29. Ember
EMBER
Ithought I got over the nervous stage, but it all came rushing back like it never left.
“Ember, I promise it’s going to be okay,” Cassie comforted me, trying to keep my emotions at bay.
She was the best one-woman support system I ever had besides my Aunt Patty.
Cassie went out of her way to pack our suitcases and deep clean our space, so we would have a nice and tidy home to come back to.
On top of that, she ensured Rhema and I were well fed before our flight.
Amara informed me that she would be out of town for a couple of weeks, so her husband was the only point of contact for the time being.
At the last minute, I called and asked Nehemiah if he was sure I couldn’t bring one more person with me besides Rhema.
Nehemiah and Amara were both adamant about protecting their client’s privacy.
So, when he told me, “No,” it was an answer I was expecting to hear, but it didn’t hurt to ask.
I purchased a new camera so Rhema and I could preserve our private jet experience, and I wanted to capture every moment for Cassie too.
I didn’t want to risk my phone’s storage getting full in the middle of me taking a picture or recording a video, which was the reason I invested in the high-tech device.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Girl, I thought you stopped with all that daydreaming stuff,” Cassie joked, snapping me back to reality. “I thought maybe the pregnancy had cured all that.”
“Cass, let me be. Sometimes, daydreaming is the only thing that keeps me sane.”
She laughed. “I know. I’m just playin’. You can zone out all you want, for as long as you want, friend.”
I playfully swatted Cassie’s leg. “It’s almost time,” I stated, checking the time on my phone.
“It is. I think we packed everything that you’ll need for your trip. Oh yeah.” She tapped her index finger on her chin. “Did you put your bottle of prenatal pills in your purse?”
“Yeah, I have them. That was one of the first things I secured in my bag,” I told her, serious about doing my part in making sure their baby was healthy.
I had forty-five minutes left before the driver came to get Rhema and me and take us to the airport.
After inhaling deeply, I wobbled around, checking to see if I was forgetting anything.
Rhema came out of her bedroom as she put on her backpack.
I still hadn’t told her about the jet or where we were going.
All she knew was that we were going on a trip, and she was ecstatic because this would be her first trip ever, and mine too.
An alert came through, informing me that the driver was pulling up.
Cassie and Rhema wheeled and carried our luggage and bags onto the elevator, and then went down to the lobby.
There was a vehicle parked in front of the entrance by the time we made it down.
We stepped outside and approached the driver who stood outside waiting for us.
He introduced himself and began to load the trunk with our belongings immediately after.
I noticed Cassie discreetly trying to snap a picture of the license plate number. I laughed hysterically to myself.
“Girl, what are you doing?” I whispered, nudging her arm.
“Ember, what does it look like I’m doing? You ain’t heard about these crazy people who be kidnapping pregnant women and stealing their babies?” she asked dramatically, in a serious tone.
I snickered, but Cassie stared at me with a stone-faced expression.
“Fo’real,” she muttered as the driver put my smaller bag on the back seat. “We can’t be trusting everybody. But just in case, I got his plate number, and I know who to go after if anything happens.”
“Okay, my girl is a certified hero too.” I was cheesing so hard, but I felt where Cassie was coming from. For some reason, though, I didn’t feel like Rhema or my life was in danger, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be cautious.
“Sir, take care of my babies, you hear me?” Cassie told the driver after hugging Rhema and me.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. They’ve hired the best driver to transport your ‘babies,’” he reassured professionally with a hint of humor.
“Alright, they betta had hired the best, because I already snapped a picture of you for good measure,” Cassie disclosed before giving us another hug and closing the back door.
The attractive, middle-aged Black driver shook his head and smiled as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Sorry about my friend,” I apologized. “As you see, she cares about our well-being.” I wasn’t sorry for Cassie’s protective nature; I was more concerned about her secretly snapping pictures of the man without his knowledge.
“No need to apologize, Miss. She seems like a good friend, which is something that’s hard to come by these days.”
“You’re right about that,” I agreed as we all buckled our seatbelts.
He nodded, started the engine, and carefully eased into traffic.
About fifty minutes later, we pulled up to a private airstrip that I didn’t know existed.
Private jets in every imaginable color were parked, and all of them looked freshly washed.
I quickly pulled out my camera and pressed record.
Rhema was staring out the window in awe.
I pointed the camera at her, capturing her reaction.
“Momma, are we going inside one of these private jets?”
I chuckled, still recording her. “What you know about private jets?”
