51/Renee
Three days later, I couldn’t stop watching the clock. Another hour and I could finally call for my results.
I dropped down on the floor beside my bed and said one final prayer. “Lord, please forgive me for my wicked ways. I promise if You give me a second chance I’ll make You proud.”
I choked back tears in my throat. “Lisa, please talk to Him for me.” The last half hour I’d worried myself so sick that I had to throw up. I’ve been doing that a lot lately.
The results meant the start or end of my life. I was losing my mind, and the sooner it was over the better.
“I’m not about to let this condition dictate the future of my life. It's what I have, not who I am."
At two, I finally reached for my phone and was shaking so bad it took three tries before I was able to tap the correct number.
When she answered, I gave the nurse my PIN number and waited while she went to retrieve my file.
I said one final prayer and had just finished when she got back on the line.
“Ms. Moore?”
“Yes?” I croaked.
“Your results were negative.”
Negative. “Oh God! Thank You!” I didn’t hear anything else after that.
I finally had my life back again. I dropped to my knees and cried tears of joy. “Thank You, Lord. Thank You.”
I sat there for the longest time, feeling so good. Thinking about all the years I put my life in someone else’s hands and how stupid I had been.
Never again.
This was the start of a new beginning for me. I am going to stand by my word and start making smart choices.
I’ll admit I love Kenny. He’s a sweet, considerate man, but I know that he is not the man for me.
All that sneaking around with someone else’s man is for the birds.
Reese can have his skinny ass. I’ll be damned if I’m getting up in the middle of the night to make his ass a glass of Kool-Aid or even rub his back and stroke his receding hairline.
No, that shit would start to get on my damn nerves after a while.
I care about him, but now that my eyes are wide open, I know for a fact I don’t need a man to be happy.
All those days of being in love with the idea of being in love, they are behind me.
I have so many possibilities. Happiness is what we make it, and I was already planning some private me time.
I love me but I need to learn to be happy by myself before I can be happy sharing my life with someone else.
Rolling onto my back, I folded my arms behind my head and stared up at the ceiling. Everything was going to be okay.
The phone rang and I was tempted to ignore it and just continue to enjoy the moment, but whoever was calling was persistent because they called right back. I reached over and dug for my cell phone at the bottom of my purse and saw it was Danielle.
“Girl, get your ass to the hospital. Portia’s in labor.”
I almost had two accidents trying to get to the hospital.
Why is it whenever you’re in a rush everybody wants to take their sweet-ass time?
I had road rage. I yelled “Get the fuck outta the way!” out the window so many times I was surprised I didn’t burst a blood vessel.
The hospital wasn’t any better. I circled around the parking lot three times before someone in a Nissan Altima pulled out.
I raced through the hospital and waited impatiently for the elevator, which finally arrived, and this familiar-looking woman rode up with me.
It wasn’t until we got to the seventh floor that I realized the woman was the same lady that I got into it with at Tamara’s school.
I looked up and caught her staring at me from the tops of her eyes.
“Can I help you with something?”
She had the nerve to look around like she had no idea who I was talking to. “Nope.”
“Then, bitch, quit looking at me. Shit, I know I look good.” I got off the elevator and swayed my ass down the corridor. Hell, I had a lot to feel good about.
I turned at the corner and was surprised to see Calvin.
“What are you doing here?”
He gave me a small smile. “My mom is in the hospital.”
“Is she okay?”
He nodded. “She fell and fractured her hip, but I think she’s going to survive.”
“Good.” I touched his arm, trying to offer some comfort.
“What are you doing here?”
“Portia’s in labor.”
His eyes grew round with excitement. “Danielle here?”
He still had it bad for my girl. “Yep. Why don’t you come down and say hi?”
He was a little reluctant, so I took his hand and led the way. We passed that crazy-ass woman. She was standing at the end of the hall watching. Calvin noticed her also and shook his head.
“You know her?”
He looked uncomfortable. “Yeah, you can say that. Her name is Regina Tolliver. She’s the administrative assistant in my department. I made the mistake of dating her.”
“What? You must have been desperate.”
“Nah. She is a really nice woman, just a little clingy. Our second date she wanted me to see the wedding dress she planned to wear.”
“Hell nah!” I was still laughing as we went down to Labor and Delivery.
The nurse at the station said Portia was in room 712.
Calvin decided to hang out in the waiting room.
I stepped into the room and Danielle’s mom Victoria was also there.
Portia was in bed breathing through a contraction.
As soon as it eased, I went over and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“I hear someone is about to be a mother?”
She gave me a weak grin and closed her eyes. I moved and hugged Victoria, who had always been like a mother to me.
“I’m going to get a soda. Try to help Danielle relax.” She grabbed her purse and moved down the hall.
Danielle did look like she was about to pull her hair out. You would think after working as a labor and delivery nurse for years, she would be used to this shit.
“Girl, go smoke a joint or something.”
I managed to get a laugh out of her. “This shit is crazy. My baby is having a baby.”
“I know.” The monitor read she was about to have another contraction. The two of us helped her breathe through it, then Portia closed her eyes again.
“Where’s her baby’s daddy?”
“He went to a basketball tournament. I just got in touch with his mother, and she is driving to Springfield to get him.”
Good. I think every man should see what women go through bringing a child into the world.
Danielle was pacing nervously around the room. “How long is it gonna take before the anesthesiologist gets here?”
“She getting an epidural?”
“Yep, and the rate they’re going, it will be too late by the time they get here.”
“Why don’t you go check and on your way back stop by the waiting room? Someone’s here to see you.”
Danielle’s brow rose. “Who?”
“Calvin.”
I saw the way her eyes grew round with excitement before she left the room.
I don’t care what Danielle says, she wants Calvin back.
Now she just needs to get rid of that psycho.