by Vera Roberts
Truth was shortly after Christopher came home from the hospital, he took off to New York to supposedly work on an album. He borrowed money from Barbara for studio time and made frequent trips between California, New York, and Miami. He was currently at home watching Tyson before he had to catch another flight the next day.
“Busy, huh?” Rocio smirked. “I’m not even going to comment.”
“So, don’t.” Tiana sharply replied. She took a sip of water and played with her salad. “He’s at home watching Tyson and he’s making a better effort than he was the last time around.”
“Well, I guess anything is a step-up from absolutely nothing,” Rocio smiled.
After the lunch, Rocio and Tiana drove back to Tiana’s house to finish up the final details of Erin’s wedding. They pulled up to Tiana’s home and saw an unfamiliar car in the driveway.
“Expecting somebody?” Rocio asked.
“I have no idea who the hell that is,” Tiana parked her car and got out of it. She entered her home. “Christopher? Cris?”
“Hello?” A young woman holding Tyson greeted Tiana.
Tiana walked over and snatched Tyson out of her hands. “And who are you?”
The young woman smiled at Tiana with a hand out; Tiana didn’t return the courtesy. “I’m Tanya.”
“That’s nice, but, who the hell are you?” Rocio interrupted.
“I’m a friend of Cris’!” She giggled. “He let me watch the baby while he was gone.”
“How long has he been gone?” Tiana asked.
“Only a few hours!”
Tiana’s eyes grew wide. “A few hours?” She left for the final bridal fitting that morning and Cristopher was just waking up.
“Just a few! He said he’ll be back soon, though.” Tanya grabbed her purse. “I guess you’re the one who’s going to pay me? Cris said you were going to handle it when you came back.”
“I’m going to handle something, all right,” Tiana folded her arms, “If you don’t get out of my house and out of my face within the next five seconds, I will hand you your ass on a platter.”
****
“Three came before, but only one came back,” Nicola washed the dishes, “want to fill me in on what happened?”
After the sudden break-up with Tiana, Kieran took an extended leave from work and went back to Staten Island to visit his family for a few weeks. He needed to recharge his batteries. He hated, absolutely hated, how a woman could mess up his concentration. He specifically made it a rule not to care and he was always caught up in caring. If only he could be a player like his younger brothers…“We broke up,” Kieran replied, “simple as that.”
“So you say,” Nicola rinsed off a plate and set it in the drying rack, “but was it?”
“I moved out and moved on,” Kieran added sugar to his too-hot coffee, “and so did she.”
Nicola glanced over at her son. She was convinced that out of her five sons, Kieran was the most sensitive. It was no surprise to her that he opened a child care instead of going into the family business. “I take it that it wasn’t your fault?”
“Actually, it was,” Kieran took a sip of coffee, “I should’ve never broken my personal rule.”
“Rule schmule,” Nicola shook her head, “you can’t help who you fall in love with, il figlio.”
“Actually, you can,” Kieran countered, “You can always stop a situation if you know no good will come out of it.”
“You could do that. And you could be alone and lonely with several cats like your Zia Antonia,”
Nicola shook her head, “I’m just waiting for her to come out of the closet, already.”
“I’d rather not talk about it anymore,” Kieran huffed. “She made her decision and that’s that. We both moved on.”
“If you say so, il figlio,” Nicola finished the dishes and rinsed off her hands, “but the heart wants what the heart wants.”
“Yeah, well, my heart wants something it can’t have,” Kieran replied back.
Nicola walked up to her son and put a hand on his forearm. “Remember when I dreamt about rainbows, when all three of you were here last time?”
It was a memory Kieran would rather forget. “Yes.”
“A dream deferred is not a dream denied,” she tapped his arm, “think about it.”
