“Mama, do me a favor?” Jackie went on to ask for something, but I was too busy staring at the little girl holding her hand. “Mama?”

“I not ‘posed to be here,” the little one said, reprimanding her babysitter.

She wore faded blue jeans that were too long for her, but they had been rolled up, so she didn’t step on ‘em, a tee shirt that fit a smidge better, but was clearly meant for a boy, and sneakers which were so big they flip flopped on her feet. Still, she was beautiful. She was Mya.

“Mommy said stay at McDonald’s.”

“I know, but I gotta get to work now,” Jackie’s eyes pleaded with me. “I waited as long as I could. I don’t know what happened to her.”

“She go get Dee.”

“She keeps saying that. I don’t know what it means. Here.” She handed over my grandchild then, as a last thought, turned back before taking the first step upstairs. “Mia, this is your grandma. Say hi.”

“What’s a grandma?”

“Me. I’m a grandma.”

“Why?” Before I could answer, she seemed to remember a more important question. “You know Dee? My Mommy go get him. She gonna be mad when she can’t find me.”

I didn’t doubt that at all.

“You not gonna like her when she mad.” She was warning me. “She get real big and strong.”

“Mama, who’s that?” Jenna asked from the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Heziah and I hadn’t exactly told the twins why Mya left, only that she wanted to live somewhere else. They didn’t know Mya had been pregnant. What they knew about the deed wasn’t much to begin with so explaining how their sister got in the family way wasn’t high on our list of things to do.

“Go back to bed!” I went back to being amazed by the lil’ girl who looked so much like my own child. Coulda been her sixteen years ago. “You hungry?”

She nodded, so off we went to the kitchen.

Heziah came down eventually, and I explained who she was while she devoured a box of RITZ Crackers. He stuck out his hand and introduced himself as her grandfather. She waved and went right back to her midnight snack.

“You two can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

I had my baby back. Maybe for an hour, maybe for a night, but she was all mine.