Borrowed Time

Thirty Seven

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"I am only going to ask you this one time, and one time only." My mother said, speaking to Dorinda. We were in the guest area of the hotel, seated at a rounded table while consuming hot tea. "Are you willing to go to rehab? Because if not, then this conversation is over."

"Rehab?" My sister seemed surprised, acting as though she hadn't known she needed some kind of help. "Go to rehab for what? So they can convince me that I'm crazy? That I have a problem?"

I rolled my eyes, placing my heated beverage upon the table before us. "You do have a problem, Dorinda. More than one, actually. And Mama and me—we can only do so much. We can help out as much as we can, but you have to be willing to do the work."

She waved me off, also releasing her own tea from her hands. "Toni, please. Don't you start with your Iyanla Vanzant bullshit." Dorinda then sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I just feel that I should be able to go get help on my own terms. Not just because you and Mama want me to."

"Chile, please," My mother said back to my sister, waving her off just as she had done me. "We all know you ain't got no money to even afford to wait. At least go right now while Toni is offering to cover the costs."

It was true. I didn't mind paying the funds, I wanted to pay them. I just hoped that I was doing the right thing, that my sister wouldn't ruin this opportunity. She needed it more than she realized.

"See, I know that's the only reason y'all want me to do this," Dorinda replied, signaling between Mama and me. "Just because Toni is paying doesn't mean I have to go. I am not some charity case."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed that she couldn't see past her own pettiness to simply allow me to just be there for her. "Like I've said before, you're my sister and I'm just trying to help." I then shrugged my shoulders, showing her that if she didn't care, then neither did I. "But hey, you must really like getting high..."

"Don't all crackheads like getting high?" The other woman snapped, rolling her neck. I didn't understand why she was so proud to claim this addiction, but I guess I couldn't be mad that she owned it.

Rising from my chair, I was certainly ready to give my sister a piece of my mind. I wanted to give her the complete honesty that I had been sparing her.

But before I could say anything, Mama too rose from her seat, placing herself in front of me. "Alright you two, that's enough." She turned to face Dorinda. "Listen, you need to decide what you're going to do. This is real life, Dori. You won't get a second chance to fight this addiction, not if it gets too out of control."

My sister sat where she was, taking a moment to truly think over the options presented. Either she could go to rehab and attempt to get better, or continue to brew an addiction that would only worsen down the road.
"Okay, fine," she said back, exhaling deep breaths. "I'll do whatever I need to do. But only because I don't want y'all to give up on me." Dorinda began to rise from her chair, heading in the opposite direction of Mama and me. "I already lost my son, I don't want to lose y'all too."

I had to admit, I was stunned. Not only because she agreed to rehab, but also because she mentioned Tarik. It confused me hearing her speak as though she truly counted his death as a loss when that certainly wasn't the reaction she put forth the moment she found out he had died.