“I see them on TV all the time,” she replied. “So, are we?”
“Yes, baby, we are. We’re flying to Miami on a private jet,” I finally revealed to her.
“Yay!” Rhema squealed and jiggled in her seat, causing the driver and I to laugh.
Ensuring my daughter was with me for this trip was one of the best decisions I ever made. This moment proved it.
For some odd reason, meeting the baby’s parents scared me more than flying to Miami on a private jet. This was Rhema and my first time leaving LA, but seeing my daughter in her happiest state gave me a sense of calm I had never felt before.
We pulled up to the prettiest jet of the bunch.
“A its glossy black body reflecting the sunlight made it look like polished glass.
Diamond-shaped windows lined the side, like it had been custom-made to match its expensive aesthetic.
My bottom lip hung open as I gently pinched myself, just to make sure this was real. I never thought I’d experience anything like this. Remembering my camera, I rushed to turn it back on and film the outside. This kind of beauty deserved a spot in my visual memory collection.
The driver stepped out and opened each door for us.
The jet’s fold-out airstairs were already down, like they’d been waiting for our arrival.
A crew dressed in all black stood at the doorway, greeting us with the warmest smiles I’d ever seen from strangers.
There was a pilot and three flight attendants who came down to help Rhema and me with our small bags, while the driver worked with the ramp agent to load our luggage into the baggage compartment.
Whoever owned this jet had to be paying them well. Every single person moved like their job was to make sure we didn’t lift a finger.
This treatment… wow. If only this was my everyday life. Is this how rich people feel all the time?
“I appreciate you,” I told the driver before we stepped inside.
Rhema was all smiles as we entered, but I paused at the door, taking it all in.
The black and chrome interior was even more breathtaking than the outside.
Soft black leather seats with the name “A it put Rhema and me right to sleep.
“That was some good sleep you got there,” one of the individuals from the medical team said to me.
“I did. How long was I sleeping?”
The woman lifted her wrist closer to her eyes to see the time on her watch.
“Uh, you slept about five hours.” They all giggled as their eyes softened.
“Oh, my goodness. That’s the entire flight to Miami. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know I was sleeping that long.
“Don’t you worry about that. We promise there’s no reason to apologize. If we weren’t keeping an eye on you, we probably would’ve been fast asleep too.”
I smiled, but I felt guilty that they weren’t able to rest because they had been hired to watch me.
Josie came back to tell us to buckle our seatbelts again because we would be landing soon. Suddenly, my heart rate picked up, and I damn near felt like the others could hear it thumping in my chest. My mind shifted to the upcoming meeting with the husband and wife.
What if they changed their minds when they saw me? What if their families judged me? They would probably look at me like I was some desperate woman who would do anything for money. Did I make a mistake coming here?
“Ms. Heart? Ms. Heart?” Josie tried to get my attention, interrupting my negative thoughts. “Are you okay?”
The look of concern on her face forced me to get myself together and straighten up.
“Yes, Josie. I’m okay.” The last thing I wanted was to give these people a reason to report back to the family that there was an unstable woman carrying their child.
From the looks of it, the couple had everyone on payroll, so there was no telling.
I inhaled deeply as the jet descended. Ember, calm down. You’ll be okay. Everything will be alright.
When the tires made contact with the pavement, Rhema’s head bounced slightly, causing her to stir awake.
“Hey, baby girl. We just landed.”
She perked up, leaned closer to the window, and looked out at the tropical surroundings. I ran my hand over the back of her head, smoothing down her curly ponytail.
Once we were parked, I thanked the entire team and stood up to stretch my legs.
Rhema and I were escorted off the jet and guided to a big-body, matte black truck.
This time, the driver was a pretty Black woman whose skin reminded me of a warm cup of hot chocolate.
She flashed us her pearly whites as we walked up.
“Welcome to Miami, Ms. Heart,” she greeted.
I gave her a warm smile. “Thank you.”
“And what’s your name, sweetie?” She leaned down to Rhema’s eye level.
“Hi, I’m Rhema.”
“Such a pretty name. Nice to meet you both. I’m Africa, and I’ll be your driver during your stay in Miami.”
“Nice to meet you as well, Africa.”
We waved a final goodbye to our flight team and got into the truck.
Our destination was unknown, but with the extent the couple had gone so far, I figured we would be okay, and there was nothing to worry about. Like Amara said, it did seem like we were indeed in good hands.