“Don’t have an abortion!” Mama screams from much closer. “We could give that baby a good home once we got past the shame of you having it out of wedlock.”

I swallow a feral scream. I need something to strangle if I’m expected to endure this.

“I’m not pregnant.” Far as I know. “Just some routine stuff. Now, what do you need me to do?”

“You sure?” Kayla asks.

I don’t answer, letting my silence speak because I may snarl if I use words.

“Okay, okay,” Kayla says. “So there will be about twenty community leaders recognized at the ceremony.”

“Who are they?”

“Community leaders. I just said—”

“No, I mean do we know who these people are being honored in Daddy’s name?”

“I’ve been really busy. You know. Protecting our family’s legacy and all.”

“The guilt I could do without, Zee. We’re all aware you’re the keeper of the flame for our entire lineage. Just say we don’t know. It’s fine. I was just wondering.”

“We only recently notified them that they’ve been selected. Our associate director is contacting them to make sure they can all attend. She saw the list and vetted them, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried, I just wondered…never mind. What do you need me to do?”

“Present the awards. This was one of the final projects Daddy was working on before he passed. A few of these leaders he hand-picked. When he died, this fell by the wayside for a little while, but we have a committee who chose the leaders Daddy didn’t get to.”

She pauses and clears her throat. “He, um, actually left special instructions asking you to present the inaugural group.”

“What?” I lean against the wall, weak and spent with missing my daddy for a moment. “He…he said that? He wanted that?”

“Yeah,” Kayla says softly. “That’s what he told the committee.”

I pass a thumb under my eye to catch a surprise tear. Grief gives no warning sometimes. “Thank you for telling me, Zee. I’ll do it, of course.”

“Good. Now are you sure you’re okay? You sound…off.”

Kayla is such a mother. I mean, the woman does have five children, the last one still in diapers. Her fertility is actually quite disconcerting. No one person has had that many kids in our family since like… Reconstruction. But along comes Kayla, bringing fruitful and multiply back.

“I’m fine, Zee.” The edge falls away from my tone, too. I think we actually enjoy sparring because it’s hard to find anyone who can hold their own with either of us, but ultimately we love each other.

“You’re in between campaigns, right?” she asks. “Why don’t you consider staying in Atlanta for a few weeks? We miss you. Mama misses you.”