by Ancelli
“Fix it, she’s carrying my only grandchild.”
“I know, mother, I’m trying.” He glanced over at the roses on the passenger seat. He would do anything to get her back, even if he had to divorce her to win her back.
“Try harder.”
“Mom, Kanielle has made up her mind. She wants a divorce.” He sighed looking as the truck roared to life, and drove off.
“Bobby, I’m not on your side this time. You know how I feel about cheating. I might have looked the other way when your father stepped out on me, but I did it for you. So you could have the things I never had.” She breathed. “I prayed you wouldn’t turn out like your father.”
Robert and his mother hadn’t told his father about the embryo mix up, or even about the procedure. They didn’t intend to tell him unless the baby wasn’t theirs, because Robert wasn’t going raise someone else’s kid, especially a white baby.
“How could you let her find out?”
“Mother, I feel bad enough. The woman was scorned, mad that I ended things because I wanted to put my wife and child first.” He smirked to himself, knowing he had his mother right where he wanted her. As long as he was apologetic, she would be on his side. She would never turn her back on her only son. “I know I was wrong. Kanielle is the only woman I want.”
“Then fight for her.” She raised her voice.
Sasha was only sex, Robert kept telling himself. Sasha and the others were always about sex, no emotion or feeling. It was just a carnal urge that he couldn’t get fulfilled from his wife. He loved Kanielle, she was everything he ever wanted in a woman, even though she always talked, and fought back. Robert wished she were more submissive than she was. The truth was that he never intended on getting caught, and now Kanielle and his mother were mad about Sasha. He couldn’t imagine how mad they would be if they found out about the others. Kanielle would never forgive him, and he needed his wife back. Robert missed having her around; the house was a mess without her. Kanielle never complained about doing housework. He hadn’t eaten a home cooked meal since she left.
“Your baby shouldn’t be born into a broken home. Bobby, you better get down on your knees and beg her for forgiveness.”
“I’ll be her father no matter what. She’ll always come first.” He looked up at the small ordinary house. How could Kanielle leave their big home for this? Robert watched the wooden porch with paint chipping away, and the front lawn grass was brown. Irene needed to invest in a gardener. Kanielle offered to help her mother fix up the house, but Irene always declined. He didn’t want his child living in this area of town, it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the more affluent side of town. Robert wanted the best for his daughter.
“She should always come first. She’s the Richardson’s only heir.”
“I have to go mother. I love you,” Robert hung up, threw the phone on the passenger seat, and picked up the flowers off the seat. He placed his hand on the door handle, opening it. Robert got out of the car, ambled up the pathway to Kanielle’s mother’s house, and knocked.
Kanielle swung the door open with her lips thinned. Her hair was looking crazy, that wasn’t like her. She always kept herself looking on point.
“Kanielle, can we please talk?”
She glared at the flowers in his hand and then at him. “Say what you came to say and leave.”
Robert handed her the flowers, but she didn’t take them. He placed them on the cheap plastic chair he saw next to the broken bench.
“I’m sorry, honey… I made a mistake, a mistake I will never make again.” He pleaded, trying to give her his puppy dog face that always worked in the past. Kanielle continued looking at him, tapping her foot. “I’ll wait as long as I need to.” He dug into his pocket and handed her his house keys. “Here take the house, my things will be out by tomorrow. I would never leave you and my child out in the cold.”
She grabbed the keys out of his hand, still not saying anything.
“How are you feeling?” Robert sincerely asked, looking at her stomach.
She didn’t answer.
“Please forgive me,” he tried taking her hand in his.
Kanielle placed her hand on her hip, glaring at him. Robert had to admit he was getting worried, he’d never seen her like this. The spark in her eyes was gone, she wasn’t the same woman that left their home six days ago. He watched her, waiting for her to react.
She crossed her arms over her belly. “How many were there?” Kanielle cocked her eyebrow.
“What?” Robert didn’t expect that question. Did she find out about the other women? He had to flip it on her. “No, it only happened once. It was only sex, just sex.”
She chuckled. “Once!”
“Kanielle, what was that white guy doing here?” The vein in his neck started throbbing. He was getting upset at her disrespect. He was still her husband until the court said so. “Are you cheating on me with that fool?”
“Is that all?” Her lips curled to the side in a smirk. She stepped back, and closed the door in his face.
“Kanielle!” he banged on the door. “How could you do this to me?”
The door swung open again, but this time her brother stepped out. “Robert, go home.” Chris marched forward, making Robert move backwards. “When she’s ready to talk, she’ll let you know.” Chris looked over his shoulder.
Robert turned around, meeting the stare of his mother-in-law coming up the walkway. “Nice to see you, Irene.”
“I can’t say the same,” she walked up the three steps. “You hardly ever came to my home before, don’t start now. Get the hell off my property before I call the cops,” she said passing him. Mrs. Jackson took Chris’ arm in her hand and walked in the house, slamming the door behind them.
Robert glared at the door. Did that old fart slam the door in his face? He marched down the pathway to his car. He was pissed. Who did they think they were, keeping his wife away from him? He got into his car, started it and drove away. His cell rung, he grabbed it not recognizing the number, and Robert swiped it open. “Hello!”
