Chapter 9 #2
“I’m not getting any younger, Karsyn, and this little tiff with your brother does me no good. If anything, it puts me in a fucked-up space, so I propose we fix this. I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to die and your brother is still out in the cold.”
I narrowed my eyes. “So what are you asking me to do?”
“Get married, daughter. To a man of my choosing, of course. You allow me to broker your marriage and your brother’s future won't hang in the balance. Especially with that little project he’s working on with the Carters.
I would hate to see that come to a screeching halt, especially when it seems so promising. ”
I was quiet, mentally going over his words. I couldn’t believe I was even considering this, but for my brother, I’d do whatever necessary.
“A suitable young man, of course.” He smiled widely, his expression dipped in joy, nearly the exact mirroring of The Shadow Man from The Princess and the Frog. “You don’t have to give me an answer today, but I do expect one within the next few days if that’s not too much to ask.”
The overwhelming need to throw up woke me from my sleep. Top of the morning and I was full-fledged sprinting to the washroom to empty my guts. Once finished, I sat back against the wall, my chest heaving and my stomach not feeling right.
“Yo, you good?” I heard, making me open my eyes and look toward the doorway where my brother stood. I didn’t realize he was still here. After the impromptu conversation with my father, I sorta crashed and burned.
“Mhmm. I’m jus—” I started but my face was hovering over the toilet again, hurling once again. What the fuck could this be?
I was sitting back against the wall with my eyes closed when Kolton called my name. My eyes popped open, locking on the wet towel he held out for me to take.
“Look, I know this shit hurts, but you gotta bounce back. Cooped up here at Mama’s house ain’t doing shit but enabling you to hide from your problems. Yeah, that shit hurts, I can see it, but you are more than this.
Your happiness is more than this. The situation is fucked up, but at the end of the day, his loss.
You’re a fucking catch, twin, now start fucking acting like it. ”
He was right and his words resonated. Too bad along with his words I was carrying something more…
So much more. I was off the floor and taking care of my hygiene within minutes, then under his watchful eye, I began to pack up my things.
He was right, I needed to leave my mother’s house, because here I would get no privacy to get the answer to the question I was now asking myself.
We left my mother’s house around the same time. He was headed to his lounge and me to a pharmacy. All I had been doing was crying, sleeping, and throwing up since everything happened, never mind two of those things were symptoms of something I didn’t want to think of, not until I was sure.
I spent entirely too long in the pregnancy test aisle of the pharmacy, then I ended up grabbing the most expensive two with hopes that paying more ensured accuracy…
shit I didn’t know I was for sure overthinking this, but was I?
Never in my life had I ever felt the need to take a pregnancy test. I was always safe… Just not with him.
When I finally made it home, I felt strange, maybe because in contrast to my mother’s old money decorations, my condo was modest and modern.
It was all of me here and the only thing missing was my dog who she had conveniently kidnapped on her weekend at The Bluffs with friends.
She knew only Kolton could get me up, which was why she called him during her weekend absence. Well played, Mother.
Once I was unpacked and settling back into my own space, I decided it was time for me to take the tests.
At this point I’d be able to at least see what I was working with, if anything.
A baby would complicate my situation more than I needed right now, but it didn’t ask for my recklessness or to be here, so I would be forced to figure it out.
I had just washed my hands and set the two freshly pissed-on pregnancy tests on the counter when my phone started ringing in my back pocket.
I could use the distraction at this point.
When I pulled it out, looking at the screen, I saw it was Junnie calling.
I answered immediately because I did miss my friends.
“Bitch, don’t you ever drop off the face of the earth on me again. I don’t know what Psy did, but if you want me to, I’ll bust his ass for you. Just say the words, Karsyn.”
I laughed through tears as if I hadn’t shed enough of them. “I’m sorry, I just needed a minute. Where are you?”
“Wherever you need me to be. Fuck it, I’m about to request the rideshare. Are you home?”
“Yeah, I’m here and I damn sure do need you,” I stated honestly.
“I am on the way. I’m finna tell this nigga to do the dash there too.”
I laughed hard. “Okay. You know the code.”
We hung up and I moved around my place, trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t go in the bathroom to look at those tests. Instead, I grabbed a bowl of chocolate ice cream and sat on the couch, mentally recounting everything.
Marriage saves Kolton.
Dad had Posydiann’s uncle killed.
Marriage to a stranger
What about the baby?
How do we even know there is a baby?
I glanced toward the bathroom door where the answer probably awaited. Another spoonful of the ice cream later, I closed my eyes. Everything was so fucking much right now and I was indeed all cried out. Kolton was right. I had to push through all of this.
My phone began ringing again and I glanced down at it. It was Junior. I didn’t understand why he was calling me, but I refused to punish him for his father. Who was I even punishing?
I answered by mashing my phone against my ear. “Hey Junior, everything okay?” I asked, way too much emotion welling up inside me.
“Uh yeah, Ma. I was just calling to make sure you’re still coming to my game tonight. It’s the season opener and I really want you to be there.”
“Uh yeah, I’ll be there. Just send me the time, baby boy.” I shook my head. Of course I should’ve told him I couldn’t make it, but I didn’t have it in my heart to do that to him. His actual mother was across the damn world, so the last thing I wanted to do was let him down.
“Okay, thank you. I’ma see you there, Ma.”
We hung up a few seconds later and the waterworks started all over again. Fuck.
In the midst of that unplanned moment, my door opened. I looked up and right into the eyes of Junnie. She slammed the door and rushed me so fast I felt her bringing the wind with her.
“Damn, Kars. I hate that we are here. I hate all of this, but baby you’re gonna get through this. Bitch, look at you, got me crying too.”
I didn’t speak for a moment. We just sat there, her embrace comforting my aching heart and tired mind more than she’d ever know.
She pulled back and looked at me, wiping tears from my eyes before she spoke. “Okay, so we need to drink.”
I shook my head. “Nope, not yet. I have a lot to tell you.”
Confusion filled her expression because all she was aware of was my breakup with her cousin, nothing else surrounding my fragile emotional state. “Okay, so lay it on me.”
I sighed, spilling the beans of my father’s proposition, touching on what Kolton told me about their uncle’s death, then circling back to Posydiann, leaving out the impending pregnancy test results in the washroom.
She was silent for a moment. “Have I ever told you how much I hate your fucking father?”
“Nope, but I think you know how much I hate him.” I sighed, sitting, hugging my knees to my chest.
“Can we drink now?”
I shook my head.
“Why not? You just gave me several reasons why both of us need a drink. What else is there, Karsyn?” She tilted her head forward.
“The bathroom. Go look in the bathroom because I can’t bring myself to look. I feel like somehow that’ll make all of this even worse.”
She was on her feet immediately, stalking toward the bathroom to see what I was talking about. “You ain’t got a body or anything in here, do you?” she asked, gripping the doorknob then looking back at me.
I shook my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. Damn all this crying.
She then pressed her ear to the door as if she was trying to listen for something.
I couldn’t help the laughter that escaped my lips watching her crazy self finally open the door and step into the bathroom.
“Shit!” she exclaimed loudly. “No drinks for you, but I’ma need several at this point.”
She exited the bathroom a few moments later approaching the couch. “This is a lot, I’m not gonna lie to you. But you’re my best bitch and I got you for life. My loyalties lie with you, even though I told you to leave that nigga alone. Now where is the alcohol? I’m taking shots for you tonight.”
I shook my head. “One more thing.”
“Bitch, what else could it possibly be?”
“Before you got here, Junior called and reminded me that I agreed to come to his game tonight. It’s the season opener. I told him I wouldn’t miss it.”