American Woman: Book 4

Chapter 69

"Excuse me?!" I finally managed to say. "Are you sure??"
"Well I guess I'm not completely sure. I took a pregnancy test after we got off the phone and it was positive. Think I should take another one?" She asks.
"I-I-I think this is something you should be discussing me with Lenny, not me." I suggest.
"I can't! Not yet! That's why I wanted to talk to you!" She panics.
"Why?!! Don't tell me it's not Lenny's..."
"Of course it is his! But what if he doesn't want a baby with me?! Or what if he feels like he has to stay with me, or even marry me, just because I'm pregnant?! Or what if he thinks I'm only with him because I got pregnant?! Or..."
"Ok! Stop! First of all, how would I know the answers to any of those?! You have to open up to him. BUT, I know Lenny well enough to know he never would have put himself in this situation if he didn't love you. I mean I assume y'all weren't trying to stop it from happening so..."
"Well I wasn't on any birth control because my body doesn't respond well to it and I hated the way I felt on it. But we did use condoms most of the time. I guess we must not have or it just didn't work. But a man doesn't wear a condom with a woman he wants children with, does he?!" She flops down on the couch in the lobby. "I was so excited driving here! I was going to pour out my heart to him and then end it with we were having a baby! But now I'm scared..."
"You can't not tell him though. If it becomes an issue, which I don't think it will, I could tell him I knew how you felt about him before you even knew about the pregnancy. And just because he would normally wear a condom, doesn't mean he still won't be happy about having a baby. So, what made you even decide to take the test?" I pondered aloud.
"Well I haven't been feeling great for a few days, but I was majorly nauseous earlier today. Been real tired. Haven't had a period in a few weeks. Breasts are tender. You know, all the normal signs that scream you're pregnant."
"One would think!" I chuckle. "I didn't even know I was pregnant with Devon until I was in the second trimester."
"What?!" Mayte laughed loudly. "How is that even possible?! It's so obvious by that point!"
"Let's sidebar that conversation, maybe forever." I joke.
"Well and this will be my third go around so I know what it feels like I guess." She says, turning serious again.
"I've been pregnant three times too." I admit to her for the first time. "We lost one between Devon and Waverly."
"I'm so sorry. I know how awful miscarriages are." She grabbed and squeezed my hand tenderly.
"So what have you told Lenny? What did you say before you came out here?" I asked, leaving my hand in hers and sitting next to her on the couch.
"I really was going to tell him. But then Sy started moaning, so I told him I would be back after I told you bye. Maybe I should just tell him I love him and want a future with him and see how he responds to that before telling him anymore."
"You could. But will his response change what you do? I mean, if for some crazy reason he didn't want the baby, would you abort..."
"Hell no! I've had two babies taken away from me. I would never choose to do it to myself. Ever! I guess I would just raise it alone." She sniffles, anxiety over that scenario apparent in her voice.
"That won't happen. Don't worry yourself over that. Lenny will take care of his child, even if he's not with the mother. I mean he didn't walk out on Zoe..."
"I know. But technically I would still be a single mother. And I would still be heartbroken." She admits.
"He's not going to leave you. I promise. This may be just the thing he needs to hear. Sy isn't going to last much longer. You need to get back in there and be there for him. Even if you don't tell him tonight."
"You're right. Thanks, Jensen. I'm sorry to put you in the middle of this." She pulls me in for a hug, just like she used to years ago. I felt like she was my best friend again.
"What's going on?" Lenny's deep voice asks. Mayte and I release our embrace, peering up at a confused looking man. "Is something wrong?"
"Well yeah something is wrong." Mayte immediately responds and stands up. "Sy probably won't last until morning."
"More like for another hour I'm afraid. And it's now midnight so looks like it will be on Waverly's birthday." He sighs. "But we will be at the party."
"Don't worry about that! You can see her anytime." I assure them and finally depart.
My mind was spinning by the time I opened the door to the bedroom and found Prince laying nude, on top of the covers. "I've been waiting for you." He seductively announces, rising to his knees and motioning me to him.
"Not tonight." I sigh walking towards the bathroom.
"Oh shit! Did he pass?" Prince asks, grabbing his silk robe from the dresser and slipping it over his body.
"Not yet. But he will be gone by the time we get up tomorrow I'm sure."
"Damn. That's a shame, and on babygirl's birthday. So it's hitting you harder than you thought, isn't it momma?" Prince asks, massaging my shoulders as I remove my earrings and necklace.
"I don't know. Maybe. It's just been a weird night." I shake my head.
"Yeah, so tell me what's been plaguing you babe. What all is going on? Is Mayte still upset with you?" He sincerely asks while helping me get into my pajamas.
"Honey I don't even know where to start. No she's not mad, but things are complicated and she's divulging everything to me all of a sudden....like she used to. Which I'm happy she wants to be close again, but I'm just not sure I can handle my own drama plus hers."
"What's her drama?" He rolls his eyes. "That Lenny doesn't like her cooking? That his pubic ring doesn't hit her clit just right? That he hasn't asked her to marry him yet? I mean, that's hardly drama. Don't let her theatrics over silly stuff cause you any worry. They'll figure it out..."
"She's pregnant, Prince." I cut him off. "And she hasn't even told him, or anyone but me I assume. So yeah it is kinda drama and it does worry me and put me in an awkward position. I guess we have to pretend we don't know tomorrow at the party... if they attend ...and she still hasn't told him."