SIXTEEN
Looking around at the frantic mood in the hotel room, Tiana remembered her own wedding day all too well. She remembered how much of a nervous wreck she was. She had jittery butterflies in her stomach all day. Come to think of it, it might have been a sign she was making the biggest mistake of her natural born life. The wedding day went too perfectly. There was not a distraction or hiccup in sight. Tiana knew why that was the case; she was way too anal retentive to let anything interfere with her wedding day.
In contrast to Erin’s wedding, there were already signs of it not going well. The shoes Erin wanted to wear were going to be delivered two days after the wedding, forcing her to get other shoes at the last minute. The hair stylist magically disappeared and no one was able to get in contact with him for hours. There was a major rain storm causing them to move their outdoor wedding indoor. Tiana simply smiled at the differences. It reminded her of the old wives’ tale about weddings: the more disasters in a wedding, the happier the impending marriage.
Erin knocked back a shot of vodka. “Girl, I can’t wait until this day is over! I’ve been planning this wedding for the past year and I’m just done! So done! I don’t want to go to another cake-tasting, I don’t want to see any more coloring shades, I don’t want to be on another fucking diet to fit into this damn gown,” Erin sighed, “this is fucking it. If Michael doesn’t like it, too damn bad. His ass is stuck with me for the rest of his life.”
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Rocio waddled over to Erin and helped with her hair.
“Yes, it is that bad!” Erin huffed as a family member fixed her hair. “All this planning and plotting for one day. One day! I should’ve gotten married at the damn courthouse.”
“But you didn’t,” Rocio smiled through the mirror, “the time before the wedding is the worst.
You remember my wedding? I couldn’t even think straight! And let’s not forget about that one over there!” She pointed to Tiana. “She was so drill sergeant, she should’ve had a second career in the Army.”
“I wasn’t that bad, was I?” Tiana asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Erin remembered. “I had to wear heels the entire night. I remember the rules,” She cleared her throat and spoke in an authoritative tone. “You will not get pregnant or you will be out of the wedding. You will not cut your hair or you will be out of the wedding. You will not gain weight or you will be out of the wedding. You will wear your heels throughout the entire night. You never did pay for my bunion surgery, you cheap bastard.”
“Hey, I got you a very nice wedding gift in the form of an all-expense paid honeymoon, thank you very much,” Tiana smiled back, “you don’t have to accept it.”
“You know my bunions aren’t that bad,” Erin replied.
Tiana yawned and grabbed her stomach. How could she be incredibly hungry and sleepy at the same time? “Well, if you’re almost ready, I’ll head out to the hallway to get in line for the processional.”
“Actually, TeeTee,” Erin spoke to her in the mirror, “can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
Tiana waited for everyone to leave the room so it was just her and Erin alone. “Yes?”
Erin turned around. “Listen, I’m not going to apologize for what happened the other day. Maybe I was a bit foolish in how I acted, but my intentions were true. While I still think breaking up with Kieran was by far the dumbest thing you could’ve done, I respect the fact you wanted Tyson to have his father in his life. And if you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Tiana grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and held it. “I always knew you had my back, Erin. But sometimes you need me to make these stupid mistakes on my own,” she sighed, “trust me, ok
ay?
I’ll deal with Christopher whenever he decides to make himself available.”
“Whenever he decides to make himself available?” Erin replied. “You know what? I don’t even want to know. This is my day and I don’t need to hear about ignorant fools messing up my wonderful day. Let’s go. We have a wedding to get to.”
Tiana joined other members in the wedding party waiting in the foyer of the church. She began to feel light-headed and was convinced it was because the foyer was so crowded, in addition to the air-conditioning not being on. She interlocked arms with her escort and started down the aisle.
Her head began to perspire and her vision was becoming fuzzy. She blinked several times to somehow correct it but it was still no use. What was happening to her?
Tiana took a few more steps and collapsed in the middle of the aisle. It was the last thing she would remember.
****
Tiana slowly opened up her eyes. Where was she? She was at the hospital. She could recognize that smell. It smelled of sanitation and death. She looked towards her left arm. There was a nice needle and accompanying IV bag.
