9. Sunday
Sunday
One Month Later
“ C ’mon. Your mother’s peeked out those drapes six times.”
Cedar jumped out of the car, rounded it, and came to my side and pulled the door open.
I wore cream leggings and an oversized pink and cream sweater with brown calf-length boots.
I had thrown a brown leather jacket on that matched my leather boots.
The leggings were comfortable, and I wouldn’t have to worry about trying to squeeze into tight jeans.
The sweater would not only ward off the chilly March temperatures, thanks to the rain, but also hopefully hide my protruding belly. At seventeen weeks, I wasn’t big, but I had put on some weight around my midsection.
Since I had always been a small girl, the slightest weight gain on me was noticeable, and my mom would be the first to detect it.
“What have you told them?” Cedar asked as he helped me out of the car and led me up the sidewalk.
“That I was bringing my boyfriend to meet them.”
“Sunday.”
Shrugging, I replied, “Well, we faked a relationship for your family. Why not for mine?”
“We have to tell them the truth eventually, especially with a baby coming. We can’t fake a relationship for eighteen years. We’ll have to tell your family the truth.”
“And yours also.”
“Or I could tell them that we broke up not long after the wedding.”
“And I could do the same thing,” I pointed out.
He sighed. “All right.”
I turned the doorknob and stepped inside.
“I was wondering when you two would finally come in out of the cold. Give me your jackets,” my mother greeted.
We handed my mother our jackets just as my father entered the living room with a boisterous, “Hey, baby girl.”
“Hey, Daddy,” I greeted and threw my arms around him. “Where are the boys?”
“Bjorn and Sarah are setting the dining table, and Nils is grabbing his gaming system to play after dinner. Who do we have here?” my father asked and turned his gaze to Cedar. My father’s arm rested possessively around me as we faced Cedar, and my mother stood beside Cedar, smiling at him.
“Mom, Daddy, this is Cedar, . . . my boyfriend. Cedar, these are my parents, Astrid and Raymond Monroe.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe,” Cedar greeted and extended his hand to my father, who took it hesitantly and then squeezed it.
I elbowed my father and scowled up at him, and he scowled back. When he released Cedar’s hand, my mother threw her arms around Cedar, catching him off guard.
“Sorry, Cedar. I forgot to warn you that my mother’s a hugger.”
He laughed. “It’s all good. My mom is the same way, and I welcome hugs. Sunday’s told me a lot about you two.”
“Well, sorry, I can’t say the same,” Daddy stated, embarrassing me with his rude behavior.
“Ray.” My mother could be the sweetest, gentlest woman, but she could turn into a pit bull instantly.
“I’m just saying, Astrid. We haven’t heard a thing.”
“Sorry, Mom and Dad. I didn’t tell you about Cedar because you would have interrogated me endlessly. I wanted to make sure that we worked out first,” I explained.
“Everything’s ready,” Bjorn called out from behind us. I pulled free from my father’s embrace and grabbed Cedar’s hand. I tugged him around my parents and toward where my older brother stood at the dining room doorway.
“I thought I heard your voice, mophead.” Bjorn affectionately rubbed my curly hair.
“Stop that.” I groaned and shoved him away.
“Hey, man. I’m Sunday’s big brother, Bjorn.”
He extended his hand to Cedar, who took it and shook it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Cedar.”
“Can’t believe you finally found someone who would put up with your stinky feet,” a voice called from behind me.
Spinning around, I glared at my youngest brother. “Nils, go back to whatever rock you crawled from under.”
He pulled me to him with a big grin and gripped me in a tight bear hug. “Good to see you again too. This place is called home. You should try visiting it more often.”
I laughed and tickled him, forcing him to release me. “Cedar, this pain in the butt is my younger brother, Nils.”
They shook hands and greeted each other before I led Cedar to the hallway bathroom, where we washed our hands for dinner. When we returned to the dining room, everyone was seated, and my parents served the food.
Everyone asked Cedar questions and got to know him over dinner. Everything went well until we headed to the living room to talk privately with my parents.
We took our seats, and my stomach sank as my father asked, “Did you come to ask me for my daughter’s hand in marriage?”
I glanced at Cedar, whose eyes ballooned, and he swallowed.
“No, sir.”
“Well, what’s the reason?”
“Ray,” my mother called softly and patted his hand.
“We’re expecting a baby,” I blurted.
My shoulders sagged. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized my belly had been tight, I was anxious, and my head had been throbbing. The tension that I felt immediately subsided.
