Side Chic (9 page)

She let out a loud sigh and rubbed her stomach. “Tired.” We both laughed. “Girl, my back and feet are killing me! I can’t wait to drop this load! Only three more months!”

I looked at her huge belly. “Three?”

She laughed. “I know right! It looks like I am about ten months now!”

I shook my head and unconsciously rubbed my own belly, praying that I wouldn’t be that big even at nine months. My belly had started to grow a little bit. “Gosh, I don’t think you are going to make it another three months! Your stomach looks like it might pop at any second!”

“Yeah it does but I was big like this with my first son.”

“Oh really? How old is your first son? I know he is excited about becoming a big brother!” I smiled.

I watched as a sad expression covered her face. “He was five. He passed a few months ago.”

“Oh my God!
” My heart went out to this woman that I’d just met
only
a few minutes ago. I couldn’t even imagine what she must’ve been going through on the inside. “I am so sorry for your loss.
If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?
”

“Car accident…loss my son and my husband.”

My hand went up to my chest. “Goodness, I am so
sorry.”

“Thank you.” She smiled but it looked to be forced. “Is this your first one?”
I could tell that she was trying to change the subject.

“Yes ma’am.” I replied still feeling some type of way after hearing that she’d just lost her son
and her husband
.

She laughed. “Girl, how old do I look? You are over there talking about yes ma’am! I am only thirty years old!”

I laughed too. “I am so sorry. By the way I am LaQuela but you can call me Lala.” I offered her my hand
for her
to shake.

She shook my hand. “I’m Denise but you can call me Nisey.
”

“Nice to meet you Nisey.”

“Likewise.” She replied. “Are you from here?”

“No, I have a cousin that lives out here. I just moved here almost two months ago…I needed a change.”

“Hmph and you moved here?”

“Well it was kind of so
mething that I had to do as
opposed
to
something I wanted to do. I like it though. I just don’t k
now anybody out here.
My
cousin
and I
had words right after I moved
out here so I am pretty much a
lone.”

“Oh I know how that can be. It’s never easy dealing with family.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “Do you have a cell?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell you what. Program my number in your phone and that way you won’t have to feel alone anymore.” She said smiling. “I could use someone to talk to as well. Besides I am a firm believer that God places people in your path for a reason. He knew that you needed someone and so here I am.”

I was starting to like this stranger. She seemed like a really nice person. I took out my cell and typed in her name. “What’s your number?”

“434-555-0001.”

I typed in the number and hit save. “Now don’t get mad because I use it too much and be ducking my calls!” I joked.

She shook her head. “Oh honey you may end up feeling the same way about me.” We chit chatted for a few more minutes, getting to know each other before the nurse came out and called me to the back.

I got up and grabbed my pocketbook. “Alright Nisey if I don’t see you when I come out I will give you a call later. My number will show up as a 757 number.”

“Okay. I hope that everything is okay with the baby.”

“Thank you. I hope so too.” I followed the nurse to the back.

“Hello Ms. Chambers. How are you today?” The older white nurse asked.

“I am doing quite fine and yourself?”

“I’m doing just great.” We walked over to the scale. “Hand me your bag and then step up there so that I can get your weight.” I did as instructed. “Okay…162. Alrighty, do you think you could step right in that restroom right over there and get me a urine sample. The cups are in the metal medicine cabinet right above the toilet. You can leave the cup on the counter next to the sink. Be careful not to knock it over and spill the urine. You’d be surprised at how many ladies do that.” She said pointing to a door on the right. “I
’ll
take your bag in the examination room
which is right next door
.
Come in there when you’re done.
”

“Okay…thanks.” I went into the restroom and got down a cup and peed in it like she had asked. I sat
the cup on the counter
and washed my hands.
Then I went into the examination room where the nurse was waiting for me.

She handed me a thin paper gown. “Here take this. Take off everything and put this on so that the opening is in the front. I am going to step out so that you can undress, then I’ll be back.” She left the room. I undressed, put on the gown and then folded my clothes into a neat pile and placed them in the chair that sat in the corner next to the window along with my pocketbook. I sat down on the examining table. A few minutes later there was a soft tap at the door.

“It’s just me, Nurse Susan.” The nurse said walking back into the room. She started to check my vitals and take my temperature. She wrote down everything as she went. “Your blood pressure looks good. That’s a good thing. You don’t want to suffer from high blood pressure. So many women develop it during pregnancy,” I didn’t say anything I just listened. “You have the most beautiful hazel green eyes. They aren’t contacts are they?”

“No ma’am.” I was used to people asking me that.

“They’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Well I am going to step out. Dr. Porter should be in shortly.”
With that she was gone. I sat there looking around the room and waiting for Dr. Porter to come in.

A few minutes later a tall slim greying middle-aged black woman walked in. She had her hair pulled back into a bun. “Hello, I am Dr. Patrice Porter. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I’m LaQuela Chambers.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Chambers. When was your last period?”

“In December.”

