Ember
“Istill can’t believe they went from being strict about wanting to remain anonymous to now wanting to meet you and having a whole ass gender reveal.
But besides that, I can’t wait for you to tell me who these people are.
” Cassie’s eyes lit up as she temporarily stopped searching through the rack of clothes to look at me.
“Girl, now you know they are making me sign an NDA.” I smiled, knowing Cassie didn’t care about no NDA.
“Yes, I’m well aware of that lil’ piece of paper, friend. But that’s to keep others out of their business, not me.”
Now we both were laughing loudly inside these people’s boutique. Cassie was helping me find an outfit for the gender reveal. When I looked on the internet, it said in Miami, January was considered their dry season with low humidity. Hopefully, this information was right.
“You right, you right.” I gently squeezed her arm and nodded.
In the middle of the clothing store, we continued to giggle like young schoolgirls.
If I didn’t trust Cassie, I wouldn’t say a single word.
I knew she wouldn’t betray me and reveal a secret the family wanted to keep hidden.
“I wish you were able to fly on the jet, too, so we all can get the luxury experience.”
“Aww, me too, but it’s okay. I still can’t believe my girl is going on a private jet,” she said in a loud whisper. “Just make sure you take lots of pictures and record a bunch of videos for me. That way, when I look at them, I can feel like I was there.”
My cheeks were sore from smiling so much. “I got you, Cass.”
We carried on with our shopping until my body couldn’t handle any more walking.
I settled on purchasing two long dresses.
A light yellow, sleeveless one that was more suitable for warm weather, and the other was a light colored, long sleeved green dress for cooler temperatures.
I wanted to be prepared if anything changed.
“Excuse me, excuse me!” a woman called.
Cassie and I looked back, checking to see if whoever was behind us was actually speaking to one of us.
“I knew it was you.”
I couldn’t move when I made eye contact with the woman.
It was the same chick who showed up to my house with Shane and her daughter a while ago.
She and her child had crossed my mind a few times since our last encounter.
Curiosity got the best of me as I wondered if anything happened after she and her daughter left my home.
“Hey,” my voice cracked.
I glanced at Cassie. She squinted as she eyed the woman from head to toe. “You good?” she asked me while her focus remained on the lady.
“Y-Yes,” I stammered, trying to discreetly get myself together.
The woman’s eyes were glued to my belly, probably wondering if I was carrying Shane’s baby.
“Congratulations. Pregnancy suits you,” she complimented while her eyes traveled from my large belly to my face.
“Thank you,” I replied, keeping it short. I would let her go with whatever narrative she came up with in her head. “How is your daughter?” I switched the topic from me to her.
She quickly looked away, staring out into the crowd of mall shoppers. “Orisha ain’t doing the best mentally because of what Shane’s muthafuckin ass did to her.”
My heart crumbled to pieces. Poor Orisha.
Cassie quietly stood next to me, and I knew she was confused about what was going on. This was information I hadn’t shared with anyone.
“And Shane?” I inquired in a low tone, not sure if she heard me.
“Hmph, that nigga is on the run.”
“On the run?”
“Yeah, he got locked up, and a week later I found out the nigga was released. I went everywhere tryna find him to get justice myself, but it seems as if he just vanished.”
How was Shane able to get out after ruining a little girl’s life?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Shane was out searching for his next victim if he hadn’t found one already. I couldn’t shake the thoughts of what could’ve happened to Rhema if I hadn’t caught him when I did.
My blood was boiling. “How was he able to get out so soon?”
“That’s the same question I have. You know those lazy bums don’t put much effort into people who look like you and me.”
She was right, but it was disappointing to hear. The system was fucked up, and for the life of me, I never understood how those who deserved to be behind bars were free to roam the streets while others who committed small, petty crimes were serving long prison sentences.
Cassie searched my face for answers, probably wondering why I didn’t tell her about this. I would talk to her about it later, and I hoped she understood why I kept quiet because I still felt guilty for lying in bed with the enemy. Shane would forever be my foe.
“I’m so sorry about what happened to your baby girl.” We were both crying now, and even Cassie had tears forming in her eyes as she gently rubbed my back. I needed all the comfort I could get. I was not okay after hearing this.
“I’m sorry, too,” the woman said sadly. “That nasty bitch is who will feel sorry if I ever find his ass. I’ll take matters into my own hands. I promise he won’t ever be able to run away again after I’m done with him.”
I got dizzy from nodding so hard in agreement with what she said.
“I didn’t get a chance to tell you this when I showed up at your apartment, but this has been bothering me since.
I want to apologize to you for messing with his ass, knowing he had a lady at home.
I think what he did to my baby must be my karma.
” She cried heavily, catching the attention of a few people who were nearby.
I moved closer and hugged her.
“It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself for anything that happened. We live and we learn.”
She didn’t stop crying.
I felt where she was coming from, but in life, we all make mistakes, but I didn’t hold anything against her. Usually, women got mad at the other woman who didn’t owe her any loyalty, and not mad enough at the man who cheated on her. In our case, this woman didn’t know me, so she didn’t owe me shit.
Blaming the ‘other woman’ is where a lot of people got it twisted.
This type of mindset protects men from taking accountability, and it gives them room to cheat in peace.
If they face no consequences, they will continue to do them because, in their mind, they believe we’ll always come back after they do us dirty.
And sometimes we do stay, but after so many times, we have to start asking ourselves, is this nigga really worth the constant hurt and pain they put us through?
They have us feeling angry, hating the other woman, anxious, unsettled, questioning our worth, have our nervous system stuck in survival mode, and unlocking a whole new level of trauma just trying to prove ourselves to them.
The list goes on. All because the man we chose to entertain didn’t have enough respect for us, or even himself.
And the worst part? They go on living their best lives while we’re left heartbroken and mentally fucked up.
I promise if the roles were reversed, and we treated men the same way they treated us, or if we did the same things they did to us back to them, they wouldn’t be able to handle it, not even a little.
I retrieved my phone from my purse and unlocked it. “Here.” I passed her my phone. “Save your number, and I’ll check on you and Orisha.”
With tears still rolling down her cheeks, she typed in her contact information. When she was done, I looked down at the name she stored herself under. Mercedes.
“Mercedes,” I said, now knowing her name. “I’ll send you a text right now. Save my number.”
She sniffled and wiped her nose with a piece of balled up tissue she took out of her jacket pocket. “I will. I’ll let you two get back to shopping.” Mercedes looked down at my belly once more. “And again, congratulations.”
“Thank you. Take care of yourself. I’ll keep you and Orisha in my prayers.”
“I appreciate that. We need all the prayers we can get.”
I nodded. Don’t we all?
Mercedes went in the opposite direction, and I watched until she was out of my sight.
Cassie tilted her head and made direct eye contact with me. “You okay, Ember?”
“No, but I will be. Let’s get out of here, Cass. I’ve had enough shopping for the day.”
She reached for the bags I carried and held them for me as we headed toward the exit.
All I wanted to do now was go home, shower, and sleep away the heavy feeling I felt in my heart.