Page 62 of Certified Pressure 4
Now I was sitting here, pregnant, trying to build a new life, and all I could think about was how much I missed my parents. I thought about my mama, and how the last time I told her I might be pregnant, she said I wasn’t. She was right, and I felt stupid. I remembered crying in the bathroom, humiliated and angry, but now things were different. This time, there was no mistake. I was really pregnant, and I wanted her to know.
I picked up my phone and stared at the screen for a long time. I had a new number, one that wasn’t connected to my real name. Lyrick had helped me set it up so I could stay off the radar. I told myself I’d never use it to reach home, but the loneliness hit harder than I expected. I wanted my mama to know she was about to be a grandmother, and I wanted her to hear it from me.
I dialed her number, my finger hovering over the call button before I finally pressed it. The line rang three times before I heard her voice.
“Hello?”
My heart dropped. “Mama?” I whispered.
There was silence at first, and then I heard her breathe out. “Kashmere? Baby, is that you?”
Tears filled my eyes. “Yeah, it’s me.”
“Oh my God,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’ve been so worried about you. I didn’t know if you were alive.”
Hearing her sound like that broke something in me. “I’m okay, Mama. I’m fine.”
She sniffed softly on the other end. “I heard about what happened. I’ve been praying every night, hoping you’d call.”
I wiped my face with the back of my hand. “I’m okay now. I promise.”
There was a pause, and then I asked the question that had been sitting on my heart for months. “Have you heard from Daddy?”
Silky’s voice grew quiet. “He ran off,” she said.
I knew that wasn’t true. I could hear the lie in her tone, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Not when everything finally felt good for once.
“I miss you,” I said softly.
“I miss you too, baby,” she replied. “You don’t know how good it feels to hear your voice.”
I smiled through my tears. “I got something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’m pregnant, Mama. For real this time.”
She gasped, and then I heard her laugh. “You are?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice shaking. “I’m four months. I just left the clinic, and I’m having a boy.”
There was a long pause, and then her voice softened. “A boy. My baby girl is having a boy. I’m so happy for you, Kash.”
That made me cry even harder. Hearing her call me baby girl after everything we’d been through made my heart feel light again. “I want you to be part of his life,” I said. “I know we’ve had our issues, but I really need you right now.”
“I’ll be there,” she said gently. “You deserve a fresh start, and this baby is your blessing. I know I’ve made mistakes, but it’s time to move forward.”
Her words made me believe her. For the first time, I felt like we were turning a new page. “I want you to come see me,” I said, my voice trembling. “Please, Mama. I’m living on an islandcalled Halo Key. I bought a house here. I want you to come stay for a few weeks.”
“I’d love that,” she said. “Give me the address so I can write it down.”
I hesitated. “I don’t want to text it. Get a pen and paper, and write it down, but please don’t leave it laying around.”
“I won’t,” she said. “Hold on.”
I heard the faint sound of her moving around before she came back. “Okay, I got it.”
I told her the address slowly, making sure she got every detail right. She repeated it back to me, then said she’d book a flight soon.
