The Realest Ever (6 page)

“No, you’re the one,” Kyra said.
  Her smile was big and beautiful.  She had a warm glow in her chest that wasn’t embarrassment this time.  “I saw those pictures you had on there.”

“
Which one,” he asked.

“All of them
.”

“You saw all of my pictures?”

“Just now,” Kyra said.  “I couldn’t stop looking.”  She thought about her favorite pic and blushed.  She was glad he couldn’t see her.  “You’re a grown man now,” she said with play-sisterly pride.  “All big and stuff.”

“Whatever,” Donovan said.

“You played for Ohio?” Kyra asked.  “I always knew you were gonna go far.  I’m so proud of you.”

“Aw, man. 
I didn’t do too much.”

“I’m serious,” Kyra said.  “Not too many people from my past made something of themselves.”

“I’m just a teacher,” Donovan said.  “And a football coach.”

“That’s something to be proud of,” Kyra
countered.  “A lot of black men your age are in prison by now.”

“Thanks,” Donovan said, and after a short pause, “I wanted to say I’m sorry, Kyra.  For what happened.”

“Please,” she said.  “That’s not your fau–”

“I know,” Donovan said.  “But the way it went down
...  I never got a chance to say I was sorry.  And then I never heard from you again.”

“
We, just…  Are you trying to get me crying?” Kyra asked.  She looked up to the ceiling to keep the tears in.

“No,” Donovan said.  “I’m sorry.  It’s just
...  Never mind.”

After an awkward silence, Kyra said, “So, you coach for Finley High?”

“Yeah,” Donovan said.  “How do you, oh yeah.”

Kyra chuckled.  “Is that stalking?  I felt like I was stalking you when I looked through your pictures.”

Donovan laughed, too.  “No.  That’s what they’re there for.  It’s all good.”

“Why didn’t you teach at Western Hills?” Kyra asked.

“I thought about it,” Donovan said.  “But they didn’t have an opening when I got out of college.  Plus I didn’t really want to work with any of the teachers who taught me.  I still put them on a pedestal.  I don’t wanna know what they’re like in real life.”

“
Oh, and I see you’re still a mama’s boy,” Kyra said.

“No
, I’m not,” Donovan said.  Kyra could tell he was amused.

“
Yeah you are.  You had around a dozen pictures with her.”

“
She
posted those and tagged me,” Donovan offered.

“You’ll always be a mama’s boy,” Kyra said with a grin.  “It’s all good. 
I noticed a lot of students in your pictures, but no babies that looked like you…”

“I don’t have any
kids,” Donovan said.  “You have a daughter.”

“And a son.  He’s eight.”

“That’s awesome,” Donovan said.  “I can’t wait to meet your family.  Are you married?”

“No.  And you?”

“No,” Donovan said.

There was another
break in the conversation.  Kyra wanted to ask about the beautiful woman in his pictures, the one with the long, curly hair, but she didn’t know how to bring it up.

“So when can I see you?” Donovan asked.  “Where are you staying?”

“With my aunt in Berry Hill.”

“Close to where you used to live?”

“Yep.  Walking distance.”

“Can I come see you today?” Donovan asked.  “Can I pick you up, take you out for dinner?”

Kyra’s heart leapt at the thought, but she didn’t have a thing to wear.  Actually she had
one
outfit that was suitable for such an occasion, but it wasn’t clean.

“How about tomorrow,” she said.  “I can see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Donovan said.  “But I would really–”

“Q, go catch that bus!” Kyra blurted.

“Huh?”

“
Sorry, I gotta go,” Kyra said. 

“Where are you?” Donovan asked.

“At the library, on Bolt Street.”

“You’re riding the bus?”

He didn’t sound like he was putting her down, but Kyra still felt self conscious.

“I came down here
with pretty much nothing,” she said as she gathered their books and tote bags.  “I don’t have a job or a car.  I can’t even get on the internet with my cellphone.  That’s why I couldn’t accept your friend request until I came back to the library.”

“Oh,” Donovan said
.  Kyra was glad she couldn’t see his expression.  She knew he’d be looking down on her, like she was an abandoned puppy or something.  “That’s cool,” he said.  “Will you call me later?”

“Yeah,” Kyra said, heading for the door.

“This is your phone, right?” Donovan asked.  “I can call you on this number?”

“Yes,” Kyra said.  “I’m sorry,
but I gotta get on this bus, or I’ll be stuck here another forty minutes.”

“I can come get you,” Donovan offered.

“No, that’s alright,” Kyra said.  “I’m sorry.  I gotta go.”

“Okay, bye,” Donovan said, but she had already hung up.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Donovan sat back in his recliner with a broad grin, but it was short
-lived.  The woman sitting on the sofa next to him had been waiting most impatiently for the call to end so she could ask him, “Who the hell was that?”

Donovan gave her a
look.  “Don’t trip.”

“What do you mean,
don’t trip
?”  The woman rose to her feet and took a step closer.  “Who the hell was that, Donovan?”

“I said her name at least fifty times,” Donovan stated.  “That was
Kyra
.  Her name is Kyra.”

Donovan wore long basketball shorts with a sparkling clean, white tee shirt.  It was twelve-thirty on a warm
, Saturday afternoon.  Donovan began his day with a two mile run with his German shepherd Wyatt and his pit bull dog Doc.  When he returned to the house, he showered and had a simple breakfast of grapefruit and granola bars.  He planned to grade papers and watch a few MMA fights during the hottest part of the day, but his visitor thought that was boring.  She wanted him to take her to the movies instead. 

