Chapter 5 #2
He ran his hand down his face, then sat back as the waitress placed our plates in front of us.
The nervousness about the date had been replaced with something else.
Partial relief now that I was aware of my child’s father.
Also, fear of him not wanting anything to do with her.
If he chose not to be around, that was his loss.
The waitress walked away after ensuring we were good. I didn’t really have an appetite anymore, but the food looked so good.
“While I am surprised, I’m also not. I know the consequences of not strapping up, and I damn sure didn’t pull out. There was a small part of me that figured one time wouldn’t have hurt, but I also know how shit works. Can you tell me about her?” he asked as he ate his food.
Since he didn’t seem upset, I told him about her and even showed him pictures. He smiled as he looked at multiple pictures of her. I had more pictures at home since I liked to take real pictures and not just the ones with my phone. I couldn’t eat my food, because my stomach was still in knots.
“I can’t lie; I need time to process this.”
“That’s fine. I’ll give you my number, and you can call if and when you are ready.”
He passed me his phone, and I put my number in. I prayed he called, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
I had the waitress bag up my food, and after Genesis paid the bill, we parted ways.
As soon as I got in the car, I called Hannah and Torryn on three-way.
“Genesis is Paris’s dad,” I blurted as soon as I had them both on the line.
“What?”
“Oh shit.”
They both spoke at the same time.
“That’s crazy. You said his name was Gary,” Hannah said once they both got quiet.
“Because that’s what he told me. Hell, I told him my name was Lisa.”
I pulled away from the hotel and headed home. I was glad Hannah wanted to keep Paris because I really did need a minute to myself to process this. I never thought I would see that man again.
“So now what?” Torryn asked.
“I gave him my number and told him to call me if he wanted to meet her.”
I thought about that night and how good he looked this time and wondered where everything would lead us. I was attracted to him even more than I was that night. His relationship with Paris was more important if that was what he wanted.
“I think he’ll call. He’s a good guy. He’s the principal at the school, and everybody loves him,” Hannah informed me. “Maybe now, you two could work on being together for little France.”
“Slow down, Han. We don’t even know if he’s going to call.”
I let Hannah and Torryn talk among themselves as I continued driving.
When I arrived home, I pulled into the driveway, shut the car off, grabbed my bag and the food, and headed inside. I had the phone on speaker, and the two of them were still talking about how Genesis, Paris, and I could be a family.
“Only time will tell what happens.” I cut Torryn off. “I just got home, and I need to decompress and eat this food since I had lost my appetite at the restaurant. I’ll talk to y’all in the morning. Han, if my baby gets fussy, let me know.”
“Girl, she is fine. You will be fine, too, and everything will work out. Good night, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
I said my goodbyes, then hung up the phone. I went into the kitchen to heat up my food. I wouldn’t tell my parents about Genesis until I knew what he wanted to do.
As I waited for the microwave to beep, my phone chimed.
713-564-2435:
This is Genesis. I just wanted to know if you made it home safely.
Me:
I did. Did you?
713-564-2435:
Good, and I did. Talk soon.
I didn’t know what he meant by that, and I wasn’t sure if I should respond to it, so I didn’t. I saved his number, then got my food from the microwave. I hadn’t drunk in a while, but I was going to take down a whole bottle of wine before going to bed.
As soon as I sat down to eat my food, my phone rang. I was surprised when I saw Genesis’s name on the screen, because I didn’t know he meant we’d talk this soon.
“Hello.” I answered on the third ring.
“Hey. I can’t stop thinking about the information you gave me.” His voice was heavy like he had a lot on his mind, and I guessed he did since I dropped that bomb.
“I understand. I’m sorry that we weren’t able to connect sooner. I know all of this took you by surprise.”
I had abandoned my plate of food on the table as I got comfortable.
“I understand. It’s not all on you. I should have gotten your number before we even went to the hotel.”
“Maybe, but that was the last thing on either of our minds.” We both let out a light chuckle.
For a few seconds, we listened to each other breathe.
“Um, well, I’m glad you made it home safely. I just need a little time to process this, but I’ll call you. Good night, London.”
“Glad you made it as well, and I understand. Good night, Genesis.”
We hung up, and I wasn’t interested in the food anymore, but since I still had my wine, I ate a few bites to coat my stomach.
I didn’t expect Genesis to jump into fatherhood right away, so I would give him the time he needed to process things.