It wasn’t long before she pulled the car into the parking lot of Willowcrest Prep’s admissions office. When she set foot in that familiar brick building, Tammy felt at home. She had never felt such a wave of nostalgia before. Tammy had not set foot in the building since her 10th high school reunion. Had it really been that long ago? Jabari followed her into the building. For his first day of school he was dressed up in long khaki pants with a navy blue polo. He looked good. Tammy was proud of her son. He was so different from his father…
Once inside the admissions building, Tammy knocked on the door to Stanley Duffy’s office. She hadn’t seen him in person in years. She remembered when he was a middle-aged teacher. Now Stanley Duffy was an old man and the headmaster of the school he had served faithfully for so many years. Stanley Duffy invited Tammy and her son into his office.
“Good afternoon Miss Powers,” Stanley huffed. He had gained about 100 pounds since Tammy had last seen him. His fat was covered in wrinkled, sunburned skin. Stan Duffy still had his signature mustache from his younger days and his classic tortoiseshell glasses. He peered over them with his bright blue eyes and looked at Tammy and her son with a mixture of nostalgia and joy.
“Is this young man Jabari Powers?” Headmaster Duffy boomed.
“Yes sir,” Jabari replied. He stuck out his hand to shake Headmaster Duffy’s. After a firm, strong handshake, Stan Duffy gave Tammy and her son idea of how things would work now that Jabari was enrolling half way through the fall semester. Tammy could already tell that Jabari was excited to be surrounded by students who cared just as much about their education. As Headmaster Duffy gave him a run down of the school, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
This was a big change for her son. Once the Headmaster had told them where to go next, Tammy gave her son a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving the Admissions Office. She sent Jabari on his way. He was a big boy now and should be able to figure out how to get to his classes without his mommy. Next, Tammy had to figure out where to go to join the parent teachers association. Since she was unemployed, she wanted to give her all by investing in Jabari. By joining the parent teachers Association Tammy would be able to ensure that her kid and all the others in his class had a great time that year.
Once Tammy had made it her business to get the e-mail address of the PTA secretary, she headed home to make an unfortunate phone call. Randall had begged her to keep in touch every once in awhile about Jabari’s life. If she didn’t call Randall about a big change like private school, she was certain he would be furious. Tammy couldn’t stop Jabari from speaking with his father so Randall would most certainly find out. The man had been absolutely lazy about being a part of Jabari’s life but would randomly make demands like this. Tammy didn’t want to deal with Randall any more than she had to.
“Wassup babygirl?” Randall began when he answered Tammy’s phone call. Randall seem to live in a dream world where Tammy was still interested in him. Tammy wondered how on earth he managed to keep up this delusion. She tried to keep things professional. They had a child together but none of Tammy’s love for Randall was present anymore. Had it ever really been “love” or was it all a manipulation. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she despised Randall on some level.
“Hey Randall. I just called to tell you that in Jabari is starting at Willowcrest today,” Tammy said. She was already regretting this phone call; she hoped this conversation would end soon. The last thing she wanted to do was have Randall get started on whatever would inevitably upset him about her phone call.
“At Willowcrest? Who the hell is paying for that?” Randall barked. Tammy felt her blood pressure rising. Randall didn’t even pay child support. He hadn’t invested more than $10 into Jabari in the past five years. What did he mean who was paying for it? She was the one who always paid for everything. He was clearly asked this question to get a rise out of Tammy and it worked. Randall knew how to push her buttons.
“Well who the hell do you think is paying for it?” Tammy yelled back.
This was always how their arguments began. Randall would instigate her and Tammy would take the bait and fall for it. Randall launched into a long rant about Tammy and how she never let him see his son. That was always Randall’s go to argument when he knew he had no ground to stand on. He wanted to distract Tammy from the fact that he hadn’t paid a cent of child support and was barely involved in Jabari’s life at all. Tammy couldn’t believe she was actually sitting there listening to this shit.
She ended the conversation fast, cutting off Randall before he could insult her further.
“You know what Randall, I’m going to go cook dinner now. I don’t have time for your crap. Call me when you’re ready to be a real father to Jabari,” She barked before hanging up the phone. Tammy hoped that Randall would stay far away from Jabari. He had no idea what it meant to be a real father. But the way he’d been talking made it seem like he had plans to show up in her son’s life again. He only ever did that when he felt like he had something to gain.
Tammy hated the idea. Randall ruined everything he touched and he was a danger to everyone who was close to him. Tammy had found that out at a young age, but although young, it was still too late. Randall was toxic. And now, Tammy had to deal with him for the rest of her life. What’s worse, she wasn’t sure how much she could protect her son from him.
