Full Figured 14, page 22
The God that Parish and Kwame served was a God of love and kindness. He would not have turned His people away. Instead of allowing their faith to be altered, Kwame suggested they start their own fellowship. Parish thought it was a great idea and was elated that they were able to find solace in something that had been designed to cause them skepticism. In turn, they pledged to serve God’s people with love and kindness.
CHAPTER TEN
Eboneé spent the remaining five months of her pregnancy sick, puffed up, and on bed rest. She threw up the majority of the time on any given day and suffered from headaches, body aches, and nosebleeds. The extreme nausea and vomiting, a condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum, was serious enough for her to be hospitalized on three separate occasions due to dehydration. It was during the third hospitalization that she was placed on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.
While at work one day before the bed rest commenced, Eboneé fainted because of the dehydration. Kasim had been working at her office to keep a close eye on her, but he’d stepped out minutes before she fainted to get her some ginger ale and Gatorade at the store. When he returned, he found her lying on the bathroom floor, unconscious. Fear and panic swallowed him whole. Kasim didn’t know what to do; he thought he’d lost Eboneé. Flashbacks of what he’d long imagined Zoya endured the day of her death played in his head, causing him to wail in agony.
“Someone please help!” he screamed from the bathroom.
Eboneé’s assistant, Patrick, rushed to the bathroom and then phoned 911. The paramedics revived Eboneé and transported her to the emergency room. After being hospitalized for four days, Eboneé was discharged with a peripherally inserted central catheter, also known as a PICC. It’d been placed in a vein in her upper right arm so that she could receive a continuous infusion of liquid, to fend off dehydration, as well as the antinausea medication Zofran. Kasim hired a nursing service so that Eboneé had a nurse available at any given moment.
He feared the worst, and it showed. If Eboneé sneezed, he’d jump out of bed and run to her side. She no longer slept in their bed, as it had become uncomfortable for her. Eboneé longed for her husband’s touch and intimacy. However, Kasim forbade it. He said that sex would harm the baby and that Eboneé had enough medical things going on. They didn’t need to give birth to a baby with its own set of medical problems because they couldn’t refrain from sex until after he or she was born. Eboneé knew Kasim meant well, but she found all his superstitions intolerable. Still, she stopped trying to explain to Kasim that the things he believed weren’t true. She knew she had been fighting a losing battle the entire time. Instead, she started yessing him to death . . . except on one occasion.
“Eboneé, be sure to turn the television off if you feel yourself falling asleep.”
“I sleep better with it on, Kasim. I need some sort of entertainment to hold me at night,” she told him in jest.
“It’s not about you or that right now. It is about our unborn child. Leaving the television on will cause the baby to be confused all his or her life.”
“Kasim, you cannot really believe that. Do you?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it, Eboneé. I am not sitting over here making things up, you know.”
Eboneé didn’t think Kasim was making up the things that he had been saying. She did know that someone had invented these superstitions that he’d been sharing, and she hated that these outlandish notions had been drilled into her husband’s head. She assumed it was the result of his Nigerian upbringing, because she hadn’t ever heard anything remotely like some of his pronouncements. Despite it all, Eboneé loved Kasim all the more.
* * *
A month after Eboneé was placed on bed rest, Parish and Kwame invited themselves over to Eboneé and Kasim’s house for dinner. Eboneé hadn’t been out of the house other than to doctors’ appointments in an entire month, and Parish thought she was slipping into a depression. Eboneé’s staff had stepped up and had been handling everything for her, and that meant that she had had too much time on her hands. She was so excited to have company that she had a cleaning service come and tidy up their already immaculate home. Eboneé had flowers and desserts delivered the day of the dinner, as well as bottles of Château Montrose. It had been Parish’s and Kwame’s favorite wine ever since she became a celebrity. They’d previously opted for a $10.99 bottle of wine, but now they indulged in their guilty pleasure, as they called it, every once in a while.