“You said what?” my mother asked.
“I’m expecting a baby in September. I’m seventeen weeks along.”
“Cedar, how old are you?” My father’s question threw us both for a loop, but Cedar’s response was immediate and respectful.
“Thirty-one, sir.”
“You mentioned over dinner that you’d been married once before. How long have you been preying on my daughter? She wouldn’t have done this on her own.”
“Daddy!”
“It’s okay, Sunny. Sir, I have the greatest respect for Sunday. I didn’t prey on her, and she’s not anyone’s victim.”
“What were you thinking, Sunday? I didn’t send you to that town to get knocked up by the first thug you came across.” My father’s pale gray eyes burned hotly from his warm cinnamon-brown skin.
I blinked back tears. “Daddy, I’m grown. I’m not a little girl anymore, and while I didn’t purposely set out to get pregnant, I don’t regret my baby.”
My hands instantly went to my belly and covered my unborn child protectively. It was as if my hands could ward off his negative energy and horrible words.
“Sweetheart, we don’t expect you to regret your baby. But you must understand that we are shocked and mildly disappointed. Did you think that we were going to be overjoyed about you going off and returning home pregnant?”
Tears streamed from my eyes at my mother’s words. “I never wanted to disappoint you.”
“What did you expect if you were out here making rash, immature decisions?” my father demanded in a harsh tone.
“And how dare you come to my home to meet me and not even consider that you should have been coming to at least ask for her hand in marriage? I raised you better than to take up with some thug and get pregnant out of wedlock!”
My father’s words were coming rapidly at us like bullets as his eyes went from me to Cedar and back to me again. I had seen my father staring at Cedar’s tattoos but hoped that he wouldn’t judge him by them. Based on his name-calling, I was wrong.
Cedar stood and extended a hand to me. I took it and allowed him to pull me up. My brothers stood in the doorway with Sarah between the two of them. All of them wore empathetic looks while my heart broke.
“I apologize that our visit today has caused you both distress. We meant no disrespect to either of you. Sunday’s a very loving and caring person, who worried about how you would receive the news.
She’s not immature and doesn’t make rash decisions.
She’s mature and reliable. So much so that her department head tasked her with a major project at the end of the year.
People come to her for wise counsel, assistance, and anything else because she’s reliable.
Even our neighbor relies on her to watch her two-year-old. ”
“Your neighbor? So, you shacked up with him?” my father asked and laughed harshly. “If you needed money to pay your bills, then you should’ve just asked. Not sold yourself to the first bidder.”
My body went rigid with anger and pain. Before I could reply, Cedar squeezed my hand.
He shook his head, pinched the bridge of his nose, and immediately changed his speech. “I tried hard not to disrespect ya disrespectful ass since I’ve been here. But, nigga, I’m this close to knocking your ass out,” Cedar warned, pinching his thumb and index finger together.
“Hey! Come on. You two need to chill out. Dad, you shouldn’t have said what you said about Sunday. Cedar, we’re gonna need you to chill on threatening our dad in front of us.” Bjorn jumped in and held his hands out between my father and Cedar.
“Bjorn, I respect the fact you need to protect your pops. I’d do the same thing.
But he’s not about to say anotha disrespectful word to this one.
I don’t give a damn if I’m in his house.
I’ll be damned if I let anyone disrespect or stress her, especially while she’s carrying my seed.
Look at her. She’s crying, and that ain’t even necessary,” he stated and pointed at me where I desperately tried to wipe my tears.
“Sunday’s too good for this type of treatment.
She’s got the biggest, most beautiful heart I’ve ever seen.
So, nah, I’m not gon’ sit back and watch her get disrespected for nobody.
’Cause one thing I’ma do is show up for mine and have they back.
You and nobody else ’bout to take her through no shit.
So, if you can’t accept her or our baby, .
. . deuces.” Cedar tossed two fingers in the air and led me to the door.
“Ray, do something,” my mother pleaded.
I glanced at my father, and in his obstinance, he remained rooted to the spot with his head held high.
My brothers and Sarah followed us out of the house. Each of them hugged us, told me they loved me, and asked me to please keep in touch.
As we rode down the street, I looked at Cedar. “Cedar, I love you, but don’t threaten my father again. It’s too easy for us to walk away when he gets that disrespectful.”
Cedar was fuming. “You taking his side in this shit? He disrespected you, Sunny. He was out of line!”