The Real Housewives of Adverse City 2

by Shelia E. Bell

  “Hello,” Eva replied followed by “Hellos” from Peyton and Avery.

  “So, you’re pregnant? Congratulations,” the doctor said.

  “Thank you.”

  “Have you had an official pregnancy test performed?”

  “No, but I’ve taken three at home pregnancy tests,” Eva answered.

  “Okay, good. But today we’re going to perform an ultrasound scan. It will determine how far along you are and give us a date when the little lady or fellow will make its entrance into this mean old world,” the doctor explained with a pleasant attitude and a bright smile.

  He pushed a button on the wall and spoke into it. “Please send in a nurse to assist me with the ultrasound scan in Room two.”

  “Yes, Doctor Abbott,” someone responded.

  Shortly after, a nurse entered the room. “Would you like your friends to stay in here with you?” he asked.

  “Yes, yes I want them here.”

  “Then let’s get this show on the road,” he said jovially.

  “Mrs. Stenberg, this gel is going to be a little cold,” the nurse explained.

  “No problem,” Eva replied.

  The nurse rubbed the cold gel across Eva’s belly while Peyton and Avery quietly looked on. Afterwards, the doctor stepped up and took a tool and began to rub it around Eva’s belly while looking at the monitor in front of him.

  He moved it around and around, not saying a word. After several minutes, he spoke up. This time his jovial smile was gone. “Mrs. Stenberg, you said you took three pregnancy tests?”

  “Yes. Why? Is something wrong, doctor? Is something wrong with my baby?” Eva asked with concern resonating with each word she spoke.

  Speaking slowly, he responded, “You are not pregnant.”

  “What? How can that be? There has to be a mistake. There just has to be.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” Avery hugged her friend. “I’ve never heard of this.”

  “Blessing in disguise if you ask me,” Peyton said.

  “That’s it, no one asked you,” Avery looked over at Peyton and rolled her eyes again.

  “There’s no easy way to say this,” Doctor Abbot said, ignoring the female bickering, “but the tests you took were false positives. Unfortunately, that happens sometimes. Look right here,” the doctor pointed to the monitor. “There is no fetus. However, I do see some cysts.” He pointed again to a spot on the monitor that looked like tiny balls. “I believe it’s safe for me to say that you have what’s called poly cystic ovary syndrome or PCOS. We can go in and remove the cysts and perform a biopsy on them, but as far as pregnancy, you’re not pregnant.”

  “But…my belly…look at it. It’s like I’m beginning to show.”

  “It’s the cysts combined with a little wishful thinking. The mind and the way it works is a peculiar thing. Sometimes we can want something so bad, that we can manifest it.”

  Avery and Peyton looked at one another. Eva looked at both of them. At this moment in time, Eva didn’t know if she should rejoice over the fact that she wasn’t pregnant, or if she should be crying because she wasn’t. What would Harper have to say after she told him this latest news? Or would she even tell him? Her mind was whirling and a thousand mixed up, confused thoughts ran through it.

  “You can get dressed. I’m done for now. I’d like you to schedule an appointment with the outpatient surgery desk to remove those cysts. Once that’s done, you will be relieved to know that you’ll find it easier to get pregnant. So, hopefully, that’s good news for you,” Doctor Abbott said with empathy. “You ladies have a good evening.” He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

  “Let me get this gel off of you, then you can get dressed,” the nurse said, getting a towel from inside the table drawer and using it to wipe Eva’s belly clean.

  The three friends exited the doctor’s office and headed back to Avery’s car. They got in the car and sat in the parking lot for several minutes talking.

  “Are you okay?” Avery spoke up first.

  “I don’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. I still don’t understand how I got three positive test results and not be pregnant. I just don’t get it.”

  “I’ve heard of this sort of thing before,” Peyton answered.

  “You have?” Eva looked at Peyton like she wanted to hear more.

