Page 38 of Just Like Summer

“In a pine box at my aunt’s. Died of a broken heart,” Kamilla shared because Dania seemed safe.

“Damn…I’m sorry. I-”

“It’s okay. It’s the reality. I have to accept it.”

Dania nodded. “Sooo you and Cairo.”

Kamilla shook her head. “We’re just friends. I swear.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Y-yeah,” Kamilla stuttered.

“Y’all haven’t kissed, haven’t fucked, nothing?”

“I’ve never had sex,” Kamilla openly shared.

“Girl what?” Dania asked looking at her like she was unicorn. “Have you ever had a boyfriend?”

Kamilla shook her head. “Wasn’t really sought after in Greenwood. Odd girl out. Too busy working with my mom or being the mom to my mother to think about it.”

“Shit, Mila,” Dania huffed. “You know Cairo is going to be your first.”

Kamilla whined. “I don’t think so. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this…he’s a gentleman and I don’t know what I’m doing so while the idea might be nice, I don’t think so.”

Dania chuckled. “I’ve seen you two together. Start planning your life girl. He ain’t coming off you. Guess it’s a good thing you’re coming with me. Get on the pill. So you’re not choosing between having a baby and going to OSU. But knowing Cairo he won’t even put you in a position to choose.”

“You talk highly of him. How long have y’all been friends?” Kamilla asked changing the subject.

“Ever since my father was dragged out the church by the Feds. Cairo and Nate were hustling then, they made sure we had groceries every week. My mom still was trying to hold on to her position and couldn’t take groceries bought with drug money, forgetting the drug money had kept us so high and mighty for so long. Hated Cairo, but she really hated Nate because he wouldn’t leave me alone. Unlike you, I didn’t wait,” Dania paused to laugh dryly.

“She found out somehow that we were having sex and kicked me out. With everything my daddy bought me, this car included. I’ve been with Nate ever since. I used to work in her salon but when I was kicked out, that went out the window too. She dared the other shops to hire me so, my license lapsed. I did hair in our apartment but bitches want your position not knowing how it came about, so I just stopped everything. Now I need to stack money in the event street life takes my baby daddy from me before I’m ready to let him go.”

“So can I be your client? I’ll pay you,” Kamilla offered.

“Nah, you won’t, Cairo won’t let you spend a dime. But sure. Even when you go to OSU I got you.”

“I’d like that.”

At the clinic, Kamilla waited in the examination room with Dania. Dania flipped through a pamphlet on family planning while Kamilla looked at the posters on the wall.

“Too late for this,” Dania muttered.

“Did you think about it? Getting rid of it?”

Dania nodded. “Yeah, I was going to go through with it actually. This appointment was supposed to be for that but…I had a change of heart. I don’t want to live my life in fear of what ifs.”

Kamilla took her words in. “I understand that.”

The nurse practitioner came back in. “Well, you are indeed pregnant. According to your last menstrual cycle, you’re about six weeks. Are we planning to-”

“Keep it. I’m keeping it,” Dania spoke confidentially.

The nurse practitioner nodded. “I’ll get you in the system and schedule your next appointment. Here’s some information for assistance and classes.”

Dania took them and offered the woman a smile. “Thanks for this. She needs birth control. She’s going to OSU for the fall semester.”

“Oh,” the woman crooned. “I graduated from OSU. What are you studying?”