Color Blind

Chapter 9

       By the time Friday rolled around, I was too ready for school to be over. The doctor had warned me early on that I would start to get more tired than usual, but this was ridiculous! I was so exhausted, in fact, that I actually started looking sick. Fortunately, this played well with Tia's stories about my strep throat. When her mother woke us up bright and early Friday morning to say goodbye, I decided not to tell her that I wasn't going to school that day. I had stopped bleeding two days earlier and by that time the cramps were not coming nearly as often, but I still knew that I shouldn't cheer that night. The best thing to do, I decided, would be to make everyone think that I had had a relapse in my "illness."

With Aunt Rachael gone, I didn't have to worry about her sending me to the doctor and I got Tia to call in pretending to be my mother. After she left, I just kind shuffled around the house all day. By ten o'clock, I was bored out of my mind. I had really wanted to at least see the last game of the season, if not cheer for it. Scott had gotten pretty good and they played him a lot more than the other two sophomores on the team. Thinking about Scott, I got nervous about our weekend all over again and went back to bed. Tia called me after school and asked if I wanted to come with her and some of the girls to a party after the game.

"How would that look, Tia? Then they would know I wasn't sick."

"Oh come on! Who cares what they know anyway? It's none of their business." This from a girl who had been making up doctor's appointments and antibiotic prescriptions for me all week.

"No, that's ok. I think I'll just stay here."

"Suit yourself." She giggled. "I guess you do need to get some rest for your big day tomorrow." I groaned and she giggled again. "Lafayette said he's proud of you for being such a big girl and not trying to drag us out there with you."

"Oh yeah? Well, you just tell Lafayette..."

"Sorry, gotta go!" she interrupted before I could finish.

The next morning, Scott picked me up at the crack of dawn. I was just getting out of the shower when the doorbell rang, and I asked Tia to answer it. She shuffled down the hall, grumbling all the way to the door.

"Dang it Scott, I know you can't wait to see her, but what is your problem? It's five o'clock in the morning!"

"It's six thirty. Stop exaggerating," came his playful response. "What time did you get in anyway? You look like you just went to bed."

"I did." She mumbled turning the TV on for him.

"What? Now you know you don't need to be stayin' out all night. Especially with your mom out of town. And I know Lafayette wasn't with you because he was with me. That's not safe Tia, for real." I smiled in the bedroom at his brotherly lecture as I pulled on my bathing suit.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm." She grumbled. "You just make sure you get my cousin home in a timely fashion, young man, and don't worry 'bout what I been doin'."

"Yes ma'am," he drawled with a smile as she stumbled sleepily back to bed. A few minutes later, I stepped self-consciously out into the living room. Scott's eyes grew wide when he saw me. "Day-umn!"

"What?" I asked quickly. I was wearing the only bathing suit that I thought my stomach wouldn't stick out in. Just in case, though, I'd also wrapped a sarong around my waist to hide what little hints of a tummy that might have still remained. The baby hadn't yet had the chance to do more than put a few curves on me, but I still wasn't taking any chances. "What?" I asked again. "Do I look fat or something?"

"Oh no," he answered quickly and came over to me. "You just look really...good. I've never seen you in a bathing suit before."

I blushed and looked away. "All of my others are two pieces."