As the approaching holidays and Salem’s wedding draw near, I receive more texts from the girls in Athens. Alma’s daughters and the girls left shortly after noon today. Alma is giving Libby a bath in the kitchen sink while I read the texts bombarding my phone this evening. The girls must have planned to all text me at seven.
Adrian: I’m officially 6 months pregnant!
Adrian: I have trouble sleeping & I’m always horny
Adrian: of course Winston doesn’t mind that part
Me: TMI
I quickly interrupt while trying to keep the images from forming in my mind. That’s way too much information.
Bethany: I’m 2 months pregnant!
Bethany: I told Troy last night
Bethany: He’s freaked out & going to be over-the-top protective
I imagine Adrian and Bethany’s kids growing up together. Bethany & I know my daughter is the oldest child in our little group. I find I long more and more each day to share my secret with the rest of these ladies.
Bethany: Troy’s 20th birthday weekend of wedding
Bethany: is accepted to the academy in St. Joe
Bethany: starts cop school this summer
Me: (I text a pic of my college diploma)
It suddenly feels like bragging—I hadn’t thought about that. Adrian chose to open her resale shop and not attend college. Bethany attended Athens Community College for a year before dropping out to provide childcare and become a mother. Salem attended a one-year LPN program at the community college and now works at the hospital. And Savannah works full-time as a bakery manager at the grocery store. I’m the only one to achieve my degree, but I’m glad they are all happy on their own paths.
Me: now for biggest news
Adrian: if u hooked up with Hamilton & didn’t call
Adrian: I’m gonna be pissed @ u
Savannah: what’s big news?
Me: publishing house in Dallas is flying me down
Me: Dec. 19th & 20th to discuss publishing 2 of my (book emoji)
Bethany: What books?
Salem: (book emoji)?
Of my group of friends in Athens, Savannah and Adrian knew of my previous writings. While they never read any of them, I did share that I wrote stories in my spare time while hiding in my bedroom at home.
Salem: what type of books are they?
Me: young adult
Me: some middle school & others high school age
Adrian: did u write about any of us?
I regret mentioning anything during their texts. It would have been easier to chat at the upcoming wedding or not to tell them at all. I’ve opened this can of worms, so I have to continue.
Me: aren’t based on any 1 real-life
Me: characters have pieces of us
Me: aren’t entirely like any 1 of us
Me: no need to worry
After congratulating me and wishing me luck on my trip to Dallas, Salem texts to remind us we have five days until her bachelorette party and six days until her wedding. The girls text excitedly for a few minutes about all of the details, when I will arrive, and the honeymoon.
Last but not least, Savannah texts that the bakery is incredibly busy for the holidays. She is taking Friday and Saturday off for Salem’s wedding, so she won’t fall asleep standing up at Salem’s events. She hasn’t had a day off since the second week of November and she can’t wait for January when everything slows down again.
As we end our text session, my friends wish me good luck at my meetings in Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday.
Alma carries Libby bundled snuggly in her towel towards me. My tired girl smiles at me.
“Are you ready for bed?” I ask as I sweep her into my arms towel and all.
“She almost fell asleep in the sink,” Alma claims.
As I secure a diaper on my wiggling daughter she giggles. I wonder if Alma imagined Liberty’s sleepiness as she is very active now. In her sleeper, we begin to rock in the corner of her room. I tell her all about our busy week ahead.
“Da-da-da,” my beautiful girl asks me. With baseball games almost daily for months, she’s now gone quite a while without us pointing out or talking about Hamilton on TV.
I tell her daddy is in Athens. I realize she doesn’t understand me, so I pull my cell phone from my back pocket and display the photo of Hamilton and I at my graduation. I point to Hamilton, “Daddy.”
Liberty attempts to pull the phone from my hands. When that doesn’t work, she points. As she points I say daddy or mommy depending on who she points to.
At this moment tears form in my eyes. I’ve let her down as a parent. I’ve kept her daddy away from her for much too long. Hamilton will be a perfect father and Liberty deserves to know him. I must find a time in January to talk to him about her. I can’t let another off-season pass and keep my secret. I hand Libby her bottle and lay my phone on a nearby table.
As my daughter quickly slides to sleep, I imagine my conversation with Hamilton revealing Liberty as his daughter. As I have hundreds of times before, I attempt to think of all possible outcomes, the perfect location, and the perfect words to use.