While shifting in her seat during dinner, Eboneé felt a slight crack in her stomach. She laughed it off and said to everyone, “This little one is doing gymnastics today. It felt like the baby just jumped and landed in a split or something. Something cracked.”
Everyone, with the exception of Kasim, erupted in laughter.
“What do you mean, something cracked? That doesn’t sound normal. Have you felt anything like that before?” he quizzed, worry lines creasing his forehead.
“I am fine, Kasim. Please relax,” Eboneé replied.
He called for Eboneé’s nurse. When she appeared, he said, “Rebecca, can you check my wife out? She’s talking about things cracking and splitting inside of her.”
As Rebecca assisted Eboneé to her feet, she totally soaked the pants she was wearing.
“You’re water just broke, ma’am. We need to get you to the hospital,” Rebecca told her.
Kasim could feel his heart racing through his ears. With every beat, it felt as if his chest was going to burst. He’d waited for this moment for so long, and now it was scaring the life out of him, making him speechless. Throughout his wife’s entire pregnancy, he’d told her what she should or could not do. He had been her doctor, chef, nurse, and whatever else Eboneé needed. He felt sweat drench his skin when he caught a glimpse of Eboneé’s saturated maternity pants. His hand trembled from his extreme trepidation as he hastily grabbed Eboneé’s overnight bag. Rebecca took it upon herself to phone Eboneé’s doctor, as it appeared to her that Kasim might be on the way to a panic attack.
During the ride to the hospital, Kasim didn’t speak. He merely smiled and nodded his head, sweating profusely, as Eboneé gripped his hand. Parish and Kwame, who were also in the vehicle, were overjoyed that they’d be present at the hospital for the arrival of their godchild.
Parish and Kasim had decided to wait until the birth to learn the sex of their baby. By the time Eboneé reached labor and delivery, she was already dilated to ten centimeters. Her contractions weren’t as bad as she had envisioned they would be. With four hard thrusts, Eboneé gave birth to a seven-pound, nine-ounce baby girl. Emani Nicole Gringo came into the world kicking and screaming. Eboneé wept at the sight of her baby girl. Kasim, on the other hand, had to be wheeled out of the delivery room due to delivery-room anxiety. Witnessing the birth of his daughter had terrified Kasim. He couldn’t believe Eboneé’s body was able to stretch the way that it had in order for her to push Emani out. And when he’d seen that, he’d become dizzy and light headed. As Emani had made her entrance, along with the blood Eboneé lost while delivering her, Kasim had fainted. Although blood was common with any delivery, Kasim hadn’t been able to handle it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Three years later ...
Emani’s third birthday was three weeks away. Kasim and Eboneé’s impromptu wedding day was scheduled to follow fourteen days thereafter. Everyone thought they had lost their mind; however, Kasim and Eboneé saw things differently. Kasim hadn’t seen and had barely kept in touch with his siblings back home in Nigeria. They’d phone on birthdays and holidays, but that had been it. Eboneé was an only child, so she didn’t know what it was like to have siblings. And she had only had one aunt and an uncle. Kasim, on the other hand, had five siblings, and he didn’t want Emani to grow up not knowing her family. It meant a lot to Eboneé for Emani to get to know Kasim’s side of the family and develop relationships with those extended family members.
Since Eboneé’s mom had passed away from natural causes, Kasim and Emani, along with Parish and Kwame, were the only family that she really had left. As a result of a falling-out between Eboneé’s mom and her aunt years ago, Eboneé’s extended family had become estranged. Everyone had gone their separate ways and had gone on with their lives as if the others didn’t exist. And when Eboneé had reached out to members of her extended family, no one had wanted to discuss what had taken place. They’d wished her well instead of revealing to her the truth behind their family’s disfunction.
Her dad’s side of the family had always blamed Eboneé’s mom for her dad’s passing. He had been his sisters’ only brother, and his passing had caused them enormous heartache. Everyone blamed Eboneé’s mom for causing him too much stress, which they felt had led to his early demise. After his passing, they had dissociated themselves from Eboneé and her mom.
