The One, page 24
Since she won’t go after them, it’s left to me to do it. I have no doubt that he’d sell up and pay up and get the hell out of dodge, which was the easy way I’d given him. He wouldn’t want his shit broadcasted among his friends and peers because that is some shit he’d never come back from.
I could hear the old lady’s voice even as I made my way down the hallway. She ought not to worry; as soon as Steph gets what’s hers, I plan to send her an envelope of her own. Yes, I want her to know just what her precious boy really is. How dare she treat my girl as less done when she raised that degenerate.
I’d been thinking about my sister and what Steph said about the family hating her more if the rift continued because of her, but I still can’t see myself forgiving her that easily. I guess the fact that I’d heard it with my own two ears is what was making me dig my heels in, but whatever Steph wants, Steph gets.
“We’re going to your parents’ house, really?”
“Yes, for the one-hundredth time.” She’d asked the same question a hundred times since we left the house, and the way she clapped her hands and grinned like a toddler assured me that I had made the right decision.
I’d taken a couple of weeks to think about it and get things lined up to give her what she wanted. In truth, unbeknownst to her, I was waiting for her ex to get his shit together first, one thing at a time. I had no doubt that he’d get with the program; I hadn’t given him much of a choice.
The mother had made some noises which I ignored because I don’t speak bitch, but I guess sonny boy had put a cork in her pie hole because her barks had turned to whining before going radio silent. Steph had damn near had a heart attack when the two of them turned up at her door one evening to offer her an apology.
Her mouth had damn near hit the floor when he offered her the first check with promises of the rest to come once he got his business in order. I’d only shrugged my shoulders when she looked back at me over her shoulder where I stood like a sentry waiting to bring down my wrath on their heads if they made one wrong move.
She’d pondered over that shit all night, asking me over and over again what the hell had gotten into the two of them like I was a psychiatrist or some shit. I kept watching my sports show and pretended like I didn’t know what the fuck was.
The ex had looked so pitiful I almost thought twice about sharing his dirty shit with his mama; that was before the hag gave my girl a look like she wanted to do bodily harm. Now my only wish is that she gets a heart attack when she sees what I send her.
The idiot neighbor had come crawling on her hands and knees with some baked goods in a basket which I tossed as soon as she was gone, but my girl accepted her apology in a daze and pestered my ass all night again about what was going on.
The only thing making me sweat after all that was the ring I had hidden away. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to propose. If it were up to me, I’d just give it to her without any fuss, but I get the feeling the other time hadn’t been anything special, and since this will be her last proposal, I want it to be awesome for her, but all the ideas I’ve seen so far look like middle school bullshit.
One thing was for certain, I didn’t want her to think I was only marrying her because of the baby, which I didn’t know how long he or she was going to take but knew I was doing my damnedest to make him or her a possibility, so I didn’t have much time.
So, I bit the bullet a couple of nights ago, and damn if I didn’t just grab her hand while we were in bed talking and slid that rock on her finger. She hyperventilated, cried, screamed, then called Nat, all before saying yes. Not that I needed her confirmation, but still, the girl needs to get her priorities in order.
The way she jumped me after her gabfest was as much of an acceptance as was needed anyway, and my ears have been ringing ever since with wedding bullshit. She offered up the idea of having something small since she’d already done the deed once, which I shut down because the light in her eye said she wasn’t too happy with that, plus this was my one and only, and I’d be damned if I downsized because she’d had the misfortune to marry an asshole in her idiot phase.
That’s all she needed before her, and Nat went nuts. I didn’t know women started planning the wedding as soon as the ring was on their finger. I knew she loved the ring because I’d sometimes catch her looking at it with a dreamy look on her face, and once, I overheard her tell Nat that she never expected anyone to give her such a beautiful ring.
If she knew the shit I had to go through to make sure that diamond didn’t come from some thieving fuck that had been robbing the continent for generations, she’d probably knight me. I was pleased that I could give her a guiltless diamond that allowed me to sleep at night. We’re not going to talk about the cost.
I let my brother and sister Jackie know but didn’t tell the parents as yet and warned them not to until I was ready, and they begged to meet her, but I held off on that as well. I was still a bit salty, though not so much at them; still, I have to make sure she gets the welcome she deserves. If it were up to me, I’d wait until they all came apologizing and begging for forgiveness on their hands and knees, but I’m built that way.
In the midst of all this, I kept my eye out for the signs, and that’s why we were now headed to my parents. I want my kid to have at least one set of grandparents in his life. She doesn’t realize that she’s pregnant yet, I don’t think, but I’m pretty sure I’ve fucked her every day for six weeks straight without let up, and I won’t go near a bleeding snatch if my life depended on it, so there’s that.
I’ve also been watching her confidence grow and that shell breaking off of her back. Her sass-o-meter is on full blast all the damn time now, and I guess her pussy conferences have been giving her a boost because she puts me through my paces. I’m not sure between her snatch and Nat which one I have to look out for because both of them fill my girl’s head with all kinds of ways to run my ass.
