by Ward, Vivian
“Hi,” I said, laying my purse on the couch.
“Hey, Kimberly! How’s it going?”
“Eh, not too bad. We’re still horribly slow at work,” I complained. “But I had a customer who tried to give me a $50 tip…that I refused!”
“Fifty dollars? Was it a big group? And why would you refuse a big tip?” Lorraine wondered as they sat down at her kitchen table.
“Yep, and no, it wasn’t a big group. It was some cocky rich white guy. I think he was only trying to give me a big tip like that because he wanted my number.”
“So what happened?” she inquired.
“I told him he could keep his tip because he wasn’t getting my number and took my ass in the back. Ain’t nobody got time for that. I’m trying to raise a baby, not make more.”
My friend glanced at me, “I know what you mean, but what if he turned out to be really nice?”
“Did you not hear the fact that he’s white? And arrogant?”
“Hmmm. You always seem to attract the most undesirable men.”
“Rachel and Sherry were trying to talk me into chasing him down to give him my number. He was built and had nice clothes, but I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship right now. And could you imagine me telling my momma and brothers that I was dating a white man?”
“I don’t blame you,” my friend agreed as she got up to grab a glass of water. “Hey, I wanted to ask you about something. Did anything happen to Nevaeh’s knees? She was complaining about them so I checked them out and they’re pretty swollen.”
“I meant to tell you about it this morning when I dropped her off, but she had me running late so I forgot. We have no clue what happened. I called her pediatrician this afternoon and I take her in on Thursday at 4:30.”
“Oh, okay. Nevaeh complained it hurts her to walk and anytime she bends her knees. I questioned whether she fell and she replied that she hadn’t.” Lorraine explained.
“I know, I asked her the same thing. By chance, did she run a temperature at all today?”
“No, why?”
“She ran an intermittent fever on my days off work. Janice, the doctor’s assistant, said not to worry too much about it, and explained that Nevaeh may have caught a bug or virus.”
“Oh, no, she didn’t seem feverish or flushed. She acted and played just fine. I’ll keep an eye on her the next couple of days when I have her, though. Would you guys like to stay for dinner tonight?”
“No, I grabbed us a bite to eat from work. She loves when I do that.”
“She always brags when you bring food home,” my friend acknowledged.
“Well, I guess I better go collect my rambunctious daughter and her things. We’ll visit you tomorrow,” I reported as I gathered Nevaeh’s bag and called her to the front door.
“Okay. Hey!” Lorraine stopped me. “You might want to watch her; she did something else weird today.”
“What?” I asked, concerned it had more to do with my daughter’s illness.
“It’s nothing bad, but she picked the scab off her arm and used the blood to create small red dots all over her body to pretend she had chicken pox,” Lorraine said laughing.
“Oh. My. God. No, she didn’t! I swear, my child has an imagination!” My daughter smirked at me and shook her head, agreeing with me.
“Momma, you brought us home dinner for tonight?” she asked as she opened the car door and saw the containers in the seat.
“Yep, I figured my little angel would love to have fancy food from my work.” I beamed in the rear view mirror as she buckled herself.
That night after my daughter was ready for bed, I sat down on the couch to relax before I went to sleep. As I watched the television program, I thought about the man who tried to give me the generous tip that afternoon. It was a wonderful gesture, but for a salad? Of course, he had motives, though. He was trying to impress me so he could talk to me. I was torn on what I should’ve done.
I drifted off on the couch as the television continued to play. A loud scream that came from Nevaeh’s room startled me from my slumber. I jumped up and ran to check on her. Nevaeh was sitting up in her bed, tearful while holding her legs.
“What’s wrong baby?” I asked, despite how sleepy I was as I tried to rub my eyes.
“Momma, they hurt. I can’t even bend my legs,” she cried.
“Let me have a peek,” I insisted, pulling the covers back. Nevaeh’s knees had swollen more than they had been. I lightly touched them, trying to investigate what was causing the swelling. “Nevaeh, you’re scalding hot. Can I take your temperature?”
My daughter nodded her head as I got up to grab the thermometer. I placed it under Nevaeh’s tongue and waited for the beep. When I removed it, I was surprised when it read 101.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Do you hurt anywhere else? Is your throat sore or do you have a headache or anything like that?” I probed my daughter, trying to find the cause of the fever.
“No, momma. It’s just my knees, and my back hurts down at the bottom. My whole body feels tight.”