  “Yes. Of course, it was on one of those reality shows. But, still, the girl on there did just like you. She took two or three pregnancy tests and they all came out positive. She told her boyfriend about it and everything. When she made an appointment to go see her gynecologist, they did the same thing they did to you, take a ultrasound scan.”

  “And?” said Avery. “What happened?”

  “It was just like Eva’s doctor told her. The woman wasn’t pregnant. She had cysts and the doctor told her that it’s more common than we hear of to get false positives from pregnancy tests. The woman was heartbroken. But then within three months, she was pregnant, and this time it was for real. In your case, and this is not to sound insensitive, but this really may be a blessing in disguise.” Peyton looked at Avery expecting her to say something against her again.

  “I hate to say it, but now that I think about it, I guess I agree with you, Peyton. This really could be a blessing, Eva. God revealed that your husband had been lying to you all along. I can’t believe Harper would do such a thing. Maybe it took something like this to happen for you to see him for the kind of man he really is. I mean, there was no reason whatsoever for him to withhold that he had a vasectomy. No reason at all.”

  “I don’t know why he would do me like that.”

  “And no one ever has to know that you slept with Seth.”

  “What?! You slept with Harper’s kid? Oh, no you didn’t,” Peyton burst out.

  Avery quickly placed her hand over her mouth. “Oops, I’m sorry. I forgot that Peyton wasn’t outside with us when you told me. I’m so sorry, Eva. Me and my big mouth.”

  “You little freak,” Peyton squealed, bouncing back and forth against the back seat.

  “This is between us,” said Avery. “Don’t you dare tell a soul.”

  “Come on, now. I may joke around with you all a lot, but you should know that I’m not one to tell anyone outside of our circle what we talk about. I got you, Eva. Actually, it’s good to know that you aren’t a stuck up prude like I pegged you to be.” Peyton chuckled.

  Eva smiled lightly. “I love you ladies. Thank you for coming with me today and being by my side.”

  “We wouldn’t have it any other way. I just wish Meesha had been here, too,” Peyton said.

  Avery didn’t respond.

  “Yeah, me, too. I hope things are going okay with her. Have either of you heard from her?”

  “No, I haven’t. She won’t return my calls or texts. She still thinks I slept with Carlton, which couldn’t be further from the truth. And even if I did, look how long ago that was. Liam is going on fifteen. It’s not like he’s a newborn baby, for Christ’s sake. I wish she would let sleeping dogs lie.”

  “Have you heard anything from Derek and Liam about them coming back home?”

  “I talked to Liam. He doesn’t want to see me, but what can I expect? It’s a lot for him to digest. To find out through the news media that I’m not his birth mother and that the woman who is his mother was a junkie, and now she’s dead without him ever getting a chance to know her for himself.

  “Wow, I can’t imagine what he’s thinking,” Eva said. “And here I am wallowing in self-pity when that poor child has been left confused and hurt. And I’m not blaming you, Peyton. You saved Liam’s life. He may be too young and too hurt to realize that now, but it’s the truth.”

  “Yeah, she’s right, Peyton. Only God knows where he would be, or if he would even be alive, if you hadn’t stepped in. He’s blessed to have you for a mother. You and Derek have been nothing but good to him.”

  “Thanks.” Peyton’s own eyes welled up with tea
rs. “I just pray that Liam will forgive me. Derek too. I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen. And Breyonna is dead; that’s awful. I don’t care how much havoc she wreaked in my life and Carlton’s, she didn’t deserve to die like she did.”

  “Do you think Derek will ever forgive you?”

  “I don’t know, but what I can tell you is that if I ever expect to have a chance to get my family back, I have some changes to make.”

  “Your drinking?” Avery asked.

  “Yes. I’ve got to stop it altogether. I know I have a problem. But drinking helps me cope. I know it’s not good for me, but, well anyway, I’m going to stop. This time I mean it.”

  “You can do it. All you have to do is ask God for help. He’ll come through for you,” Avery said.

  Peyton looked over at Avery and smiled. “You sound like Meesha.”

