by Pat Simmons
Talise had learned when she first entered the workforce after college to watch her back. Every job had friends, enemies, and “frienemies.” Observing a few incidents involving various coworkers prompted her to keep people out of her private life. But it was something about Gabrielle that oozed confidence and peace, no matter what went down at work. She was a part of management Talise knew she could trust.
Then, of course, she would have to tell her roommate and Sasha at the salon. Lois should probably know soon, considering she would have to put up with her regurgitations and mood swings.
Oh yeah, the father. Ace. As much as she wanted him to know, he probably wouldn’t answer if she called him—again. Talise hadn’t heard from him since the night he walked out of her apartment—possibly her life.
With too many other issues going on in her body and head at the moment, she wouldn’t allow herself to think about him right then. There was no hurry. Soon enough they would have a conversation, either in person, over the phone, or by pony express, with his cousin riding on the horse to deliver the telegram.
On the drive home, Talise’s thoughts were focused solely on the baby’s father. Ace had never seen her mad. There had never been a cause for it, but Talise planned to unload her mind, in particular, for him not returning her calls or checking up on her.
When Talise arrived back at her apartment, she headed straight for her laptop. Not being able to hold the news until she and Sinclaire could have a Skype chat, she logged on to her email account. In the subject line, she entered, It’s official. Then Talise proceeded to type the message, confirming that her suspicions were true. Dr. Sherman told her she was six weeks along.
Talise ended the message, asking Sinclaire to email her as soon as possible. She wanted them to Skype and was looking forward to seeing her sister’s face. Her faith needed a boost so that she could actually make it through this pregnancy.
Chapter Seven
Ace was number three on the hit list. As customary on Sunday evenings, Sandra called and spoke with her daughter-in-law first, and then Kidd.
Since he hadn’t heard an official word from Talise, he concluded the pregnancy thing had been a bluff. He took a sigh of relief and then became agitated that he’d left Beantown in vain.
After her preliminary questions about his new job, health, and general adjustments, Sandra ruined the conversation with a recap of her pastor’s sermon. It was becoming another Sunday tradition. Before she started in on him, he had been lounging on the deck without a care in the world.
“I hope you’ll go to church with your brother and Eva, since I couldn’t get you to go with me. God has a plan that includes you, Aaron.”
How many times had Ace heard his mother say that? When Jesus saved her when he was a little boy, Sandra always said God bestowed on her every blessing and gift He promised. Ace was never sure what that meant and how it was supposed to affect him.
“I’ve got my Bible right here. I’ll read it to you from Acts 2:8–40.” He heard Sandra flipping some pages. “It was so soul-stirring,” she added.
Slowly exhaling, Ace braced himself for her sermonette. One thing he did not do or like to see was a mother being disrespected, so he begrudgingly listened. While waiting for Sandra to begin, he remembered a time when he was barely a teenager. Growing up, he was tall and thick enough to intimidate anyone. Ace had gotten into a fight with his best friend, Quinton Sage, over a girl.
When his friend’s mother intervened and broke up the fight, Quinton cursed her out until she cried. Up until that point, Ace didn’t know that Black women took such disrespect from their children. His mother didn’t. She put the fear of God in him and a belt on his behind at an early age.
Ace would have won the fight had Mrs. Sage let it continue. After that, she banned him from her house because he bloodied her son’s nose.
“Are you listening?” Sandra broke into his reverie. She had the sweetest voice, even when she was stern.
“Yes.”
One son down, one more to go … She read all forty verses, ending with “‘And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
Sandra paused a moment to reflect on what she had just read and then addressed him. “I’m proud of you, son. You’re a late bloomer, but you’ve matured over the past …”
Tuning out his mother again, Ace could thank his brother for this torture. With Kidd surrendering to Jesus, Ace had practically become a marked man in his family.
Just then his cell phone vibrated, indicating a ringtone was moments away. The sound quickly made him grin, literally saving him from further recap of his mom’s Bible lesson. Although he didn’t recognize the 617 area code number, it gave him an out. For good measure, he made sure his mother could hear it.