That was fine.  But
one thing Donovan
did not
want to do today was try to explain himself to someone who would probably never understand the intangibles of his and Kyra’s relationship.  But his visitor wasn’t just anybody.  She was the woman from his Facebook photos (who couldn’t possibly have made Kyra jealous because she and Donovan were like brother and sister).

Ewww!

The woman stood six feet even.  She wore skinny jeans with three-inch heels that boosted her height even more.  She was thin and beautiful with long, curly hair that was worth every cent she paid for it.  Her name was Brianna, but at times like this she preferred to go by her other title, which was
Donovan’s woman
.  His
only
woman.

“Baby
, sit down,” he told her.

“
I don’t want to sit down, Donovan!  You just sat there and talked to some other woman like I wasn’t even here!”

“Exactly
!” Donovan said, trying not to give in to frustration.  “I just had a conversation with her
right in front of you
.  I didn’t go to another room, and I didn’t tell her I’ll call her later.”

“Yes you did
tell her you’ll call her later.”

“You know what I mean,” Donovan said.  “I took the call in front of you because I have nothing to hide, Brianna.  Now
, if you’ll sit down, we can talk about this like calm individuals.  You don’t have to scream every time you don’t understand something.”

Brianna folded her arms over her chest, and Donovan
knew they were going to argue anyway.  Something he would never understand about his woman was how she could be so beautiful, yet so insecure.  Brianna had smooth skin the color of cinnamon.  She was fit and stylish.  Her face had classic angles, and she knew how to accentuate her beauty with very little makeup.

But when it came to not understanding, Brianna was in the same boat.  She didn’t
get how Donovan could remain cool and collected when she was at her hottest – especially when you considered what a brawny and aggressive guy Donovan was.  He played football for the better part of his life, during which time he was constantly trying to rip the opposing quarterback’s head off.  He had to tone it down a little when he started coaching, but he was still a big, tough guy.

Looking at the two of them, you’d never expect Donovan to be the one to say,
Sit down.  We can talk about this like calm individuals
.

“
Explain yourself,” Brianna said.  She tried to match his poise.  Even while angry, most people would think she was still gorgeous.  Donovan was not one of those people.  He sighed.

“Kyra is my best friend from back in the day.”

“How far back?” Brianna asked.  “I never heard of her.”

“
I’ve known Kyra since the fourth grade,” Donovan said.  “She moved to Arkansas when I was a junior in high school.”

“Why is she all of a sudden calling you now?” Brianna wanted to know.  “She found you on
Facebook
?”  She said it like it was a porn site.

“Yes,” Donovan said.  “She said
she moved back to Overbrook Meadows.”

“That’s just great.”

“I know you’re being sarcastic, but yeah, it really is.”

Brianna had a small, pointy nose.  Her nostrils flared, but you could barely tell.  She took a seat
.  Her arms remained folded in a defensive gesture.

“Me and
Kyra met at Sunrise Elementary,” Donovan said.  “I was in the fourth grade, and she was in the third.  I don’t remember how we started talking.  I think it was at recess or something.  We got along really good.  When I found out she didn’t live that far from me, I started visiting her house, and we became close.  She was my best friend.”

“A
girl
was your best friend?”

“I know it doesn’t make sense,” Donovan said.  “A lot of people didn’t understand it – especially my mama.  But we were little kids, and it really was innocent, so no one told us we
couldn’t
be friends.”

“Did you ever kiss her?”

“No,” Donovan said.  “I just told you we were kids.”

“You said she didn’t leave until you were in high school.  You weren’t kids then.”

“Yeah, but after you call someone your sister for so long, you can’t turn around and start dating them.  It would’ve been weird.”

Brianna didn’t look like she believed that.

“Plus Kyra really is like a sister to me,” Donovan said.  “You know I don’t have any real brothers or sisters.  Maybe that’s why things worked out so well with us.  Plus Kyra needed help back then.  I was always there for her.”

Brianna’s frown intensified.  “What do you mean she needed help?”

“Her family life,” Donovan said with a slow shake of his head.  “Her mom was on dope, and Kyra didn’t know her father.  She had so much against her.  She used to say I was the only source of peace in her life.”

Brianna’s eyes widened.  Her mouth fell open, too.

“No, not like that,” Donovan said.  “It wasn’t that big a deal.”

“How is that not a big deal?” Brianna wondered.  “You were her
only source of peace
?  What the fuck, Donovan?  That’s a big fucking deal!”

“
Okay, but–”

“
Why are you trying to downplay it?”

“Alright, Brianna.  Okay.  You’re right.  She didn’t have a lot of hope, and I was a good friend when she needed one the most.  Yes, it was a big deal.”

“Sounds like it still is.”

“I am excited to hear from her,” Donovan confirmed.  “I
can’t deny that.”

“I know you can’t deny it.  You were practically jumping up and down when she called.”

“I didn’t leave my seat,” Donovan said.  “Anyway, we’re both grown now, so it’s not like we’re going to fall into the same situation we had back then.  This means a lot to me because it’s been so long, and I don’t know what happened to her when she left.  I’ve been worried sick.”

“You never told me about
her.”

“It wasn’t something that was on my to-do list every day, Brianna.  But I did look for Kyra a lot.  A whole lot.  I never forgot about her.”

“Why did she leave?” Brianna wondered.

Donovan already lied to his girlfriend twice in this conversation.  He didn’t want to do it again, but he
couldn’t tell her the
real
reason Kyra got sent to Arkansas.  Brianna would surely blow a fuse.