Page 71 of Certified Pressure 3
She was sitting at the bar with a glass of red wine in her hand, wearing a silk robe that matched her name, her hair laid to perfection and makeup flawless like she was always ready for a camera. She looked up at me with that same unreadable expression she always had.
“Well, look who finally decided to visit,” she said, smirking a before taking another sip of her wine.
“Hey, Mama,” I said softly, walking over to give her a hug. She hugged me back, but it was one of those hugs that didn’t hold any warmth. It felt like a performance more than affection.
“It’s nice to see you,” she said, pulling back and giving me a once-over. “You look… grown.”
I could already feel the undertone in her voice. It was never just a compliment with her. I sat down on one of the stools across from her, trying to keep my energy calm.
“It’s nice to see you too,” I said.
She swirled her wine around before taking another slow sip. “So what brings you here? I thought you were too busy planning that big wedding of yours.”
I could feel the sarcasm dripping off her words, but I smiled anyway. “I’ve been busy, yeah. The wedding is a lot. I wish you could’ve come out to help me with it though.”
She looked at me over the rim of her glass and raised an eyebrow. “Oh baby, you know how things are. Your daddy had abusiness trip, and I didn’t want to leave the house empty. Plus, you have all those planners and stylists. What you need me for?”
I bit down on my tongue. She always had an excuse; every single time, but I wasn’t about to get into it. I had something else to share, and I wanted to get to it before the mood shifted.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I actually came to tell you something.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine again. “Oh? You finally picked your dress?”
I smiled to myself, this small confident smile that I had been holding in ever since I took that pregnancy test. “Nah. Something bigger than that.”
She put her glass down on the counter. “Well go ahead, spit it out.”
That was my moment. I reached into my purse, pulled out the pregnancy test, and slid it across the counter toward her. “I’m pregnant.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but the excitement I expected never came. She stared down at the test, squinting, then lifted it up toward the light.
“Well,” she said after a long pause, “that second line looks real faint. You sure this ain’t one of them cheap ones from the dollar store?”
Her words hit like a slap. I stared at her, stunned. “Mama, I’m serious. I missed my period. I’m pregnant.”
She took another sip of her wine, completely unbothered. “You’ve missed your period plenty of times before, Kashmere. You know your cycle ain’t never been regular. You probably just stressed.”
My chest started to burn. I tried to stay calm, but my patience was wearing thin. “I know my body, Mama. This ain’t stress. I’m pregnant for real.”
She sighed dramatically, like I was already tiring her out. “Well until a doctor tells you that, I’m not going to get my hopesup. You young girls love to jump the gun before getting real proof. It’s cute though.”
I felt my jaw clench. “You always do that.”
“Do what?” she asked innocently, swirling her wine again.
“Downplay everything I do, and make me feel like I’m never enough. I came to tell you something that’s important to me, and you can’t even be happy for me for five damn seconds.”
She rolled her eyes. “Kashmere, stop being dramatic. I’m just saying you should make sure before you start claiming babies. I’m not trying to come down on you, but that second line is barely there. That’s not my fault.”
That was it. Something in me snapped. “You know what, Mama? You lowkey hate me. You always got something slick to say, like it kills you to see me happy.”
She laughed softly, like I was a child throwing a tantrum. “You sound ridiculous, baby. I’m your mother. I could never hate you.”
I stood up, anger rising fast. “You won’t even come help me with my wedding. I’m getting married, Mama. This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life, and you act like it don’t even matter.”
“You’re in over your head, Kash,” she said calmly, still sipping her wine. “You think getting married and having babies makes you grown, but you don’t know what being a wife really means.”
I shook my head, laughing bitterly. “I’m in over my head? You in over yours for lettin’ Daddy sleep with every woman in the city and still staying with him.”