“I’ve got to take this, Mom. Talk to you later.”
“I love you, Aaron,” Sandra said, hurrying off the phone before her son could reply.
He answered just before the call went to voice mail. “Hello.”
“Ace, it’s Talise.”
His body tensed. Ace’s heart pounded and his deodorant failed. It took three seconds for Talise to discombobulate him. Cleverly, she had used an unrecognizable number to get to him. He should have known she would pull something like that since she was so conniving.
Maybe he should call his mother back and let her finish the sermonette … anything but talk to a former girlfriend who mercilessly broke his heart.
Act calm. No matter what, don’t let her make you feel guilty about not calling, he coaxed himself.
“Hey, how are you?”
“You mean, before I told you I might be pregnant, or after I found out that I’m having a baby?”
Amused by the challenge in her voice, Ace stood from his perch on Kidd’s patio and began to pace the backyard.
“Are you going to say something?”
Not really. He cleared his voice. “Are you sure?” When she repeated what the doctor had said, he asked, “So what are you going to do?”
“Don’t you mean us?”
“Tay, I did not sign up to be a father.”
He felt obligated to give it to her straight. That’s when the name calling began. Ace knew she was smart, but he had to commend her on her use of adjectives. Still, he wouldn’t be deterred.
“Listen, if you’re really pregnant …” He paused. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if it was his. But that would be a low blow, even if she did try to set a trap. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.”
How could he have thought she was different from the others?
“Well, I guess this is a courtesy call.” Talise’s voice trembled, as she muffled a sniff. “Just know this, Aaron Jamieson: I think you’re a coward. But I was the stupid one to think that we loved each other, even if we never said it.”
Love? Now that was priceless. His mother drilled into him and Kidd not to swear because no man has the power to fulfill it. But Jesus was his witness. He never loved any of the women he slept with. Well, maybe he shouldn’t bring God into this. Still, he had to admit that somehow the word love coming from her lips touched him.
Don’t fall for it! He warned himself and tuned her out again.
A few times, he had almost been taken by the best of them. There was Janice Dilworth in a top management position. She was also slick. The woman was actually willing to pay him to marry her when, all of a sudden, Janice found out she was pregnant. Unmarried, it could ruin her career.
Ace didn’t buy her story either. Nine months after that, he heard through mutual friends, there was no story to tell. As tempting as $50,000 a year would be to become Mr. Dilworth, “The Husband,” it wasn’t worth it. Ace didn’t walk away; rather, he jumped on his motorcycle and sped away.
Talise broke the lull. “I won’t bother you again. I won’t ask you for a penny,” she screamed. Then attempting to calm her voice, she repeated, “Like I said, this was a courtesy call.” She whispered a goodbye and hung up.
“Whew
. Drama. Why couldn’t Tay have been different?” Her tirade was almost enough to make him lock up his libido. Turning around, he headed back into the house, chuckling. “That will never happen.”
Chapter Eight
As Talise disconnected, Lois walked through the door of their apartment. Talise couldn’t remember the last time she had cursed someone out, probably when she was a teenager. It wasn’t her character to lash out at people like that.
“Talise,” Lois yelled, as she dumped her keys on some nearby hard surface and kept moving through the apartment.
Without answering, Talise threw her new cell phone on the bed, ran into the bathroom, and locked the door. She turned on the faucet and began to pat cold water on her face. Her nose was swollen and her eyes were puffy.
Looking at her image in the mirror, she was certain her disheveled look would play out over the next nine months. Talise hadn’t told Lois yet, but she knew she couldn’t hold out too long. After all, they shared the same living space.
At the moment, she needed to regroup. Contrary to her intentions, she didn’t push Ace to the bottom of the list and broke the news to him sooner than planned. Now it was a regretful decision. Thinking back to their conversation, Talise wasn’t proud of the names she called him, but his nonchalant attitude irked her.
