If I knew how to shoot a gun, I would kill Ace.” Talise was beyond humiliated. She and Lois strutted out of the restaurant, as though she didn’t have a care in the world.
“Stop it before your baby hears you talk that nonsense. If it’s a boy, you don’t want to give him any ideas about becoming a thug and packing.”
Lois was right. Talise exhaled. She wasn’t vying to be the next guest on The Maury Show. Suddenly, she could hear one of her mother’s favorite childhood scoldings, If you can’t say anything nice about a person, don’t say anything. For the rest of the ride home, Talise was quiet.
“Are you okay?” Lois asked, moments after they entered the apartment. “You barely said a word in the car. What are you thinking?”
“About the ‘if’ word,” Talise responded, mumbling and grumbling on the way to her bedroom. Leaving an untidy trail of her belongings—purse, sandals, and keys—across their hardwood floor, she was completely distraught.
“Can you believe the nerve of that woman? Sandra wants us to be friends if I’m pregnant with Ace’s baby. She would have been less insulting had she requested my friendship on Facebook, whenever I decide to give in to all that social network stuff. I suppose the request would be to meet me in the birthing room.” Her voice quivered.
“Actually, I heard her say she wants to be friends, and then after the paternity test, she wants to be the grandmother,” Lois tweaked.
“Talk about a superficial relationship. Was it even worth meeting?”
“A free meal—yes.” Lois kicked off her shoes, as Talise cut her eyes at her friend. Scooting a chair closer to the bed, Lois got comfortable and then used her roommate’s bed to prop her feet.
“You know the saying, ‘Momma’s baby, Poppa’s maybe.’ Evidently, with a son like Ace, she’s always suspect. Again, I’m so sorry for introducing you to such a low life,” Lois offered her ongoing apology.
Lying on her bed, Talise stared at the ceiling. She felt like her identity had been stolen. It would probably be faster to repair a damaged credit report than her life at this point.
“What a mess? I know some women think they can change a man, but that wasn’t my intent. I happened to like the man Ace portrayed himself to be.” Talise sniffed to ward off a crying spell. It was useless, as her tears began a slow path down her cheeks. This emotional roller-coaster was as bad as physically throwing up. She could never get used to either one.
“I don’t know which was more shocking, Cameron telling me that Ace had moved—not moved on, but away—or Ace’s mother kindly letting me know that I’m among many who’ve claimed to carry his love child.”
She wiped at her tears. “Can it get any worse?” The dam broke and Talise’s mind conjured up everything that was wrong in her life. She bawled for her mother’s absence when she needed her most; her sister’s noble sacrifice that she was making for her country so far away, her mean and insensitive stepmother or rather, her father’s wife. Why did her mind pull Donna into the mix?
She was pregnant, rejected, and a mental breakdown had now been fully activated. This was ultimately about her child, who would need both parents but would grow up with a crucial void in his or her life. Talk about a false sense of security. It hadn’t been a good day at all.
Turning to her side when she felt the bed shift, Lois sat next to her and whispered, “It’ll be all right.”
“How?”
“Because Jesus said so.”
The response offered a temporary reprieve, as Talise stared at her roommate. Straining her voice, she asked, “Where did that come from?”
Lois shrugged. “Girl, how would I know? It just popped into my head and sounded like something Sinclaire would say. Did it work?”
Talise mustered a smile. “I hope so.”
“Let me get you something to drink.”
Standing, Lois first walked into the bathroom and returned with tissues. She stuffed them in Talise’s fist and then headed for the kitchen.
Alone with her thoughts, Talise tried to unscramble everything Sandra had said. The microwave buzzed, and seconds later, Lois strolled back into the room. She was carrying a tray with a cup of hot tea, whole grain crackers, and white grapes.
Sitting up in bed, Talise’s heart warmed at her friend’s thoughtfulness. She reflected on when she asked God to put people in her path. Whether she knew it or not, Lois was definitely a godsend. Talise hadn’t made up her mind about Sandra.
“Thanks. I really appreciate you being there for me.” Talise took a sip and then sighed.
As she quietly tried to build her resolve, Lois snacked on the crackers and suddenly said, “Women rule.”
“You know. I’m so through with the Jamiesons. ‘If you’re pregnant,’ or ‘if it’s Ace’s,’ or ‘if you didn’t trick him like the other one hundred women,”’ Talise twisted her mouth, as she mimicked Sandra. “Forget ‘if.’ I don’t need them!”
“Ah, Talise, before you sign up for this ‘independent woman retreat,’ you do need Ace’s medical history.”
“Grrrrrrrh. I forgot all about that. Since Ace is emotionally incompetent, I’d better make sure there are no other underlying heartless deficiencies in his genes.”
“Here’s the bottom line. Your baby is going to be a Jamieson. Period. There are no ‘ifs’ about that.”
“I checkmate your ‘period.’ My son or daughter will have an honorable name—Rogers. If I have a son, I will do everything in my power so that he won’t turn out like his father …” Sandra’s exact words seemed to echo in her mind. What if Talise’s best wasn’t good enough?
“What blows me away is she never married. I wonder if that was her choice,” Lois added to the puzzle.
Talise was lost in her thoughts. She didn’t even want to think about that happening to her.
“Sandra Nicholson has it going on,” Lois continued to rattle on. “Forget Tina Turner, Halle Berry, or Jennifer Lopez. I want to look like her when my children are grown and gone. She could’ve snagged a good man and shared the task of rearing her sons with him.”
Lois paused. “Did you see that guy checking her out on the way into the restaurant?”
“No, I was too busy calming my nerves to keep from throwing up,” Talise replied. She squinted before challenging her friend. “According to you, she’s supposed to be the enemy, remember? And you’re giving her compliments?”
“I have no shame.”
“She is pretty, but I hope that’s not me in fifteen or twenty years down the road. Still unmarried because no one wants the responsibility of loving another man’s child is not for me. I’m going to borrow Sandra’s ‘if.’”
Folding her arms, Lois nodded. “It’s a free country.”
“If Ace thought he was exercising his manhood by walking away from me and his child, then, so be it. One thing I won’t have in common with Sandra is my baby’s father coming and going in and out of my life. I don’t want to duplicate that situation by giving my child a sister or brother.”
She and Lois touched and agreed with a high-five.