Chapter twelve
Professor Jonas
I hadn’t heard from Gianna since that debacle at the funeral.
I knew things weren’t going to be a walk in the park when I saw her this morning, but I certainly didn’t expect her to continue to give me the cold shoulder.
You could imagine my surprise when I saw I had a guest, especially since I was waiting for Gianna.
“What are you doing here Cheryl?”
“I figured since I moved out and you don’t give two shits about it, we should get a divorce,” she said as she produced the papers.
“What the hell is this?”
“Uh, divorce papers!”
“Damn Cheryl, you just moved out.”
“Shit, you said yourself we haven’t been happy for a long time…”
“I didn’t say that! You did!”
“It doesn’t matter. Just sign the papers!”
“No, you stated that you’re divorcing me because of infidelities!”
“That’s right,” she said.
“So, you’re cheating?”
“Oh no, husband. You know darn well you’re the one who’s cheating.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Yes, I do! Don’t forget I used to be one of those students, so I know exactly how charming you can be!” Cheryl said.
“Cheryl, you’re being unreasonable…”
“Just sign the damn papers Jonas or else I’m gonna be singing like a fucking canary about all this shit!”
“You’re so bitter!” I remarked.
“Sign the damn papers!” she hissed angrily.
The whole time we were talking, I kept watching the clock because Gianna was coming at noon. When Cheryl finally opened the door, sure enough, Gianna was on the other side. I could’ve slapped my wife for causing such a scene. Then during my discussion with Gianna, there was a knock on the door.
I didn’t know who it was, but I was pissed that they were interrupting my time with Gianna.
You could imagine the absolute shock written on my face when I saw Tanya.
I thought she knew not to come here, but I guess she didn’t.
The way she walked passed me and into my office let me know that a conversation was going to happen whether I approved or not.
After Gianna made a hasty exit, I turned my attention to Tanya. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Well, I’ve been trying to reach you ever since I told you about our little bundle of joy…” she said as she patted her protruding belly.
“Tanya, I already told you that baby isn’t mine!”
“And I told you that he is yours! I wasn’t sleeping with anyone else around the time that I conceived, and you know this! I’m tired chasing you to step up and be a father!”
“Be a father? To a kid you haven’t had yet!”
“You haven’t been to one doctor’s appointment! Not one ultrasound appointment! The baby is due any day now and you’re still acting like a deadbeat!”
“Not a deadbeat! Like a nigga who ain’t the daddy because it ain’t my kid!”
“We’ll see about that,” she said with a smug smile on her face.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough. I didn’t make this baby on my own and I refuse to be the only parent looking out for it. If I have to broadcast it on the university podcast or the local news stations, I will,” she said.
“Don’t threaten me, Tanya!” I said through clenched teeth.
“Don’t force my hand, Jonas! If you do, you will find out that you really aren’t the one in control anymore.” She smiled but it wasn’t her normal smile. It was kind of an evil wicked smile like she had something on me.
That made me nervous. If she thought she had the upper hand, she was wrong, but she was forcing my hand.
“What do you want from me, Tanya?”
“I want you to get it through your head that whether you like it or not, we are having a buy. Start acting like you’re excited about being a father to your son. I want you to help me get ready for it. I could have this child any time now! What have you done for your son, Jonas? Not a damn thing!”
“You want me to play daddy to another nigga’s kid?”
“This is your baby, and once he’s born, I’ll prove it to you!
You won’t be able to argue with the DNA results then!
” Tanya said as she walked towards the door.
Then she stopped and turned to face me. “You know, I used to feel so special when you started giving me all this extra attention. I thought for sure I meant something to you after those long nights we spent together. I told you that I loved you and you took advantage of me, over and over again. And now, I have to face reality and realize that I never meant anything to you. I was just another bitch you could take to bed… another notch on your belt!”
“Another notch on my belt?” I threw my head back and laughed.
“Yea. You don’t think I know you’re sleeping with the student who just walked out of here.”
“Ain’t nobody sleeping with that girl! At least I ain’t!”
