Chapter 15
“Same time in two weeks, right?” I wiped the nape of one of my loyal client’s neck with a warm towel and smiled as I spun the chair toward the mirror for a final look.
“You know it.” He winked at me as he checked himself out in the mirror.
I glanced over at the waiting area, happy to see it nearly empty. The only client that remained was waiting on Lolo. I’d been backed up with clients since I’d arrived four hours ago, and I was tired.
“Looking good, Marques! My girl hooked you up,” she said playfully.
“She always get a nigga right. You want to get the after for your page before I get out of here?” he reminded me, and I took out my camera and recorded my work.
I’d been slacking on my content lately, but after all the footage I’d gotten today, I had enough to make at least three weeks’ worth of videos for my page. At first, my business page was a way for me advertise, but now, it was actually starting to make me money.
“Thanks, Phileigh. I’ll see you next time,” he replied, sliding off the chair and putting on his coat. “Unless you finally going to let me take you out.”
He hit me with his usual pick-up line. I rolled my eyes at Marques. He knew he didn’t stand a chance with me. As fine as he was, he had four baby mamas that didn’t play about him, and I didn’t need the drama.
“I like all my windows intact on my car, Marques.” I swatted him out the door just as his payment chimed on my Cash App.
“Fertile Myrtle know don’t nobody in here want his ass,” Lolo joked, and a few other stylists burst out laughing.
“Nobody!” I cosigned as I glided back over to my station and began cleaning up the area.
“So, you gonna tell me why you were late this morning?” Lolo questioned. She was in the middle of curling a client’s wig, but that didn’t stop her from being nosy.
“I may or may not have had a surprise visitor when I got home last night. We may or may not have fallen asleep watching a movie, and he may or may not have made breakfast for me this morning after kicking my parents out my house.” I grinned, giving her the rundown on my morning.
“Shut up! Star Player came to see you?” She put down her curling iron and focused entirely on me as I nodded confirmation. “That’s what I’m talking about. He a big stepper. You thought you was getting away, and he pulled up on that ass! Okay, Star Player.” She snapped her fingers, calling Kellon by the nickname we’d given him. There weren’t a lot of people in the shop right now, but still, we had to be careful.
“He wants to be friends. I think we could?—”
The door to the salon swung open, and the wind chimes rang, interrupting me mid-sentence. My heart dropped as I registered who had just walked their lying ass in here.
“Reggie?” Lolo and I said at the same time.
“Oh, hell no,” I whispered, feeling disgust rise in my throat.
Suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach all over again. I glared at him as he strutted in like he hadn’t ghosted me and popped up engaged. One of the clients and new stylists flocked to him, and he soaked it all in like the flashy and arrogant bastard he was, signing autographs and taking pictures.
“What is his ass doing here?” Lolo hissed.
“To be an asshole I’m sure,” I muttered, rolling my eyes as I stared at him.
His caramel skin, beautiful smile, and starter locs used to move me. It was funny how someone I used to think was fine shit now looked so ugly and stupid in his too little Amiri shirt. Reggie’s eyes scanned the room until they landed on me, and a smirk broke out on his face.
“Come holla at me outside, P,” he requested.
“Yeah, right.” I crossed my arms, trying to stop my irritation for him from bubbling to the surface.
“Come on, man. I’m parked out front.” He motioned toward the door, and Lolo grabbed my arm.
“I don’t trust him,” she whispered, and I agreed.
I didn’t trust his ass either. I’d heard enough stories of athletes trying to get rid of their pregnant mistresses. A man that wasn’t here on bullshit would have called first. This felt more like an ambush. Still, we needed to talk, and since he had blocked me on everything, this may have been my only chance.
“We can talk in the back.” I pointed, pulling away from Lolo, who eyed Reggie down as he sauntered behind me like he owned the place. I tried to keep a neutral expression as I walked us to Lolo’s back office, but internally, I was a wreck. What would I say to him, and where would I even start?
“What?” I asked as soon as we were alone inside Lolo’s office with the door shut.
“You are so cute when you’re angry, you know that?” he teased, leaning against Lolo’s desk. “We need to talk about this little situation you say you got going on.”
