“Shane?”
“Mia, why are you on my line?” I asked calmly as I blew out smoke.
“I just wanna talk. Will you please give me a few minutes to explain myself?”
“For what? It won’t change shit. Now please, I’m working. Don’t call me again.”
“Shane, please.” She sniffled.
I wasn’t moved by the tears, but part of me felt like if I gave Mia this closure conversation, she’d leave me the hell alone once and for all. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about shit she had to say. She’d made a decision she couldn’t come back from. What she did wasn’t fair to me and that was a hill I’d die on. When it came to a woman being pregnant, the topic was very touchy. Yes, it was her body her choice, but I should’ve had an input.
“One last conversation, Mia. I meant what I said though. Nothin’ you say will make me wanna be with you again. We’re havin’ this conversation and you’re gonna carry on with your life like you’ve been doing. No more popping up at my momma’s house and no more phone calls to me,” I said sternly.
“Okay. Can we meet at Jerk Villa?”
“Cool. Be there in an hour.”
“You’re not gonna come pick me up so we can ride together?”
“Mia, please stop playin’ with me. It’s not that type of party, shorty. We can meet there or forget this conversation happened.”
After coming to her senses, she agreed to meet and I ended the call. Jerk Villa was one of my favorite restaurants and I could go for a meal right about now. Before leaving the house, I brushed my teeth and changed into another T-shirt. It took me about thirty minutes to get there with all the traffic. When I walked in, I saw Mia’s ass at one of the tables in the back and walked over. I hoped she got out everything she needed to because I didn’t plan to stay long. I intended on placing my order to-go and that would be all the time she’d be allotted for this pointless conversation.
“Hey, thanks for meeting me.”
“What’s up?”
“You don’t have to be so cold. I remember when we were together you never acted like that toward me. I’ve seen you be like this with other people, but never me.”
“That’s what happens when you cross me, Mia. In your case, you betrayed me. I lay in bed with yo’ ass and you did some fucked up shit.”
When she got ready to respond, the waitress walked up with a small device in hand to take our orders. Once Mia was done, I rattled off my order and made sure she knew it was to-go.
“Why are you getting your food to-go? I thought we were eating together.”
“Nah. I’m only here so you can get this shit off your chest. After that, I’m out.”
“I get that you’re upset about what I did, but why are you going so hard behind it? You said you didn’t plan on moving to New York. How was that going to work with both of us ten plus hours apart?”
“We could’ve made some shit work, Mia. Even if I had to sacrifice and move out there temporarily, or go back and forth, I would’ve made it work. When you have children, everything changes. It’s no longer about us, it’s about the baby. A baby you didn’t even tell me you were pregnant with. You know… it’s crazy. I’m usually good at spotting a snake from a mile away, but I never thought you’d sneak past me like that. You raw as hell for that shit but I can promise it won’t happen again,” I vented.
“I didn’t do it to be a snake. I did it because I thought it was the best choice for both of us. Our relationship was in a good place. We were good and I know a baby would’ve complicated that.”
Placing my elbows on the table, I leaned forward and asked a serious question. She wasn’t getting where I was coming from, so I made it simple for her.
“Mia… Let’s pretend you told me you were pregnant. Had I told you to get an abortion, would you have done it?”
“If I wanted to.”
“That’s my point. At the end of the day, you did exactly whatyouwanted to do. You took away my rights. You know me well enough to know I never would’ve said no shit like that, but you never gave me a chance. Why would I take you back knowing what you’re capable of? How do I know that shit won’t happen again? You’re all the way in New York. You can hide that shit easily, like you did the first time.”
“I wouldn’t do that again. That experience is one I never wanna go through again,” she said as she rested her forehead in her hands.
“That experience was one you didn’t have to go through. You know, I was halfway hoping you’d come here and finally tell me the truth.”
“I am telling the truth, Shane.”
“I don’t believe you. I know you too well and can’t shake the feeling that you did what you did because it wasn’t mine. Had you not asked me to go in that shoe box, I would’ve never known about the pregnancy.”
