54. Blur

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That Same Night
9:21 PM
Sky POV

Fifty-four. My daddy was fifty-four. He had lived through the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and plenty of other things to die of a heart attack at fifty-four.

I could feel my breathing getting heavier as tears started pooling in my eyes. Michael looked at me worriedly.

"Skylar, what's wrong?" I couldn't even answer him. I could barely breathe. He took the phone from me & put it up to his ear. "Who is this? Madison? Wha-" He stopped & I could see the sadness on his face. "Oh my god. Okay. We're on our way back right now." He hung up the phone before pulling me into the tightest hug possible. "I'm so sorry."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I started bawling in Michael's chest, right in the middle of the crowded hallway. And once I started, I couldn't stop. "I'm so sorry" was all Michael kept saying.

Everything was a blur after that. I don't remember how I got back to Los Angeles, or even the next couple of days after that. By the time everything became clear to me, it was time for my daddy's funeral.

September 15th, 1994
9:11 AM

September 15th, 19949:11 AM

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His favorite color was red. So we told everybody to wear red. It didn't matter what shade. He just liked red.

I sat in my old room at my parents' house, waiting for somebody to come tell me that the limo was here. I had been sleeping there since I had gotten back from New York at my mama's request. She said it was because she wanted to keep an eye on me since I wasn't in the right headspace after finding out, but I would probably never be in the right headspace ever again. And I had to eventually go home. But, I humored her.

There was a knock on the door but I didn't say anything. I just stared at the door until Michael came in, followed by the twins. I mustered up a small smile for them, knowing I had to show some strength for them. It wasn't just my father, it was their grandfather too. And they knew he was gone. Hell, they were there when it happened. They probably were traumatized.

"Come here," I said softly, standing up and they walked over to me, hugging me. I wrapped my arms around both of them, feeling emotional again, but I honestly was out of tears.

"I'm not ready to say bye to papa," MJ said sadly.

"Me either baby." I let them go. "But we gotta stay strong for granny, okay?" They nodded.

"Go check on Uncle AJ," Michael said & they headed out the room. He walked over to me, looking at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" I nodded.

"Thank you for keeping them for the past couple of days," I said softly. Because I definitely was not in the right state of mind to care for them. He grabbed my hands.

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