“Now, you want to talk? You ghosted me for the last three weeks, Reggie. If it wasn’t for your viral engagement video, I would have thought you dropped off the face of the damn Earth.”
“I was busy, aight? I had a lot going, and you just dropped that bombshell on me.”
“I dropped a bombshell on you? Social media had to tell me you had a long-term girlfriend.” My fists clenched. “After you left me alone to process the fact that I’m pregnant.”
He huffed, crossing his arms. “Are you sure it’s mine, though? It’s not like we were like that.”
“Yes. I’m sure. Unlike you, I was honest when I said I was only sleeping with you. My conception date traces back to that night in your car.”
“Shit.” He rubbed his forehead. “How far along are you?”
“Twelve weeks today.”
“Good. You can still get an abortion, right?”
I felt my stomach turn at his suggestion. “Are you serious right now? How dare you!”
“You really trying to keep a baby by a man that’s about to get married? Come on now. Does that sound smart, P?”
At this point, I was so angry all I could see was red. I couldn’t believe that he walked up in here without an apology—just dick and audacity.
“You pursued and had unprotected sex with a woman that wasn’t your fiancée not one time but many times. I don’t know, Reggie. Does that sound smart?”
He stood from the desk and got closer to me. “How do I know this isn’t some kind of publicity stunt or money grab?”
My mouth dropped in disbelief that this was a man I had been involved with.
“Newsflash. If this was a publicity stunt, you would have been exposed the moment you blocked me. I don’t want anything from you. I just want you to be a part of your child’s life!” I shot back, feeling more angry tears well up in my eyes.
He scoffed before lowering his voice to a calmer tone, one that I was used to. “Look, P, I can admit I was wrong for getting involved with you knowing I had a girl. In all honesty, when we first started fucking, me and her were beefing.”
“Y’all were beefing?” I attempted to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.
“Yeah, man. I fucked up, but a baby gon’ blow all my shit up. I’m not ready to be a dad, and I’m damn sure not trying to hurt my girl with this shit.”
I stared at him. What the hell did he want me to say? He played a stupid game, and he won a silly prize.
“An abortion is really the best option for both of us. I’ll pay for it and put a little extra in yo’ pocket.”
“No, thank you!” The words erupted from my lips before I had time to think. “I want my baby! You don’t get to make decisions about my body.”
His face twisted. “You want to blow up both of our spots over a baby?”
“Blow up yo’ spot. You’re the only one engaged.”
“How many clients you think you gon’ get when they find out you just another homewrecking gold digger,” he spat, and it was clear this wasn’t the same charming man I’d been dealing with for the past six months.
“I don’t care what anybody thinks about me. I’m not killing my baby!” I pulled away from him. As far as I was concerned, this conversation was over.
“I’m not about to deal with this shit. Just… do the right thing or be prepared to be a broke ass single mom. My lawyers will eat your ass up in court, and you’ll never see a dime of child support.”
He abruptly shoved an envelope toward me, and I caught it reflexively. “What is this?”
“Money for an abortion,” he said, turning on his heel. “Hit me when it’s done, and I’ll bring you something for your pockets with the NDA.”
“Reggie!”
I threw the envelope in his direction with tears staining my face.
“I’m not killing my baby!” I shouted, but he didn’t look back as he opened the door and walked out. The door swung shut with a definitive click, leaving me there ugly crying on top of Lolo’s desk.
“Phileigh!” Lolo pushed the door open and rushed to me, grabbing the envelope off the floor and wrapping me in a hug. “What did that bastard say to you?”
“Get an abortion.” I pointed toward the envelope in her hand as tears flooded my face.
This was not how I pictured beginning motherhood. Lolo ripped open the envelope, pulling out a stack of hundred dollar bills, and my breath caught in my throat as she counted it.
“It’s $2,000 dollars here,” Lolo said.
My heart sank.
“I guess we are going baby shopping tonight.” Lolo tried to lighten the mood.
“Why aren’t men assholes right out the gate? Why don’t they show their true colors from jump?” I sobbed into her shoulder. “He can’t just demand me to kill my baby because he doesn’t want it!”