Chapter 2
It had been two weeks since Jabari started at Willowcrest. Each day that he returned home, he seemed happier. He was fitting in shockingly well. At Southwest, Jabari was a “loser” according to the bullies. At Willowcrest, he started to find his niche of people. Since Willowcrest was a little ways out from their house, Tammy had started picking him up from school again. During the drive home, Tammy could see the real change in her son. Jabari had gone from being sullen and hateful at school to experiencing life as a happy young man who seemed to be making quite a few friends. Tammy was starting to feel secure in the fact that she’d made the right choice. All that needed to happen was Jabari needed to keep his nose clean and Tammy needed to maintain a good reputation around the town to ingratiate herself with the other parents and the board of trustees. If they decided Jabari wasn’t a “good fit”, he would be forced to head his ass back to Southwest in shame. Tammy figured neither of those two things would be very difficult to keep track of. She’d made her fair share of mistakes and this time, she wasn’t going to mess things up.
It was 3 PM and Tammy was racing to get over to Willowcrest as quickly as possible. Her doctor’s appointment had run a little long and she was going to be late picking up Jabari. For once, he didn’t have soccer practice. Tammy hustled over to the school eagerly. They would finally get a little time to spend together and she could ask him how he was liking Willowcrest. Jabari pretty much showed how he felt about the place. He was all smiles all the time. Even if he was in new student, he was accepted with all his quirks. Willowcrest was a social nightmare for girls, but most of the boys tended to have an easier time. Boys that age were only cruel if you were tiny and weak. Jabari was neither of those things.
When Tammy pulled up into the parking lot, she didn’t even have to call Jabari on his phone before he came bounding over. Today he looked a little bit less happy than he had the previous two weeks. Tammy immediately knew something was going on. She hoped that Jabari hadn’t stumbled upon a new set of bullies looking for someone to pick on.
“Good afternoon mom,” Jabari mumbled as he got into the passenger seat. His brow was furrowed in frustration.
Tammy greeted him back and then pulled her Audi of the school’s driveway so she could ask him what was going on.
“Is everything alright Jay?” Tammy questioned her son. It was important to Tammy that she knew everything that was going on with her little boy. He’s not so little anymore.
Jabari replied, “Yeah… Everything’s fine. I guess… Well my Spanish teacher wants you to come in tomorrow.” She could tell Jabari was trying to downplay the situati
on.
Tammy almost slammed on the brakes in surprise. She was a little bit frustrated too. Jabari was supposed to be doing everything right keep his place at Willowcrest Prep and now his Spanish teacher wanted her to come in? What was going on? If that boy is acting up in class I swear to God…
“Everything’s fine but your teacher wants me to come in? What the hell has been going on Jay?” Tammy said. She realized she was raising her voice. I need to calm down. It wasn’t that she was truly angry with Jabari, she was just scared. She knew that everything in her life was tenuous and she wanted Jabari to have this wonderful opportunity. Tammy knew she had messed up in not using her Willowcrest education to do something truly impressive. She didn’t want her son to take all of this for granted. Her parents were rich, but Tammy wasn’t. Jabari didn’t have the option of being an heir.
Jabari had a feeling his mother would react like this. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “It’s not that serious… I’m just having a little trouble and my teacher thinks for some reason you could help,” Jabari said.
His sass wasn’t lost on Tammy, but she didn’t have time to reply to it. She couldn’t stop thinking about what could possibly be going wrong. She wanted the best for Jabari and she was concerned that he had managed to hide the fact that he wasn’t doing very well in Spanish from her. Now that you’re bored with things get older Tammy was starting to lose the ability to keep track of his every move.
Tammy agreed to go meet with Jabari’s teacher the next day. The rest of the drive home, she tried to ask Jabari questions about school. She couldn’t stand the idea of losing her friendship with her son. Tammy was scared that the older Jabari got, the more distant their relationship would become. That had happened with her parents and Tammy hadn’t been able to mend her relationship with her father. Now, it was too late.
Tammy found out that Jabari had five new friends. She was thrilled and surprised. Tammy had always seen Jabari as a quiet boy who didn’t interact too much with other people. Apparently, surrounded by so many people he got along with, Jabari had found more than two people who shared his interests. Everyone else thought he was cool either because he was new or because of his interest in engineering.
Jabari was also starting to become closer to the people in his soccer team. Although he was on junior varsity, everyone was encouraging him to try out for the varsity team. Tammy couldn’t have been more proud. She had worked hard since she was 18 years old to raise her son to be the best man he could be. Tammy was a child raising a child, but she’d put her very best effort into Jabari. He wasn’t quite a man yet, but Tammy felt like he was getting close. Each day, Jabari seemed just a little bit savvier and wiser. He had even gone through one massive growth spurt and he was still shooting up like a beanstalk. Within a year, Tammy was sure her son would tower over her.
At home, Jabari did his homework under Tammy’s somewhat watchful eye. She made them a simple lentil soup for dinner and then left Jabari to read a book as she retired upstairs to her bedroom. As Tammy watched reruns of her favorite show, she started to realize how lonely she was. Sure she had Jabari, but he couldn’t be her only company all the time. When her friends were out of state, Tammy was sometimes is forced to confront the fact that she was single.
