Trickery & Envy (36 page)

“
Ooh...y’all...love me,” Jennifer softly wailed, her blurred eyes still cast on Angela. “I’m...so blessed. My friends...love me...so much. I’m going to die...from a... heart attack...instead of cancer.” Jennifer couldn’t take her eyes off Angela.

All e
yes in the room were filling with tears.

Angela
, taken aback by the resemblance brought her hand to her mouth. Her agent immediately began taking pictures.

“My God, she does favor me, a lot.” Angela look
ed over at her agent. “Look at her,” she said pointing at Jennifer. “We’re practically twins,” and she moved her head astonished, as if she was looking at herself through a mirror. Angela moved closer and leaned over to give who she felt had to be her number one fan a tender hug.

Jennifer wrap
ped her limp arms around Angela and laid her head softly on her shoulder and cried some more. It brought more tears to everyone eyes.

“I love you
...so much. You’re my...favorite actress,” Jennifer told her. “When I...look in the...mirror...I see...you.”

Toni and Charles
tried to be inconspicuous in wiping away tears with their thumb.

Vivian saw Toni and moved closer
and wrapping one arm around his waist. She was glad that he made Jennifer happy.

“Angela we have to go,” her agent said with a sniffle and a wipe to her eyes
. She then snapped another picture of Jennifer hugging Angela. “We can’t miss our flight.”

Angela nod
ded and slowly released the embrace.

“I have something for you,”
Angela said and her agent handed Jennifer a bag. Inside was a signed copy of every movie Angela Bassett had ever been in. There was also a coffee mug that read I’M HER BIGGEST FAN, and a copy of her book called, Friends: a love story, based on her life.

“Thank
...you. If ever a...saying was true. I will take...this to my grave,” said Jennifer.

Th
e statement had everyone looking surprised at how true it would soon be.

“O
...kay,” Angela said and she reached for Jennifer hands taking them in hers. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Jennifer. You take care, okay,” Angela told her with a gentle smile and she removed her hands from Jennifer’s. She and her agent then left the room.

A
bout a minute passed before a word came from anyone. They were all still surprised by the interaction of Jennifer and Angela.

“Vivian, you are
...the best friend...anyone...could have,” Jennifer said and wiped at her eyes.

Charles turned and
cried quietly into his hands overwhelmed at the joy his wife was feeling. Jennifer knew what he was doing and smiled. She knew this was hard for Charles seeing her in a state he couldn’t help her out of.

“Vivian
gave a tug to Toni’s waist. “Actually, Toni is responsible for talking her agent into coming here,” she said.

“
You did...this. Thank you...Toni,” Jennifer said and she coughed a couple times.

“Baby you alright,” Charles ask
ed quickly wiping at his eyes and turning around. He reached for tissue from a small box on the table next to the bed.

Toni
’s heart began to fill with love again from all the worship inside the room. He used his knuckle to wipe away new tears forming in his eyes.

“Would you guys mind
if I said a little prayer?” Toni said.

Toni didn’t wait for them to answer and
moved closer to the bed extending his hand to Jennifer and the other to Vivian, who in turn locked hand with Charles who locked hands with his wife. Jennifer closed her eyes while everyone else bowed their head.

“I would like to take this moment to ask
God to bless this circle of friendship. In the past few months we’ve all have had to deal with difficult situations. The blessing is we’re all still standing. I ask you Lord to continue to walk with us on our journey, be our strength when we become weak. It is written that God doesn’t make mistakes, and for whatever reason you have brought us all together today Lord, I thank you. We thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.”

Amen was repeated by them and second
s later Vivian’s eyes grew large. She let go of Charles and Toni’s hand and placed them under her belly.

“
Uh oh, I think it’s time,” she said and moved slowly around Toni to take a seat. He quickly took hold of her arm and helped her into the seat.

Jennifer managed a smile. “My friend
...getting ready...to have y’all...baby,” she said with a limp point at Toni.

Vivian took notice of what Jennifer said
. She wanted to smile but the contractions in her uterus had her rapidly inhaling and exhaling.

“Charles, get a nurse in here!” Toni said to him.

“Don’t forget...who the godmother...is...me,” Jennifer said and began coughing.

Charles
paused caught between leaving to find a nurse and getting water for his wife. Jennifer flung her hand toward the door helping him with his decision. Charles quickly proceeded to get a nurse for Vivian.

“
Ooh...ooh, I think it’s coming, Toni,” Vivian said with soft gasps of breath.

The excitement
of Vivian going into labor had Jennifer caught between wanting to display thrill and coughing again. The urge to cough won and she does so almost violently. The cough was so powerful that her body jerked with each cough.

Charles
re-entered the room with a nurse and after seeing his wife’s body jolting and her aggressive coughing went straight over to help her. The nurse looked over at Vivian and then Jennifer and she too looked as if she was caught between who to tend to first. She kneeled before Vivian. “Sir I need you to get a doctor immediately,” she said to Toni, who acted promptly to the request. “Ms., I need you to breathe slowly, take slow breaths.” The nurse then glanced over at Jennifer. “Get some water into her,” she said.

Minu
tes later Vivian was in a wheel chair being pushed down a hall by the nurse to the delivery room. Toni was following briskly along side of her.

“I’m guessing you’re the father,” the nurse said.

“Yes, I am.”

“Do you plan to be part of the delivery?” the nurse asked as another nurse exiting the delivery room start
ed walking rapidly toward them.

“Yes, if I could,” Toni answered.

“If there’s no objection by the mother, Ms.,” the nurse said. “Do you object to him being present?”

Vivian
while taking short fast breaths moved her head to having no objections.

“Get him prep
ped for the delivery,” the nurse said to another.

“Right this way sir.”

