“What you witnessed is the reason he was of such value to the United States Government.” He chuckled again. “They sure hated to see him go.”
“But is he dangerous to me or Ayana?”
Albert looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Are you kidding me? That boy would chew off his own arm before he ever hurt either of you. Trust me, I’ve known him his whole life. He will never hurt you. Now… I can’t say the same for anybody that ever does hurt you.”
“Think back to that day. Can you remember what happened to set him off?”
“Ummm…” I frowned, now that I thought about it, when he had first went in on Kyle, he still felt like my Jo. After the man had slammed me on the ground he felt different. That’s what had set him off.
I told Albert.
“You see what I told you? A threat to you or Ayana will feel like a threat to him, and that will trigger his alter.”
“Alter?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s what his brothers-in-arms took to calling it.”
“Wow!” I sat back in my chair floored. Albert had given me a lot of information to mull over. I was relieved in the fact that he was convinced Jo was not a danger to Ayana and me. I had been battling with letting her go and visit her father without me. Before that incident happened in the restaurant, I would have done it without a second thought.
Now thanks to Albert, I can let my heart be at ease that my daughter will be okay on unchaperoned visits. Only…
He hasn’t even called. And I know it’s only been a day, but dang…shouldn’t he have at least called by now?
“Albert?”
“Hmmm.” He asked from where he had gone back to reading his paper.
“Have you…” I cleared my throat, feeling like a weak female for even asking this, but I had to know. “Have you heard from Jo?”
He shook his head without looking up from the paper. “He probably went somewhere to lick his wounds. A break up can be hard.”
Hmmm…
Yeah right!
I know men stick together. And no doubt Albert knew exactly where he was and just didn’t want to tell me. He was probably back with his fiancée apologizing for stepping out on her with the little young ghetto college girl, taking her to all of those fancy restaurants that he couldn’t take me, and cooking his stupid gourmet spaghetti for her on his state-of-the-art stove. They were probably even now as we were speaking sitting down at some fundraising banquet with fifteen-hundred-dollar lamb chop plates, giving phony smiles to their future constituents.
Goodness! I had become a bitter woman.
That realization didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want to be a bitter woman. I didn’t want to be sitting on the sidelines sending hateful vibes through the air.
I squared my shoulders. I loved Jo. He’d really hurt me. I deserved time to grieve. But I was only going to give myself so long. And then it was going to be time for me to get my life back on track. I had to keep moving. It wasn’t too late for me to achieve at least a few of my dreams.
On that third day, I woke up with a new attitude. Although my heart still hurt, I was determined to do something other than moping around the house. I began my day with a pause moment. It had been a while since I’d had one. With everything that’s happened, I hadn’t taken the time to stop and reflect. After loading my misters with my essential oil blend, I stood under them with my head thrown back as the sun began to rise and enjoyed the gentle mist that rained down on me and my plants.
Stopping to reflect is healing. In this moment, there isn’t anyone but you and the Creator.
In this moment, there are no worries, only possibilities
In this moment, the devil’s lies are quieted. The tricky imagination of your mind is abolished.
Only facts are on the table.
It is a blessing to be alive.
It is a blessing to still have your right mind.
It is a blessing to have another chance to get it right.
This is the moment to give thanks for all the things we constantly take for granted.
When I came out of my reflection, I was ready to start a new day. I began with trying to find out if Kyle was okay. So I called Michelle. Since I didn’t know what I could or couldn’t say to her, I tried to keep it light and ask her if she had heard from him.
“Girl, Ben says Kyle and his family left town.”
“What?” The surprise in my voice was genuine.
“Yeah, apparently their catering company got an offer in New York that was too big to refuse. They packed up and left practically overnight.”
“What?”
“Why do you sound so concerned? Don’t tell me you’ve started vibing on Kyle.” I opened my mouth to deny that, but right then, Albert rushed through the front door with a strickened look on his face. Without knowing what put it there, my heart dropped.
“Jo has been in a horrible car wreck!”
Chapter Fourteen
Little Brown Lie
Journey
“Oh, my God!” I cried out as Albert began to show me the pictures of Jo’s mangled car. I clutched his arm. “Where is he? We have to go and see him!”
“He’s home resting. But a caretaker couldn’t be found for him on such short notice. So, he’s going to need round the clock care. I can do it sometime—” I shook my head cutting him off.
“No, I’ll do it…” I paused surprised at the words that had just flown out my mouth.
What about his fiancée? And his mother? Surely, they are before me in line to see about the task.
Albert’s face brightened. “Oh, that