“Mr. Robert Richardson.”
“Yes.”
“This is Maggie Stokes, I think we need to talk about the baby your wife is carrying.”
***
Kanielle waddled into her brother’s room and sat on the edge of the mattress. She tried to hold back the tears, but it didn’t work. Talking to Robert was harder than she thought. Kanielle managed to keep her poker face on in front of him. How dare he lie to her face? That bitch told her they’d been seeing each other for months, so it had to be more than sex. If he wasn’t tipsy the night she confronted him, Robert might’ve lied his way through this, but he didn’t even try. Kanielle knew things were deteriorating between Robert and her; it was hard for her to admit it until Sasha showed up. Her mother always said what’s done in the dark eventually comes to light. Kanielle hadn’t been happy for a while, and then she found out she was pregnant and everything changed.
There was a soft knock on the door. “Can I come in?” Chris asked, slightly cracking the door.
She could hear her mother opening and closing cabinets. “The nerve of that man, coming to my house with that bullshit. I hope she didn’t believe his ass.”
Kanielle shook her head, didn’t her mother just come from church? The devil was trying them.
“Come in,” Kanielle observed the wooden door. “Chris, you don’t have to ask permission to enter your own room,” he slowly opened the door, and strolled in.
“Kanie,” he moved in, and sat next to her. “Are you okay?”
She let the tears run free.
“I’ll get some new locks from the hardware store.” Chris wiped her tears with his fingers. “I’ll change the locks at your house tomorrow.”
Kanielle smiled. “Thank you,” her brother meant so much to her. Their fifteen-year age difference didn’t keep them apart, it only made them closer. She would do anything for her baby brother, even saying goodbye. If he decided to join the Air
Force, she would back him up. She knew her mother would be against it, however it was his life, and Kanielle thought the military would be good for Chris.
“You’ve always been here for me,” Chris took her hand in his. “I will always be here for you too.”
“I know,” she grabbed her cell, swiped it on, and started texting. Kanielle had told Brandon she would text him.
I’m okay
A few seconds later Brandon texted back.
If you need anything, call or text me.
Thank you!
“Who you texting?” Her nosey brother asked, making her laugh.
“It’s not Robert,” she placed the phone on the nightstand. “I was letting Brandon know I was okay.”
“By the way, can I have his number?” Chris stood. “Maybe he can go to the recruiter’s with me.”
“I was going to take you,” Kanielle felt a tad bit jealous. She wanted to be there when he made this life changing decision.
“Brandon knows what to ask, he would make sure they don’t get over on me.” Chris searched his drawer. “I heard recruiters lie a lot, so I prefer to have someone with me that knows the deal.”
“Here,” she handed him her cell.
“You think he would mind?” He said taking her phone from her, and wrote Brandon’s number on a piece of paper on his dresser.
“I don’t think he would,” Kanielle moved back on the bed, and lay down in the middle of the mattress. “His eyes lit up when he was talking about the time he served.” She was starting to like Brandon, he made her brother take a hard look at his future in the first five minutes of meeting him. Robert never tried to have a relationship with her brother. Kanielle never thought about the things she’d been noticing lately, she must have turned a blind eye all this time because she loved him.
Her eyes were getting heavy with sleep.
“Get some rest,” Chris took a change of clothes in his hand and headed out of the room.
Kanielle rubbed her belly, speaking to her unborn baby. “Everything will be okay. You will always come first.”
***
Brandon checked his text again and placed his cell back into his pocket. Kanielle was good. He wondered if they made up, if she was back with that scumbag. He walked into his dim office building, noticing that everyone was gone for the day.
“Good evening, Mr. Stokes,” Lewis said from behind the small security desk. “I was wondering where you were.”
Brandon held up a brown paper bag with his dinner. “I needed food,” he strolled over to the elevators, and pushed the green triangle.
“Sir, you work too much.”
Lewis was right, Brandon did work too much, he’d become a workaholic since his marital problems began. He threw himself into his work, being the first person to arrive at the newspaper, and the last to leave. It helped him forget about the past. However since he met Kanielle he’d left the office a few times, allowing the baby she was carrying to become is main focus.
The metal doors opened, “Lewis, have a great evening.” He treaded into the elevator. Brandon marched out on the tenth floor, and down the hall to the main offices.
He strolled into his office, flicking the light switch. Brandon examined the area, there were papers scattered all over his mahogany desk. His bookshelves were a mess too, and the coffee maker was still plugged in. How many times did he tell Bianca, his secretary, to make sure she unplugged the machine? He walked over to the coffee maker and pulled it out of the socket, and then made himself a cup.
Brandon strolled over to his desk, sat down, and took a sip of his coffee. He opened the bag, removing his dinner, which consisted of a sandwich and an apple. He took a bite of his tuna fish delight, it tasted better than the last meal he had.
His office phone rang. Who would call him at work at this hour he wondered and looked at his watch noticing it was almost ten o’clock. He sighed when he saw who was calling, swallowed his food, and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. Brandon picked up the phone.