She had been single for almost 4 years now, and sometimes she felt like she was comfortable with it. Other times, Tammy wanted nothing more than to have a man she loved sharing her bed. Getting involved with men had its risks, especially with a young son. Jabari always came first. Not to mention… What man wants to become involved with a woman who has a 13-year-old son? Most guys saw Tammy’s teen pregnancy as a “red flag” without ever knowing the full story. Tammy’s life was not as cut and dry as people thought. She wasn’t a “slut”, but most people labelled her that way anyways.
Tammy decided she’d better put these depressing thoughts out of her mind. She had never imagined herself dying an old maid, but now it seems like a definite possibility. Tammy didn’t throw herself these pity parties often, but sometimes it was unavoidable.
I guess I’m just being a drama queen. Tammy thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.
The next afternoon, Tammy got ready to see Jabari’s Spanish teacher. She wondered if she would recognize his teacher. She knew many of the teachers stayed at Willowcrest for years but also many of them left. Most of Tammy’s favorite teachers had already retired. Stanley Duffy was one of the few that remained and he was already pretty close to retiring.
Either way, Tammy wanted to make a good impression. She didn’t want to seem like a neglectful single mother going into this meeting so she took her time to get ready. A first impression was everything. That week, Tammy had done her hair in long Senegalese twists. For this meeting, she wore a gorgeous teal Calvin Klein shift dress with nude colored heels. The dress hugged her curves perfectly. The heels elongated her legs making her look even more like a model and even more professional. Tammy’s dark skin popped against the bright teal dress. Again, Tammy put on some light makeup and wore an old pair of pearls that she had received from her mother back when she went to Willowcrest. Tammy wished she looked a little older…
When she was satisfied with her appearance, she drove up to the school. The humanities building was just like it was back when Tammy attended Willowcrest. Not a single change had been made; not even the interior was remodeled. There were only a few buildings left like that. The old hardwood still had that familiar smell that took Tammy back to her childhood. As Tammy walked through the building to the office number she had been given, she couldn’t help but worry about meeting with this teacher. What would they think of her? Would they judge her for being a young mother and consider this case hopeless? Would this affect the teacher’s view of her son? Tammy tried to carry herself tall and proud. But she didn’t feel very tall at all. She still felt insecure even after years of dealing with people who liked nothing better than to judge her.
When Tammy knocked on room 221, a familiar voice called out, “Si!”
Tammy couldn’t believe she was hearing that voice again. Perhaps her nostalgia was playing tricks on her mind…
Tammy opened the door and her mouth hung open in shock when she saw the teacher sitting behind the desk. This was Jabari’s Spanish teacher?!
Victor Del Toro had been a young intern when Tammy Powers attended Willowcrest Prep. When she was 16 years old, he had started teaching as a fresh out of college 23-year-old. Every single girl in Tammy’s class had a huge crush on Mr. Del Toro. Tammy couldn’t believe that he had continued to teach at Willowcrest long after she graduated. He was the type of guy who had never seemed to be very interested in becoming a teacher. Willowcrest seemed like a pit stop. Señor Del Toro seemed like he was a rolling stone, always moving on to the next thing. But here he was so many years later, sitting behind a desk in a classroom very similar to the one Tammy sat in. She couldn’t believe this. Victor looked like he hadn’t aged much. Over ten years had passed and he still looked attractive. Tammy wondered if he had been married…
Even if so many years had passed, Señor Del Toro looked better than ever. He was well over six feet tall and his parents were directly from Barcelona. This meant his skin was more olive toned than pasty pale like your usual Anglo Saxons. When Tammy was in school he had coached rowing and cross country. Tammy remembered the girls ogling Señor Del Toro’s legs as he ran past with his team.
He was in incredible shape, even if he was quite large for a runner. Even seated at his desk with his prim and proper collared shirt, Tammy could see his large biceps rippling through. His chest was broad and strong too. He was the type of guy girls bent over backwards for. Victor Del Toro had the face of a Spanish model. There were even rumors he had worked for Calvin Klein before becoming a teacher. He had an angular, rugged face with a square jaw and bright blue eyes. Victor had dark chestnut brown hair that he always wore a little bit long. Tammy felt embarrassed at the fact that her breath had been taken away. She was just standing
there with her jaw hanging open. It seemed like her high school crush on Victor Del Toro rushed back into her consciousness in an instant. She wondered if he would remember her…
“Good afternoon… I’m Jabari’s mother, Tammy Powers,” Tammy said confidently. Her heart was beating out of her chest.
“Ah… Si… Are you sure it’s not Tammy Steele or have you married since I last knew you?” Señor Del Toro said with a bright smile.
He really did remember her. Tammy had only taken the name “Powers” after she had her baby. It was her mother’s maiden name. Tammy wanted to distance herself from her father’s identity since he was the main one who had orchestrated cutting her off. Everyone who knew her prior to that time had known her as Tammy Steele. Tammy thought “Powers” sounded just a bit better.
Prepped For Love: BWWM Pregnancy Romance Novel Page 2
