12. Turk #2
My voice comes out calmer than I feel. “Rian, I put this on yo dead daddy bro; the next time my son tells me some bullshit, my baby mama is gonna split yo wig. All that other shit you talking is irrelevant, foreal.”
My phone starts ringing as I back out of her crib. Renelle’s quiet as fuck, as usual. Never wanting to defend me too much in front of them, but quick to try to comfort me in private. She prolly does feel just like they do.
That I killed our mother.
Grief has drowned them in their delusions, and for the most part, I let them be.
We all handled it differently. But I refuse to feel bad for them.
They all had the same opportunities I had.
G-Pops never excluded them from anything, they excluded themselves.
Took our mom’s indifference as hate and carried the torch, like he didn’t take us all in so we wouldn’t be split up.
Had money put aside so they could go to school, you think any of them did it?
Nah, just kept blaming everyone else for why they can’t seem to stop having babies.
I answer my phone as I turn to go down the front steps. “Wassup.”
“Hey… you in the city?”
“Don’t chase after his ass! Fuck him, Renelle!” Rian yells out behind me.
“Turkey, wait. You can’t mind her–”
“Stop babying that poisonous ass nigga and tell him the real!”
“Um, is this a good time?” I can hear the building irritation in my Paypay’s voice and smirk.
She pointedly avoids all three of my sisters.
Part of me thought it was because Autumn put her on game, but with these new developments, I wonder if they ever ran into each other before, since they’re all around the same age.
“Yeah, hold on.”
I dig into my sweatpants pocket and grab the money knot I always bring when I see they ungrateful, evil asses.
“Bro!” I yell, turning around. I chuck the money knot at Rian, hitting that bitch square in that five head of hers. “Shut the fuck up!”
“Turkey!” Renelle admonishes. But right now it’s looking like fuck her, too.
I round my whip and climb in. Once the car turns on I skirt off and let my phone connect to the bluetooth. “My bad, Paypay. I’m still in the city though. Wassup? You done at the hair salon?”
“Actually, I took a rideshare somewhere and I want you to meet me there. I sent my location. Hurry up.”
“Aight–”
This girl done hung up on me before I could even reply. I pull up her location and start making my way toward West Kenton.
She got me pulling up to the hospital.
More specifically, the birthing center Autumn went to when she was pregnant with Deuce.
I pull into the parking lot but I don’t get out right away. I’m not trying to bring any leftover bullshit from my sisters into this. I glance at the joint in my cup holder but quickly shake my head.
Can’t be smelling loud in the birthing center, nigga.
So I down the water in the other cupholder. My hands are clammy as hell out of nowhere, and wiping them on my sweats isn’t doing much. The hell is going on with me?
Tighten up, nigga.
After giving myself a pep talk, I finally get out my car and head toward the front door. Thinking I’m late, I’m lowkey speed walking, but when I notice who’s in front I slow down a little and take her in.
Shorty got her hair done, and it’s even shorter than it usually is, pin straight and stopping right under her ears. Most of the time girls look like Lord Farquad with the bob, but never Patience.
Even dressed down in one of my graphic tees, brown leggings showing that ass, and some New Balances, she bad as fuck. And when she notices me and shows all thirty-two of her pearly whites, I can’t help but smile back.
“You went shorter?” I ask when I’m in front of her.
She runs her fingers through her strands and blushes. “The prenatals have my hair growing like weeds, so this way I don’t have to go in for a cut for a while.”
“Growing like weeds… yo ass old as hell, girl.”
I hold the door open for her as she rolls her eyes. “Shut up.”
We walk straight to to the back. “Do you want me to stay outside while you change?” I whisper to her.
“Boy, come on,” she replies loudly, taking my hand and pulling me into our room.
“My bad… I’m a little out of my element.”
Pay smirks as she toes off her shoes and slides her leggings down. “I thought you went to every one of Autumn’s appointments?”
“I mean yeah, but–”
Pay takes her shirt off and my words die on my tongue. Mind completely blanks, for real, even after she slips on the blue gown and hops onto the examination table.
“Then chill. Don’t make me regret asking you to come.”
Her doctor comes in with a thick file and smiles at me as she takes a seat. “I’m glad you could make it. Doctors make the worst patients, and Dr. Fox here refused to go over anything until you came. I’m Dr. Mathis.”
I shake her hand, glancing at Pay before giving Dr. Mathis my full attention. “Dr. Fox is bossy like that in every facet of her life. Royce Atkins. The pleasure’s mine.”
Dr. Mathis blinks a whole bunch of times before her cheeks tint a little pink. When we let go of each other’s hands, hers goes to her chest.