She looked like she was counting it up in her head. “Ooh that was three months ago. So you are at least three months along?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You know it is very important that mothers get the proper prenatal care during pregnancy to ensure a healthy pregnancy as well as a healthy baby.”

That made me feel like such a bad mother. I dropped my head. “Yes ma’am I know. I’ve just been going through a few things and just really getting settled here.”

“I understand. Alright, let me examine you and then I am going to do and ultra sound and see just how far along you are.” I grew excited at the mention of her doing an ultra sound! That meant that I was going to get to see my little one.
She did her examination and then she let me hear the baby’s heartbeat. “Hmmm there it goes. Oh goodness, that little joker has a strong heartbeat!” She giggled.

The sound of my baby’s heartbeat brought tears to my eyes. It also made me feel motivated more than ever to get my life in order. I had to do everything in my power to ensure that she or he had the best life possible since I had ruined the chances of my child having a real family.

The sound of Dr. Porter’s voice interrupted my thoughts and brought me back to reality. “Okay let’s see this little m
unchkin.” She squeezed some cold
gel on my stomach and then started to perform the ultrasound. The screen was facing her and so I couldn’t see. The anticipation was killing me. “Oh boy…well isn’t this something?’

“What? What’s wrong?” I asked growing worried.

“Oh nothing’s wrong doll baby but you are in for a bit of a surprise.” She responded turning the monitor around so that I could see.

I looked at the monitor but couldn’t make out what I was looking at. “Ummm…I don’t know what I’m looking at exactly.” I admitted.

She let out a chuckle and pointed at the screen. “You are looking at 1
baby here and 1 baby here.”

I was sure that I’d heard her wrong. “Say what?”

She repeated. “Here’s one baby and here’s the other. Ms. Chambers, you are fourteen weeks pregnant with twins.” The room started to spin and I felt lightheaded. “Are you alright?”

I couldn’t respond. I just laid there and cried.

Tre

It was Saturday and being that I had the weekend off I decided to kick it with the fellas. I hadn’t kicked it with my boys in a minute. All of my time had been going into spending time with Kisha and the kids. Today was my day. I took a shower and got dressed in a pair of black Jordan sweats, a white tee, a pair of all black Jordans and a black VA fitted. I
’d
just gone to the barbershop that morning and gotten a fresh cut and shave.
I looked myself over in the full length mirror in the bathroom one more
time
before going down the hall into the living room.

Kisha was sitting on the sofa with her head stuck in a book as usual. 
“Alright sexy, I’ll be back in a few.”
I kissed her
as I
slipped on my coat
.

“Yeah
…
don’t be out too late.” She said never looking up from the book that she was reading.

“I’m not.
” I assured her.
“
What’s that you’re reading that
has
you all sucked in?”

“The name of it is Salty by
an author named
Aleta Williams.”
She looked up at me finally. Her eyes glowing with excitement!
“It’s a good book too, now stop bothering me so that I can finish reading and get started on the two free books that Black Expressions sent me in the mail yester
day!
”

I shook my head. This
woman loved to read. “That’s where all of our money is going to…in books.” I teased her. “You got so many dag on books that we barely have room for anything else. I’m starting to think that you have a problem.”

She flipped her book over and laid it down on the sofa and then looked up at me. She looked so sexy with her hair pulled back into a ponytail
, wearing one of my big shirts and a pair of footies. “I see you aren’t going to hush so that I can finish reading my book. Now as far as me having a problem, it could be worse. I could be out
running the streets and giving my goodies away
!”

“Yeah and you could get your head knocked off! Don’
t play with me girl!
” I said grabbing her and tonguing her down. I laid her back on the sofa
, kissing her on her chin and then her neck.

She started pushing me off of her. “Tre move! You are going to mess up my book!”

“What?”

“Move boy! My book is on the sofa and you have me
l
y
ing on top of it! That will mess
up the cover!”

“Lord have mercy!” I said letting her up. “The kids are gone and we have the opportunity to get it in right here on the sofa and all you can worry about is your book!”
I laughed because s
he never ceased to amaze me.

“We can get it in later when you get home! Right now Salty is calling my name!” She picked up her book from the sofa.

“Yeah well I’m
s
alty
that I can’t get no pussy because my wife would rather read.”

She smiled at me, biting on her bottom lips. “I like the sound of that…
my wife.
”

“I bet you do. You should know something though…a real wife would never choose a book over sexing her husband.” I teased
but there was some seriousness to my statement
.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now toss me those chocolate chip cookies over there by the TV on your way out the door and stop whining!”
I tossed her the coo
kies on my way out and locked
the door.

On my way to
Casper’s hou
se I stopped by the Red Barn, a gas station that sold food. It
was ri
ght up the street from where he lived
.
When I pull
ed into the parking lot I saw Casper’s
cherry red 2007 Chevy Impala. I got out of my car leaving the motor running. On my way in I spoke to my boy Tyson who was posted up in front of the store.

“What’s good my nig?” I asked giving him some dap.
I knew without asking what he was doing. He didn’t care if it was raining, sleeting, or snowing he was going to make money.