by T. Massey
Chapter 1 – Worry
A flash of worry overcame Imani when her period didn’t come. It had been a week since she had been expecting it and her underwear was completely free of blood stains, which gave her a reason to worry. She’d only had sex with one guy in the past month but she knew if she were to tell him, it would not end well. His family would assume she wanted something other than support: money, especially considering his place in high society. Imani felt a sigh overcome her… they had used a condom and she was on birth control. The chances were like winning a lottery and she would have preferred the money over a baby that needed coddling.
She wouldn’t tell Richard yet, not when she wasn’t completely sure it wasn’t just her body messing with her emotions. She’d buy a pregnancy test and make absolutely sure. First however, she needed to get through this date with him without letting the cat out of the bag.
“Babe, aren’t you supposed to be on your period soon?” Richard asked. For a guy, Richard was always on the ball and had an internal calendar of an elephant.
“Soon, I’m just a little late, it happens,” Imani answered.
“You’re usually always on time though, it’s almost scary,” Richard joked.
Imani couldn’t help the hard frown that dominated her face.
“Babe?” Richard called out while worry invaded his tone and posture at the other end of the dinner table in the restaurant. Imani looked down at her food and felt guilt well up inside her. She didn’t even know for sure but in that moment she felt that it might be true. Something told her that it was and that she couldn’t ignore it now, not when Richard was asking.
“I’m not sure,” Imani answered, her right hand fidgeting with the hem of her dress underneath the table.
Richard waited patiently for her to continue but Imani couldn’t. She stood up suddenly, almost knocking over her wine glass in the process.
“I need to go,” Imani whispered with her head down unable to maintain eye contact any further.
“Imani,” Richard began but she was already fleeing the restaurant.
Imani walked as quickly as her heels allowed. She felt her eyes well up in tears, she never wanted to say anything about it and yet she couldn’t lie to Richard. Exiting the restaurant the cold air stung her lungs but allowed Imani to consider her situation. She would need a cab to get home, one that she most likely couldn’t afford considering how much she spent on the dress she was wearing just for this dinner date. She had begged Richard to take her somewhere nice where the people from his family’s country club might go. She had gotten overly excited and bought this dress, white and perfectly contrasting against her black skin. Richard had said she was stunning… he must think of her as an eyesore now because of how she had just acted. A tear escaped Imani’s hardened defenses which she quickly wiped away.
“Imani!” Richard called as he exited the restaurant. He looked a bit of a mess with his tie now crooked and his wallet partially out of his pocket (most likely from paying the bill in a hurry).
“I’m sorry, Richard,” Imani began before being interrupted.
“Will you marry me?” Richard asked.
“What?” Imani exclaimed, finally making eye contact with Richard.
“Imani, will you marry me?” Richard asked once again. “Richard… it’s not even for sure,” Imani said.
“You seem to have made your mind up,” Richard said with a smile, “and you know your body best.”
Imani didn’t even want to consider the repercussions Richard would face for attempting to marry her. Not only was she not in high society, but she was black. She would never be welcomed into his family with open arms.
“Richard…” Imani said.
“Unless you wanted to um…,” Richard cleared his voice, “because it’s your choice. I’ll support you either way.”
“No… I wouldn’t want to, to be honest…” Imani said. “I’m too scared of surgeries.”
“Then marry me!” said Richard.
“Stop pushing it, man!” Imani laughed.
Richard smiled at her in that way where his eyes crinkled softly.
“Is that a yes?” Richard asked.
“No,” Imani answered.
Chapter 2 – The Parents
Imani laid in bed thinking. What exactly was it that she wanted? Did she even want a ring on her finger and a baby in her stomach? The world seemed to be spinning so fast and with it flinging Imani with it into a new chapter of her life, one where she found herself hesitating. Richard was a great guy, she knew that, but marriage was a whole other deal than just dating. She’d have to let him into every facet of her life and he would need to do the same for her. He’d have to know about the brother she had in jail (unjustly), the dead father, the wonderful but workaholic mother… He would have to also tell her all the skeletons he had in his closet and Imani was sure that there was no way that they were non-existent, not with the amount of money Richard’s billionaire father had in his bank.
Richard was the son of a wealthy member of government (his mother) and the owner of a designer fashion brand (his father). Together their net worth was well over a billion, most likely twice that. Richard was their one and only son: their baby. They raised him well enough to treat Imani well but Imani had her doubts about how they would treat her. As far as Imani knew, Richard was being taught by both his mother and father about business and the inner workings of the government, and how to properly campaign for an election. If they treated her badly Imani wouldn’t know how to deal with it at this moment, there were too many things to worry about, let alone racist in laws.
Her phone vibrated at her side, notifying Imani that someone was calling her. She picked up her cell and saw the name Richard brightly light up her screen.
“Hello?” she answered.
“How’d it go?” Richard asked.