"Whoa! Wait! She's hiding it from him? Why?!" He looks appalled.
"She just confirmed it with a pregnancy test tonight, so it's not like she's really been keeping it a secret or anything. But I think she's suspected it for a little while. She wants to tell him. She wants to be with him. She's just scared of his reaction to it all I guess." I try to explain.
"His reaction? What like he's going to be mad? No way..."
"Well I guess they haven't talked about marriage and children with each other really seriously yet. She doesn't want him to feel trapped or only be with her because she's pregnant..."
"Ok they're adults, not teenagers first of all. And second, it's 2005, not 1955. People don't think much about two people not being married and having children these days. I still don't think this is drama. Maybe a little shock and surprise, but not drama, not bad news by any means. Now timing it with the impending death of his father might be tricky, but I'm thinking he will still be able to show excitement. Plus if Lenny didn't want to become a father again, he shouldn't have been raw-dogging it." Prince laughs. "Oh, damn, unless she messed up her birth control or something."
"She doesn't use any. But she said they did mainly use condoms. So it definitely wasn't planned, but they weren't being super careful either." I responded.
"That scares me a little. You better not be missing any of your pills. We can't afford an accident right now. However, you do still owe me a baby boy. One of these days." He whispers into my ear.
"Oh my god! Ok adding to how bizarre tonight was, Sy was talking out of his head."
"Well that tends to happen near the end, especially if they're doped up. What was he saying?"
"Well first he was talking about how 'they' love Devon and Waverly." I said, doing air quotes. "How they watch over them?"
"Who?!" Prince says, almost harshly.
"I don't know. He didn't answer when I asked. I assume Lenny and Mayte." I reply, with a shrug.
"What exactly did he say?" Prince asks, his heightened interest obvious in his tone.
"Well I don't remember word for word but something like 'they love the girls so much. They watch over them.' But then he also added they love the boy too. How this boy is with them. How they're sending him to us. That's when it started getting odd and confusing."
"Jensen, sweetheart, he meant our parents. Not Lenny and Mayte." Prince excitedly responds, jolting to a sitting position from our spooning one.
"What do you mean?" I raise up too, looking at him like he was crazy. "You think our parents talked to him or something?"
"Well your parents. I don't know about mine since they didn't know Sy, and I'm still not certain my dad is in heaven. But yeah I wholeheartedly think they were communicating to you through him. He's probably in this state of not quite on earth but not quite in heaven yet. He's able to be a go between."
"I don't know if I believe in all that. It's an awesome thought though." I say, choking back tears. "But what do you think the part about a boy meant? Oh! Mayte! Maybe she's having a boy!!!"
"I don't think so. I think they meant we will have a boy." Prince smiles. "And apparently soon."
"Well we know that's not possible, so I'm sticking to my Mayte theory."
"Ok." Prince suggests. "But you're wrong."
"You aren't as all-knowing as you think, did you know that?" I laugh, and give him a little shove. "But who knows. Maybe he did mean us. One day. Or maybe we are going to adopt a son soon."
"Adoption is normally a lengthy process, baby. But maybe. I'm open to it if we can't have another one biologically."
"Really?!" Shock written all over my face. "I never thought you would go for something like that."
"Why?! I mean it's not my first choice, but if we really want a son one day and it's just not possible through pregnancy, well adoption is a guarantee to get the gender you want." He chuckles. "So would you want to adopt a white kid, black kid, or a biracial one to match our others?"
"Why box ourselves in? Maybe I want an Indian or Asian baby?" I smirk.
"Well then we really couldn't convince him he's ours!"
"So you would lie to him his whole life and never tell him he was adopted?!"
"I don't know. But at least get a bluff in for a few years!"
We both were giggling so hard we had to catch our breaths. "Thanks baby. You always know how to make me feel better, forget my worries, even if just for a little while."
"You're welcome." He says, kissing the tip of my nose softly. "So did Sy say anything else?"
"Yeah, but it really didn't make any sense. He was getting majorly confused. I think he still thought Lenny and I were married or something."
"Why do you think that?"
"He said something about it being a mistake to have Lenny's baby. To not do it. That it would bring sorrow to my family."
"What the fuck?!!" Prince growls, his voice and body language immediately turning sour.
"What?! I told you he was out of his mind. He must have resorted back to Lenny and me being married. Plus he said NOT to have his baby. Why is this upsetting you?!"
"OR it could mean you will one day have his child...and yeah the hell it would bring sorrow...."
"No Prince! That's not what it meant! Don't even go there! Don't twist it! He wasn't making prophecies! He was out of his head. End of story. Unless...oh god! Unless he was talking about Mayte having his baby. Shit!!! I hadn't thought about that until just now."
"Well not to sound shallow, but as long as it didn't mean YOU having his baby, I really don't care. Maybe he was just talking crazy, or maybe Mayte shouldn't be having his baby, who knows."
"It could mean she will miscarry."
"It could. Ok now I feel bad for saying I didn't care. I don't want anything to happen to their baby."
"I know honey. Great, now I'm back to being filled with worry!" I sigh.
"Let's try to get some rest. We could come up with a million different predictions for what all he said could have meant. Nothing will change what is meant to be anyway. It's all in God's hands."

End of Book 4