Page 55 of Honey's Special Roux

“Period!”

I leaned back in my seat and stared out the window. My mind drifted back to the day I made the conscious decision to leave. I’d accepted the position from the head chef, gotten an apartment, and planned to have all my things put in storage.

As I walked into the house, my stomach did flips. I’d hidden my bump from the family for months. I’d isolated myself from all my loved ones because I couldn’t face them. Not after Marquise had gotten arrested and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. That wasn’t my future.

With shaky hands, I entered the kitchen and looked at my family. Mama and Granny Janie were making plates. Chamille and Daddy were chatting at the table over their steaming bowls of gumbo.

“Hey, Sweet Tea. How are you?” Daddy spoke to me first.

All eyes were on me as everyone greeted me with warm smiles. I wouldn’t be able to hold in my announcement for long. I wore an oversized sweater and kept my hands in front of my stomach.

“Hey, y’all.”

I went into the kitchen and grabbed my bowl. I scooped two spoons full of rice into the bottom of the bowl. Then I grabbed the ladle and poured the delicious, dark gumbo over the white rice. Sprinkles of hot sauce garnished the top.

Everyone sat around the table. My stomach still flipped with anxiety about the topic brewing in the back of my throat.Just do it,my subconscious urged.

After prayer, I stirred my gumbo and took a bite. I couldn’t enjoy my meal because the uneasy feeling made me nauseous.

Just do it.

“This gumbo is delicious as always, Granny Jay,” Chamille stated.

“Thank you, baby?—”

“I’m pregnant, and I’m moving to California,” I blurted out.

Relief washed over me. I lifted my spoon to my mouth and hummed with joy as the hot meal slid down my throat. The baby growing inside of me no longer flipped with anxiety, but he’d joined me in a happy dance from the rich and spicy flavors of the gumbo.

“Excuse me?” Mama was the first to speak.

“Finally,” Chamille exclaimed.

She was aware of the pregnancy for months, but she didn’t know I had accepted the job offer. She had an inkling I would take the offer, though.

“This is a joke, right?” Daddy asked.

I shook my head no. “I’m as serious as a heart attack, Daddy. I didn’t want to tell y’all until I was one hundred percent ready to accept the new life ahead of me.”

“You’re about to move to a whole different time zone with a new baby?” Granny Janie’s voice made me pause. The look of shock in her eyes made the uneasy feeling in my stomach return.

“Y-yes, ma’am. I am.”

“What the hell, Honey?” Granny Janie shook her head.

My eyes watered at the tone in her voice. I put my spoon down and looked up at her with tears streaming down my face. “I know you’re disappointed in me. I know you were never a fan of Marquise, and I’m so sorry. It took so long because I wasn’t ready to deal with the disappointment and judgment coming from y’all.”

“Baby girl, we aren’t judging you. It was inevitable with the way the two of you were goin’ at it.”

I covered my face as my cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Granny, please.”

“Do you have a plan?” Daddy questioned.

I shrugged. “I know I’m not staying here. I have to put me first.”

“Honey, you can do a lot of things but raise a baby by yourself ain’t one of them. Don’t piss me off,” Mama stated.

“Mama—”

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