  Eva laughed lightly. “You sure do. You sound just like a First Lady.”

  Avery half smiled while thinking to herself. I can’t wait to be Carlton’s first lady.

  Chapter 5

  “Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast.” Marlene Dietrich

  Meesha and the boys walked into the house. The boys took off toward their rooms as soon as they stepped inside. Meesha took a moment and stood inside the foyer. Was she ready to face Carlton? Had she made a mistake by coming home?

  She exhaled and walked further into the house. She went up the spiraling staircase and headed to the bedroom, a bedroom that used to mean peace and love, but now held lies and deceit inside its walls. As she opened the door, a sweet fragrance wafted through her nostrils. She pressed the button on the wall as she entered the room, and the lights came on. Her eyes widened when she took in the view of beautiful, fresh roses and tulips of all colors and in some of the most exquisite looking vases she’d ever seen. The sight almost took her breath away. She walked closer, leaned in, and inhaled the sweet, tantalizing fragrances.

  For a moment, life felt normal. This was the kind of thing Carlton was known for. He often surprised her with flowers, something he knew she loved. And roses and tulips were her favorite. She continued to walk around and sniff the vases of flowers. On the bed, she noticed an envelope. She sauntered over to the bed, picked it up, and opened it. Inside was a card. “Welcome home, my love. I have so much wrong to right. I hope you will give me the chance to make it up to you. I love you more than you can ever imagine. Thank you for coming home to me. Hope these roses and tulips let you know what you mean to me. Carlton.”

  Meesha smiled, although she remained full of hurt. She always readily told others about how important it was to forgive but now that she faced a situation in her own marriage, it was hard to take her own advice. Another thing she would

  tell married couples and couples who planned to marry was that it was essential that they communicated. Again, she wouldn’t listen to Carlton. She didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. Now she understood how wrong she had been. Whether she believed him or not, that was not the issue. The issue was that Carlton kept trying, kept reaching out to her, and she refused every single time. But she was hurt. Hurt that he could possibly have cheated on her with Peyton.

  The house phone rang. It had to be Carlton. No one called that phone but him, her, or their sons. She walked over to the phone located next to their California king bed. She picked it up from its cradle, pressed the button and spoke into it.

  “Hello.”

  “Welcome home, Meesha. I hope you and the boys had a good flight.”

  “We did,” she responded. “The flowers are beautiful. My favorite. But how did you know when we would arrive or that we were coming home?”

  “I’m glad you like them, and to answer your questions, CJ texted me and told me that you all were coming home today. I called Geena after that and she told me what time your flight was supposed to arrive.”

  Silence temporarily filled the phone space between them.

  “Where are the boys? I suspect that they’re in their rooms.” Carlton laughed.

  It sounded good to hear him laugh. Meesha loved the sound of his laughter. It always made her feel safe and secure.

  “You know it. We barely stepped foot in the house and off they went. I haven’t seen or heard them since.”

  “How long have you been there?”

  “Only about ten minutes or so.”

  “I really wish you had let me pick you and the boys up from the airport.”

  “I needed to do this. I just wasn’t ready to see you.”

  “And now?”

  “And now what?” she asked.

  “Do you think we can take some time to sit down and talk?”

  “I think that would be good. I have some news to share.”

  “Good news I hope?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll let you be the judge of that. But first I want to hear what you have to say.”

  “What about dinner?” Carlton asked, cautiously.

  “With me and the boys?”

  “Yes, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And afterwards, we can talk, alone.”

  “Sure.”

  “I was thinking we could take the boys out for pizza. I think they’d enjoy that.”

  “I know they will. They miss their father.”

  “Thanks for letting me know that.”

  “That’s something I shouldn’t have to tell you. You know how much they love you.”

  “And their mother?”

  “Carlton, I never stopped loving you.” Meesha walked around the room as she talked, still taking in the array of flowers and inhaling the sweetness of their scent. “I just didn’t know if you stopped loving me.”