Eboneé had made a vow after Emani’s birth to break the generational curse that had plagued her family. She refused to allow Emani to grow up without a structured family life enriched by those relatives who desired always to be a part of their lives. Over the years Eboneé had developed a strong bond with Kasim’s sister Adaeze. Following Emani’s birth, they had talked on the phone weekly and had been sending photos of their families to one another. Their bond had been instant, as if they’d been old friends catching up on lost time. Adaeze and Eboneé were the same age, and both of them were professional stylists.
Adaeze was a stylist for several aspiring and well-known African actresses. Her international clientele had been growing rapidly in recent years, which meant that she and her family would be traveling back and forth to the States frequently. Eboneé offered her apartment, which she no longer used as an office space, to Adaeze and her family while she was in town for work.
Kasim was not aware of these arrangements, nor was he apprised of his sister’s secret upcoming travel plans. Eboneé and Adaeze organized everything without Kasim knowing so that they would be able to surprise him during Emani’s birthday celebration. However, Eboneé was spending an enormous amount of time away from home during the three weeks leading up to Emani’s celebration. Kasim started to get suspicious, but he chalked up her long absences to her being engrossed in both her work and the party planning. However, when she began returning home past Emani’s bedtime, he became quite concerned. Eboneé kept Emani with her as she and Kasim didn’t trust a sitter to keep their daughter safe, especially since there had been a recent rise in kidnappings in their neighborhood. But when Eboneé arrived home one night with the stench of alcohol on her breath, Kasim had enough. His suspicions grew wild.
“Eboneé, this is the third night in a row that you’ve either dropped Emani off and left immediately after or phoned and said you’d be home late because of work. What I am struggling with is this. Since when did your work involve you reeking of alcohol and returning home during hours when a woman has no business being outside of her home alone? Especially my woman and the mother of my child.”
“Kasim, you’re exaggerating. You know I meet with clients throughout the day and my schedule doesn’t have set hours. As well as the fact that I meet with clients over a drink or two occasionally.”
“This is too much, Eboneé! I will not sit around and have my woman, the mother of my child, returning to our home at these hours, smelling like she was doing everything except her job.”
The evening before the party, Kasim was overcome with uncertainty, and he decided he needed to follow Eboneé to ease his racing mind. Eboneé had informed Kasim that morning that she’d probably return home later than usual that evening, and this news didn’t settle well in the pit of his stomach. He knew he had been the lover, protector, and companion that Eboneé needed him to be and a wonderful father to their child. He had trouble understanding what Eboneé was up to.
He knew Eboneé would be picking up a birthday cake at their favorite bakery at around 6:00 p.m., so he drove his car there and waited across the street. Eboneé emerged with Emani and the birthday cake, and after buckling their daughter in her car seat and putting the cake on the passenger seat, she got behind the wheel and drove off, Kasim trailing behind. Eboneé stopped at the Wine & Spirits a few blocks away from her old apartment. Kasim became enraged as he shadowed her two to three cars behind. He watched Eboneé park and take Emani inside the apartment building, even though she’d informed him that she had rented out her apartment when he suggested having the party there.
He allowed Eboneé a few moments to get inside the apartment, and then Kasim made his way inside the building. In no time, he was outside the apartment and kicking the door. “Eboneé! What the fuck is wrong with you?” he barked. His chest heaved up and down.
“It’s not what you think. Please calm down,” she begged as she opened the door a crack.
Kasim barged through the door. “How coul—” he began, but the rest of his words got lodged in his throat when he caught sight of Adaeze leaving the bathroom.
Kasim felt an electrical charge surge through his veins, and everything around him slowed down. Adaeze leaped from the high-gloss floor into Kasim’s arms. He felt as if he was having an out-of-body experience and dreaming at the same time. Seeing Adaeze seemed unreal and too good to be true. Kasim stood seemingly lifeless, glued to the spot that he’d been standing in. Everything around him was still moving slowly, and yet he wasn’t able to catch up with it.
“Breathe, baby. Adaeze is my surprise for you, but you . . . ,” Eboneé told him, her voice breaking.