I knew Roz was home this weekend, and from what my brother and Jackie said, she wasn’t doing so well these days. Apparently, she’s been looking for Steph to apologize, and the parents had been giving her hell once they realized I was serious about going no contact.
I’m still mad as hell at her, and there’s no way we could ever go back to the way things were, but this one was adamant that we had to meet my parents and tell them about the wedding. She’d lectured me to death about family and bullshit like she knew what the hell that meant after the fiasco that was her first marriage, but I just let her rant and rave until I was ready.
The truth is, had she not fallen pregnant this soon, they would still be waiting. My disappointment in them was still hot, though I’ve come to accept that Roz is their youngest and they were only looking out for her. Doesn’t stop me from hating that shit, though, because right is right, and wrong is wrong no matter who it is.
We pulled into the driveway, and this one decided to get nervous. It was like a balloon with all the air let out of it. One minute she was all but hopping around in her seat, but the next, she was deflated. “What if they don’t like me?”
“I like you.” It never fails to amaze me how something so simple could put a smile on her face. Then again, I like knowing that she likes me too.
Roz was the first one to see us as we entered the door using the key that I hadn’t used in months. She flew up from her chair and came running, but I gave her a look and sidestepped her with my girl’s hand held firmly in mine. I hadn’t warned Steph, but one wrong move from any of them, and we were out of there.
“Oh, my goodness, she’s gorgeous,” Jackie exclaimed before I could even greet my parents, who were staring at us like they’d been given a shock. Mom had tears in her eyes and started bawling, and dad got to his feet to shake my hand. “It’s good to see you, son, and this must be your young lady. Pleased to meet you, Stephanie, is it?”
Since when does my dad talk like a church deacon? My idiot brother was grinning like a simpleton while checking my girl out, and I could almost read his thoughts before he opened his idiot mouth. “Ah, Stephanie, Stephanie, you chose the wrong brother.” His wife smacked him across the head playfully and smiled at my girl.
Introductions were made, and everyone gathered around her, especially once the females noticed the ring on her finger. I was damn near pushed out the door as they moved me out of the way to get to her. There were exclamations of delight and some chastisement from my mother, at least about me keeping it a secret.
The only one not involved was Roz, who stood on the outskirts of this milieu looking on as the others fawned all over my girl. My dad and brother came to stand next to me, and I felt my stance ease at my dad’s first words. “Sorry we didn’t handle things better, son; we knew we were wrong, but we were caught in a hard place. Roz, well, she’s the baby, but there’s no excuse for her behavior.”
That was as close to an apology as I was going to get from him, I know, and mom was doing her own version of an apology by trying to stuff my girl with food and drink while asking her a thousand questions. Are all women this damn nosy? They were acting as if they’d known her all her damn life, and every other word was about wedding planning when they weren’t exclaiming about her beauty.
“Roz, why are you standing all the way over there? Come on over here.” I’m pretty sure everyone else in the room stopped breathing at Steph’s words. Even Roz looked a bit shellshocked at the welcoming smile on my girl’s face as she made her way over to her after looking at me.
“I hear you’re studying to be a doctor; that is so amazing. Takes a lot of smarts and hard work.” So that’s how she’s going to play it. Like she doesn’t know what Roz has said and done. She just started talking to her like nothing had happened while I stood there gritting my teeth, and the rest of my family kept giving me looks as if they expected me to explode or some crap.
I was not at all pleased with this turn of events, but this was Steph’s show. Personally, I would’ve left the little shit out of everything and made her feel like shit, but that’s me. Steph, on the other hand, made sure to include Roz in everything she and the others were discussing.
I’m not sure what happened, but halfway through, Roz got up and ran from the room in tears. My Grammy-worthy little darling looked around the room confused, like she didn’t know what the hell was going on. “What’s wrong?” She looked around at the others, who all looked at me.
I was about to say something, but Steph gave me the death glare, which I took to mean she didn’t want them to know that she knew. I’m not sure what the hell game she was playing, but I kept my lips sealed and shrugged. If they were waiting for me to go console her, they were shit outta luck; I didn’t move one step, not even when Steph tried to command me with her eyes.
Roz came back with puffy eyes and a contrite look on her face and stood in front of Steph. “I’m sorry!”
“For what?” Steph asked. Roz looked at me, and I looked back at her blankly; you’re on your own. The others were uncomfortable as hell, but I did nothing to ease the tension in the room.
“I said some things about you. I didn’t mean them; it was stupid.” She rushed to add.
“What sort of things?” Meryl Streep kept her shit up.
“Well…” Now she was embarrassed? She was bold as hell when she said them.
She rattled off the situation in one breath and looked ashamed, which I guess was a start, and what did my little love do?
She waved her hand as if it was nothing. “Oh, I’ve been hearing stuff like that my whole life; it’s no big deal. But someone as pretty and as smart as you shouldn’t talk like that. I guess it’s the company you keep. As someone who wants to go into the medical profession, you should be more compassionate, okay. Plus, the way things are these days, everything you say and do can come back to haunt you, so be careful.”
