Unexpected Pass

Chapter 1

“The person you are calling has a voicemail box that is full. You cannot leave a message. Please try your call again later. Goodbye.”

I stared at the phone, rolling my eyes at Reggie’s stupid voicemail message for the thousandth time in the past month. At first, I thought maybe he was busy. His team had made it to the playoffs. Then All-Star weekend had just passed, and he had played in the Pro Bowl, but when my best friend Lolo sent me his very romantic, public proposal to his long-term girlfriend I didn’t know he had, I concluded he was ignoring me. I placed the positive pregnancy test printout from my doctor’s office on the dresser, took a photo of it, and sent it to him. Maybe seeing the proof of my pregnancy would compel him to pick up the phone. Reggie wasn’t my boyfriend, but we’d been fooling around since he had come into the shop to get his hair cut by me six months ago. We’d made a baby together in a serious relationship, marriage or not, and needed to figure this out together.

Me:

We need to talk. Could you call me back?

I shot a text along with the picture as I got up from the bed and made my way over to the floor-length mirror in the corner of my bedroom. I stood in front of the mirror, trying to adjust the sleeves of my oversized jersey. This was the last size they had available in store on such short notice, and it was going to have to do. I had no other options. Sighing, I opened my phone to video call my best friend, Lolo. I didn’t exactly want her opinion because I already knew what she would say, but I promised to call her once I was dressed. I pressed her contact, and the phone barely rang before her round face and low eyes appeared on the screen.

“Are you ready? Let me see.” Her voice spilled through the speakers.

I propped up the phone on my dresser and stepped back so she could take me all in.

“How do I look?” I asked, giving her a twirl.

Maybe adding the twirl would make her go easy on me. It didn’t. Lo squinted at the screen before twisting up her face. I’d been best friends with Lola for five years, long enough to know she didn’t like it.

“It’s... okay.” She paused. “But are y’all going to watch the game at church or?”

“Lo!” I called as I slid my hands down the baggy blue jean pencil skirt I’d paired with the jersey.

“What? That jersey is doing nothing for your figure... and that skirt... Phileigh, be so for real.”

“I think I look cute. I’m going for chill. I’m not trying to look like I try too hard. Let the face card speak for itself.”

“Is that right? “ Lo laughed, shaking her head. “Friend, I’m going to hold your hand when I say this, but the outfit is ugly. You look like you didn’t try at all. You’re about to be around some important people. Friend, you need to step.”

I sighed, plopping down on my bed. I was only going on this blind date to please my mom. She believed finding a husband would solve all my problems. Sometimes, I couldn’t tell if she meant well or wanted me to be married and miserable like she was. Dating wasn’t my strong suit. The universe always seemed to give me the wrong men just like it’d given me the wrong birth father. Whenever I thought something was sweet, it turned out to be trash. Case in point—my messy situation with Reggie.

“I’m not feeling this date, Lo. I’m pregnant.” I sighed.

“Then don’t go, Phileigh. I mean, you are with child,” Lo replied.

I was against this date when my mother presented it to me, but I didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, this Carson guy seemed like a good guy, and he was taking me to the Super Bowl. When would I ever get another opportunity to attend the Super Bowl?

“It’s not that simple. Ma set this up. If I make her look flakey, I’ll never hear the end of it. It’s not like I can go to my mom and tell her I can’t go because I’m pregnant by an engaged man who’s ghosting me.”

Lo rolled her eyes. She wasn’t the number one fan of my mom or Reggie. Lo always said that Reggie was on bullshit from the beginning, but I was too dickmatized to see it. Lo had always been the friend who told me shit like it was. She didn’t sugar coat for anybody, not even my mom. In a world where I often felt alone and not good enough, Lo was the only person who made me feel like I was perfect.

“You’re too kind, Phileigh,” Lo stated.

“I know.”

“Have you called him?”

“Yes… voicemail.”

“Text his ass then. His foul ass owes you an explanation.”

“I think I may be blocked.” I shrugged, admitting what I feared to be the truth.

“You’re better than me, Phileigh. Because I would have his ass plastered all over Hollywood Tea Room! Getting engaged, and you got me pregnant!” Lola rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in her usual dramatic fashion.

“I can’t do that, Lo. That will make me look stupid, and I don’t want to risk losing my little celebrity clientele.”

I was just an up-and-coming local barber before my high school classmate turned professional athlete, Reggie, started coming to get his hair cut by me. He’d brought me a lot of clientele and exposure. If I blasted him for being foul, would the people he sent me still come to me? I wasn’t so sure.

“And Beatrice can’t pick anybody’s husband. Look at the one she picked for herself!” Lo yelled, referring to my father, Dale. “Who is this guy again, anyway?” She asked as if I hadn’t given her the rundown on him a thousand times.

“His name is Carson. He’s a man she met at bingo.”

“Bingo?” she shouted. “He old?”

“No. He was there with his grandma.” I clarified. “Apparently, he’s pretty handsome and has a good job. He’s a sports agent or something. Hence the tickets to the Super Bowl.”

Lo stared at me for a moment. Her mouth opened and closed before she finally broke her silence. My best friend wanted to continue her rant, but she knew that was not what I needed right now.