“Sir,” I’m going to need you to leave the room so that we can tend to her,” a nurse said to Charles.

“No! I’m not leaving her,” Charles shouted.

Jennifer’s coughs had not ceased but had slowed as the doctor examined her.

“I’m sorry, but we need to find out what’s wrong with her. You must leave the room,” the nurse stressed.

“You do what you have to do I’m not leaving this room!”

“Let him stay,” the doctor said with a few nods of the head and already knowing there was nothing else they could do for Jennifer.

Charles move
d back by his wife side.  Jennifer eyes began to dilate and she gradually began sliding down into bed on her back with a pinch of a smile on her face.

Charles t
ook her hand in his.

“I
...love you,” she uttered and her eyes slowly closed.

“No
, baby... no, don’t leave me.” Charles began to wail. His hands trembled as he took Jennifer’s hand in his. “Jennifer…baby...don’t leave me,” he cried and already feeling his loss lowered his head onto their hands.

The doctor and nurse knew Jennifer was gone so they left the room to give Charles a few moments alone with his wife.

“Baby, what am I going to do without you...you’re my world.” Charles cried for nearly another minute before he leaned in and kissed Jennifer on the cheek and then in the palm of her hand. “Jen...ni...fer,” he softly said his heart heavier than it’s ever been.

The nurse standing on the
opposite side of the bed smiled at Toni. “Is this you guys first?” she said to him.

Toni’s mouth hung open
. It had nothing to do with what the nurse just asked him. It was the result of his fingers being squeezed together. Vivian was mashing the palm of her hand in his and every time the doctor said push her gripped got tighter.

“She’s
very lucky,” the nurse said. “She won’t experience half of the labor pains most women have. This baby is definitely ready to come into the world.”

“It’s
almost here,” the doctor said and he slowly pulled the rest of the baby’s head from the womb.

When
Toni saw the baby’s head he stared for a second then passed out down to the floor. Vivian continued to push. The pain she was in stopped her from being tickled at Toni passing out. Too, she wanted to stay focused on the doctor while pushing. She wanted to see his expression after the baby was out of her womb.

The
nurse standing to the side of the doctor waiting to receive the baby went over to help Toni. “Mr., are you okay?” she asked and then hurried to the sink for water.

“It’s a girl
!” the doctor announced.

Though Viv
ian was half out of breath and heard the doctor say it’s a girl, she repeated, “It’s a girl...a girl,” moving her head up and down at the doctor who was clueless to why she wanted confirmation on the sex of her child.

“Yes, a baby girl,” he said and then s
oft cries from the baby was then heard.

“
A healthy, baby girl,” the doctor added and he handed the baby off to the other nurse in the room after cutting the umbilical cord.

***

It was three days later and Toni, Vivian and the baby were heading home from the hospital. It seemed every hour after Vivian learned of Jennifer’s passing she burst into tears. They were only in the car ten minutes when she began to tear up again about losing her friend.

“She’s gone, Toni. My friend is gone. What am I going to do, Jennifer’s gone.”

“I know sweetie. You have to be strong. It’s going to be okay. She’s going to forever be here in spirit.” Toni then glanced at the baby wrapped in a soft pink blanket and cradled in Vivian’s arms. It warmed his heart.

After arriving home and stepping inside
Toni said, “I want to show you something” and he led her to a room in her house. Vivian cradling the baby was amazed walking inside. The only thing she had done to get the house ready for the baby was buy a bassinet, pampers, baby bottles, three newborn outfits and a few toiletries and placed it inside the room.

It was two days ago
after she had given birth when Toni had the room used to store extra toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, extra dishes, products for her salon, changed into the baby room. He had asked Barbara if she could come by and help him with moving things around, which she did. They had taken everything out of the room and moved it into an empty closet in the basement. Barbara had commented that, ‘walking into that room was like walking down an aisle in a Wal-Mart. Do people really buy excessively like that?’ she had asked Toni.

Barbara
then rode with Toni to Wal-Mart where he purchased additional items for the room that he now called the baby’s room. Toni spent nearly six-hundred dollars. They returned to Vivian’s house with enough pampers to last three months, twelve more baby bottles, and twenty new outfits. Toni bought five packages each of baby socks and colorful undershirts. He bought more baby powder, Vaseline and baby lotion. He placed in the cart a baby ear-wax removal kit, three teething rings, and five pacifiers. Toni wasn’t finished with his excessive buying as he selected a potty for the baby that Barbara had looked at and said, ‘Really, she’s ready for that,’ and Toni coming back with, ‘Well, when she’s ready, she’ll have it. I want to be ready.’

He continued his shopping
buying a walker, and all sorts of musical play toys to attach to the baby bed. He placed inside a small plastic tub, baby sheets, baby blankets, and all kinds of glow in the dark stickers for the wall.

Vivian was blown away with what Toni had done to the room. She stood cradling the baby
astonished.

***

Yes, indeed I was blown away. All I could say as my mouth hung open was, “Toni...” and looking around at what was no doubt the baby’s room. “What did you do, you did this. How did you manage all this when you spent most of your time at the hospital with me and the baby?”

“
I love you, Vivian,” was his answer and which I easily accepted.

“I love it Toni,”
I responded. “I don’t know what to say.” I moved over to the pink colored baby bed cradling the baby, couldn’t help but smile at the small toys inside. I then looked down at the baby, “You have such a wonderful daddy,” and bending tenderly rubbed my nose against the baby’s pinkish cheek. I then moved over to Toni who just stood happily watching me cradling his daughter. I lifted the baby up for Toni to take. His mouth gaped. Not one time while at the hospital did Toni attempt to pick the baby up and cradle her. Even after I said to him, “Toni, don’t you want to hold her?” Toni kept his hands in his front pants pockets and just smiled at me.