The Calm Before the Storm

*JAMIRA*

I woke up and stretched to the hustle and bustle of people old and young moving around and gathering their belongings. I looked down at my watch and it read 6:50 a.m. I looked over to see that Eric was still asleep and so was Walt, Kayla, and her mom. Man, were they close.

I got up and laid the blanket back on Eric as not to disturb him.

I went to go find Malaysia and the other committee members to find out what’s going on. I finally found Malaysia. She was still with Malik’s dad. I figured once she got her chance, she was going to be that man’s number one fan.

“Excuse me, I need to borrow her for a second,” I said while pulling her towards me.

Malik’s dad nodded and went back to packing their things.

“What’s going on? We were supposed to be serving them breakfast and sending them on their way.”

“Rose went to go get it. Said she tried to order it but something about the order being too big. Girl, I don’t know.”

I nodded in the direction she came from and asked, “So what happened there?”

“Girl, no. I can’t talk about it here, but I can text you later.”

I laughed at that. Malaysia was always good for a good laugh and some tea. I just knew this was going to be hot.

“Did you check on the families in the gym?”

“I thought Teresa and Carmen were in there.”

“Yeah, but girl, you know we do all the work.”

“Right, so let them for a change.”

She was right. It would be nice for them to support us since we do everything from the planning to decorating to assigning tasks and even assisting with said tasks. I can’t help it, I like to stay busy and help. It makes me feel useful.

“OK, well, I’m gonna go set up the table for breakfast when Rose gets back.”

“Well, you know where to find me if you need me.”

“Try not to choke,” I joked as I turned to go to the cafeteria to look for a folding table.

I got about halfway down the hall before there was a pull on my hand. I turned around to see Eric.

“What is with you leaving me in the morning?”

“If I stayed, I’d never be able to leave.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s a hostage situation.”

“Don’t I treat you well?”

“Maybe,” I said, smiling.

He pulled me close to his chest and kissed my forehead. Then he placed his hand on my lower back and led me to my classroom again. Instantly having a flashback, I let my intrusive thought slip.

“I’m sore.”

“What?”

“Oh… I thought you were… so I said I was sore because… Eric, I’m not bending over that desk again.”

He put his hand on his chest and gasped.

“What kind of a freak do you take me for?”

“You do have a problem.”

“That only you can solve; we’ve been over this.”

“So why are we here?”

He reached out and grabbed my hands and pulled me close to him.

“I want to talk to you about something, but I want to do it over dinner, dessert, you know something nice.”

I blushed at the thought of Eric taking me on a date.

“Is that an invitation?”

“Depends, are you accepting?”

“Gladly,” I said, smiling wider than I intended.

He held me in his arms for a few minutes before I remembered why I left everyone in the first place.

“Oh my god, I forgot about the tables.”

I left the room and went back towards the auditorium. I noticed people with bags in their hands and realized Rose was back.

“Jamira! A little help, I was looking for you.”

I ran over to her side and started handing out to-go bags with food in them.

“How much did you order?”

“Hopefully enough. I couldn’t remember the count, so I just threw a number out there.”

“Have Teresa and Carmen opened the gym doors for the people in there to come?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Next event, we’re getting walkie-talkies; we need better communication.”

She nodded as we continued to work and pass out breakfast. When we were done and sure that everyone had left the building, we met up with the other committee members to clean up and do a final sweep to make sure everything looked good.

We stayed in the parking lot for a few minutes just to talk and then said our goodbyes as we parted ways.

As I drove home all the memories came flooding back. I didn’t want to be there. But until I had a plan I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.

Relief washed over me when I realized I was the only one there. I wanted to forget everything hell I’d be willing to erase the part of my brain that won’t let me forget.

I took a shower right away to wash off last night and ease my aching body from those chairs. I came out the shower relaxed. I definitely needed that.

I looked around the townhouse and realized I hadn’t had the chance to clean the place. So I did just that to stay busy and hopefully get something done. Afterwards I put on some laundry and moved to the kitchen to cook.

I’d been craving chicken and dumplings with some roasted vegetables. The aroma of the food swirled in the air making my senses go crazy. When the food was done I fixed me a plate and decided to call Ayana to check on her.

It went to voicemail. I guess she’s busy. I’m sure she’ll call back later. I finished eating and decided to curl up and catch up on a book I’d been reading a while back.

I suddenly dozed off. I guess I was more tired than I thought. Sleep claimed me fast.