Messiah GXG : BOOK ONE (Completed) The Other Side Of The Game Series

TWENTY-NINE

G R A C E

The weight of exhaustion laid upon me as I pulled into my neighborhood with a turn of my wheel. The breeze flowing into my car from the open windows provided a certain chill that kept me awake and comforted at the same time as I yearned for my bed.

Even though I had intended to be home earlier, the PTA meeting dragged out until four and my errands kept me on the road until six. So now it was already seven and I hadn't even eaten dinner yet. I wasn't sure I even had the energy to eat the food I had sat and waited in line for at the drive thru.

I only had enough energy to do one thing before greeting my bed, and I would much rather take a shower to wash off the day, and just eat in the morning than eating and showering tomorrow.

The sudden ringing of my phone through my car's speakers interrupted the music playing, which had me glancing at the caller ID displayed on the dashboard.

Ms Robinson

The name shown had me answering the call with a press of a button on my steering wheel, while simultaneously using my other hand to send up the open windows to aid both our voices being heard by each other.

"Ms Robinson,"

"Hey, I'm not interrupting am I?"

"No no, you're fine," I assured her as I slowed at the stop sign with looks in both directions before resuming my usual pace and taking a right turn.

"Either way sorry about the late call, but it's about Keylen,"

"What about him?" I inquired as my interest peaked under the guidance of worry.

"He's restless, I think the home might be triggering,"

"Triggering in what way?"

"At first the people in charge of the home thought it was the change in surroundings, and while that plays a part his file says he's been in a home before, not a Johnson owned group home, but he's been in a home that they assumed inflicted some trauma for him,"

"Oh," I uttered as my mind began to drown my focus with thoughts and consistent worries. "So how is the guardianship search?"

"They are still looking for someone for him to stay with, and they are also looking for some place he can stay in the meantime while they do that,"

"Okay, uhm, thank you for keeping updated," I told her, after pushing the words through my heavy thoughts so they could greet my lips. "Let me know when another change takes place, hopefully positive,"

"As always I will sweetheart," The older woman spoke and I hummed. "Have a good night,"

"You too Ms Robinson," I expressed as I pulled into my driveway with an end to the call, not even bothering to place my car into the garage since that call took the mental energy I had to do so. I only moved to lift my phone and purse as I left all else before exiting my vehicle with a close of my car door behind me.

As I walked towards the door my phone began to vibrate, and my plan was to simply ignore it but the catching of a M displayed on the screen had me hearing the sound of my intuition telling me to do the opposite.

"Hello," I answered after accepting the call and placing it on speaker.

"You sound tired," Messiah spoke instantly and a small pull of my lips took place as I began to search through my purse for my house keys.

"I am,"

"Wanna tell me about it?"

"I just had a long day," I summarized, not wanting to dump onto her since she sounded as if she had a long day behind her as well.

"A long day," She repeated in a way that had me knowing that she wanted me to elaborate despite my reluctance to do so.

"P.T.A, errands, and I got updated on Keylen only a minute ago,"

"The quiet kid?" She asked in a manner that spoke that she already knew but just wanted me to confirm so I hummed in a manner that did just that. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Ion know," I told her truthfully as I placed the key in the door with a turn to unlock the door before opening it.

"What you mean you don't know?" She asked, and I remained silent as I tried to search my tired and heavy mind for an explanation while I entered my home. "Tell me about it, I will only listen no response or advice,"

"That's what I need right now," I mumbled as I removed the key from the door before pushing it closed behind me and locking the door.

"So talk,"

"It's just he's not settling into the group home well, I didn't even notice today because he's usually restless but," I paused as I stepped out of my heels with a push of them to the side with my foot. "I mean they haven't found someone to take guardianship, so it's like he's still in a bad place right now, and Ms Robinson is saying that he was in a group home before and he probably has trauma from that experience so that could also be triggering him and aiding his restless state,"

After spilling as much as I needed to, to feel...less heavy I simply sighed and threw my keys and purse on my kitchen island on the way to my room, while silence invaded the call, and I knew it was her giving me more room to talk but I didn't want to.

That was it for me.

"You feel better?" She asked, after seemingly realizing I was done and I hummed.

"Yes, a little, enough,"

"Okay," She voiced, and the release of a bit of my heaviness gave my mind a bit more space to notice that certain and usual roughness her tired voice created that I always liked. It also had me noticing that she was uncomfortable, I could feel it, and I guessed it was because she wanted to help and couldn't.

She was a helping person, I could tell, she always wanted to fix things and make life easier for the people she was around—maybe just the ones she cared for, which made sense being that she was the second oldest of her siblings.

"I'm going to take a shower, but can you come by Friday?"

"Okay," She agreed, and that discomfort in her energy remained as she spoke.

"Thank you for listening, it helped," I told her honestly, it might not have relieved everything, but it relieved enough for me to bathe and eat s—shit, I left the food in the car.

I'll get it after I shower.

"It did?" She asked hopefully, and I smiled at the cuteness in her response as I began stripping out of my clothes after a place of my phone on the bathroom counter.

"It did,"

"Okay, then Friday?"

"Yeah Friday," I agreed.

"Alright, Imma call you tomorrow then, goodnight Grace,"

"Goodnight M,"

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