by Shelby Clark
Surely being a professor you can understand where I’m coming from. I’m an A student. My GPA is a 4.0. I like it like that. I still love you too. I still want to be with you. I am not trying to hurt you or break your heart. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m just asking for some time to finish school.”
Seth listened with a disturbed expression on his face. He wouldn’t look her in the eyes as he usually did. “TC, I don’t know what to say, but this does hurt. I feel like I’m being pushed away. Why can’t you learn to balance everything? This is how life is. This is reality. I feel that there’s more to this than you’re actually telling me. I feel so connected to you, and it seems like someone is trying to rip my heart out my chest with their bare hands. So stop covering things up and say what’s really on your mind. I think I have an idea, but I’m going to wait for you to open up to me.”
TC got upset. “See, there you go. You think you know me, but you don’t. Stop trying to analyze me. We’ve only been together for almost two weeks. You act as if we’ve had some extensive time together.” TC was denying her true feelings of being in love with Seth. “People don’t fall in love that fast. This could be nothing more than lust. Tears begin to fall from her eyes.
Seth grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. “Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Please forgive me. No, no, don’t do that.” TC tried to resist Seth, but he refused to let her go. “I don’t want you crying.” Kissing her face and tears, Seth picked TC up and carried her to the bedroom to lay her on the bed. “You are so stressed. Let me give you a massage. I will make you feel better. I hear you, TC. I will give you what you want. I will also wait for you. Just don’t tell me to wait if you really aren’t going to come back to me. Please don’t do that to me. I believe you love me, and I’m about to remind you how much I love you. I want to remind you of what we shared in Rio. We made mad passionate love. It was something I myself never experienced. This is how I know you are the one for me, TC. You are my babe.”
She laid on the bed while he took both their clothes off, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Oh Seth, I love you too,” TC whispered.
“Do you have classes tomorrow?”
“No,”
He looked into her eyes and stroked her cheek. “Then stay tonight.” Seth continued kissing her all over. TC was so immersed with pleasure that she begin grabbing the sheets tightly on the bed.
“Oh my god, this feels so good. Seth you said you understood. This isn’t fair.” TC groaned.
“I know, babe. Life isn’t fair, and I’m fighting for what’s mine. I’m fighting for my love. I want you to remember and come back to me. I also want you to remember that each time we make love, it gets better than the last time. Open your legs so I can enter into your love canal,” Seth commanded. TC surrendered her will to Seth’s love.
* * * *
“Babe, babe?” TC called as she was waking up. She noticed a note left on the bed and grabbed it. She jumped to the floor feeling a little lightheaded, and then searched the house to find Seth gone. “Where is he? He’s just going to leave without saying anything? Oh yeah, the note.”
Dear TC,
My love, you are my heart. Not being with you or the thought of losing you is driving me crazy. When I made love to you for the first time, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I know I am moving too fast for you. I can understand that and respect that. I would even be willing to slow things down a bit, but you don’t want that either. You just want to call it quits. I’m trying to accept and respect what you want, but I can’t stand by and watch you walk out my life. I can’t pretend Rio never happened. I left you a spare key to my house. You will always be welcomed in my heart. There’s breakfast in the kitchen. You’ll find mangos and pineapples in a bowl, just like the ones we ate every morning in Rio. I wish you much success, babe. You know where to find me if you need me.
Love forever yours,
Seth
Chapter Eleven
Graduation & Special Gifts
I am getting tired of sitting in this lobby. I wish they come on and call my name. I was on time for my appointment. TC walked up to the receptionist. “Excuse me, ma’am, but can you tell me how much longer it will be before my name is called?”
“Well I can check for you,” the receptionist answered. “Wait one moment. It appears you will be called next. Please forgive us. We are short staffed today. The University is in the process of hiring two more doctors for the health clinic.”
“Ok, thank you,” TC replied. Before she could return to her seat she heard her name. “Casey Shaw, Ms. Casey Shaw?” the nurse called.”
“Right, here,” TC responded.
“Have a seat, Ms. Shaw,” the nurse instructed. “I will be taking your vitals, and the doctor will be in shortly.”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Shaw. My name is Dr. John Wells. What brings you in today?”
“Well, I haven’t been feeling too good for a while now. Sometimes I think I have a cold, and other times I feel like I have a virus or something. I know I was dehydrated so I increased my water intake. I lost some weight, but I thought that was from not eating much. I’m always hungry, but I can’t keep it down. I’m not anorexic. I throw up unexpectedly. I will be graduating next week, and I’m trying to get myself in shape.”
The doctor looked impressed. “Oh, congratulations. That’s awesome, Ms. Shaw. I’m glad for you. What are your plans after graduation, and why do you feel you need to be in shape?”
TC responded, “I want to be in shape because I’m planning to do some traveling after graduation. I don’t want to be feeling sick on the plane. So can you help me, Dr. Wells?”
The doctor got up to wash his hands. “I’m certainly going to try, but first let’s do an examination and then get some lab work on you. So you said you’ve felt this way for a while. What’s a while? Plus, you look a little pale which indicates you still may be dehydrated. When was your last menstrual period?”