She couldn’t remember what happened. “I was wondering when you were going to wake up,”
Barbara’s upbeat voice rang in her ears. She held her right hand and softly smoothed her thumb over it. “You had me worried for a minute.”
“I don’t know what happened.” Tiana softly spoke. “How did I end up in the hospital?”
“You fainted at Erin’s wedding. They couldn’t revive you at the hotel so they called for an ambulance and brought you here.”
Tiana immediately became embarrassed. She ruined her girlfriend’s wedding. “Erin hates me,”
Tiana frowned.
“Quite the opposite, really,” Barbara added, “she’s very, very concerned for you.”
“Who told you I was here?” Tiana asked.
“I got a call from the hospital telling me to come, so here I am,” Barbara continued to rub Tiana’s hand. “I’ll stay until you want me to leave.”
Tiana thought about how Barbara would know. She then remembered how she listed her as the first contact in case something ever happened to her or Tyson. “I don’t want you to leave,” Tiana blurted. “I want you to stay.”
Barbara thought about her appearance at the hospital. She was merely keeping Christopher’s spot warm until he showed up, whenever that was. “I’ll stay as long as I need to.”
“Well, Good Morning,” the doctor entered in Tiana’s room. “I’m glad to see you’re awake finally.”
“How long was I out, doctor?” Tiana asked.
“Just a few hours. We ran some tests on you while you were passed out so we got all the information we needed about what’s going on with you,” The doctor pulled up a chair.
Tiana held Barbara’s hand tight. “Yes?”
“You need to take it easy from work. Your blood pressure is sky high and you just need to relax.
Also, start drinking more water and eat more fruits and vegetables,” the doctor instructed.
“You’re telling me generics but not giving me the diagnosis,” Tiana replied, “what’s wrong with me?”
“You’re pregnant,” the doctor smiled, “seven weeks to be exact.” He looked at Tiana’s and Barbara’s faces. “I see you two have a lot to discuss. I’ll be back in later to check up on you, Tiana.” He then left the room.
The air was thick with silence for a long while. “I hope I’m right in my assumption that Kieran is the one that got you pregnant and not Christopher?” Barbara began.
Tiana braced herself for her mother’s lecture. Not only did she get pregnant with someone her mother considered to be below her level, she was also having a child out of wedlock. It was a double whammy, no matter what side of the coin she looked at it. There was no positive flip side.
“It’s Kieran’s baby,” Tiana mumbled.
Barbara was silent. It was the uncomfortable, condescending silence Tiana was used to. Her mother didn’t have say a word to let Tiana know how disappointed she was in her. Tiana was grateful her parents didn’t believe in abortion for she knew that would’ve been the first suggestion her mother would’ve made.
“I was wrong,” Barbara’s words broke the silence.
Tiana swore she was hearing things. Did her unforgiving mother actually admit she was wrong?
That woman never admitted to being wrong—ever. “What?”
“I wanted you to get back with that joke ex-husband of yours because I thought Tyson needed a mother and a father. I wanted you to provide a stable home environment for him, thinking having his natural father was a better option. I was wrong. Christopher is nothing but a sperm donor. I gave him some money to help him out with his music production business and I have yet to get a return on my investment. I not-so politely told him if he comes back around my home again, I would sick my dogs on him,” Barbara huffed and Tiana smiled, “My point is, I saw how Kieran was with Tyson. And I saw how he was with you. He made you smile more. He’s been a great influence on Tyson. And I’m sure this new baby you two will have will be just as beautiful.”
Tiana held back her tears. She had wanted this moment from her mother for as long as she could remember. “That means a lot, Mom.”
“I just want my baby happy,” Barbara held Tiana’s hand, “yeah, I may not agree with all of your choices and yeah, some of the things you do might irritate me to no end, at times, but I just want you to be happy. I’ll get over it.” Tiana opened her arms out and Barbara leaned in for a hug. “I love you, Tiana.”
