Why else would he want you to look at houses with him?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Because he wants a woman�
��s viewpoint.”
“Or maybe he wants a woman. You.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I told him the same thing I told you, Isaiah. My heart will never belong to anyone. If I don’t give it out, I don’t have to worry about someone breaking it, now do I?” She smiled and walked away.
Bryson sat curious. What did Isaiah have to talk to her about? When he saw them together in the restaurant, she said he was her realtor and she’d promised him lunch. Now, Isaiah wanted to speak to her in private for some reason. And why was she smiling so hard?
“Is everything okay?” Bryson asked when Kalina was in the car with him again.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Isaiah was just being Isaiah.”
Just being Isaiah…
Bryson was glad he wore his sunglasses so she couldn’t see the jealousy in his eyes. What did she mean he was just being Isaiah? Were they friends? Did she kick it with him on a regular basis? Did she confide in him about her mother the same way she did with him? Leave kisses across his jaw? The thought of it irritated him.
Bryson cranked up the car. “Did he say something about the house, or…?”
“No. He thought you and I were a couple.”
“And?”
Kalina smirked and looked at him. “What do you mean, and?”
“What if we were a couple? He’d be jealous?”
“Possibly.”
“Why would he be jealous?”
“Because he wanted to date me a while ago and I told him no…told him I wasn’t interested in a relationship, so when he saw me with you, he was curious.”
“I see. You two seem to hit it off pretty well. I mean, you were practically glowing with that beautiful smile on your face.”
“I wasn’t smiling all that hard, Bryson.”
“If you say so.”
While he continued the drive to the second house they would see today, Kalina took her cell phone from her purse and dialed Edith.