TC thought about it. “I’ve been feeling this way since March, so about two or three months. My last menstrual was back in February. I had some spotting in March, but nothing after that.”
The doctor paused with a questioning look. “Ms. Shaw, did you consider that you might be pregnant?”
TC answered immediately. “No, sir. Don’t be alarmed, Dr. Wells. My menstrual is very irregular. It skips months all the time. I just figured stress was the main reason. Plus I’m not involved with anyone at the moment. So I don’t believe that’s an issue for me.”
Dr. Wells reassured her. “Nonetheless, let’s just cover all the bases and have a pregnancy test done. If it’s negative at least we can rule that off the list as a possible cause of your illness. After you go to the lab to get your blood drawn, we will give you a call with the results. Please make sure we have a number where you can be reached. If you don’t hear from us within two days, you can give us a call.”
* * * *
“So when do you graduate, girl? I am so excited for you. Are you finally finished with all your classes?” El asked.
“Huh… Yeah, I am. I can’t believe it,” TC said while thinking there was a possibility she could be pregnant.
“Girl, what’s wrong? Come on. You can scream. Let it out! Dee and I will help you because we’re happy too. You drove us crazy with all these assignments and paper everywhere,” El insisted. El and Dee started screaming and running around the condo. TC started laughing when the neighbors started knocking on the walls, the floor, and coming from the hall for them to stop the noise.
“Give her some time. She’s been through a lot with school. She’s probably still in shock,” Dee said to El, laughing and out of breath.
TC went to her room, and her cell phone rang. “Hello. Oh, hi, Dr. Wells. Yes, this is Casey. What were the results? My blood work was fine, ok. Yes, I knew I was dehydrated. I tried to drink more water. Ok, so I need to drink at least sixty-four ounces a day. Wha
t? ... That can’t be, Dr. Wells.” Tears started rolling down TC’s face. “So based on my last menstrual I’m about ten weeks. This messes all my plans up, Dr. Wells. I can’t be pregnant! I don’t want to talk to no freakin’ counselor!”
TC threw her phone on the bed, buried her face in her pillow, and yelled with a high pitch.
El and Dee came running and banging on her door. El called out, “TC, what’s wrong? Are you screaming for joy or is something wrong? Why are you screaming?”
TC answered, “Go away. Leave me alone. I want to be alone!”
Dee was still trying to talk to TC, and then the door burst open. TC jumped up to find El standing in the doorway huffing. She should have known that crazy girl would have pitted the lock.
“Hell no, something is wrong,” El said after she’d caught her breath. “Did somebody hurt you, TC? Talk to us. This is supposed to be a happy time for you.”
TC snapped, “Well it’s not! Do I look happy?” She jumped to her feet and snatched her shirt off. “How do I look?”
Both Dee and El stared as if trying to think where she was going with her question. Dee was the first to speak up. “You look like you’ve been missing some meals, but you’ve always been thin.”
“Yeah, and you have a tiny little bulge in your belly, but you can knock that out with a couple of sit-ups,” El added.
Then, at the same time both Dee and El blurted out, “Oh my god, you’re pregnant!” They jumped on TC showering her hugs and kisses.
El began a barrage of questions. “So did you tell sexy yet? It is his baby, right? Aren’t you two back together? What are you waiting for, TC? The man loves you. He sends you flowers and tropical fruit baskets flown all the way from Rio. What man does that? And he gave you what you want. He gave you the space you requested.”
“A man that’s very much real and knows what he wants. He’s also very much in love with a special lady. He knows it and so do we. So stop crying, we’re all going to get through this. Because we are aunties now.” Dee answered excitedly!
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t sure if I was going to go back to him. And I wanted to travel the world before I decided what I want to do with my life. The answer to your question, El, is yes. Seth is the father. He doesn’t know yet. I need some time to get used to this situation for myself. He will see this as a reason why we should be together. What the f… I mean heck am I going to do with a baby? I don’t know how to take care of a baby.”
“That’s right, Mommy, watch your mouth in front of the baby,” Dee jokingly scolded.
TC chuckled as she wiped her tears. “Shut up! I love you guys. I don’t know what I would do without you. I am asking you to please keep this between us. Gave me a little time to think this through. Who would have thought as soon as I give up the cookie, I get pregnant.”
* * * *
El and Dee peeped into TC’s room the next morning. “Good morning, Mommy. How do we feel? Are we up for some breakfast?” El asked.
TC groaned. “You guys are not going to leave this alone, are you?”
“Nope,” El and Dee answered.
“And if I don’t want to keep the baby, you will be angry with me, won’t you?” TC asked.
“Yup,” El and Dee replied.
“Ok, then the mommy would like some breakfast,” TC said with a smile.
Dee came farther into her room. “So you should be about two or three months right?”
TC answered while still lying in her bed resting on her elbow. “Yeah. The doctor said based on my last menstrual I should be about ten weeks.”
“Awww …. I know you don’t want to hear this, but, TC, your baby was conceived in love. I saw how Seth looked at you, and I heard how his best friend, Junnie talked about Seth being in love with you. Junnie was so happy for Seth. Apparently, the natives in Rio are big on love.” Dee glanced at TC’s dresser. “Oh look, you still have that mail I told you about two months ago.” Dee reached up to get it.
