by Pat Simmons
“Cameron didn’t say it was for Ace’s mother?” Talise queried.
“Nope. Besides him and Ace, I hadn’t thought about anybody else wanting it. Maybe it’s a good thing he didn’t tell me it was for Ace’s mother. I might have said no.”
Talise gnawed on her bottom lip instead of munching on her bite-sized veggies and fruit wedges. “I told her I would get back to her. What do you think?”
“What do I think, or what would I do?”
“I’ll take both answers.”
“Maybe she wants to give you a heads-up.” Lois reached over and tore off more seedless grapes from their platter. “Or maybe she wants to threaten you or curse you out. That’s where I come in.” She thumped her chest, vowing to protect her self-appointed godchild at any cost.
Closing her eyes, Talise fell back on her pillows. “Ace doesn’t want to be in my life, so why is his mother concerned? None of this is making sense. His actions are so contrary to those of the man I fell in love with.”
“Please tell me you didn’t tell him that. It’s like a death sentence when men find out a woman loves them,” Lois begged with a groan. “Go figure.”
“No. Not verbally, anyway. But I thought we shared that love in so many other ways, and I’m not just talking about the baby. When I was with him, I felt loved.”
“See, love ain’t what it’s cracked up to be. Stay detached.”
“Kind of late for that, don’t you think? But thanks for the after-the-fact advice.”
Rubbing her stomach, Talise sighed. At eight weeks, she had scheduled her first official prenatal visit the following week. Now, unanswerable questions had begun flooding her mind. What did her baby look like? Was she having a boy or a girl?
“Ace didn’t choose me to be his wife, so I’ll always be the other woman,” Talise explained, regretfully. It was true. She hadn’t made the cut.
“One day, a man out there is going to call Ace a fool and snatch you up because you’re a good thing.”
“Right, me and my big belly.”
Talise had a different attitude when she strolled through Dr. Sherman’s office. Lois offered to tag along, but Talise felt she could handle the first visit by herself. Without voicing it to her roommate, she knew she had to get used to going solo.
In the examination room, the nurse took her weight and blood pressure. Her blood pressure was normal, but she had lost three pounds.
“Don’t be concerned about those few pounds. That’s normal at first because you’re probably having some trouble keeping your food down,” the nurse advised, scribbling notes in her chart. “And you gave us a urine sample?”
Talise nodded.
Next, Dr. Sherman came in the room with a smile. “Well, you look much better than when I saw you last month.”
“After the initial shock wore off, and with the support of my sister, father, and a couple of friends, I’ve accepted that I can do this.” Talise wanted to convince herself, so she could convince her doctor.
“So I guess the father hasn’t come around?”
Talise shook her head.
“It would be helpful if you could get some of the father’s medical history or health conditions, so we’ll be aware of what symptoms to monitor. Is there a mother or a sibling of his you can speak with?” Dr. Sherman asked, as she leaned Talise back to check the baby’s heart rate. Next, she examined her abdomen for the baby’s position and size.
Immediately, Talise thought about Sandra. Before now, she hadn’t given the woman a second thought. Maybe this was the time to reach out to her, if for no other reason, but to get Ace’s medical history.
“Everything looks okay. Remember to take your vitamins, get plenty of rest and exercise, and I’ll see you in four weeks.” Dr. Sherman paused. “I’m glad you decided to have your baby.” She added in a whisper, “God has a way of blessing us with small packages.”
“I’ll remember that.” Before the doctor left the room, Talise asked a few more questions. Then she got dressed and walked down the street to the bookstore, eager to buy another baby book.
That evening, she shared the good news with Lois that all was well. They celebrated by cooking omelets with plenty of spinach and ham, another quirky craving. Talise washed it down with a tall glass of milk. Lois saluted her with a glass of wine.
Early the next morning, Talise suffered a bout of nausea. She threw up more than once. Hearing the noises, Lois rushed out of her bedroom and into the bathroom.
“You okay? I thought this was supposed to end soon.”
“Me too.” Talise rinsed out her mouth and brushed her teeth. After she patted cool water on her face, Lois helped her back to bed.
“This is crazy, but until I can settle my stomach, I can’t put anything in it. And if—”
“If you don’t put anything in it, you’ll throw up again, and the cycle goes on,” Lois added, glancing at her watch.
“I’m going to be late for work if I don’t hurry. Traffic on Mass Ave ain’t no joke on Fridays. Are you going to be okay?” she asked with a frown of genuine concern written across her face.
When Talise nodded, Lois added, “By the way, I saw Cameron on campus the other day. He had just finished one of his engineering lectures. Although I ignored him, he made sure he interrupted my day until I paid him attention. He asked how you were doing. He seems concerned.”
Yeah. “Everybody, except the father.”
“I’m sorry, Talise, but I’m in your corner. Listen, I can pop some bread into the toaster and microwave an instant packet of oatmeal for you before I go.”
“Thanks.”
She kept massaging her stomach. One more day and Talise could talk to her sister. She would contact her father later that evening and tell him what the doctor said. He called regularly to check up on her. Thank God for real daddies.
