“Why are you thanking me? I told you I’d have your lunch delivered.”
“I’m thanking you because my parents raised me with manners, and to make sure you know I appreciate you going through the trouble.”
“It wasn’t any trouble, but you’re welcome, baby. How do you feel?”
“Fine right now, but I haven’t eaten yet. I’m praying I can keep it down.”
“Me too. How was your morning?”
“Fine. Yours?”
“Meetings. I got three more before the day ends, and the next one is about to start, so I have to go.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Thank you again.”
“Call me if you need anything.”
The call ended, and I removed the salad from the bag and took the lid off. It smelled delicious, which was a good sign because it didn’t make my stomach turn. When the first few bites didn’t cause the urge to vomit, I thought I was safe. Itwasn’t until I was halfway done that my stomach decided to do cartwheels.
“Oh God!”
I reached for the garbage can next to my desk and emptied the contents of my stomach for the next few minutes. This baby had to be a girl because my son did not do me like this.
When I felt stable enough, I removed the plastic bag that lined the small garbage bin and went to the nearest bathroom to dispose of it. After relieving myself, I washed my hands, rinsed my mouth, and splashed cool water onto my face.
Once I was back in my office, I flopped into my chair, let my head fall back, and closed my eyes. Like most people, I hated vomiting. It took so much out of me, and now, all I wanted to do was take a nap.
“Is this what the university is paying you for?”
The sound of Skye’s voice made me open my eyes.
“Sis, I feel like shit.”
“Aww. I knew my sissy senses were going off. Baby boo putting you through it already?”
I nodded. “This has to be a girl because Nyeem was so good to me. I’ve thrown up more times already than I did my whole pregnancy with him.”
“It could be that, or . . . that was over eighteen years ago, and your body and hormones are just different now.”
“True. I just need to close my eyes and take deep breaths for a minute.”
I let my head fall back onto the back of my chair again.
“Do you have anything pressing that needs to be done?” she asked.
“There’s always something I need to do, but I guess there’s nothing too pressing.”
“Get your shit. I’m taking you home.”
I lifted my head and looked at her, confused.
“Skye, I’m fine. I just need a minute to gather myself.”
“No, you need to gather your things and follow me outside. Whatever you need to do can be done tomorrow.”
Skye wouldn’t go away, so I agreed to go home. My staff could handle the rest of the day without me. I told LaDonna I was leaving for the day, and she promised to handle everything. I hoped I’d be able to keep food down soon so I wouldn’t miss too much work.
We arrived at my place, and Nyeem was just leaving. He was confused because I didn’t usually get home for a few more hours.
