“I don’t blame you, baby girl. If you want, I can rent an apartment out here to be close to you. At least for the first six months.”
“You don’t have to do all that. Just come visit whenever you can. No need to pay rent at different addresses for me.”
“It’s not an inconvenience at all. Plus, I’d like to spend as much time as I can with the two of you. When he’s old enough to fly, I’ll make other arrangements. For now, I’m okay living between states.”
“What about your wife? Will that be okay with her?”
“Absolutely. She knows all about you. She knows everything. She’s excited for you to visit.”
“Oh wow. Well, I’ll be trying to make that happen sometime soon. I’d love to meet my other side of the family. I was never around family growing up. I have no memories of being at family reunions or barbeques, except for with my best friend.”
“I’m sorry you went through that. However, if your grandparents are still anything like the people they were back in the day, I’m glad you never met them. They were evil people who hid their hatred behind the word of God. Mostly your grandfather. Your grandmother was no better because she never spoke up. Just went along with everything.”
As I drove across town to Shane’s parents’ house, my dad reminisced on all the times my grandparents did my mother wrong. Like me, she was the only child, which made their need for control more intense. Phillip knew so much about my mother that it blew my mind. My mother had truly underestimated the love he had for her. I smiled inwardly as a vision of her with her lips twisted came to mind. If she heard him talking right now, she’d be playfully rolling her eyes and acting unbothered.
Pulling up to the house, I parked behind Shane’s truck and unfastened my seatbelt. Before I could grab the lever to open the door, it was pulled open and scared the hell out of me.
“Why you jumpin’? You didn’t see me come out of the house?”
“I didn’t,” I responded with a hand on my chest.
“My bad, bae. Come on, let me help you out.”
By the time I was out of the car, Phillip had made his way around with his hand extended for Shane to shake. With a smile, I made introductions before the three of us headed into the house. While Shane introduced Phillip to his parents, I kicked my sandals off and got comfortable on the couch. Even this far in my pregnancy, I was still tired at every turn. In my defense,I’d been on edge about Phillip’s arrival and hadn’t gotten much sleep the past couple days. Now that the unknown had turned out for the best, my anxiety had calmed and I was more relaxed.
“Girl, look at you. Still can’t keep them eyes open. My grandson is really taking you through the wringer,” Lynn said as she walked over to me.
“I’m trying. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I ask the doctor anytime I have an appointment, but she keeps telling me everything is okay,” I admitted.
The element of surprise hadn’t been present when my pregnancy was confirmed. Even if my mother hadn’t mentioned it, I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Although I didn’t know how Shane would react to the news, he had been the one who’d put the baby in me. Either of us being shocked at the news would’ve been pure delusion.
“Girl, you’re carrying a whole ass human. If being tired is the worst thing happening, consider yourself blessed. You’ll shake back once he’s born.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself. I already told Shane I want to be in the gym and snapping back by the time we go in for his six week checkup?—”
“Uhh, no, ma’am. You will not be forcing a snapback that early. I’m not saying you can’t be healthy, but you have all the time in the world to lose that baby fat. Eat right, drink your water, and you’ll be just fine. Doing too much at six weeks isn’t good for the body. Rest and focus on bonding with the baby. Everything else can wait.”
Listening to Lynn give me sound advice, I silently thanked the Lord for putting her in my life. She talked to me like she was my mother, but not in a bad way. She meant well, no matter how it came off. She had also been in my shoes before, so I was open to anything she wanted to educate me about. About thirty minutes later, Jade knocked at the door. She spoketo everyone as she strolled in wearing a pink short set. Her hair was in its curly state and her brown skin glowed. My best friend was beautiful and looked genuinely happy. She was now officially with the guy she’d been dealing with for the past year. Everything seemed to be going well and I loved that for her.
Now all of us were gathered around the table, sitting in front of a spread Lynn had cooked. Fried and grilled chicken sat in dishes next to each other while a pan of string beans mixed with bacon sat to the left. To the right, Lynn’s famous homemade mashed potatoes sat, looking delicious. Feeling the need to lead the prayer heavy on my heart, I spoke up.
“Lynn, I know you normally like to pray over the food, but do you mind if I pray this time?” I questioned.
“Of course, sweetheart.”
Carefully, I stood and looked at everyone seated.
“Before I pray, I just want to thank each of you. Everyone here is an extension of me. This is the most family I’ve ever been around at one time. Everyone at this table reflects my journey. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was find myself. Words can’t express how much I wish my mother was here right now, but I’m sure she’s looking down and smiling because life has finally come full circle. Thank every single one of you for loving me.”
There was barely a dry eye as I dabbed my tears. It wasn’t my intention to get overly emotional, but I wanted to give everyone their flowers while they were still here to smell them. Too many times, these types of feelings were only talked about at funerals, especially in the black community. My mother’s death had put things into perspective. Death was final and life was too short. I’d cherish every moment and value every memory.
“We all love you very much, Celeste. One thing that has always amazed me about you was your ability to be resilient. The first time I saw you, you stepped into this house as a brokenwoman. You were so consumed by your own situation that you didn’t realize how great of a woman you were. Everything we go through in life is for our greater good, even our trials. I’m proud of you for putting fear aside and fighting for what you deserve. I won’t go into details, but you were so selfless for being willing to take on the weight of the world, just to take care of your mother. Cora completed her assignment and you were at her side through it all. In this life, we are a child twice. The love and respect you had for your mother was of an obedient child. Thank you for bringing us all together,” Lynn said as she hugged me.
Once we had ourselves together, I led the family in prayer and enjoyed the moment. The only person missing was Tripp. Shane informed me that he had an important meeting but would be here when he was finished. I hoped and prayed we’d be able to gather for years to come.
CHAPTER 23
Shane
