Free Love, Lies & Consequences by Natasha D. Frazier Page B

Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your health? she thought.
    “Get him on the phone, her grandmother said sternly.”
    Obeying her grandmother, she called Joshua. As soon as he picked up and they exchanged hellos, her grandma motioned for her to pass the phone.
    “Hey baby.”
    “Hey Granny Rose. You don’t sound very well. Are you okay?” Joshua was concerned.
    Ignoring his question, she jumped right into the reason she wanted to talk to him.
    “Honey, take it from me. You don’t want to waste time being angry and upset and waging war about who is more important. It is time out for all of that. You two need to come to your senses and start working this out. She still loves you.” Her grandmother had held her peace the entire time. Since she was now coming to terms with her mortality, she couldn’t hold her tongue anymore. Someone needed to tell them to get their acts together, and she was just the right person for the job.
    “Granny, we—” Tammy said, starting to interrupt her grandma, but she thought better of it when Granny gave her a sideways glance. She knew not to interrupt her grandmother when she was talking. She only wanted to say that they hadn’t made any sort of plans to work anything out and she didn’t know if they ever would.
    Granny’s words boosted Joshua’s confidence. He wanted to work things out with her and see if they could ever get back to the point of being husband and wife again. He was glad that Granny Rose shared his thoughts.
    “Tammy was the best thing that ever happened to me. The time apart has been rough on me, you know. Although I was able to build my basketball career, it was tough not having her by my side. But I promise I am going to do all that I can to make things work soon enough.”
    Granny smiled and said, “Thank you dear; that is all that I ask.” Tammy couldn’t hear what Joshua said to her Granny, but it must have been satisfactory because she was smiling. Her grandmother handed the phone back to her and she ended the call.
    Tammy’s thoughts were interrupted by the comfort of her friends. “We’re so sorry Tammy,” her friends all echoed.
    “If there is anything that you need us to do, just say the word,” Raegan said, having lost one of her grandmothers to lung cancer as well. “How is she doing?”
    “She’s still herself. She is eighty-two years old and set in her ways. She feels like she’s lived the best years of her life and refuses to undergo chemotherapy,” Tammy said as she thought about how the entire family disapproved of her grandmother’s choice. Tammy’s grandmother has been a smoker for as long as she knew and still had no plans to stop, even though she had been diagnosed with the disease.
    “Be sure to love on her while she’s still here. Try not to focus on this being the end and enjoy the time you guys have left,” Raegan said as they all stood to cover Tammy and her family in prayer.

CHAPTER 15
    ∞
    After breakfast, more sisterly discussion and prayer, they all said their good-byes and went their separate ways. Raegan decided to run errands. Before leaving, she received a call from Rico.
    “Hello pretty lady,” Rico’s smooth voice echoed on the other end of the phone.
    “Hey, how are you?” Raegan asked with a smile on her face.
    “I’m great. Guess who’s in town?”
    “Your mother?” she asked. Rico never mentioned introducing her to his mother even though he seemed convinced he wanted to marry her. She asked once but he came up with an excuse as to why it would have to wait.
    “No ma’am. She is not coming out here. She is scared to drive on the freeway.” That was another one of Rico’s excuses to present a barrier as to why Raegan would not meet his mother.
    “Well, tell me then.”
    “My best friend, Michael. He wants to meet you. I’ve told him all about you and he wants to see this beauty for himself.”
    “Way to rub on the butter. I may be able to meet you all somewhere. What do you have