“It’s positive,” Imani answered. Silence met Imani’s ears for a moment as she heard Richard breath in sharply.
“You’re pregnant,” he said.
“Yes,” Imani confirmed.
“With my kid,” he stated.
“Who else would it be?” Imani joked.
“Maybe you’re the next Virgin Mary,” Richard laughed.
“Stop that, you bum,” Imani answered back.
She felt her chest rumble in laughter as her stiff muscles finally relaxed. Richard was a good guy; she couldn’t let him get tied down to her just because she wasn’t willing to get an abortion. He needed to live his own life, with or without Imani in it.
“Mom, Dad, this is Imani,” Richard said, introducing his girlfriend to his parents. They looked at Imani with what seemed like interest but she could tell there was a disbelief in the mixture. At the very least they weren’t overtly terrible.
“Nice to finally meet you, Imeni?” Richard’s father said, questioning his own pronunciation of her unfamiliar name.
“Imani,” she corrected, “and it’s nice to meet you too Mr. Gerard.” Imani smiled as best she could. They shook hands formally and she noted how his grip was similar to Richard’s own.
“Imani,” Richard’s mother called, “you’re as beautiful as Richard described.”
“Oh my,” Imani said embarrassed. She smiled at the three of them, parents and son, but felt her palms begin to sweat in anxiety. She really didn’t want to hate these people but she was just waiting for something to ruin this perfect picture. Something always did in Imani’s life.
“I was thinking we would go out for dinner and discuss the wedding?” Mr. Gerard began.
“Pardon?” Imani asked in confusion.
“Father…” Richard said.
Imani looked at Richard in disbelief as he looked at his father sheepishly.
“Wedding?” She asked.
“Oh my, I thought you said you asked her already, Richard,” Mrs. Gerard said apologetically but with her mouth turned into a sneer.
“He did,” Imani replied.
“Then we need to plan t
he wedding,” Mrs. Gerard answered.
“No, because I said no,” Imani answered.
“Pardon me?” Mr. Gerard said in surprise.
Richard put his face in his right hand and sighed.
“You didn’t listen when I told you, did you?” Richard sighed. “I said that she had said no, but I’d keep trying,” Richard explained.
“Well, this is awkward,” Mr. Gerard said.
“Agreed,” said Imani.
They looked at each other and smiled while Mrs. Gerard scowled.
“Who on earth could say no to my Richard?” she fumed.
“I did,” Imani said.
“Why? Don’t you want our money you two-bit?” Mrs. Gerard began to yell but was silenced by Mr. Gerard’s hand on her shoulder.
“Darling,” he called attempting to calm her down. “Imani has the right to refuse to the marriage.”
Mrs. Gerard sighed in response.
“Yes… I know.”
Imani felt sweat trickle down the back of her neck. It felt as if she had just dodged some sort of mental bullet with all this drama happening around her. If they had known that Richard had proposed to her, did that mean they also knew that she was pregnant? She didn’t dare ask or hint at it lest Richard had kept his mouth shut. She hoped to god he didn’t mention it to his parents, not with the way this situation had just exploded because she had refused to marry Richard.
“Why is she here if she said no?” Mrs. Gerard asked.
“We’re still dating mother,” said Richard.
“So? If she doesn’t want to marry you than you should move on, find another girl, one a little less…” Mrs. Gerard paused searching for the right word, “tan.”
“You mean black,” said Imani. “You want him to date a girl that isn’t black.”
“No, that’s not what I meant at all,” Mrs. Gerard said, scandalized.
“That’s exactly what you meant you racist pig,” Imani said in a hushed tone. This definitely wasn’t some misunderstanding, and she wasn’t about to let Mrs. Gerard get the better of her.
“Mom!” Richard exclaimed. “Imani is black, she was born that way. Does it matter if I marry a white girl or not that much to you?” Richard asked.
“No, Richard, that wasn’t what I was trying to say at all,” his mother said.
“Then what were you trying to say?” Mr. Gerard asked.
All eyes were attracted to the man over to the side with his arms crossed over his chest.
“We should leave,” Imani said while grabbing Richard’s arm. “I’m sorry for intruding; I didn’t realize I wasn’t welcome in this household.”
Richard allowed Imani to drag him out of the mansion and back to the long driveway where his car was parked.
“Imani… I’m so sorry, I didn’t know my mom was like that,” he began. “I guess I should have realized…”
“It’s okay Richard, most people are like that anyways,” Imani said.
“But they shouldn’t be,” Richard said. “You shouldn’t have to worry or deal with this.”
Richard pulled Imani in a hug.
“I’m so sorry.”
Imani wrapped her arms around Richard.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“It’s not okay,” Richard replied. “I wish I could fix this.”
They stood there in each other’s embrace until Imani cleared her throat.
“Let’s go home,” she said, referring to her own apartment.
“Yeah,” Richard agreed, “home.”
The car ride was silent minus the quiet music playing on the radio. The drive was smooth and calming as Imani willed herself to start breathing normally again.
