Color Blind(26)

As I was making my way back into the living room, I saw Kimberly carrying Nevaeh down the hallway. I scurried to help her.



“Do you need some help carrying her?” I offered.



“No, it’s fine. I got her. She was awake and wanted to meet you.”



I peered down at the beautiful little girl and noticed I was right, she did look just like her mom.



“Hi, I’m Dale,” I said with a grin on my face as I looked at a much younger version of Kimberly.



“Hi. Did you bring us dinner?”



Kimberly and I busted out in laughter. “Yes, I did. Are you hungry? Your mom and I made you a plate, but you’d fallen asleep by the time it was ready.”



Nevaeh nodded her head yes. “If you’d like, I can heat her plate up or I can carry her. Which would you prefer?”



“I’ll carry her to the kitchen table and you can heat up her plate.”



“Will do!” I said as I spun on my heel and did a silly march in front of Nevaeh, in hopes of making her laugh. It worked. Nevaeh giggled all the way to the kitchen.



We sat with Nevaeh as she ate her dinner. I asked her all about herself, which she proudly and eagerly volunteered a wealth of information. She loved talking about herself, and it didn’t take me long to figure that out. As we sat together, I learned that her favorite color was purple, she loved to play Hopscotch, her favorite song was “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston and that her favorite holiday was Christmas. I doted on the child as I listened to her.





§





I was shocked to see that she had eaten most of her dinner as she spoke with Dale; it was such a relief to see her eat a whole meal for the first time in weeks.



“Would you like to listen to me sing?” she asked him as she licked the chicken juices off her fingers.



“Sure!”



“Not now, Nevaeh,” I said.



“But mom! He wants to hear me sing. Don’t you Dale?” she looked to him for support.



“Only if it’s okay with your mom.” He smiled at me, nodding his head that he wanted her to.



“Okay, but then it’s time to rest. Got it, missy?”



“Okay. Momma, will you get your phone and play my song?”



I grabbed my phone off the kitchen counter and loaded “I Will Always Love You”. As it began, Nevaeh started dancing. Dale was amazed by the way she belted out the tunes; her voice was years beyond her age and very soulful. She entertained her mini audience as the lyrics continued. When the song was over, she bowed her head as we clapped for her.



“I’ve never heard such a rich, expressive and passionate voice come from someone so tiny!” Dale complemented.



I, a very proud mother, smiled at my daughter’s talent while Nevaeh gleamed with pride. “Alright my little pop star, I think you’ve had enough excitement for one night. Let’s get you laid down.”



Nevaeh frowned. “But I like Dale. Can’t I stay up a little longer?” she pleaded with me.



“It’s okay. We’ll hang out again soon. Your mom’s right, you need to get some rest.”



Over the weekend, Nevaeh’s fever continued to come on in waves as her body gradually became stiffer. I was scheduled to work Tuesday morning, but there was no way I was leaving my baby. It was exhausting for both of us to do routine daily tasks such as eating and bathing. I grabbed the bull by the horns on Monday and went to speak with my manager. There was no way I was going to be able to come in that week, and he’d already given me three points the prior week—one for each day that I was gone.



“Kevin, I’d like to talk to you about my daughter,” I began. “I can’t help that she’s sick and you know that I don’t like missing work. It’s not fair to give me a point for each day that I miss.”



“Kimberly, you need to understand that this is a business. I can’t operate a business with employees taking off whenever they want. You can appreciate that, right?” he sneered.



“Yes Kevin, but I’d like to point out that the days are all consecutive, for the same reason and again, I almost never call in. Hell, I even come to work when I’m sick. I’m one of the best waitresses that you have. Can’t you cut me some slack and make it one point?”



“If I did that for you, I’d have to do it for everyone. You’ve read what the employee handbook says. I can’t go around bending the rules whenever I want to.”



“Kevin, I need this job. I work here because it allows me to work around Nevaeh’s school schedule. The money’s not great, especially as of late, but the bottom line is, I can’t afford to get fired because my daughter’s sick. She’s gradually declining and her doctor is working hard to find out what’s causing all of her symptoms.”