“What?”
“At work like always,” Maggie said. “Did they…”
“I told you I was handling it.”
“Don’t lie to me, did she sign the damn paper work?” Maggie’s tone was a bit harsh.
“Stop calling me asking me shit,” he was getting tired of his ex-wife calling him every freaking day. Kanielle was right, there wasn’t anything they could do until the baby was born, and he made her a promise he was going keep. “We can wait until the baby is born, and then, and only then, will we deal with it. It’s a fucking possibility that she’s ours.” He was getting frustrated with her.
“You might be able to wait until then, but I won’t.” He could hear her heavy breathing through the phone. “Give me the papers.”
“What papers?” Brandon acted dumb, he wasn’t going to give her the legal documents. He grabbed the folder out of his top drawer, ripped it in half, and threw it in the wastebasket.
“Fine, I’ll have Mike help me with finding a new lawyer,” she shouted.
“Do that,” Brandon slammed the phone on its cradle. Why did she always have to throw his name in his face? He thanked God for the patience he’d learned since going to therapy years ago. Because the old him would’ve beaten Mike to a pulp, and suffered the consequences later.
His phone rang again and he picked it up without seeing the caller ID. “Stop calling me!” he yelled.
“Okay I think we should start this call over. I’m going to hang up,” it was Kanielle’s soft voice, “And then call you back. Maybe your tone will change,” she hung up.
Brandon chuckled, that woman was crazy. His phone rang again, and this time he changed his tone. “Hi, beautiful.” The line was dead, was she there? “Hello…”
“Hi.”
“What are you doing up so late?” Brandon was concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“I couldn’t sleep, and I found your business card you discreetly left on my mother’s counter.”
“How was your meeting with your husband?”
“My soon to be ex-husband. He did all the talking, I just listened.”
“You’re not giving him a second chance?” He took another bite of his sandwich. Her voice made him feel a certain way, his lips curled up into a slight smile.
“I told you it’s over between him and me. The only thing that’s linking us together is the baby, and if the baby happens to be biologically yours and your ex’s, then I won’t have anything tying me to him.”
Brandon listened to Kanielle go on and on about her ex. He could tell she was still feeling the sting of her breakup. Kanielle might still change her mind, she just needed a friend to hear her out.
“Does it still hurt?”
Brandon took a sip of his coffee. “Does what still hurt?” He was confused.
“Her betrayal. I can tell you loved her very much, or still do.” Her voice softened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“You didn’t. I think I will always love Maggie, just in a different way.” He took another sip of his coffee. “It took some time, but I’m no longer in love with her.”
“How long did it take?”
“Seven months. Kanielle, everyone is different. Your pain might be gone tomorrow or years from now. It does get better.” Was he reassuring her or himself?
“Thanks for listening, as you can tell I have no friends, and I don’t want to burden my mother.”
“I know what you mean,” he looked at a picture of his grandparents on his desk. “You can always unburden on me, no judgment.
“I know it’s about the baby…” she was quiet.
“It’s not only about the baby…” they were both silent. Brandon smiled to himself. There was something about Kanielle: her strength, vulnerability, and confidence.
“Do you think you could ever love again?”
Brandon hadn’t thought about love. It was the furthest thing from his mind. “Yes, I do think I could love again. I wouldn’t hin
der my new relationship because of what happened in my failed marriage. I can’t punish my new lady for what my ex-wife did.”
“I think it will be hard for me.” She sighed.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, you’re human. You can’t hold what your ex did against the new guy though.” Brandon placed his feet on his desk, crossing them, and leaned back in his chair.
Kanielle chuckled, “Why am I talking about this? Starting a new relationship isn’t on my radar for a long time to come.”
Brandon had thought the same until he called Rebecca. He needed to move on with his life. He wasn’t getting any younger. He already wasted over seven years in a relationship with a woman who didn’t think twice before she walked out on him.
He could hear chewing on something. “What are you eating?”
“Gummy bears,” she chuckled. “My addiction.”
They talked until midnight. Kanielle made him laugh; she was funny when she was tired. Brandon hadn’t laughed like that in a couple of months. “I have to get up early tomorrow. I have a class,” she yawned.
“Go to sleep then,” he chuckled. He still had to look over a few articles. He picked up a red pen, and began making corrections, circling a few things he saw.
“I like talking to you…”
Brandon smiled, “We can talk anytime.” He enjoyed getting to know Kanielle. “Good night.”
“Good night, Bran… don.” Kanielle yawned again before hanging up.
Her voice when she said Bran, the pen slipped through his fingers. Brandon stared at the phone in his hand, he swore he heard his mother’s voice saying, ‘Follow your heart Bran.’
Chapter Nine
Brandon left the office at three in the morning and was back at work at six. He had Kanielle and the baby on his mind all night. The baby was her first priority in everything she did, and he would work on making Coral his first priority too. Brandon hardly took breaks or left the office, but this morning he decided to pay Kanielle another visit. He’d stopped by her mother’s house, and Chris told him she was at a childbirth class at Mercy hospital.