“Bullshit! You don’t think I know when you’re fucking someone by now?! You always lock your door when you’re screwing someone in this office! I used to be HER!!” Tanya argued.
“Aye, keep your damn voice down!”
“Why? I didn’t lock the door,” she said smugly. “Anyway, just be waiting for that letter from the child support office.”
“What?!” I asked through clenched teeth.
“You heard me. I didn’t make this baby by myself, so don’t expect me to take care of him by myself!
You are the daddy, and you will handle your responsibilities as such!
Oh, and I know where you live, and that your wife is pregnant too.
Please don’t make me have to pay her a visit and let her know how much we have in common.
” She smiled as she rested her hand on her belly.
With that, she opened the door and walked out.
“Gotdammit!!!” I yelled.
How the fuck could Tanya do this? She came to my place of business and threatened me!
Nothing seemed to be going right for me these days!
I couldn’t understand how the table could have turned on me so drastically.
What the fuck was going on? It seemed like ever since Gianna decided to fuck over me, things had been falling apart.
I had been trying to reach Gianna for the past couple of days, but she hadn’t been answering my calls or text messages.
I couldn’t wait until she walked in my class today.
If she thought that she could get the best of me, she had better think again.
These female students knew not to play with me, and Tanya and Gianna were no different.
Those two had to be different and more difficult. This was the first time I had students push back so much. Like damn! Didn’t they recognize that I was the nigga in charge? If Gianna didn’t know before, she would know today!
I smelled her sweet scent as soon as she walked in the room.
Other students had tried to smell like her, but there was only one Gianna.
It was like I was obsessed with this girl, and I couldn’t understand how I could let myself get this way.
The rest of the students filed in, each of them placing their assignments on my desk before they sat down.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Gianna even though she wasn’t looking my way at all.
I had to speak to get her attention and she still wouldn’t look me in the eyes.
I went over the list of things they needed to know for Friday’s assignment, and we discussed the assignments due for next week.
My fucking mind was all over the place right now.
Gianna had threatened to talk to my wife about us, but I still wanted her. I craved her.
Cheryl had filed for divorce, but I knew she didn’t really want one.
She was just mad about our current situation.
After some quick soul searching, I realized that maybe divorcing my wife might not be such a bad idea.
I’d still be in my child’s life, just not married to the mother.
Finally, class was over. Before Gianna could walk out the door, I called her to stay back.
“Gianna, may I have a word with you?”
“Sure, Professor Alexander.”
To my surprise, her and two of my other female students walked back to my desk. I looked up at the three of them and asked, “Do you ladies need something?”
Of course, I was speaking to Tamika and Rozenette. I didn’t call their names so why the fuck were they staring in my face.
“No, we’re just waiting for Gianna.”
“Well, I need to speak with her,” I said. “So, you two can wait for her outside. I won’t keep her long.”
“We’re just gonna wait for her, Professor Alexander. Not to be rude, but we have a project presentation for our next class, so we need to all arrive at the same time,” Tamika responded.
“That’s all fine and good, but I need to speak with Gianna,” I said before casting my gaze on Gianna. “In private.”
The two girls just stood there staring at Gianna like they were waiting for her to tell them it was okay to leave. Shit, at this point, I was waiting for her to dismiss them as well. This was a private conversation that needed to be had between me and her and no one else.
“It’s okay, Professor Jonas. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it in front of them,” Gianna said. The girls continued to stand there looking at me like a damn fool.
Dammit! Why the fuck was Gianna playing with me this way? She knew what I needed to say was about our relationship, so how could I speak about that in front of these two dumb dumbs?!
“Never mind. It can wait,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Gianna asked with a smirk on her face.
“Yea, it’s cool. Good luck with y’all presentation,” I said as I forced a smile.
“Thank you, professor,” the three of them chanted at once. Then they giggled like middle schoolers as they turned to walk out of my class.
I wondered what the fuck was so damn funny because from where I was sitting, I definitely wasn’t laughing. Once they had left the classroom, I had fifteen minutes before my next class began to think about everything that had been going on with my life.