5. Alisha #2
“I’m just saying,” he continued. “She been emotional as hell lately, mood swings and snapping over little shit. And her ass been sleeping like she got a 9-5.”
The second he said tired, that’s when everything started coming together. That’s why she said she stopped drinking, I thought to myself. That’s why she turned down going out and acting weird. Oh my God! “You think she’s really pregnant?” I asked excitedly.
“I mean…” Malik shrugged. “What else it’s gone be?”
I smiled so hard my cheeks started hurting.
Me and Shante used to always talk about having kids around the same time and doing mommy stuff together.
Our babies growing up together. Honestly speaking she would make such a good mother.
“Oh, she's definitely pregnant,” I said confidently while grabbing another pregnancy test box off the shelf. “Get this one too.”
Malik looked at me like I was crazy. “You trust this one?”
“Yes,” I replied. “This the same brand I used with Brittany.”
“Aight then.” He tossed it into his basket while shaking his head laughing. “You way too excited.”
“Because this is exciting!” It explained her attitude earlier too. Pregnancy hormones mixed with Shante’s regular mouth was definitely a disaster waiting to happen.
“You gone tell her I said something?” Malik asked.
“Nah,” I replied quickly. “I’ll let her tell me herself.”
He nodded. “Good, cause if she ain’t pregnant she probably gone cuss me out for assuming.”
I laughed loudly. “She definitely gone cuss you out.”
We stood there talking for a few more minutes about random stuff. Then eventually we headed toward checkout separately.
“Aight I’m finna head out,” Malik said while grabbing his bags.
“Tell my best friend I said stop acting funny.” He smirked. “Good luck with that.”
As I walked toward my car, my whole mood felt lighter now everything with Shante finally made sense.
She wasn’t acting distant, she was probably pregnant, emotional and overwhelmed.
Trying to process everything. Hearing that news made me happy as hell.
If my best friend really was having a baby, I already knew I was going to be right beside her through everything.
The same way she was there for me with Brittany’s doctor’s appointments, baby shopping and late-night cravings all of it.
Deuce texted me and said that he couldn’t pick Brittany up after all due to something happening with one of his shipments and that he needed to go to the office. I was growing tired of his excuses.
The second I walked into daycare Brittany came running toward me with her little curls bouncing everywhere.
“Mommyyyyy!”
I laughed and scooped her up immediately. “There go my baby.”
She wrapped her tiny arms around my neck while talking a mile a minute about finger painting and snack time.
Lord, that child could talk. By the time we got home, she was rubbing her eyes tired.
I sat her on the bathroom counter while running warm bath water.
Bubblegum scented soap filled the room while she played with her bath toys splashing water everywhere.
“Brittany,” I laughed. “Stop throwing water on the floor.”
“I’m swimming!” she yelled dramatically.
“Girl you in a bathtub.”
After her bath, I rubbed lotion over her soft brown skin before putting her pajamas on. Pink satin pajamas with little white clouds all over them. Then I sat her between my legs on the couch and started parting her hair so I could put her hair in two French braids.
The TV played cartoons in the background while I braided her hair. She kept moving every five seconds talking about random stuff.
“Sit still,” I said while trying not to laugh.
“I ammmm.”
“No, you not.”
Once her hair was done, I let her finish watching her favorite cartoons while I cooked dinner. Baked chicken, mac and cheese and green beans. I fixed our plates and we sat at the table and said our grace and dug in. I gave her Benadryl afterward while she made dramatic faces.
“It taste nasty.”
“You say that every time.”
“Because it do.”
I cleaned the kitchen while Brittany curled up on the couch holding her blanket looking sleepy. I glanced at the clock, still no Deuce. Normally he would’ve at least called by now.
“Where Daddy at?” Brittany asked softly.
I looked over at her curled-up little face and forced a small smile.
“He working, baby.”
“Oh.”
You could hear the disappointment in her tiny voice. By the time I tucked her into bed, her eyes could barely stay open. I kissed her forehead softly before pulling the blanket up around her.
“Love you.”
“Love you too Mommy.”
“I wanted Daddy.”
“He’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded sleepily before finally drifting off. After closing her bedroom door, I stood in the hallway for a second staring at my phone. I wanted to call him again, but I didn’t because I shouldn’t have to track his ass down.
I finally went into the bathroom and turned the shower on.
Hot steam filled the room quickly while I stepped underneath the water trying to wash the day off me.
But even standing there with water running down my body my mind kept wandering.
One question kept circling through my head, where the hell was my husband?