Chapter 17
Overall, I would say I’d lived a good life…great even. Of course, there were some ups and downs, but if I had to rate my life, I’d give it a nine-point five out of ten. However, the past two weeks would be rated in the negatives.
I missed the fuck out of Aranda. Since we decided to pursue a relationship, there were times when we didn’t have the opportunity to be together physically, but the texts, phone calls, and FaceTime calls were constant. I’d gotten used to communicating with her in some form daily.
The sound of her voice, her soft giggle, her sometimes obnoxious laughter, her rants about me and my teammates, her strong views on world issues, and so much more had become a main staple in my daily life. To say I was struggling wouldn’t be enough to describe my inner turmoil.
As if that wasn’t enough, Chanice called me randomly to tell me she wanted to see Deuce. She was his mother, and I didn’t want to deny her, but it had been over four years. I couldn’t help but wonder why she suddenly wanted to see him.
Although I had full primary custody, she did have visitation, which she’d never opted to use. A part of me wished she’d signed her rights over, but at the time, I didn’t think she’d have any interest at all in parenting.
My parents weren’t happy with Chanice’s surprise visit but were very anxious to meet her. We’d decided they would keep Deuce while I picked Chanice up from the airport and take her to dinner. We would then go to my parents’ house for coffee and/or tea and dessert.
I saw her exit the automatic airport doors and look around. She was even more beautiful than when we parted ways. I raised my arm and waved it back and forth until she noticed me. She smiled and headed in my direction, pulling her rolling suitcase.
“Hey!” she greeted with excitement.
We embraced as I responded to her warm greeting. “Wassup? You look great.”
“I feel great. You look good too. Life must be treating you well.”
“Not bad, but we can talk more over dinner. Let me put your luggage in the trunk.”
She stepped to the side. I grabbed her suitcase and put it in the trunk before opening the passenger side door for her. Once we were both in the car, it felt awkward. I didn’t have a lot to say, so I didn’t say anything.
“Will you be this way for my entire visit?” she finally asked.
“What way?”
“Quiet and distant.”
“Is that what you think?”
“You haven’t spoken since we’ve been in the car, and I can feel the tension between us.”
“Chanice, I’m not sure what you’re expecting from me. You planned this surprise visit to see my son, not me.”
“Our son.”
“Really? Because if I asked Niko who you were, he’d have no clue. I’m pretty sure most kids can pick their mother out of a lineup, but I guarantee Niko can’t.”
“I can see how this visit is going to go.”
“I’m hoping it will go well, and my son isn’t traumatized too much. You asked me to pretend you didn’t exist as far as he was concerned and said you’d reach out when you wanted pictures or videos of him. When was the last time you did that?”
“We had an agreement, so you have no right to be mad.”
My mood had been shit since Aranda snuck out in the wee hours of the morning, and I didn’t want to go back and forth with Chanice.
“Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving.”
We didn’t speak again until we were seated in a booth at Elm Street Blues and had ordered our food and drinks.
“So, how long are you visiting?” I asked.
“I have a month of leave, but I planned to only be here for a week.”
“I drop Deuce off at school in the morning, and one or both of my parents pick him up. He attends half-day kindergarten at a private school.”
“They don’t have all-day kindergarten in Cali?”
“I’m sure they do, but he attends for half the day. If you plan to spend time with him, we can arrange it with my mother for the afternoon.”
“I was thinking I could take him to the zoo and the museum while I’m here. Do you think that’s something a four-year-old would enjoy?”
“He’s five, Chanice. How do you not know when you gave birth?”
“I meant to say five. It’s not that serious.”
I closed my eyes as I slowly inhaled and exhaled. “You not remembering when you gave birth is crazy work, but I digress. Deuce would like the zoo or museum. He enjoys doing things with the people who love him, although I’m not sure you’re one of those people.”
“Wow, Niko. That was low.”
“But was it a lie? He’ll be able to sense if you’re genuine or not.”
She huffed, ignoring what I’d said. “I didn’t rent a car. Would I be able to borrow yours while you’re at work? What do you do, anyway?”
“Currently, I’m a full-time student and member of the lacrosse team at Black Elm University. I also work part-time as a server in a restaurant.”
“You don’t have a full-time job?” I could hear the judgment in her voice.
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah, but I thought you might have misspoken. How are you taking care of our son with so little income?”
“That’s not your concern.”
I was grateful the server arrived with our food. Our conversation gave me a headache, and a break was welcomed. We ate in silence until our meal was mostly gone. It was awkward, but I didn’t feel like talking to her.
“Would I be able to borrow your car, or should I look into renting one?”
“Because of my schedule, I need my car throughout the day. I’ll rent one for you.”
“Oh no, that’s not necessary. I’m sure your money is already tight since you probably don’t make much more than a teenager who still lives with his parents.”
“I remember one of the reasons I didn’t like you beyond the sex. You’re very judgmental.”
She shrugged. “What’s your point?”
I shook my head. “Do you want me to rent the car for you, or not?”
“I’m good.”
“Suit yourself.”
I focused on finishing my food because this conversation was only getting worse. As I put the last of the mashed potatoes into my mouth, I suddenly felt someone looking at me.
I looked around the restaurant, and when my eyes made it to the host station, there was Aranda holding a bag of food. She looked back and forth between me and Chanice and shook her head, her anger and disappointment very noticeable.
A part of me wanted to rush to her and explain what she saw.
The other, stubborn part didn’t think an explanation was necessary.
