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silent again, which made me feel a little awkward. It was like she didn’t know what else to say. I chimed in and asked her about Eric and Kimora.
    She cleared her throat and said, “Oh, they’re fine. Eric should be here any minute. He called about thirty minutes ago asking me if I’d watch Kimora for about an hour so he can run a couple errands.”
    “Wow! That’s great. Maybe I’ll be able to speak to them both before I get off the phone. I mean, it’s been almost two years since I’ve last seen Kimora, so I’m sure she has gotten taller.”
    “Oh, yeah, she’s sprouting up like a bed of flowers.”
    “How is she doing in school?”
    “Oh she’s doing great. Eric brought her over here a few days ago so me and her granddaddy could spend some time with her.”
    “I’m sure she had fun.”
    “She had a ball. We took her outside in the backyard and let her play on the swing set we bought her. And then we let her ride her new bike up and down the sidewalk in front of the house. She loved every minute of it.”
    “I’m sure she did,” I replied, and then I changed the subject. “Has Eric asked about me?”
    “Well, um . . .” Mrs. Simmons began to say, as if she was trying to collect her thoughts. “He brought your name up a couple of times,” she finally admitted.
    Hearing her say that he had talked about me gave me a sense of hope that we still had a connection. It was like music to my ears. “So what did he say?” I asked, pressing the issue.
    “Well, um, the reason he brought up your name a couple of times was because Kimora has been asking her daddy when you were coming home. She doesn’t like the fact that Eric went on with his life and got remarried.”
    Shocked by Mrs. Simmons outburst my heart sunk and I thought about what I was going to do from this point forward since there was no chance that my ex-husband and I were going to reconcile. Not only that, the thought of my baby girl asking him when I would be coming home made me feel even worse. It was obvious that Kimora wanted her mommy and daddy back together, but with his new bitch in the way, that would surely pose a problem.
    I stood there with my back against the wall while my heart began to crumble. All the hopes of me getting my family back were trickling down the drain, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. He had already moved on with his life and gotten remarried, just like his mother had said. I was just a distant memory.
    “Faith, are you there, honey?”
    “Yes, ma’am, I’m here,” I replied as my voice began to crack.
    “Sweetheart, I am so sorry!”
    I cleared my throat and wiped the tears from my eyes. “There’s no need to be sorry, Mrs. Simmons. I did all this to myself,” I said. And at that moment I realized that I had called her Mrs. Simmons instead of Mom. And before I was able to utter another word I heard Kimora’s voice in the background.
    “Hey, Grandma, who are you talking to?” I heard her ask. And the moment my baby opened her mouth, I felt a flutter in my heart. My heart felt somewhat empty, but there was still a spark left inside me. I felt a connection to her immediately and I couldn’t get her name out quick enough.
    “Is that my baby?” I got excited. “Please, can I talk to her?” I asked.
    Mrs. Simmons hesitated. “Well, um, let me ask Eric if it’s all right,” she finally said.
    “Ask Eric?” I snapped. “Why would you need to ask him if I can speak to my daughter?”
    “Well, um—” she started to say, but I cut her off.
    “Look, Mrs. Simmons, it’s been two years since I talked to my baby. Now you’ve already expressed to me that she keeps asking Eric when am I coming home, so it’s apparent that she misses me. If you would kindly put my child on the phone, I would greatly appreciate it,” I replied sarcastically.
    “Wait, hold on a minute,” she said, and then she put down the phone.
    While I waited for her to put my baby on the phone, I was thinking about all