My LOVE is Forever (Book 4-1st Alternate Ending)

Part 34

Tyka comes with me to the Home Depot and is pretty impressed that I know exactly what I need to get the task of installing the various window treatments accomplished.

"I've been on my own for a long time," I explain, "it may look like I know what I'm doing, now, but trust me, there's been a lot of trial and error. And spackle," I add on with a laugh, and big eyes, "a lot of spackle."

"Well, I may have to watch you put up some blinds just to believe it." She shakes her head, "You arrange gorgeous gardens, you can hang blinds, you created a unique nursery at home for this baby, you handled my brother, what else can you do?"

"I could show you how to change the oil in your car," I offer.

"You're kidding?" she stares at me with her mouth agape.

"Nope," I reply as I hand over that well-used credit card again, "but none of this compares to 'handling' Prince," I joke back.

"That's why he loved you, you know, you had no limits." When tears well up in my eyes and I bite my lip to keep from crying, she pats my back, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay, I was just thinking the same about him." Now Tyka looks pensive, "Let's go hang some window treatments," I say and we take the bags and head back to the car.

*******

Back at the house, I go room to room hanging blinds, curtains and valances while Tyka tells me stories about her and Prince as they grew up, some are funny, but more tend to be sad as she touches on life after their mother had remarried.

They were a 'burden' to their mother's new husband and spent more time alone with each other than with them. Prince being such a strong-willed child was often banished to his bedroom for days on end, but that was basically how he taught himself to play guitar; he took a bad situation and turned it into something positive. As I listen to these stories I have to wonder if she's preparing me for the possibility that our child may be difficult, too.

She hands me items as I go, which makes the task at hand go much more smoothly and faster. The blinds take longer to hang, but the curtain rods are much quicker, and as I step off the step stool for the last time, I smile with accomplishment, "Thank you so much for helping me, you cut the time in half."

She grins as she helps me collect all the packaging and trash into a large emptied Home Depot bag. "It's amazing how something so little can make such a big impact." I look at her with knitted brows, then smile and nod, I know she's referring to the window treatments, but her multi-interpretable phase makes me think of Prince again. She pulls the shower curtain and liner from another bag, offering it to me. I hadn't planned on hanging them yet, but since it will only take a minute, it's obvious she's not ready for me to leave. I remove the curtain from the packaging while she removes the liner, and then I place the double-sided hooks onto the rod. Since we're both vertically challenged, we stretch and struggle, her in the tub with the liner, me with the curtain, but it's up in no time. Again she grins, "I love everything you've picked out," she says.

"Except my bedroom set," I tease. I had fallen in love with a elegant wood and metal grouping, but I felt it was 'too much' for the small bedroom. When we stumbled upon a simple, rustic looking grouping, I knew it would be perfect, Tyka wrinkled her nose, and looked shocked at my choice. "Trust me," I tell her, "It fits."

"Oh, I can see why you chose it when we got back into that bedroom, you're right, it will be perfect," she stands in the middle of the bathroom. She looks at the floor, "I better let you go do what you have to do," she says sadly.

"Tyka, I'm just going to head back to the house and grab some towels, dinnerware, cookware and a few other things to bring back here. If you're really a glutton for punishment, you can come with me."

Her eyes light up, "Well, come on then," she laughs and exits the bathroom, heading towards the front door. I happily follow her back out to the car, grateful for the company.

"Thank you for all your help, Tyka, I really appreciate it," I glance at her while I'm driving. She shrugs it off modestly as she looks out the window. I sneak glances at her, she has a calm energy, I think, somewhat like Prince's when we were just enjoying each other's company.

No sooner than the thought goes through my head, Tyka turns in her seat, "You know, Prince's other wives, they weren't as accepting of me as you are."

"Really?" I'm surprised.

"Well, Mayte made more of an effort than Manuela," she places her index finger on her lip while she thinks. "You're the only one who made the effort to visit me without Prince initiating it."

I shake my head, slightly disappointed with myself, there were many more opportunities to visit that I didn't act on because I didn't want to be a pest, "It was only really to help you with your landscaping."

"Yeah, but you offered to help, then you followed through, plus you came back several more times, all on your own."

Now I shrug it off, "That's just me, Tyka, it's who I am."

"Real," she says softly and nods, looking back out the window. "We have all seen so many 'fakes' circling around Prince. I loved my brother, he was smart, too smart sometimes, but he always tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Even the ones with ulterior motives," she pauses, "he got burnt more times than he'd ever admit to."

I nod as I absorb all this information, I sensed that with him, but I had never witnessed it while we were together, Tyka continues, "I liked you from the start, but I like you even more every time I get to interact with you."

Tears well in my eyes and I whisper, "Thank you," I wipe away a tear, "The feeling is mutual." We smile at each other and the rest of the drive is in comfortable silence.