  “I’ll send a car to pick up you and the boys. How does seven-thirty sound?”

  Meesha hoped he would say the words “I love you” in return, but he didn’t. That was the issue she had about everything that had happened. Had Carlton stopped loving her?

  “Seven-thirty will be fine. We’ll see you tonight.” She pushed the OFF button on the phone and laid it down on the dresser.

  Her oldest son walked into the room. “Wow, look at all these flowers. Looks like somebody’s funeral,” CJ said.

  “Not now, CJ,” she said agitated.

  “I was just kidding. Mom, I’m hungry.”

  “I just talked to your father. He’s going to take us out for pizza later this evening. You can grab a snack until then. I’m sure there’s plenty of food in the fridge and the cabinets.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Tell your brothers, too. And, CJ, I want you all to take showers and change clothes after you eat something.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” CJ answered, and ran out of the room.

  Meesha sat down on the bed, then climbed up in it and laid down. She looked over at Carlton’s side of the bed and imagined him there. She missed him. Missed the scent of him. Missed the touch of him. She missed everything about him.

  “God, if it is your will, heal my marriage. Help me to listen to what Carlton has to say tonight without prejudging him. Give me a heart to forgive. Direct me, guide me, show me what you want me to do. I want my marriage, Father God. I want my husband. But most of all, I want your will, Lord.”

  Meesha laid in silence then leaned over and removed a red rose from one of the vases. She laid back on the bed, breathing in its intoxicating aroma.

  Her cell phone text notifier chimed, coming between her and thoughts of what Carlton would have to say when she told him that she was pregnant with baby number five.

  “When r u coming home?” the text from Eva read.

  “Made it back a while ago.”

  “Oh, u didn’t say u were coming, but glad ur back.”

  “HRU?” Meesha texted back.

  “OK. Got some news today need to share w u. we’ll talk ltr.”

  “Will call u soon. Going to meet Carlton for dinner ltr. Me n the boys.”

  “K. just call me when u hve some time.”

>   “Going to shower I’ll call u when I’m done,” Meesha replied.

  “k. ttyl,” Eva answered.

  Chapter 6

  “There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” Friedrich Nietzsche

  Avery nervously paced across the dark hardwood floors of her home. Tonight she planned on telling Carlton that she was pregnant. But after seeing how things turned out with Eva, she was a little uneasy about sharing the news. Maybe she should go see her gynecologist first to make sure she was really pregnant. If Eva could have a false positive pregnancy result, maybe the same thing could happen to her.

  “Mom,” Lexie called, as she entered the family room where Avery was.

  “What is it, Lexie?”

  “Can I spend the night with Ruby?”

  “Honey, I don’t think so. I haven’t talked to Ruby’s mom about it. Maybe another time, okay?”

  “But, Mom, I want to stay tonight,” Lexie pleaded.

  “What did I just say? It’s too late. Where is Heather?”

  Lexie pouted. “In her room.”

  “Okay, good. When your father gets here, maybe we’ll go out for pizza.”

  Lexie’s pout changed into a smile. “Yayyyy, pizza. Can I order the kind of pizza that I want, Mom?”

  “We’ll see. Now go tell your sister that we’re going for pizza. I want both of you to change into some other clothes. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Lexie ran out of the family room, leaving Avery alone with her thoughts about what the future held for her. Ryker had asked to marry her after all of the years they’d been together. The only thing about that was that she didn’t think she wanted him anymore. She wanted a new life with Carlton. Carlton made her feel like she was important, like she mattered. Ryker had done just the opposite. He had taken her

  love for granted and after giving him two beautiful and precious little girls, he still didn’t value her. Him sleeping with her cousin was what did it for her. He tried to make her believe that his infidelity had been her fault, but after being counselled by Carlton, she came to understand that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. When Carlton told her that, she made up in her mind never to let Ryker or anyone make her feel that she was less than. Never again would she try to end her life.