“I love you, too, Mommy.”
“Now,” Barbara wiped her tears, “I’m going to get some coffee. I’m going to Coffee Bean because the coffee here at the hospital isn’t worth a lick of salt. I want you to think about what you’re going to do about your baby and Kieran. I’ll be back soon.” She then left the room.
Tiana didn’t know what she was going to do. She was pregnant. Little Tyson was finally going to have a brother or sister close to his age. She thought about the timing. She and Kieran had only been broken up for a month and Christopher left as soon as he came back. She had been running around so much, she didn’t pay attention to her cycles and thought she was just sick and tired because of her schedule.
Now she had to convince the baby’s daddy to come back home.
SEVENTEEN
Kieran pulled up to the Elite Realty agency and got out of his truck. Since moving out of Tiana’s home, he’d moved back into the extended-stay hotel he was previously staying at. He finally decided it was time for him to find a home of his own. Something with a nice front yard with a fence, a big back yard to host parties and if it had a pool, it was a bonus. Something close to his business and centered where his clients were.
The home search was also a fresh start for Kieran. He needed to do something other than sit around and mope about Tiana all day. He dated other people but it was mainly to have someone in his bed for the night. It was the cycle he went through with Jalara and other girlfriends but the pain was worst with Tiana. He missed her. Furthermore, he missed Tyson. He’d treated the young boy as if he was his own and looked forward to being the father Kieran never had.
He would never break that personal rule again.
“Kieran,” Rocio greeted him with a big smile and hug, “I’m glad you came today.”
“Rocio?” Kieran was surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?”
“I own this place,” she smiled, “I’ve been a realtor since before I got married to Rashad. In fact, showing him a house is how we met. I can’t just be some NBA wife who stays at home, now?”
“I guess not. You could always join the reality shows,” Kieran smirked.
“Yeah, and my husband would really kick my ass,” Rocio laughed.
Kieran smiled back. Though his heart was still bitter towards Tiana, he missed her friends. They were great women. “I guess we can get going.”
“Sure,” she grabbe
d her purse and notepad, “I have a lot of great homes to show you today.”
Throughout the day, Rocio showed Kieran a variety of million-dollar homes. They were all nice but they were missing that one thing, that special something that he needed. He knew what it was—warmth, comfort and love—something he couldn’t get from being in a home. No, it had to have been what was in the home. The messy kitchen, the sticky floors, the crayon on the walls, the toys lying around everywhere. The giggles, the coos, the cries. That’s what he missed. He missed his family. He missed the family he created and hoped for with Tiana.
“We have one more home to look at,” Rocio navigated down the street, “and then we’ll be done.
It’s the last one.”
“Okay,” Kieran agreed. He didn’t want to look at any more homes but he figured one more couldn’t hurt.
Rocio pulled up to the last home and turned off the car. “Okay, we’re here. This one should be very familiar to you.”
Kieran looked out the window. He recognized the home, alright. It was Tiana’s. “I’m not interested,” he quietly replied.
“Oh, I think you are,” Rocio got out of the car, “wait until you see the inside!”
Kieran let out a frustrated sigh and silently cursed Rocio. He should’ve known the moment he saw her back at the office she was up to something. She was extra bubbly and friendly that day.
He begrudgingly got out of the car and followed her to the front door. “Whatever it is you two are doing, I want no part of it,” he warned.
Rocio looked back at Kieran. “She’s smart in business but stupid in love. And you know how people are when they’re in love? They do some pretty strange things for the ones they love.”
“Like plotting a fake house-showing day?” Kieran smarted back.
“You call it plotting,” Rocio rang the doorbell, “I call it creative planning. Have fun.” She then walked back to her car and drove off.
Kieran let out another quiet breath. He didn’t know what Tiana was planning but he was already annoyed with her. He didn’t want her to flaunt her happy relationship in front of his face. He didn’t care about what Christopher was up to or how their failed relationship had a second wind.