“Your father was angry,” Imani noted.
“He was probably surprised since my mother actually runs programs specifically for impoverished black people. It just seems so out of character,” Richard answered. “She never seemed racist…”
“That’s how it is usually. You can’t tell from the outside,” Imani said.
“But her work…” Richard said.
“Is not her,” Imani replied.
Richard hummed in thought. Imani could only wonder what sort of memories he was conjuring in his mind about his mother and now redefining what she meant to him. She wonders if Mr. Gerard knew from the angry way he reacted.
“Say, let’s go on a date tomorrow,” Richard suggested.
“Pardon me?” Imani said.
“I have a great idea,” Richard replied.
Chapter 3 – A Date and A Fitting
Come next morning, Richard was driving Imani and himself to their date destination. The weather was beautiful out, and the sun shone through the clouds that yesterday had brought, warming up the temperature to something more comfortable and less chilly. Imani gazed out the window as they drove along the countryside, enjoying the view of the fields and blue skies.
“You haven’t been out of the city much, have you?” Richard asked.
“Never had the time or reason to,” Imani answered while still looking out the passenger window, “but now I do.”
Richard smiled and kept his eyes on the road, but through his peripherals he saw Imani smile too. The atmosphere was perfect and he could feel that today was going to be a good day.
“We’re almost there,” Richard said.
“Where are we even going?” Imani asked.
“You’ll see,” Richard replied with a laugh. He turned into long driveway off the road and parked the car on the crunchy gravel. Imani looked around as she exited the vehicle, taking in the fresh air and beautiful weather. As far as she could see there was green grass up to the neighboring forests on both sides of the plot of land. There was a fenced open space just behind one of the wooden buildings that Richard was currently walking towards where what looked like…
“Horse riding?!” Imani exclaimed.
“It’ll be fun!” Richard said with a laugh as he opened the door to the stable.
“I’ve never been on a horse before, I don’t know…” Imani said with doubt.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be riding together,” Richard reassured.
Imani felt her frown deepening but said nothing. It’s not that she didn’t love horses, she did. She was just worried about whether or not riding atop of one would spell out disaster. Following Richard into the stable, Imani gazed at the various animals in front of her. Richard stopped in front of a pure white horse and patted their neck.
“This is Spot,” Richard introduced Imani, “she’s very mild and hasn’t bucked off anyone I know,” Richard laughed. “We’ll be riding her today.”
“Why is she called Spot?” Imani asked with curiosity.
“She has a big brown spot on her side, so we called her Spot ever since one of my younger cousins did without thinking. We thought it was cute so the name stuck.”
“Did she have a different name before?” Imani asked.
“Yes, she was Anastasia before that, my Mom had named her.”
Imani frowned but didn’t say anything about yesterday. It was best not to let the past ruin the present. Richard led Spot out of the stable and into the fenced open area. After saddling her up, Richard grabbed a hold of Imani and hoisted her up atop the white horse. He got on behind her and grabbed a hold of the reins. Spot shifted her weight from hoof to hoof in order to get used to the two humans now on her back.
Imani felt Richard’s hot breath on her neck as he exhaled. She shivered but tried suppress any physical movement. His chest felt warm on Imani’s back and she couldn’t help but imagine that maybe this was what spooning with Richard could be like. She felt him move in closer and inhale by her neck.
“You smell nice,” he said.
Imani shivered overtly this time, unable to suppress it.
“You probably smell my hairspray to be honest,” Imani said.
“You’ve got great taste then,” Richard said with a smile.
Richard motioned with the reins and called out t
o the horse which got Spot to begin to walk. Imani was almost too distracted to notice, the warmth on her back calling out to her senses. She couldn’t help but focus on the way that Richard felt on her back, the softness of his chest, the hardness of his core, and lower… Imani had to shake her head physically to banish the thoughts that were about to invade her mind.
“Are you alright, Imani?” Richard asked.
“I’m fine, I’ve just never rode a horse before so I’m a little shaken,” she answered.
Spot was moving underneath her and it felt weird to feel all her muscles work under the saddle. If she was on the horse alone Imani would have definitely fallen off. However, because Richard was there he was able to hold her steady. They both felt emotions of attachment well up as they shared such an intimate moment.
Richard made a sound that sent Spot into a slow gallop. Her movements sent Imani and Richard bouncing on top of her but Richard’s arms on either side of Imani grabbing the reins calmed her down. He would never do something to put her in danger.
Together they rode Spot on and off, laughing. Richard even got Imani to get atop the horse alone, and it was from there that he proposed again.
“Imani, please marry me,” he said.
“Pardon?” Imani said surprised.
Richard pulled a box from his jacket and opened it facing towards Imani.
“I want to marry you,” Richard confessed.
Imani felt touched, the sunset in the background perfecting the picture. Sitting atop of Spot, Imani gave her second response,
