Page 75 of Cherish

“Congratulations,” he finally says to us, his tone contradicting the sentiment. “Alex, is it?” Alex nods. “Congratulations on agreeing to marry a cheater.”

“Jason never cheated on me. I can’t say the same for you when it comes to your choice of spouse, Daniel, is it?” Alex uses the same condescending tone he used on her.

Daniel rolls his head back as if slapped, but he doesn’t reply. He purses his lips, duly reprimanded.

“You say one more ugly thing to my fiancée, and you will regret it. She didn’t cause any of this. You have some shit to say, I’m sitting right here.” I point my finger at Daniel to make my point clear. He leans forward and pushes my finger out of his face. Just as I’m about to reach across the table, Alex puts her hand on my lap to calm me.

“Let’s be better than this, Jason,” she whispers to me.

“Let’s get to the point. I’m the biological father. I want shared custody.” I pull Tina’s card out of my pocket. “Have your lawyer call mine. Let’s be mature about this, please. I want what’s best for the child.”

“The child you created withmywife, but by all means, let’s do the right thing now that it benefits you, you selfish prick.” He curls his lips as if it physically hurts to speak to me.

“Is this what we’re doing now?” I ask, but Alex interrupts.

“See, you call him names, and then I’ll be forced to call her names.” She points at Natalie when she speaks. I can see the fire in Natalie’s eyes. I know her. I know she has a sharp retort on her tongue, and she’s simply waiting for the right time to strike. “But that won’t get us anywhere. It doesn’t matter who did what. That child doesn’t know the difference, and he or she shouldn’t be punished because of what his parents did. Daniel, I get it. You’re angry. You’re hurt. What Jason did, there are no words, but your vows are not with him.”

“How dare you?” Natalie says, finally joining the conversation. “This is none of your goddamn business.”

“I beg to differ, Natalie. This ring on my finger says otherwise, and Jason, my fiancé, wants me here.”

“Enough!” I look around to find a few other patrons watching our table and I lower my voice. “We are here to talk about the baby. Nothing more, nothing less. Can we get on with it, please?”

Everyone retreats to their corner. I gently stroke the back of Alex’s neck, willing her to calm down. I ignore Natalie as she watches, hurt in her eyes.

“I have nothing against you, Alex,” Daniel says. “You’re way too good for the likes of him.”

“On that we agree. You got one last dig in. Can we start now?”

Daniel doesn’t respond, but his body remains rigid. Every time he looks at me, his lips curl as if repulsed. I don’t look away from him. I meet his stare head-on until he finally breaks the silence.

“We’ve come to a decision.” He looks at Natalie, who is now wiping her eyes with her cloth napkin. There’s no tinge of black mascara or eyeliner left behind. Bangs hang over her eyes. Her skin is sallow. When she finally puts the napkin down, she nods at Daniel, urging him to continue. “After Natalie has this baby, she’s going to relinquish her rights.” He stops speaking and sips his water. When he’s done, he clears his throat and continues. “She wants you to have the baby, Dupree.”

At that declaration, Natalie bursts into tears and leaves the table. Alex audibly gasps, covering her mouth with both hands, as she looks from me to Daniel. Daniel jumps out of his chair and follows Natalie out of the room.

“Are they serious?” Alex asks, craning her neck to get a look at them.

They’re only a few feet away near the bathroom. Daniel’s back is blocking our view of Natalie, but his head is moving as he speaks. He finally stops talking long enough to pull her into his arms for a hug.

I never noticed it before. I guess I was too busy thinking about myself, but Daniel loves Natalie. I thought he was a fool, and maybe he is, but he’s also a man in love with a woman who was incapable of letting me go. I watch as he pulls away and wipes the tears from her face with his bare hands. He puts an arm around her shoulder and leads her back to the table.

“Is this really what you want to do, Natalie? Is this another game? I don’t want to take the child from you. All I want is to be involved. We can share custody.”

“Why? You’re not so sure this one is ready to be a full-time mother to a child that’s not hers?” She jerks her thumb at Alex.

“This one?” Alex asks.

“Natalie, enough!” Daniel slams his hand on the table. The people at the table closest to us turn their heads and begin to whisper. “I will walk out of here right now. I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“I’m sorry,” Natalie quickly says to Daniel before turning her attention back to me. “It’s not a game.” Her voice trembles, but she straightens her shoulders and continues. “It’s in everyone’s best interests, especially the baby’s, if you raise him or her.”

“Is he putting you up to this? Is this what you have to do to have him stay with you?”

“It’s for the best, Jason. I’m married to Daniel but having your baby. How do you think this child would feel growing up in our house? In my family? It’s best this way.”

“Oh, I get it. Of course. Your bigoted family would never accept the half-black child. You’re right. It’s best this child grows up with unconditional love. Not some fucked-up family values. Have your lawyer call mine.”

“Get off your high horse. My family has their issues, but you know what? Your family isn’t as accepting as you’re trying to pretend. Let’s not rewrite history. Your mother told me point-blank she wanted you to end up with a strong, black woman. Someone who would understand you. Not someone like me. She told me that to my face, Jason. Don’t you dare sit here and act as if I’m the only one with an the unaccepting family.”

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