“Change into the lime green dress I bought you for your birthday. It hugs your curves and flairs in the right places. You’ll be in team colors but won’t look like everybody else, and you can pair it with sneakers.”

“But what about the jersey?” I protested. “I like this.”

“Cut it down the middle and wear it like a cardigan.”

“Cut it!” I grabbed the jersey, shocked by her suggestion.

“Go change, Phileigh,” she demanded as she pointed toward my closet door. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Okay, okay, I’ll change,” I replied, standing up and disappearing into my closet, leaving her and my phone on the dresser.

I rummaged through the racks until I found the lime green fit-and-flare dress Lo had suggested. The dress was gorgeous but drew too much attention to me and my body. I loved my body, every fat roll and curve, but I hated attention. I quickly undressed and slid the dress over my head and down my curves. I certainly felt better. Exiting the closet, I grabbed the jersey and a pair of scissors. Doing what Lo said, I cut the jersey down the middle, splitting the number twenty-six. I slid it on, and walked over to my dresser until I stood in front of the phone.

“Better?” I asked.

“Okay. Now, that’s my big, beautiful bestie!” Lo exclaimed, her eyes widening in admiration. “You look like one of those NFL wives!”

She snapped her fingers. I turned to catch my reflection in the mirror. I was thankful I wasn’t showing because I already had a little belly. I studied myself. I looked pretty. My freshly twisted wavy locs and full-face glam made me look like I’d stepped off a magazine cover. I was a tomboy in the way I dressed, but I stayed with my hair done and makeup on.

“I guess you were right,” I said.

“I’m always right.”

“Yeah, whatever?—”

The sound of the doorbell ringing cut me off. My date is here. My heart skipped a beat.

“That’s him...” I said.

“Did you turn your location on?”

“Yes, Lo.” I rolled my eyes at her extra ass. We were going to the most crowded place in the city.

“Well, okay. Good luck, bestie. Have fun, and go Warhawks! If you see your punk ass baby daddy, make a scene!”

I shook my head as I disconnected the call and walked toward my front door. I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of him being there. He wasn’t playing, so why would he attend? While I wanted to talk to him, a public venue was not where I wanted to do it. My phone buzzed just before I opened the door. Thinking it was Lolo saying something crazy, I glanced at it and froze as I read the message.

The number you texted is no longer in service.

My heart sank. Did this nigga block me? A wave of reality hit me. Reggie was ghosting me on purpose. He wasn’t even man enough to have a conversation with me. I felt instant disgust form in my stomach. How had I made the mistake of lying down with somebody who would do me like this?

“Coward,” I muttered, trying to shake off the disappointment.

Ghosting me when he was a professional athlete was crazy. I had half the mind to do exactly what Lo said and blast his ass on the internet. Reggie had never once mentioned having a girlfriend nor were there signs of her on his socials. The first day he’d come into my job to get his hair cut, I’d just had a video kind of go viral. He was charming and professional. He paid me a thousand dollars for his cut and invited me to lunch. He was the hometown hero. We had run in some of the same circles in high school, so I went.

I wasn’t expecting him to come on to me. I wasn’t expecting to sleep with him the next day. He seemed like such a good guy. He wanted to help me grow my clientele. He sent me NFL clients and flowers nearly once a week. I didn’t think twice about his motives or that he didn’t want anybody to know we were messing around. I thought it was because of his fame. I should have noticed the red flags, but he was a professional athlete, and he was interested in me. I thought he had real feelings for me. I didn’t know he would be the type to ghost me when I needed him most.

The doorbell rang again, reminding me I had a date standing outside my door. I took a deep breath, sucking in the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes. I didn’t have time to break down right now. Not wanting to leave Carson waiting, I dropped my phone in my purse and opened the door.

“Hi, you must be Phileigh,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Carson.”

I took him in. He was a handsome guy—brown skin with a low fade and a nice smile. The way his collared shirt was tucked into his pants made him look a little too square for my taste, and we stood at the exact same height. I was about five foot ten but still. I liked looking up at my men. I smiled at him, feeling bad for already writing him off, but he wasn’t my type. Reggie is your type and look where that got you. My subconscious had jokes. Shaking off my thoughts, I extended my arm and lightly shook his hand.

“In the flesh.” I forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Same… Your Mom couldn’t stop talking about you at bingo.” He looked me up and down. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

We stood there staring at each other awkwardly. I’d never been on a blind date before. I didn’t know what to say.

“You ready? Um... The game starts in about an hour, but we have food in the suite.” Carson broke the silence between us.

A suite? I didn’t know we would be in a suite. Maybe this man was a bigger deal than I thought. I took a deep breath. I was twelve weeks pregnant. I should tell Carson to disappear, but going to the Super Bowl beat sitting in the house trying to track down Reggie and sliding down the wall crying. This could very well be my last date for a while. Who was going to want to date a single mother?

“Sure, let’s go!” I replied, forcing excitement.

We both stepped out the door and headed toward the elevator. It was just one date. In a few days, I would let Carson down easily and focus on my future as a single mother. Embrace the evening . I followed behind Carson. Even if this date was just a distraction from my sad reality, I would do my best to enjoy it.