“Yes, I took her yesterday as well as last week. The doctor has no clue what’s wrong with her. Originally, her symptoms weren’t as bad; he thought maybe she was sore and swollen from playing on hard surfaces and that she possibly had a bug, which caused her fever. Now he’s not sure and ordered some lab work.” She explained.
“You took her last week? You didn’t mention that when we went out to lunch. If your daughter was sick, you didn’t have to go out with me.” It dawned on me that was probably the reason I hadn’t heard from her—she was busy taking care of her ill daughter. Suddenly, guilt swept over me.
“Like I said, the ibuprofen seemed to help her and she was doing a little better. She was able to get up and walk, move freely and her fever had subsided. It wasn’t until after our date when she got worse. I had planned on calling you one night, but that morning when Nevaeh woke up, she was so sick. I had to focus on her. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Kimberly, don’t apologize. I know she’s your baby and that you love her; it’s quite evident. I hope she gets well soon, something like that can be scary. If you need anything, please, don’t hesitate.” I began to remember when my younger brother got sick before he passed away. The feelings were so overwhelming, I could feel Kimberly’s worry.
“That’s awfully sweet of you, but we’ll be okay. We’ll get the test results back in about a week. Until those are in, all we can do is keep giving her ibuprofen for the pain, stiffness, and fevers.”
“Listen, I have to tell you something,” I said as I sat at the red light.
“What’s that?” She wondered as she peeked her head through the crack of the door, checking on Nevaeh.
“I was hoping to see you again, which was the reason….”
“Dale,” she cut me off, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but there’s no way I’m leaving my baby to go anywhere. I had a great time with you on our lunch date, but I need to stay here with her right now. I hope you understand.”
“I thoroughly understand. Actually, I was on my way to your house right now.”
Kimberly let the idea sink in for a moment. “What?”
“When you didn’t answer your phone, I went up to your work to see you, but you weren’t there. I thought I’d come by and see you.”
“But I never gave you my address. How do you know where I live?”
“I have my ways. I’m almost there. My GPS says I should be there in about eight minutes.”
§
What the hell is this guy thinking? Panicking, he forced me to do what I wasn’t ready to do.
“Dale, there’s something I need to tell you…” he cut me off.
“Tell me when I get there. I’m about four minutes out. Do you need me to pick anything up on my way over? Juice, medicine, dinner?” He was determined to show me that he was sincere and committed to mine and Nevaeh’s happiness.
“She’s good on ibuprofen but if you could bring something over for dinner that would be great. I didn’t want to leave her alone for too long while I cooked but I’m hungry and I’m sure she is too.” It would also buy me a few minutes to get this place straightened up. Looking around the house, there were clothes, shoes and toys everywhere.
“Yes, I can do that. Do you guys like fried chicken and all the sides?”
“That would be nice.” I hesitated for a moment, “Dale, I wanted to tell you that I haven’t been blowing you off. I’ve been so busy with my little buttercup. It’s hard not having anyone to take care of her other than myself. I know my best friend—Lorraine—has our back and would do anything at the drop of a dime, but she really needs her mom. I hope you can understand.”
“Kimberly, I completely understand. I wouldn’t expect you to do anything less. I’ll see you soon.”
After we had ended our call, I walked back into my room where Nevaeh was resting in bed. “Hey, sweetie pie.”
“Hi, Momma. Who were you talking to?” She had overheard bits and pieces of the conversation.
“A friend of mine. His name’s Dale, and he’s going to come over to hang out with us. He wants to meet you!” I proposed enthusiastically, hoping that my daughter would be happy to have a new visitor. Hopefully, she won’t say anything to her grandmother or uncles that I had a white man over here.
“Why?”
“Because I talk about you so much! He’s heard a lot of great things about you.” I explained as I playfully swooped Nevaeh’s nose with my fingertip.