“Talise,” Lois repeated again from the other side of the bathroom door.
“Just a minute.” That was a lie. She needed longer than a minute to regain her dignity. Without actually saying the word, Ace had basically called her a slut. God, why was I so stupid?
“Are you okay?” Lois asked, now knocking on the door.
“Yeah.”
“Girl, what’s wrong? Unless you’re polluting the air in there, open up. I heard you run into the bathroom when I came through the front door.”
This would be another moment of truth. Besides Sinclaire knowing, and now Ace, Lois might as well be next to find out about her baby. Turning the lock, Talise cracked the door open. Lois shrieked when she took one look at her face.
“What’s going on with you? Spill it! What happened? Did someone die? Oh, God, your sister. She didn’t get hurt, did she?” Lois grabbed her by the arm and dragged Talise out of the bathroom.
“Sinclaire is fine, but I’m pregnant,” she blurted it out, hurried to her bed, and collapsed.
Lois froze with her mouth hanging open. She blinked and then formed an “O” with her lips, but no words came out. Her roommate had the most comical expressions. Talise would have laughed at her dumbstruck look, but this wasn’t the time and she didn’t have the energy.
“What did Ace say? Is he happy?” She flopped down on the foot of the bed. “When did you find out? How far along—”
The girl had a Rolodex of questions.
Taking a deep breath, Talise gathered her strength to answer. She was sure to hear the questions again from others. “Ace basically said, ‘See ya.’ He’s definitely not happy. I found out on Friday. My baby is six weeks along. I’m due sometime in January.”
Crossing her legs, Lois counted on her fingers. “What do you mean Ace isn’t happy?” She slanted her head. “What does ‘he’s definitely not happy’ mean?”
Lois paused. “Okay I’ll let you slide for not telling me two days ago. But let’s revisit questions one and two because I’m not feeling this abbreviated version.”
“The truth is, Lois, I’m on my own.” Talise sniffed. Would she ever get used to saying that? “He acted like he didn’t believe me, as if I’m making this up. Why would I do that? Right before you came in, his callousness triggered the ghetto somewhere in my family tree to emerge. I think I created some new curse words while I chewed him out.”
“Good for you.” Lois bowled over laughing, and Talise chuckled until she started laughing too. Then wiping at a tear, her expression became serious.
“I know Ace doesn’t think the baby’s not his?”
The question pricked at Talise’s heart. “He didn’t say it, but sometimes silence is golden.”
Lois sprang from the bed, almost twisting her ankle on her stilettos. Once she steadied herself, she wagged her finger. “No man is going to call you a tramp, whether he verbalized it or not. I can’t believe Ace! I thought that man loved you. The jerk!”
She bit her lip and continued her line of questioning. “Okay, girlfriend, how do you want to handle this? Hit-and-run, broken bones, what? It’s your choice, or all of the above. Say the word and I’m on it. Your footprints on his backside, or it could be both of ours, you call it. I’m speechless.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Talise attempted to joke.
Lois was geared up. “This is my fault. I never mentioned to Cameron that my roommate was new to the area. It was his idea for us to set you up with Ace. Oooh, the nerve …” Lois practically growled, as she balled her hands into fists.
When it appeared that she was on the verge of tears, Talise became the comforter. “You had no way of knowing when you introduced me to him how things would turn out. I fell in love with Ace, although I never told him. He protected himself and I protected myself …” God spoke. Adam and Eve couldn’t cover their nakedness. Neither can you hind our sins from My eyes.
“But the woman always gets caught holding the bag, and the man walks away without a care in the world,” Lois added.
Practically ignoring her friend momentarily, her conscience was cutting her to the core. Throwing her hands up in the air, Talise shrugged. “What better time to turn to God, but when I’m in trouble.” She sighed in disgust with herself.
“I have thirty-four weeks to prepare for a little one. That’s where I need to focus. Ace won’t have to worry about any baby’s mama drama from me.”