Nothing else mattered, though. Seeing her husband’s wish to be reunited with his sister fulfilled was worth all the secrets, the heated words they’d exchanged, and the suspicions. Kasim traded places with Eboneé that evening. He didn’t return home until it was way past his and Emani’s bedtime. Eboneé put Emani to bed that night and then cried herself to sleep. But they were tears of joys. Today had been one of the happiest days of her life.
While visiting with Adaeze that evening, Kasim had the opportunity to reconnect with Mitaire, an old childhood friend. Mitaire was now Adaeze’s husband and thus Kasim’s brother-in-law. Kasim also met his niece, Naija, for the first time. Then Adaeze presented him with a gift, something for both him and Eboneé.
“What do you have there, Adaeze?” Kasim asked as he stared at the garment bag.
“Before you open it, I want to tell you something,” she said.
“I’m listening.”
“Ma would have been so proud of you and would have loved Eboneé. She is a keeper.”
“Are you about to give me bad news? Are you all right?”
“I am fine, and the happiest that I have been in a long time. Remember when I said that if I were to ever get married, I was going to wear Ma’s dress?”
“Yes, I do recall. When we were knee high, you used to put it on and pretend it was your wedding day.”
“I remember that as if it were yesterday. You know, I had the opportunity to wear it on my wedding day. It made the day even more special. It felt like Mom was there with me. I know you would love for her to be there when you make your way down the aisle, which is why I had some alterations done and a few things added, in hopes that Eboneé would wear Mom’s dress.” Adaeze unzipped the garment bag.
“This is unbelievable. I don’t know what to say . . . Thank you.” Kasim ran his hand over the dress as a lone tear fell from his right eye. So many emotions were running rampant throughout his entire being. He felt like he was dreaming, and he didn’t want to be awakened.
“You’re welcome. I know this is what Mom would have wanted.” She folded herself into his arms. “I just hope I will be able to be here for your big day.”
“How long will you here?”
“Another two weeks. Then I’ll be back in three to six months possibly.”
“That means we will get married in two weeks. I need you here with me, Adaeze. There’s no way we’re going to wait any longer. This dress, you being here right now—these are signs from God. We cannot wait any longer.”
When Kasim returned home to his wife late that night, he awakened her to share in his excitement. And it was contagious; Eboneé became as excited as he was.
“Eboneé, I have something for you.” His hands trembled as he gripped tighter the garment bag that he had been holding.
“I can see that. What it is?” She sprang to her feet out of excitement.
“This . . .” He took in the air around him before continuing. “This is my mom’s wedding dress. I would love for you to wear it on our special day. Adaeze had some things done to it for you. I hope you—”
Eboneé snatched the garment bag from him. Tears stung her eyes as she unzipped the garment bag and then took in every inch of the off-the-shoulder ivory ball gown with a plunging V-neck.
“From the looks of it, I can see that you approve. I was thinking maybe we should—” Kasim began, but Eboneé interrupted.
“I—I am sorry for cutting you off, my love. This is the perfect dress, for the perfect man. I know we haven’t talked about it in some time now, but I don’t want to wait any longer. Can we get married after the party?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe not the same day, but a week or two after would be perfect.”
Time had gotten away from them after the birth of Emani. But now they refused to waste another minute or another year. It was all a dream come true for the two of them.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Emani’s birthday party turned out to be especially fun for the adults, maybe more than it was for the children. Although the kids had an amazing time at the fairy-themed celebration, the mothers of the kids in attendance expressed that they were in awe and loved the opportunity to indulged in lots of activities. All the girls and women arrived at the party dressed in tutus, fairy wings, and flower crowns. And everyone admired the butterfly balloons, the crystallized flowers, and the fairy dust, and enjoyed the games and refreshments. It was a special day for Kasim and Eboneé’s baby girl, Emani. And by the end of the party, Kasim and Eboneé agreed that bachelor’s or bachelorette’s parties weren’t necessary. Nothing could top the birthday party and creating special memories for their princess.