“Fuck him, Phileigh,” Lolo said firmly, pulling back to look me in the eyes. “You don’t need him, and this isn’t his call. This is your body, your choice. Mama’s baby… You know the saying.”
“I hate him,” I muttered, feeling defeated. I was just beginning to come to terms with the fact that I had to raise a child by myself, but a little part of me was hoping that Reggie would come around. Now, I knew that wasn’t happening.
“I know you do, bestie.” She pulled me in tighter. “Reggie is going to get his karma. Just you wait and see.”
I sniffled, wiping my tears. “I hope he stubs his toe and his new barber pushes his lining back to his damn ears.”
“Pushes it back until he has to use that damn black spray to fix it!” Lolo added, causing me to laugh.
“There’s that beautiful smile. Life is too short to be stressing over that loser. Don’t let him steal your joy. You’re bringing a child into this world, and that’s a beautiful blessing.”
I smiled at my best friend. If nobody else in this world had me, I knew she did, and I appreciated her support.
“Thank you, Lolo.”
“You and the baby gon’ be just fine,” she said just as the door to the shop chimed, letting us know someone had entered.
“I gotta get back out there. Take a minute if you need it.” Lolo patted my back before walking out of her office.
Wiping my tears, I took a few deep breaths and dropped the money inside the purse I kept in Lolo’s office. Reggie had to be smoking the good crack if he thought I was going to kill my baby to spare his fiancée’s feelings. If anything, she needed to know who she was marrying. Grabbing my phone, I went to my Picsgram account and typed in the username that was attached to their viral engagement post. There she was, happy and smiling holding up her ring in her profile picture. Without a second thought about the consequences, I clicked on her inbox and typed eight simple words along with my ultrasound photo.
Phileighthebarber: I’m pregnant by Reggie and I’m keeping it.
With that I closed out the app and exited the office. The first thing I saw was Kellon standing by the window talking to Reggie. My heart sank, and suddenly, I remembered Kellon telling me that they used to play college football together. Shit!
“Wait.” Lolo turned to look at me. “They know each other?”
I nodded. “They played college ball together. Do you think I should tell him?”
Lolo nodded her head. “Girl, yes! Especially if you two are getting serious.”
“Well, we’re just friends right now… so…”
“Phileigh, tell that man he knows yo’ baby daddy,” Lolo said, cutting me off. Her gaze was intense as hell.
“Okay, I w?—”
Before I could finish, Kellon walked in the salon as Reggie pulled off down the street. I took a deep breath, watching him approach me in a hoodie and sunglasses. It wasn’t what he had on this morning, so I guess he managed to find somewhere to shower and change. I assumed the get up was to hide his identity, but he couldn’t hide how fine he was. The way he strolled into the shop sent a surge of relief through my system that I didn’t know I needed. All the stress from Reggie’s pop up dissipated the closer he got to me. I patted the corner of my eyes, attempting to dry my tears. Kellon couldn’t know I’d been crying.
“Hello, ladies!” He waved, finally making his way over to me. “Did I tell you I knew Reggie?”
My breath hitched as my eyes darted to Lolo.
“You mentioned it,” I replied before quickly changing the subject. I would tell him about Reggie, but not right now. “This is my best friend Lolo.”
I pointed in her direction, and Kellon made his way over to her.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Lolo grinned. “I’m a big fan!”
“Nice to meet the infamous Lolo. I’ve heard you’re who I need to talk to about upgrading my status to Phileigh’s best friend.”
“Well, that position is closed forever, but boyfriend is open, though.”
“Lolo!” I chided. I was sure my cheeks were bright red.
“What? He asked me about openings. I’m just being informative.”
“I love the vibes in here,” Kellon complimented, glancing around the salon.
“Thanks.” Lolo beamed.
“Are you ready for lunch?” he asked, turning his attention from Lolo to me.
“Yep,” I answered. I was eager to be in his presence.
“Alright.” He turned to Lolo. “I’ll have best friend back in an hour.”
He grabbed my hand and guided us out the salon and to his car.