Friday was always a busy travel day at the airport. Unfortunately morning sickness caused Talise to be late for work. She made up for her hour of tardiness by staying over. That gave her a few minutes to catch up with Gabrielle Dupree.
When Talise first transferred to Boston from the West Coast, she and Gabrielle hit it off right away and became fast friends. The two had a lot in common, including some physical similarities.
Only a few years apart, Gabrielle had a level of peace about her that Talise wished she could tap into, especially now. Plus, she was the perfect role model of a Christian woman. Gabrielle always said, “I’d better be. One of my brothers is an evangelist, but my whole family would whip me into shape with prayer.” Even with her strong faith, she never condemned Talise for her opinions or how she lived her life.
Gabrielle was on her third day of standing in as a ticket agent for a sick employee. In her management position, it was one of many hats she wore. She withheld the option to force another employee to work a double shift; that wasn’t her style. Gabrielle wasn’t the type of supervisor who abused her authority and took advantage of others.
After clocking in and helping several customers, she turned to Talise. “Have you lost weight?”
“A couple of pounds,” Talise replied with a shrug. Trying to appear casual, she was hoping her manager wouldn’t ask for details about her weight loss program. When she was ready, Talise was planning to share her news in private. At the moment, they were at the workplace where anyone could overhear them and this just wasn’t the time.
“Can you take some of mine?” she joked. “I’ve picked up five pounds in the last month. If I don’t curb my sweet tooth and soda addiction, people are going to think I’m pregnant.”
Talise froze, and then blinked. Did Gabrielle know? No way. She had been desperately trying to cover all her bases by keeping up her appearance, apologizing for the times she was tardy—although she never gave an explanation—and blaming the increased potty breaks on adding more water to her diet.
She smiled at Gabrielle’s comment, but didn’t reply Truthfully, Talise was too ashamed to mention anything to Gabrielle. She hadn
’t gathered the nerve yet. Although she knew her friend wouldn’t judge her, it was more than the embarrassment of being pregnant without a husband. Talise was humiliated over being dumped. She felt used and then discarded, and that was eating her up.
“Is your boyfriend taking you to see the Boston Pops 4th of July Fireworks next weekend?”
Praying for any distraction, Talise crafted her answer carefully. She was hoping to extinguish Gabrielle’s inquires. “Nope, he’ll be out of town.”
“Too bad. You’re welcome to go with me and a couple of my friends.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll watch it online,” Talise said, as passengers began to line up at the counter in droves. She was thankful that their conversation had to end.
When the crowd finally slowed down and her shift was coming to a close, Talise was relieved to clock out and bid Gabrielle and the other ticket agent farewell. She knew Gabrielle’s questions were innocent, but at the moment she guarded her privacy, at least for as long as she could.
Leaving the airport terminal, Talise caught the shuttle to the employee parking lot. It was a good thing she had driven. Not only were her feet tired, but so was her back. When she arrived at the apartment about forty minutes later, Lois was getting dressed to go out.
“Hey. How’re you feeling, hon?” Lois stopped fumbling with the stud in the back of her earring to listen.
“Is that a multiple choice or essay question? I’m beat. I never knew eight hours could be so long. And being on my feet the whole time makes me feel like I’ve worked twenty hours. Whew!”
The aroma of something Lois cooked tickled her nose, but the only thing Talise wanted was a warm shower to cool her off from the Boston heat.”
“The department chair is hosting a mixer for some international dignitaries. I was hoping you felt like mingling. But just in case you weren’t up to it, I made cream of chicken and wild rice soup. I also popped some rolls in the oven.”
Touched by her roommate’s consideration, Talise hugged her. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’m going to shower, eat, and lie down for a nap.”
The alarm clock startled Talise. She blinked and racked her brain to remember what day it was. “Saturday?”
Yawning, she looked around her. Evidently, Lois had come in and wrapped her almost in a cocoon. “I can’t believe I slept straight through the night.” She got up and headed to the bathroom.
Although she looked forward to seeing her favorite biweekly customers, Talise really couldn’t wait to see her sister and tell her the latest news. While she went about getting dressed for work, Talise anticipated her next conversation with Sinclaire later in the evening. Her sister would be excited to hear what the doctor said about how the baby was growing.
The downside was she needed Ace’s medical history. Talise wanted to get her sister’s opinion on how to go about getting that information. Sinclaire would also ask about her prayer life, as usual. Talise still read a few chapters whenever she could during the week, but her mind seemed too jumbled for anything to stick.
Noticing the time, she hurried to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast and make a snack. She emptied two packets of instant oatmeal into a bowl and added water before popping it into the microwave. Quickly, Talise cut up some apple slices and placed them into a sandwich bag. Throwing a banana into a paper bag along with the apples, she devoured her oatmeal and downed a glass of milk.
Not wanting to keep her first client waiting too long, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door.
At the salon, “Tammy” was the code name she and her client, Priscilla, had established for when they chatted about baby stuff. “Tammy” was supposedly Talise’s friend who was pregnant. Priscilla got a kick out of their secret pact. When it came time to pay, the generous lady always insisted on giving something extra for “Tammy’s baby.”