“Oh, brother,” Pay mumbles, but when I look at her, she’s glaring at her doctor. “Tonya, please read my results.”
“What I do?” I try to whisper but Pay just shakes her head and waves me off.
Dr. Mathis fumbles with the file before finally opening it.
“O-okay… well, everything is normal from all the genetic testing we performed your last appointment, and your urine came back normal, too. Your blood pressure is a little elevated but I know you went on a leave of absence so you really just need to focus on relaxation. If I have to put you all the way on bedrest I will. Do you have any questions or concerns?”
Pay shakes her head. “No,” she sighs. “I know I need to relax. This one has already limited me from fried foods, and I’ve been doing yoga every morning. I’ll do better though.”
“That’s good, though, Patience. You’re due right around your thirty-sixth birthday. Yes, you’re healthy, but we want your baby to incubate in the best possible environment, which means no stress, plenty of rest, and happiness. Let him keep you happy.”
“Yeah, Paypay, let me make you happy.” I pat her knee like Dr. Mathis did and wink at her, making her scoff.
The good doctor laughs like I’m on a Netflix special, almost making me flinch. She tries to cover it with a cough and blinks some more. “And you, Dad? Any questions or concerns?”
I turn to Pay, almost waiting for her to correct the doctor, but she just bucks her eyes at me. “Well?”
I turn back to the doctor and shrug. “Nah, Daddy don’t have no questions, Doc.”
Both of the ladies make some weird choking coughing noise that cracks me up. “Y’all good?”
Pay just shoves me, while Dr. Mathis recovers and bats those fake eyelashes of hers. “Well, if that’s all, we can do the ultrasound. Because of the genetic testing we performed, we have the sex. Are you having a gender reveal?”
“Autumn wants to be surprised, but I need some pictures printed. Is that okay Royce?”
Dr. Mathis turns on the ultrasound machine as Pay lies down and lifts her gown to her chest. Her bump’s steadily growing, rounding out her torso. Where me and Autumn have tatts, Patience doesn’t have any at all. Her body’s a work of art, and seeing it transform as she grows a child…
“Y-yeah. That’s cool. I’m, uh, down to find out–”
That unique sound fills the room as Dr. Mathis finds the baby’s heartbeat.
“Okay, well congrats you guys. It’s a baby girl!”
Somehow, some way, my eyeballs start sweating. It’s a whole baby on the monitor.
Another piece completes the puzzle.
“A girl?” I choke out.
“Yes–oh, I have some tissues on the counter, Dad.”
Pay grabs my hand, and when I turn to her, her eyeballs sweating, too.
“A baby girl,” she whispers.
I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss every knuckle before I look back at the monitor. I got a daughter on the way.
“She’s gonna be perfect like her mamas.” I wipe my face with the back of one hand and kiss hers again.
I zone out after that. Dr. Mathis might as well be the parents from Charlie Brown. I know a lot of fathers don’t really lock in until they see their seed earthside, but hearing that heartbeat locked me all the way in.
It’s time to set some things in motion.
We all need to get on one accord, whether Autumn and Pay are ready or not.
All this bullshit between them is so obviously about yours truly. I personally feel like we can have another session like Autumn’s birthday, minus the molly, and settle this like adults.
Then we can move on to Pay’s East Kenton problem.
“What days are good for you? Thursday or Friday?”
I move some of Pay’s hair out of her face as she looks up at me. “You mean I can come to the next appointment?”
She rolls her eyes and turns back to the receptionist. “Thursday mornings are fine. After eight-thirty.”
I don’t know what it is, but I’m bricked the fuck up and all she’s doing is picking up her appointment card and slipping it in that small ass blue Telfar I got her a couple years back.
Fuck… it has been too long.
I slip my fingers through hers and lead her out the lobby toward my car.
We settling some shit this afternoon before Deuce gets out of school.
“Holding hands? What’s next? Opening doors?”
I glare at her smart ass before opening her door. “Don’t act like G-Pops ain’t raise me with manners, Paypay. C’mon, we got some shit to talk about at the crib.”
“What?” I feel her stiffen as I reach over and buckle her in.
“Don’t trip.”
I drive exactly the speed limit all the way to the crib. She’s quiet as hell, prolly thinking Ima question her about Cochise and them, but them niggas are the very last thing on my mind.
My issue is for sure falling inside my second baby mama.
She drags her feet as I pull her through the parking lot and up the stairs inside.
I don’t stop there. I pull her up the staircase into my bedroom until she right at the foot of the bed.
“Royce, you’re scaring–”
I let go of her hand, turn around, cup her head and bring her lips to mine.