Wanting to look better than she felt, Siara’s makeup was soft glam and natural. She dressed in a bright yellow, loose fitting maxi dress. After putting on her earrings, necklace, and bracelet, she prayed and headed out.
On her way into the office, she listened to John Legend’s latest album and fought tears. Silky loved listening to it. He’d play it as they cooked together, serenading her with his low, sultry baritone. She saw herself taking handfuls of his long, curly hair and using it to pull him down to her lips. With no hesitation, Silky would pull her into him by the waist. And not long after, they’d be feasting on each other.
Her happy memory was interrupted by the shrill tone of her phone ringing. Looking down, she rolled her eyes at the sight of her mother-in-law’s name. Silky told her not to tell his parents what was going on, but it looked like that was going to be beyond her control. Even if they hadn’t heard anything already, Siara was sure someone in their family would. And they would start to worry if Silky didn’t answer their calls or text messages.
As she inhaled a deep breath, Siara decided to reject the call. She couldn’t outright lie to them, so it was best if she didn’t talk to his mother or father right now. Not long after, Janice sent her a text saying they were on their way back to Memphis from Nashville and would be waiting for her when she got off work. Suddenly… giving their parents keys to their homes in cases of emergencies didn’t seem like the best idea. As if she wouldn’t have enough on her mind while at work, she had to think about his parents waiting for her when she got home.
Work was stressful, to say the least. Not only were her coworkers staring and whispering throughout the day, but her in-laws were blowing her phone up, too. Her parents, more understanding, sent a simple text that said they were ready when she was. Silky’s parents, on the other hand, demanded answers that she was in no position to give.
Eventually, she became so annoyed with them that she called them back on her lunch break. She told them what little information she knew and that she’d appreciate it if they didn’t call her again while she was at work. And of course, as soon as she said that, she felt like shit. Siara knew they were nervous and riled up because their only son had been arrested for murder, but he was her husband above all, and her loyalty would always be to him first.
There was something that Janice said that stuck in Siara’s mind for the rest of the afternoon. She said she told Silky not to marry Julia. That the right thing wasn’t always the right thing. Siara wondered what Janice meant by that, but she wouldn’t go into detail. Letting it go as best as she could, Siara played over her salad for a few minutes more before heading back to work. She ended up going to Smoothie King to be able to put something on her stomach, because all she’d eaten out of the salad was the croutons.
Though she had no appetite, Siara knew it was imperative for her to eat and maintain her strength.
When she made it back to her office, she noticed someone had placed a file on her desk. As she skimmed through it, she grew even more curious. One of her coworkers previously had Julia as a client, but she hadn’t filed her taxes for the past three years. Though she wondered why that was, she knew she couldn’t very well do some digging and try to figure it out. Whoever had placed the file on her desk didn’t want her to know who they were because they’d blacked their name out.
After locking the folder in her file cabinet, Siara tried as hard as she could to make it through the rest of the day. She waited for a call from Silky, but it never came. All she could do was pray that he was okay and that she’d hear from him soon.
Siara looked from Janice to Devin. She hoped to see bits of Silky in one of them, but she saw him in neither. Maybe it was because she was missing him too much. Not even a full twenty-four hours had passed, and it was taking all Siara had to not break into a million pieces. She kept telling herself that it would get easier as time progressed… but was that really true? And if it was, would she want to get used to not having him?
“What did he say?” Devin asked.
Siara gritted her teeth as she inhaled a deep breath. Her conversation with Taylor didn’t go how she wanted it to go, and Siara didn’t want to share the disheartening news. Janice stood and placed her chair next to Siara’s, rubbing her back gently. They’d ordered in from Joe’s Fried Chicken, but none of them touched their food. Eventually, Siara was going to force herself to eat a few of their angel biscuits since they were her favorite, and she hoped that, along with the smoothie from this morning, would be enough to hold her over.
“The last time anyone saw Julia, she was going into her home. No one saw her leave, and no one saw anyone going in. Which doesn’t make sense because Silky isn’t the kind of man you miss.”
His parents nodded in agreement. Silky was big. He stood six-foot-three, and he weighed over two hundred pounds. His voice, though able to get soft with her and his students, was normally deep and loud. If he’d been at Julia’s house… someone would have seen or heard him.
“I find that hard to believe,” Janice spoke up.
“Me too,” Devin agreed.
“Well…” Siara shrugged and sighed. “That’s all we have for now.”
Janice’s hand rested on top of Siara’s as she asked, “Has he seen a judge yet?”
Siara nodded. “Yes. Taylor said he was arraigned this morning. Still no bail. And his trial was set to start in three months.”
A choked sound broke through Janice’s throat as Devin slammed his fist onto the table and stood.
“So they are going to keep my baby in there for three months before his trial even starts? But he’s innocent!”
Siara casually removed her hand from under Janice’s and rubbed them together. She stood, pacing slowly.
“He doesn’t want any of us to worry. That’s why he didn’t want you all to know.”
“How are we not supposed to worry when our son is in jail for a crime he didn’t commit?”
“I don’t know,” Siara seethed, stopping in her tracks. “But sitting here going back and forth about it is only going to make us feel worse.” Her eyes blinked rapidly as she pushed back her tears. “I miss my husband already, but this”—her hand waved between the two of them—“is only making it hurt more. I can’t… I can’t carry your pain, too. So if you want to pray or speak some positive words into the atmosphere, cool. Ma, we can light a candle and go boldly before God and intercede on his behalf. Pops, we can light one up and reminisce on the good. But that’s it. If you can’t shake this and be positive, you can leave.”
They looked at each other, but before either could reply, Siara’s phone rang. She all but jogged back to the table, snatching her phone when she noticed it was a number she hadn’t seen before. Praying it was Silky, she turned her back to them as she accepted the call.
“Hello?”
As the operator began to speak, Siara smiled as her body weakened against the table. She’d been waiting to hear his voice all damn day, and he’d finally called. After accepting the call and making a payment, Siara quickly left the dining room and rushed up the stairs. It didn’t matter if they’d only have a few minutes; she wanted to savor every one and keep them sacred.