Second Kin by Joanna C. Smith

Author:Joanna C. Smith [Smith, Joanna C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, African American, General
ISBN: 9781492235804
Google: l1HznQEACAAJ
Amazon: B00E6GC7G4
Publisher: Joanna C. Smith
Published: 2013-07-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

THE PHONE rang again, waking her up, and this time it was Brandon calling. Britney rolled over to look at her alarm clock, which read 2:30 p.m. She couldn’t believe that she had slept so long without any more interruptions.

“Hello?”

“Hey, you.”

“Hey,” said Britney, rubbing her eyes and stretching.

“Wow, did I just wake you up?”

“Kind of,” she admitted, sheepishly.

“Wow. You must have had some night,” he joked.

“Ha-ha,” she said, smiling into the phone. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing much. I just finished helping Unc with his lunch run, and now I have the rest of the afternoon off. I thought I would call and see if you were up to a little walk in the park and maybe a late lunch if you haven’t eaten already.” Surprisingly, Britney was starving, so lunch sounded wonderful to her.

“Sure, can you give me twenty minutes? I just need to jump in the shower and wake up a bit.”

“Of course. See you in twenty.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

Britney decided to opt for comfort this time, and chose a loose-fitting, sundress over jeans and a t-shirt. The dress was of a floral print, so it flawlessly camouflaged any hint of an extra curve or bump that might have otherwise been easily detected. Besides that, it offered respite from the girdle she always wore. She could finally let her body relax for a change. Her cramping had subsided from the morning and night before, so she dared not aggravate it again. She liked the way the dress fit so much, she made a mental note to go back to the thrift store and pick up a few more the next time she was in town. This would at least buy her a little more time until she could figure out what she was going to do.

She was looking at herself sideways in the closet mirror when she heard Brandon knocking on the door. She grabbed her purse and a light sweater, and headed downstairs to greet him.

“Hey!” she said and gave him a hug.

“Wow,” exclaimed Brandon, a little surprised, but all the same, embracing her newfound affection.

“Hey. How are you?”

“Great!” They walked to the car, hand in hand and proceeded on their way to lunch in the park. Brandon wondered what this new attitude was all about, but did not question Britney, for fear of spoiling the day, so he chose to live in the moment and go with the fairy tale, hoping it would last a while before they both had to wake up to their own realities.

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