TC shrugged. “Just leave it on the dresser. I’ll get it later. It’s probably a scholarship to grad school. I don’t know if I want to do that now that I’m having a baby. This changes everything. I can’t do any traveling with a baby.”
TC hesitated and then grabbed Dee’s hand. “Dee, can I really open up to you? I’m afraid. When I was in Rio, Seth and I were isolated from the world. You know what I mean. He kept saying I was on Fantasy Island. Boy, did it feel like it was. I thought I was in a dream, but now we’re here. Seth and I are different. What would people think seeing us together? Look at me, I’m mocha brown.”
“And I’m crunchy black, TC. What are you saying? I’m from Africa with short hair, but that didn’t stop Junnie from wanting to be with me. Junnie wants to continue seeing me. That means I will be going back to Rio soon. We talk still on the phone and through email all the time. TC, I told you this before. You always did over exaggerate everything. Stop overwhelming yourself. Take a deep breath and see the situation as it really is. We are in a different world now. Changes have already been taking place and still are happening everyday. At your school, that’s right, at the University of Tampa there are so many interracial relationships. You are not the first, girlfriend. Did he have a rod?”
“What?” TC didn’t think she heard right.
“You heard me. Did he know how to use it? Dumb question, of course he did. That’s why you have that little bambino in the oven. He looks, acts, moves, and feels like a man. That’s all you have to worry about.”
“Yeah, but look at him. I have locks, and he has curly, silky hair. He’s white, and I’m black.”
“TC, don’t make me slap you,” Dee scolded. “Are you even listening to me? Do you even hear yourself? In this day and time differences are in, and anyone with a problem is out. No one cares, and if they do they can go to hell. This is your life. When he’s stroking it good, are you thinking of this stuff?”
“Ok, Dee, I got it, I got it! And no. I can’t even speak let alone think.” TC grinned.
El walked in with breakfast. “Amen to that. He’s got the good stuff when he makes you speechless. All that massiveness, if I didn’t have that cardiologist I would go looking for Seth’s brother.”
“Well, I got the best friend, and the bed is real good. So, TC, go get your man. Tell him how you feel. I mean tell him you still love him, and share the news with him,” Dee insisted.
“I will, I will,” TC retorted.
When someone knocked at the door, El ran to grab it, TC followed behind her to be nosy. “Who is it?” El asked.
The voice on the other side of the door called, “Deliveries for Ms. Casey T. Shaw.”
TC entered the foyer. “Hurry, open the door. I’m sure it’s from Seth. He’s probably sending more gifts. I love that man. What was wrong with me? I was crazy for pushing him away.”
El imitated a pregnant woman. “I’m so emotional. I don’t know what to do.”
TC laughed while reaching and plucking El with her finger. “Ok, that’s alright. I’ll get you back.”
El opened the door, and TC gasped when delivery guys kept coming in with boxes of gifts. One of them paused, holding up a sheet of paper on a clipboard. “Ms. Shaw, please sign here on the dotted line.”
TC reached for it. “Are these gifts from a Seth Howard?”
“No, ma’am. The sender offers some explanation on this postcard, which is for you as well. Have a nice day, ladies.”
“If all these are not from Seth than who?” TC wondered.
El responded. “I don’t know, but it looks like Christmas came early. What does the post card say? I know one thing. Somebody else must love you too. There’s no space to walk in here.”
TC started reading the postcard. “Shh, listen.”
“Dear Casey,
Congratulations on your academic success. I’m glad to know you will be graduating with honors in a couple of days. I’m also pleased to know that you are an A student. I never doubted your abilities. I knew you would turn out
to be an awesome woman. By now you should have received an envelope that I sent a couple of months ago. All the information you need to know, including your plane tickets, are in that envelope. All the arrangements and preparations are currently in place for your arrival. I hope you enjoy your gifts. They are from the family. You may also bring your sisters.
Best Regards,
Zera Yacob Amha Selassie,
Crown Prince of Ethiopia
Your Father”
TC started yelling and jumping up and down, while Dee and El tried to grab her to find out what was going on. “Oh my god, oh my god, my father found me. He’s alive! Dee, go get that envelope. We are all going to Ethiopia. My father is a Prince. No. No. My father is the Crown Prince of Ethiopia! He is sending for us. All these gifts are from him and my family,” TC shouted. El and Dee joined in with the shouting.
* * * *
TC was being called from every direction by classmates and friends at the graduating ceremony. “Girl, it is packed in here,” Dee commented. “Are you happy? This was a really nice ceremony, plus your favorite actor, Justin Chambers, spoke to your class. I told you, TC, things were going to get better for you.”
“Yeah, but I’m looking for the icing on the cake. I haven’t had a chance to go by his house. I thought he would be here. Some of his students graduated too. We have to go straight to the airport from here. What should I do? I want to see him so bad, and he still doesn’t know about the baby. Oh, Dee, I feel so sick and emotional,” TC exclaimed.