Page 10 of I Changed for You
You’re not in this alone.
It was the last text that had me on the verge of tears. I felt awful for ignoring Melijah, but I had to. I couldn’t let him know I needed him so soon. I didn’t know when I’d get up the courage to text him back, but right now wasn’t it. When I sorted through my thoughts, I’d reach back out.
I stared down into the mug of tea before picking it up to take a sip. My thoughts were all over the place this morning. Since I’d rolled out of bed, my mind had been in overload. Then I was still in my PJs. That was something that had never happened before in the middle of the week. This baby already had me doing things I rarely did.
My doorbell rang before I heard keys rattling in the door. It could only have been one of two people since they were the only ones who had a key to my house. It was Jada or Camila, but I didn’t want to see them either.
“Girl, where the hell are you?” Jada called out.
“In the kitchen!” I yelled back. I didn’t feel like moving, so I stayed where I was.
I heard her heels clicking on the tile flooring of my living room, heading to my kitchen. She only studied me before she shook her head. “So, tell me what’s wrong. You were missing yesterday from work, and then you called out today, which is something you never do,” she stated.
When I made it back home, I forgot to reach out to her and Camila. It surprised me that they hadn’t called me yesterday either.
I took a sip of the tea. “There’s nothing serious going on with me. I did find out I’m pregnant, though.”
She gasped as her eyes widened. “Girl, you’re lying.”
I grunted with a deep sigh. “I wish I were.”
Since Jada was here, I figured I might as well tell her what happened at the party. I needed to talk to someone.
“I had a one-night stand with a stranger.”
She stared at me with a baffled look on her face. “What? No way! The party you attended at your cousin’s house?”
I nodded slowly. “Yep. That one. I hit it off with this guy after we had an argument. We danced and talked all night and drank the night away. The next thing I knew, we ended up back in my car,” I explained.
As I shared the details of what happened with Jada, I felt down all over again. I still couldn’t believe something like that had happened to me.
“Oh, my damn.” She strode to the chair at the kitchen table and plopped down, removing her purse and setting it on the table in front of her. “Girl? Are you planning to keep the baby?”
I stared at her with my head tilted. “What do you think? Do you expect me to get rid of it because the father is a stranger?”
She held her hand out in front of her. “Whoa! Chill! You didn’t have to do all that. I was just asking a question.”
I lowered my head to my chest. This was the second time I had become defensive when someone asked me that.Why did it trigger me? Did I look like the type of person to get rid of my child?
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t snap at you like that. This is a little too much for me. I still have to let my parents know.” I ran my hand down my light-skinned face and blew air out of my mouth.“What am I going to do? I still feel like I’m living in a dream,” I professed.
“Have you told the man yet?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes. I told him yesterday. He has been texting me, but I haven’t responded.”
Jada scoffed. “Only you. I think you should let him be there for you. You never know. This might turn out for the best.”
I shook my head, denying it. “That’s something I don’t believe.”
“You’re going to need that man to be there for you. What happened is done now. You’re bringing life into the world, which is something to look forward to. Also, make sure you tell Camila. She didn’t even know I stopped by to see you since I had to go to the courthouse, and I decided to check on you.”
I clenched my teeth together. “Gosh, telling everyone I’m pregnant doesn’t look good. I don’t even have a man in my life.” I felt so ashamed right now.
She chuckled. “You did do the deed without having a man in your life.”
I glared at her and fought the urge not to tell her to get out.
She held her hands up. “I’m just saying. It’s not all bad either. You’re thirty-three years old. It’s not like you don’t have your life together. You never know. Your parents might be excited to have their first grandchild.” I shot her a look so fast that she backtracked. “Okay, maybe not, but?—”