Oh, I get it; she’s lethal. Her acceptance had the whole room on her side, and Roz only seemed to feel worst as she made her way over to me with her head down. She mumbled out another apology, and I grunted an acceptance. She didn’t ask about her tuition or even mention money which saved her ass because had she even hinted at that shit, I’d have seen it as her apology hinged on that shit.
She did look genuinely remorseful, which was a big difference from the way she’d acted in the beginning, and truth be known, I’d missed the little shit. I was just so angry at her that I couldn’t see past what she had become in my eyes. This was the girl I knew and loved.
“You were right about my friends. Once I stopped paying for everything, they all just dropped me.”
“I guess you’ve learned your lesson, then.”
“I did; she’s nice.” She turned to look at Steph, who was once again deep in conversation with mom, sis, and my sister-in-law.
“She’s the one.”
EPILOGUE
MACE
For fuck sake, how the hell did I get myself into this shit? What home birth, what water birth, what no epidural? The only good thing about this setup was that the midwife was a female. This one had caught me out there with that shit by telling me that all the doctors closest to us had dicks, which she knew damn good, and well, I was not about to be okay with.
Now she’s here bawling her eyes out and screaming as if someone was cutting her in half with a rusty saw while this twit kept telling her how good she was doing. The fuck could she be doing fine in a cramped ass bathtub? One minute she was leaning over the back of the thing, and the next, she was sitting with her knees up to her damn chin. If this quack says one more damn word, I’ma kick her out of my house and do the shit myself.
I bit ten holes in my tongue and balled my fists to keep the rage inside, but this shit was not it. Those stupid books and videos in no way prepared me for this hell, and I could only imagine what my wife was feeling. I’ve never wanted to crawl out of my skin or send the clock forward a few days before, but if ever there was a time for that magic, this was it.
If we could just skip ahead to the part where the kid was ready for kindergarten, I’d be straight because in the last few hours dealing with this shit, I’ve imagined every horrific scenario known to man, and the worst part is that there isn’t a damn thing I can do for her. Never-a-fucking-gain.
This is some bullshit. In the last few months, I’ve done everything right. I made amends where needed, thanks to my nosy-ass wife, who seemed to think I needed training up or some shit. I was no longer allowed to seek vengeance against any asshole who crossed my path. According to her, she was looking out for my soul; I didn’t even know I had one.
Somehow, she caught on to the fact that it was me who’d run her ex and his mother out of town and had lit into my ass like hellfire. Too bad for her; the deed was already done, and there was no turning back. She’d given the alimony away to some runaway girl’s home or some such crap, not that I cared. If it were me, I’d have had a party and burned through all that shit while the ex was suffering, which he was now that he’d lost almost everything. Good riddance.
As for my family, they were thick as thieves, the whole lot of them, especially when they got caught up in the hell that was wedding planning. I gave her one day of my time with that shit and bowed out. I went to the cake tasting, and that was about it. I just gave her a card to the account that I’d opened for her and locked myself away in the home office that we’d made at her place out of one of the guestrooms and left them to it.
She was scared out of her mind when she realized she was pregnant, and that, too, I had to tell her about because she didn’t know. Apparently, she’s not too regular, whatever the hell that means, so when she missed her period, she didn’t think much of it until she missed the third one, and I had to pull her head out of her ass.
She argued me to death that it wasn’t possible until I rolled my eyes and dragged her ass to the doctor. For someone who didn’t know she was pregnant, she sure fell in line quick. Just as with the wedding, the women around me lost their damn minds and went into estrogen overdrive.
Nat, who was the busiest lawyer I knew, still found time to bring her ass to our place every chance she got to talk about weddings and gender reveals. When it wasn’t her, my relatives took up the slack, and I haven’t had a moment’s peace since then.
This one didn’t want to be showing in her wedding dress, so we had to speed things up. Then she wanted to lose weight for the wedding but couldn’t because she was pregnant. I made the mistake of telling her she looked fine the way she was, and you’d have thought I called her out her damn name the way she reacted.
Then I put my foot in it by suggesting she wait until after the kid was born, then she could lose weight and get married then. She had my whole family up my ass for weeks over that one. After that, I was done. I fed my kid all the shit the nutritionist suggested, rubbed her feet when she could no longer see them, and rubbed the creams the idiot woman she’d hired told us were good for preventing stretch marks into her growing tummy, but became dumb, deaf and blind to anything else because she’d lost her damn mind and I don’t speak crazy.
The wedding went off without a hitch, though all I cared about was the smile on my girl’s face that lasted through the honeymoon in Greece, where she said she always wanted to go. It was fun watching her let loose and enjoy life, which she was learning to do more and more these days because she had me in her corner cheering her on.
Some days it’s like watching a little bird break out of its shell, and it was thanks to Nat that I grew to understand how much she’d hindered and limited herself because of other people’s opinions. I must be half an ass because I never realized how much time people spent worrying about their weight and other aesthetic bullshit.
Don’t get me wrong, if she was unhealthy and doing stupid shit like gorging herself on salty, fatty, high fructose shit all day, every day, I’d have said and done something, but that’s just not the case. My girl eats healthy enough, so what if she likes to eat crap every once in a while? Who doesn’t?