With a constant flow of one customer after another, the day seemed to drag on, taking a toll on Talise’s body. Between her regular client load and the steady walk-ins, she was going to have to cut back—even if it did put a dent in her savings.
Indirectly, the majority of the money Talise had in her savings account had come from Ace. She frowned. He was so generous in one way and yet so cruel in another. Not expecting him to react the way he did, she really didn’t know what to make of his behavior.
When Talise arrived home at the end of the day, she fingered through her mail and smiled when she recognized the Richmond, Virginia, address. It was the second check from her father to supplement her expenses.
The first check had arrived a few days after she gave her dad the news. It wasn’t enough to cover her portion of the rent, which was seven hundred-and fifty dollars, but Talise was thankful for the five hundred dollars. It was a big help. Donna had signed the check and in the memo line, wrote “payment #1.” Was that her stepmother’s way of placing a guilt trip on her? Probably.
She would have to make some long-term decisions about her and the baby’s future. From here on out, money would be an issue. Talise had immediately begun managing her income down to the penny. She no longer had extra money. She saved it all.
Boston was an expensive city to survive in. It wasn’t unusual for people to have two jobs to make it. Donna had better be careful. She didn’t realize Talise could always go back home if it got too rough here.
Surprisingly the additional check in her hand was for one thousand dollars. Her father had signed this one. She danced around the apartment, sticking out her tongue. “Take that, wicked stepmother,” she sneered in a mocking voice.
After Talise fixed herself something to eat and sat down to relax, she called home.
“Rogers’ residence,” Donna answered.
Talise quickly mustered up a happy voice. “Hi, Donna, how are you?” She didn’t wait for her to answer. “Is my dad available?”
“We’re in the middle of watching our favorite movie.”
“Sorry, but I’m sure my father would want to talk to his daughter,” she countered.
“Is this about more money? I sent you—”
“Donna, please put my father on the phone, or I will hop on a plane and talk to him in person.”
“Don’t you talk to me in that tone, young lady.”
Talise had no patience for Donna’s uppity attitude. “This is what’s going to happen. You either put my dad on the phone, or I’m calling Richmond police and ask them to check on the well-being of a Frederick Rogers because his second wife might have poisoned him.”
Weaving her story, she couldn’t keep a straight face. “You know what, never mind. I think I’ll call the police anyway.”
Click.
Turning on her computer, she Googled the number for the Richmond Police department. While she was punching the number in her phone, she heard the call waiting signal. It was her father calling.
She answered. “Daddy? Are you okay?”
“Of course, I am. What is going on? Donna said you were about to call the police. What’s wrong, baby?”
“It’s Donna. I’m pregnant and hormonal. When I call my dad, I don’t want to hear reasons why I can’t talk to you.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll talk to her. I love her and I love you too. She can’t replace your mother, but please respect her as my wife.”
“I will.” There was silence. Then Talise spoke. “Well, I called to say thank you for the money. I really appreciate it, Dad. I went to the doctor this week, and the baby is doing fine. The doctor let me hear the heartbeat.”
As soon as Talise mentioned the baby, the tension between her and her father broke. Although she could hear Donna’s voice in the background, Talise didn’t rush through the conversation. It was only when her battery was about to go dead, that she said goodbye.
“Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will. Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, baby girl. Take care of my grandbaby,” he ordered. They chuckled and disconnected.
&n
bsp; Talise couldn’t allow a verbal confrontation with Donna to upset her. At best, her father’s wife was usually cordial to her. But once she learned about the baby, Donna upped her snobbish attitude. “Lord, help me not to be disrespectful. I want my Dad to be happy.”
Checking the time, it would be another hour until her video chat with Sinclaire. This was their first opportunity in a while to actually talk to each other. She made herself a small fruit snack, logged into her Skype account, and waited.
Talise was dozing when she heard a ringing sound come from her computer. Jolting up, she realized it was Sinclaire calling and clicked on answer. Within a few seconds, Talise screamed her delight at seeing her sister on the screen. “Sergeant Rogers, it’s about time!”
Sinclaire laughed. “You wanted a video call. Sorry, we couldn’t do this sooner. Lately, some of my days have been eighteen-hour shifts. How are you feeling? You look tired.” She practically kissed the computer screen, trying to see. Talise angled her laptop to show off a slight bulge.
“Now, what’s this about Aaron moving?” Sinclaire asked, frowning.
By the time Talise finished recanting the story, she was in tears. “It’s more than about being pregnant; it’s about being dumped too,” she told her sister.
Talise sniffed, wiped her nose, and vented her feelings. “I feel used. I had no idea that’s all he wanted from me. No idea.” Her voice faded, as a new round of tears cascaded down her cheeks. Then she told Sinclaire about her conversation with Donna.
“I may not be there, but God is. Father, in the Name of Jesus, we thank You for Your benefits. My sister needs You right now, and regardless of our sins, You washed them away with Your blood, if we repent. Lord, bless her child. There are many women in the Bible who gave birth to great men. Help her child to be great. Let this child be a blessing, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
“Amen,” Talise whispered. She reflected on those two chapters in Matthew that spoke of some great men of God who weren’t born in the best of situations. Silently, she asked God to help motivate her to read His Word more often.