“Can I borrow your drama? When I didn’t see Ace this week, I didn’t think anything of it.” Lois pulled her iPhone out of the case hooked onto her belt.
“Who are you calling?”
“Cameron. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind, your mind, and then …”
Lifting her hand, Talise was drained from this bout of theatrics. “Let it go, Lois. I can do this. I would prefer to be married to a man who loved me before I had a baby. But this is the bed I created, so now it’s time for me to wash the sheets and make it up. Seriously, Lois, let it go.”
“Sure,” she said with a sly grin. Somehow, Talise didn’t believe her.
Chapter Nine
It had been almost a week since Ace gave Talise the cold shoulder. When it came to women, he usually terminated the breakup in a more genteel and polished manner, unlike the heartless jerk he had portrayed to Talise.
The woman had no idea how she crushed him with her lie. If Talise had only known that he was on the verge of contemplating the possibility of saying those three little words, then she would have realized there was no need for her to set a trap. He’d given it a lot of thought. Of the many women he had dated, Talise most definitely could have been the “one.” Ace could thank his mother’s prayers for keeping him from the clutches of yet another woman.
It was late when he finally arrived in Kidd’s neck of the woods of Old Town Florissant. After a long day at the downtown office, he was glad to be on their doorstep. Turning his key into the lock, Ace deactivated the alarm.
The house was quiet as he shut the door and walked into the living room. Kidd and Eva worked at the same affluent Garden Chateau Nursing Facility. No doubt, the pair was together someplace.
Ace would have never guessed his older brother would wind up with a job in a nursing home. According to Kidd, they were paying him big money to boss people around as the resident liaison. Of course, his authority stopped at his wife, Eva, who was an LPN.
The remnants of a home-cooked meal lingered in the air. He headed to his bedroom to change. Grinning, Ace shook his head. His brother definitely got himself a winner. Eva was sweet, nice-looking, and the sister could cook.
Placing his laptop on the bed alongside the folders he brought home from work, Ace whipped his tie
from around his neck and unbuttoned his shirt. He twirled them both across the room, but they missed their mark of the chair. Sitting on the bed, he removed his shoes, rolled off his socks, and carefully placed them on the floor by his side. When it came to his footwear, it was a serious matter. Comfort was his goal.
Ace stood up with his hands resting on his waist and surveyed the guest room. It was a mess. Uncharacteristic for him, but that’s what happens when you rush in from out of town one night and dive into a new job the next day. Maybe this weekend, he would tidy up before Eva saw it and made good on her threat.
He padded his bare feet across the cool hardwood floor to the even cooler marble tile in the kitchen. His stomach growled. The table was already set, which seemed to be one of Eva’s obsessions whether she cooked or served carryout. Ace reached for a plate and walked to the stove.
Lifting the lids, he moaned. “Sautéed vegetables, squash, zucchini, and red peppers. Hmm-mm.” Next, he uncovered a pan that revealed some sort of pasta dish and scooped a hefty portion onto his plate. As he added the vegetables alongside, he felt the oven still warm against his leg. Knowing there was more to enjoy inside, Ace bent and opened the door to discover rolls and meatloaf. It didn’t even cross his mind to be shy about his serving portions.
At the table, he blessed his food then crammed some vegetables into his mouth. Realizing he forgot something to drink, Ace got up to get a tall glass of water to quench his thirst. When he glanced around the kitchen, he noted more changes Eva had made to Kidd’s former bachelor three-bedroom house. His wife simply had a flair for decorating.
Whenever he came to visit his brother during the past two years, there was always something new Eva had done. Whether it was wallpapering or adding more furniture, her creativity was reflected everywhere. This time, it was the colorful cookware and gadgets that complemented the kitchen decor.
Ace quickly lost interest in his surroundings when an image of Talise came to mind. It was the night she had orchestrated a candlelight dinner and the last time he’d seen her face. She looked ravishing and had prepared his favorite—twice-baked potatoes.