She suggested we take a step back, and we hadn’t spoken in two weeks.
Technically, we weren’t together, and although Chanice meant nothing to me, I was free to do what I wanted… right?
“Before we go inside, I need to warn you. My mother may not be very welcoming.”
“That unwelcoming spirit must be hereditary.”
I wasn’t offended by her dig because I didn’t welcome her here with open arms. This was the first time I’d said anything else to her since she declined my offer to rent a car for her.
“It might be, but regardless, I wanted to prepare you. My father balances her out well, so the energy won’t be completely off.”
“At least somebody will have manners.”
I got out and assisted her in doing the same. Once inside, I found my family in the family room. Before I could announce our presence, Deuce stopped playing with his toys and ran to me with open arms.
“Daddy,” he sang as I swooped him up and kissed his forehead before placing him back on his feet.
“Wassup, Deuce? How was your day?”
“It was fun. Come look what I made.”
“Hold on, Son. Ma, Pops, this is Chanice.”
They were sitting on the couch, and neither stood to greet her, but they spoke.
“Hello, Chanice. It’s nice to finally meet you,” my father greeted.
“We’ve been looking forward to meeting the young lady responsible for bringing our first grandchild into the world. Thank you.”
My mother’s greeting seemed polite on the surface, but if you knew how she rolled, you’d know she threw a lot of shade with that statement.
“It’s nice to meet you both as well.”
“Deuce, I want you to meet someone.”
“Hold on, Son. Take Deuce to his room and get him set up with a movie,” Ma told me.
“But—”
“Niko, please. Do as I ask and come back when you have him situated. Chanice, you can sit while we wait for Niko to return.”
I was skeptical but did what my mother asked. Fifteen minutes later, I sat next to Chanice on the love seat.
“I thought we should talk before formally introducing you to Deuce,” Ma began.
“Marissa, go easy on her because this ain’t really our business,” my father said.
“Like hell, it’s not!”
“I don’t really consider it an introduction. I carried him for nine months and gave birth to him.”
“Yes, you did, but he’ll need some time to warm up to you before he’s comfortable.”
“Warm up to me? Comfortable? Excuse me? I’m his mother.”
“I’d use the word mother very loosely if I were you.”
“Ma’am—”
“Let me stop you there, Chanice. I can tell by your tone you’re about to say something disrespectful to my mama.”
“You didn’t stop her from disrespecting me.”
“That wasn’t disrespect. It was facts.”
I couldn’t believe Chanice didn’t understand my mother’s perspective and had the audacity to get an attitude.
“You’re a stranger to him,” my mother reminded her. “Chanice, I’m happy you wanted to take some time and see Deuce, but a few things need to be established first.
“Okay. I guess that’s fair.”
“I know it is. Do you plan to become a permanent fixture in his life?” Pops asked, which surprised me because he had been relatively quiet.
“Umm, I just wanted to see him.”
“I could have sent you more pictures and videos. You didn’t have to come here to see him,” I told her.
“True, but I wanted to see him in person.”
“Answer my husband’s question.”
“I’m still in the Navy. It’s almost impossible for me to see him regularly.”
“I’m sure it would be difficult, but parents serve our country all the time. With how technology is set up, if you want to be a part of Deuce’s life, nothing is stopping you,” Pops said.
“I still have no desire to be someone’s mother, but…I don’t want him to grow up thinking I’m a deadbeat.”
“So, you’re doing this so you won’t feel like a deadbeat. You can’t be a good mother to him if you have no desire to be a mother,” Ma told her.
“He deserves to know my parents, his aunts, uncles, and cousins on my side of the family.”
“You were adamant about never telling your family about Deuce. When did that change?” I asked.
“I never did. One of my cousins told them. I went home to visit a few years ago, and I drank too much. Apparently, in my drunken stupor, I told her I’d had a baby and given it to the father.
She fell on hard times a few months later and asked to borrow some money.
I’d loaned her money in the past, but she never paid back, so my answer was no.
She kept pressing me and eventually confessed she knew my secret.
When she told me what she knew, I was so shocked I didn’t deny it.
The next thing I knew, she was blackmailing me. ”
“That’s messed up,” I said.
“Yes. That’s very unfortunate, but it still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Pops pressed.
“I’m engaged, and my fiancé doesn’t know anything about Deuce. My mother is threatening to tell him if I don’t get full custody of Deuce and make Niko pay child support. She will be his guardian and collect the check from Niko.”
I shot to my feet. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
I didn’t usually curse in front of my parents, but this bitch had lost her mind. Neither of them corrected me, so they probably thought it was justified.
“It will be a cold day in hell before any of that happens. Niko, I need you to take this woman out of here before you see a side of your mother you’ve never seen. I would say it’s nice to meet you, but that would be a lie.”
My mother spoke her piece and left the family room, leaving my father and I to deal with Chanice.
“You’re probably wondering why we’re so involved in our grown son’s life.
Niko may be grown, but he’s still learning the ins and outs of adulthood and what it takes to be a good father.
He’ll never master it because there is no such thing as mastering parenthood.
However, he shows up every day for that little boy and loves him more than life.
Because of his commitment to his son, my wife and I will show up daily for our son and grandson because we love them more than life.
That’s obviously something you aren’t willing to do, but how dare you come in here with the intention of jeopardizing the loving and solid foundation we’ve built around a child you admittedly don’t want, to save face.
If you love that man enough to marry him, you should be able to be honest and upfront with him.
Tell him the truth, and you won’t have to worry about someone else doing it. ”