The Watch

We Only Look To God When We Need Him

"Honestly, Josué, I have never seen you sit in a church this long without fidgeting. You're really worried, aren't you?" My uncle asked as he sat next to me on the pew.

"Aren't you?" I asked.

He snorted. "I barely know the guy, why would I be worried?"

"Show a little compassion, won't you? Sometimes I get too attached to one person. If he doesn't make it, I don't know what I'll do."

"Hey, it's a miracle you even stepped foot in the church. Your aunt and I have been trying to get you to do that since you arrived in Kentucky."

"Well...sometimes bad things have to happen for someone to turn to God."

"True. "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." You need to liven up, Josué. Not everything turns out to be bad."

"I know..."

"You'll be fine. He'll be fine. While you're at it, pray for your aunt. She's struggling. Your abuela just died. Don't stay by yourself too long." My uncle patted my shoulder and stood up.

Fine. I do admit I was worried for Jin. He's literally all I have as a friend who treats me like his younger brother. Being an only child does things to you. You never experience being with brothers and sisters. Not until some friend you've known since forever claims you as family. Honestly, if Jin hadn't done that, I wouldn't really care if he survived or not. That's just how I am.

"Oh, by the way, Denver isn't in Kentucky anymore. I told her about how I really felt about her and she moved back with her parents."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Took a bit more than words to make her leave. I'm sorry for causing you stress with her. I just wanted you to realize that you needed to get married or I'd force you to."

Mmm. I guess that is a lesson learned. My uncle left the church without another word and I was left alone once more. The place was too big to be here alone. Every tiny sound resonated throughout the church. I no longer could concentrate on the prayer I had been praying before my uncle interrupted me. My mind was elsewhere.

I stayed in the church longer than I intended. By the time I decided to go home, it was nearly dusk. Bianca was coming up the church stairs with her nephew in her arms. I met them halfway, giving them both kisses on their cheeks.

"How are my favorite people?" I cooed as I grabbed Bianca's nephew. "I'm sorry I came out so late. There was just so much going through my head."

"Baby, it's fine." Bianca smiled. "Aiden wanted to see you anyway after he went to visit his mom. She's doing better now, but I don't want him to be around her the longer she keeps pretending nothing's wrong with her."

"Your sister is a great woman, she just needs to stop being so delusional." I shrugged. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"I was thinking dinner with your aunt and uncle. Your aunt called me earlier and she asked if I wanted to talk with her. Shall we go?"

"Only if you really want to."

"Of course I do. They're worried about you, baby. I know you've been having a hard time accepting the things that's being thrown at you since we got back, but you have to trust that your family only wants what's best for you."

Yeah, right. When we'd finally returned from Paraguay, I was already in a broken mental state. Jin was suffering from a head injury and I had hurt my head and broken my arm when Julius and I fell. I can't say that Julius is faring better than me. The last I heard, he was suffering from severe brain damage. That'll teach him to stop taking things from me. I got the watch back, but I didn't feel as victorious as I thought I should have.

Honestly, my relationship with Bianca was faring better than the one I'd had with Nisha. We were finally dating and currently helping Bianca's eldest sister take care of her son while she's in rehab. It's like having a mini me who didn't look anything like me. With Denver and Nisha out of the picture, I could focus on the women who deserved the love I was willing to give. I was able to do more at work knowing there was someone waiting to spend time with me later on

Bianca had quit her job at the club, so that was a plus. She was no longer working for Payne and no longer dancing for random men. Just like Nisha, she had always wanted a real job that required her complete attention. I would have never thought working alongside my girlfriend was an option. Whenever my secretary was out, she would fill in for him and get things done.

"How's your arm?" Bianca asked. "And your head."

I smiled as we walked down the church steps. "They're both fine. I took my medicine, so I shouldn't feel any pain for the entire night."

"That's good. By the way, there was a call from the cemetery. The headstones are ready."

I didn't like that everything was suddenly coming to light. Not too long after returning from our little excursion in Paraguay, I was informed by the San Antonio police department that my parents' bodies had been found. They had been embalmed and hidden in a freezer owned by a company I knew well. One my parents would get their meat from come cookout time. Which made no sense, because San Antonio was too far from where we'd been camping that week.

I had their bodies flown here and a funeral-memorial service was held in my backyard. I got weird comments about this, but if your parents had been missing since you were a kid, it's hard to let go of something that can remind you of them. Having them buried in my backyard saved me from the fear of people seeing me cry from the pain of losing them like this. Bianca was good to me about it all. She was the one that suggested I bring them here instead of flying to Texas for a funeral most of my family didn't want to attend.

"That's great," I muttered. "Honestly, I can't wait till I stop getting calls from them. It hurts knowing that all these years of me thinking they got away and were hiding, they'd been dead for longer than I thought."

"At least you weren't in the same situation as them. Your father gave you something to remember him by, and now you're well on your way to releasing a new product that can only be manufactured at your company." Bianca giggled. "And to think that Julius tried to take it all from you."

"Did you take a taxi?"

"Yeah. I thought we could catch a ride with you to your aunt's."

"Of course, baby. Aiden, are you ready to see Grandma?"

"Yes!" Aiden exclaimed. "We go now."

I got them settled in the car and we were off. It was weird finally going to have dinner with my auntie and uncle with someone I could finally trust. After having Denver at my side for a while and Nisha stabbing me in the back, I thought it would be harder for me to trust women. No, it didn't happen like that. Bianca popped up when I needed her to and she helped me get back what I wanted from Payne. After an extensive background check, she proved to be the truthful woman she'd been portraying herself to be.

There's nothing better than having someone you can trust wholeheartedly by your side. Especially someone who can look after you the same way your best friend has been doing since forever. I never thought I'd be happy like my uncle has always wanted me to be. And to think he actually likes Bianca. The stunt he pulled with Nisha had been more than disrespectful, but I now understood that he saw something in her I didn't see in time. I thank him for that, but now I have to live my own love life.

Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.