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“Let her tempt you all she wants,” Priest replies.
“Be not moved,” Mother Fumes.
“Be. Fucking. Moved,” Priest shouts.
I have no idea I’m clutching my head trying to quiet the voices until I feel her small hand on my bicep. Lowering my arms and opening my eyes, I look down at her face. She’s not wearing makeup, her freckles splatter across her cheeks and her nose. Those almond shaped brown eyes watch me with concern.
“You’re not going to Hulk out on me, are you?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Good.” She reaches for the table and grabs a small bag off it.
I’m familiar with the green velvet bags. They’re the ones she uses for her jewelry. Earlier today, I picked up three boxes from the post office full of those bags.
She turns to me with a hesitant look in her eyes. She shakes her head as if she’s disagreeing with something that crossed her mind.
“Okay look,” she starts. “I made you something, but if you don’t like it you don’t have to wear it. I just thought it would be useful. But if you don’t—”
“Give it to me,” I say, holding my hand out toward her.
She places the velvet bag in my palm. I quickly pull the drawstring and turn the bag over. The beaded bracelet falls out. It’s made up of mostly black round beads with four different color stones in the center.
“The onyx,” she says, pointing to the black stones. “Not only represents your favorite color, but also helps soothe anxiety and stress. I thought that could be useful for when you’re out doing your thing.”
She shrugs as if the gesture is no big deal. However, I can barely take my eyes off the piece. The design is simple, but it’s perfect for me. More importantly, she took the time to make it for me.
“What about this one?” I ask pointing to the aqua colored bead.
“That’s fluorite. Your son picked it out. It’s for protection. He said that all superheroes need protection.”
I like the way she smiles any time she talks about Gabe. It’s different from all her other smiles. Her eyes light up in a way that is more than just happiness.
“The sodalite,” she continues pointing to the dark blue stone, “Is for mental clarity. I picked it out for when that bitch starts talking too much.”
She chuckles, causing me to smile too.
“The pink one,” She goes on to say. “Is rose quartz. It’s for calming and umm….friendship.”
When I look down at her, she’s looking at me. I don’t understand the look in her eyes or why she paused. I feel as if she’s waiting for me to say something, but I don’t know what. I wreck my brain trying to find the emotion in my memory rolodex. The closest I get is expectation. But before I can respond, the moment has passed. She looks back down at the bracelet.
“The ruby I added to represent Gabe,” she says. “It’s his birthstone. This way no matter where you are you will have him with you.”
My brothers and Priest have given me many gifts. They never miss a birthday or Christmas. But nothing they have ever given me has compared to this.
“Thank you,” I say placing the bracelet back in the bag and holding it back out to her.
She looks confused.
“It’s not finished yet,” I explain. “I need you to add one more bead to it.”
“Oh,” she blinks. “What do you want?”
“Add a birthstone for June.”
Her face flushes and a huge smile brightens her eyes. She takes the bag back and places it on the table.
“I’ll have it ready for you by tomorrow.”
