Chapter 10 #2
“I know, Kaizleigh.”
“And Billion didn't hire movers because he thinks you can't move your own shit.”
That got a little smile.
“He probably do.”
“He actually probably does,” I agreed.
She laughed.
“He hired them because you shouldn't have to move an apartment by yourself when we can literally have somebody do it.”
Nyrobi looked toward the front door.
“You rich people really don't know how to let somebody struggle in peace.”
“No.”
She laughed again.
“Clearly.”
I opened the door and let the movers in.
By the time Billion finally pulled up, most of Nyrobi's things were inside.
And by most, I meant there wasn't much. That was something I hadn't expected. When she said they had to move, I pictured a truck full of furniture. They didn't have one.
There was a couch Nyrobi said wasn't worth bringing.
She had left a dining table too. Most of what they brought fit into boxes, bags and two cars.
Ms. Juanita had gone into the backroom to lie down.
Nysheca was somewhere by the theatre room claiming she was helping, but every ten minutes I heard a cabinet or closet open, so I was pretty sure she was just being nosy.
Nyrobi was in the garage going through boxes when Billion walked in.
I heard his voice before I saw him.
“Where everybody at?”
“In here.”
He came around the corner wearing slacks and a button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He'd probably come straight from work.
His eyes moved around the room.
“You bought flowers.”
I looked at the table.
“That is what you noticed?”
“I told you don't do too much.”
“Flowers are not too much.”
“You bought groceries too?”
“Your wife loves us,” Nysheca yelled from afar.
Billion looked toward the ceiling.
“Why she still here?”
I laughed.
Nyrobi came in from the garage carrying a box.
“Because that's my sister.”
Billion looked at the box and then at her.
“Put that down.”
Nyrobi kept walking.
“I'm good.”
“I didn't ask.”
She stopped.
I looked between them.
“Billion.”
“What?”
“Leave her alone.”
“I'm not doing anything.”
He walked over and took the box straight out of Nyrobi's hands.
Her mouth dropped.
“Excuse you.”
“What?”
“Give me my shit.”
“Where it go?”
“I can carry it.”
“I didn't ask if you could.”
Nyrobi looked at me.
“Come get your husband.”
I smiled.
“He doesn't listen to me either.”
Billion looked down at the writing on the box.
“Clothes?”
“Yes, but…”
He headed toward the hall and Nyrobi followed him.
“I could've carried that.”
He kept walking.
“I know.”
“Then why you took it?”
“Because I can carry it too.”
“That's not an answer.”
“It is.”
“You just like bossing people around.”
He stopped at the bottom of the end of the hall and looked back at her.
“Nyrobi, you've been carrying enough shit by yourself. Let somebody grab a fucking box.”
Everything got quiet. Maybe he didn't realize how that sounded but I did. Nyrobi definitely did.
Her face changed.
Billion didn't seem to notice. He turned and carried the box into the room, and I watched Nyrobi watch him not in a weird way. She just stood there for a second longer than she needed to. Then she caught me looking.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Why you smiling?”
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
“I smile all the time.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Y'all weird.”
She went back toward the garage. I laughed and followed her. A few hours later, the house finally started looking like somebody lived there.
Nysheca had left. The movers were gone. Ms. Juanita was asleep downstairs. Nyrobi was putting clothes away. Billion and I stood in the foyer getting ready to leave.
I looked around one more time. Something about the house felt different. Warmer. Maybe because it wasn't empty anymore.
“You ready?” Billion asked.
“Yeah.”
I picked up my purse.
Then stopped.
“What?”
“I wanna check on Ms. Juanita before we go.”
“She sleeping.”
“I know. I just want to…”
“Kaizleigh.”
“What?”
“Let that woman sleep.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Fine.”
We walked outside.
I waited until Billion locked the door behind us before looking at him.
“I think we picked the right person.”
He glanced at me.
“For what?”
I stared at him.
“What do you mean for what?”
“I know what you mean. I'm fucking with you.”
“You irritate me.”
“I know.”
We walked toward the truck.
I looked back at the house.
“I mean it, though.”
“I know.”
“She isn't what I expected.”
“What'd you expect?”
“I don't know.”
That was the truth. When we first started talking about surrogacy, the woman in my head didn't have a face.
She was just somebody healthy. Somebody who could carry.
Somebody who would sign papers, have our baby and go back to her life.
I hadn't thought about her having a sick mother.
A sister she worried about. An apartment she could lose.
A job she still went to even after signing a contract worth more than some people made in years.
I hadn't thought about liking her. That part definitely wasn't in any of the books I'd read.
“I feel like she was supposed to come into our lives,” I said.
Billion opened my door.
“Don't start.”
I frowned.
“Start what?”
“Making this shit spiritual.”
“I didn't say anything spiritual.”
“You about to.”
“How you know?”
“Because I know you.”
I rolled my eyes and climbed inside. He closed the door. By the time he got around to the driver's side, I was still looking at the house. Nyrobi appeared in one of the upstairs windows. She pulled the curtain back, looked outside and saw us and I waved.
She immediately let the curtain fall.
I laughed.
Billion looked over.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He started the truck. I looked back one more time as we pulled away.
For the first time since we started this process, I wasn't thinking about embryos, doctors and pregnancy tests, I was thinking about Nyrobi.
About how hard she fought everybody who tried to help her.
How carefully she watched over her mama.
How she could make me laugh even when I was trying not to.
I really did believe we'd picked the right woman.