Alani offered a nod, as she wiped her tears with the back of her hands. She didn’t move from that spot. She sat there until the coffee in her cup ran cold, just staring at the phone and wringing her fingers. At 8:05 a.m., he called... just like she knew he would… just like he had done every week for the past two years. It was the time that she would, normally, be getting Kenzie dressed for school. She let it ring twice, needing more time to figure out what she would say, before she answered.

“This is a call from the Michigan Department of Corrections…”

Alani’s mind spun, as the automated voice spoke in her ear. How do I tell him this? She thought. He’s going to blame me. This is my fault. I should have been home with her. Bile built up in the back of her throat.

“Hey, baby girl, Daddy misses you so much!” Alani’s tears fell because she knew it was the last time he would ever say those words.

“It’s me, Cream,” she managed, the frog in her throat causing her words to come out deep and full of emotion.

“Hey, La,” he said, his voice full of surprise, almost hopeful, and she hated herself for filling him with optimism. “It’s good to hear your voice. Daddy miss you too. You know that, right? You know I’m sorry for how…”

“Something happened,” she interrupted. “Kenzie’s…”

“Kenzie what?” Cream asked, his voice now anxious and concerned.

“She’s gone. She was shot!” The words ran out of her mouth in a crescendo of panic.

“Don’t say that to me, La. This ain’t funny. Don’t say shit like that!” There was anger in his voice, but underneath it, she heard fear. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t play about something like that.

“Someone ran in the house looking for Lucas,” she shouted between her cries. She gripped the phone so tightly that her fingertips were numb. “She was here with him! They shot her!” she wailed. She slid her back against the wall until her butt met the floor. Pulling her knees to her body, she buried her head into them. “My baby’s gone!”

Alani had never heard Cream cry in all the years she had known him, but the sound he made on the other end of the phone was nothing short of sobbing.

“Where were you?” Cream asked.