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be just fine. I’ll go get your medicine, would you take that for me?” I asked, brushing my daughter’s hair away from her face.
She nodded and replied, “Yes, but will it make me feel better?”
“I hope so honey. I’ll have it ready for you in a minute.”
I went to the kitchen and poured out a dose of ibuprofen for Nevaeh. As I did it, I wondered what was wrong with her. My baby almost never gets sick and when she does, she never actually complains. It was puzzling. After I had replaced the cap on the bottle, I headed to Nevaeh’s room with her meds and a cup of water.
“Okay sweetheart, you have to take a little and I brought you water,” I said, holding up the small pink cup. “Drink this up and get rested. You should feel better in the morning.”
Like a good girl, she took the dose and drank the water before she dozed off. I stayed with her until she was fast asleep. Once she was sleeping, I headed to the kitchen to place the spoon and cup in the sink. Worried about my baby, I decided I would go to sleep in Nevaeh’s room for the rest of the night. I scooted her over in her bed and climbed in beside her before I wrapped my arm around her and nodded off.
In the morning, I woke up to Nevaeh moaning in her sleep. I listened for a moment before waking her. She was in so much pain.
“Nevaeh,” I whispered. “Nevaeh….” I nudged her. “Are you feeling okay?”
She opened her eyes and looked at me, unaware she’d been making noise as she slept. “I hurt mommy.”
“Yeah, I caught that baby. I’m calling in to work today and am going to try to get a hold of your doctor. You rest here for a little while.” I started to get up.
“Momma, I don’t like being in here by myself. Will you carry me to the couch and let me watch cartoons?”
“Sure, come here,” I gently scooped her up. “Do you want me to bring your blanket or pillow?”
“My blanket, please,” Nevaeh said, wrapping her arms around my neck.
I grabbed the blanket and headed for the living room. After I had her all settled in, I went off to start a pot of coffee and make her a bowl of cereal before I called the doctor.
“Here you go Nevaeh,” I handed her the bowl of cereal. “I’ll call Dr. Herber’s office to see if they can get you in any sooner.”
I hated calling in, but I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I really couldn’t afford it, but I also couldn’t let my daughter suffer. True, Lorraine would’ve taken excellent care of her while she was ill, but my baby needed her mommy.
“Kevin, this is Kimberly. I won’t be able to make it in today,” I explained to my manager.
“What? Why not?” he asked.
“Well, it’s Nevaeh. She’s been sick the last few days, and the doctor’s office said they can’t get her in until tomorrow. I’m going to find out if they can schedule her for this afternoon. She’s gotten progressively worse and I’m wor
ried about her.”
“You’re aware that’s a point if you don’t come in, right?” He reminded me of the attendance guidelines.
“I know, but I never call in and I have no points right now. I’ll keep you informed and tell you what the doctor says,” I said, annoyed that my boss would try to make me feel threatened by the company policy.
After I had hung up with my manager, I went into the living room to check on Nevaeh. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay momma. You won’t get in trouble for not going into work will you?” my daughter asked, overhearing the phone conversation.
“No baby, it’s fine. Don’t you worry about that. I will call Dr. Herber now. I’ll be back.”
Nevaeh is so sweet. My daughter was suffering, but she was worried about me getting into trouble at work. Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I dialed the doctor’s practice.
“Dr. Herber’s office, this is Janice, how may I help you?”
“Hi, this is Kimberly Harris again. I called yesterday about Nevaeh?”
“Oh yes, did you still need your appointment or were you calling to reschedule?”
“Well, I was trying find out if there’s any way you could get her in today instead of tomorrow. She ran a high fever last night, 101.6, and she’s in more pain.”
“Let me see,” Janice looked, scanning the daily schedule. “I don’t have any open slots. Let me put you on hold while I go talk to the doctor and we’ll figure out how we can work you in somehow.”
“Okay, thank you,” I uttered as I listened to the hideous elevator music that crackled over the phone line.
After a few moments, the assistant came back on the phone. “Okay, Miss Harris?”
“Yes?”
“Dr. Herber confirmed that we have nothing available today, but it sounds urgent. He asked if you will bring her in at 5 PM when the office closes and he’ll stay after to examine her. Is that okay with you?”
I thought about it for a moment; I hated making her wait so long, but it was better than waiting a whole extra day. “I’ll take it. We’ll be there early.”
“Okay, we’ll fit her in at five o’clock,” Janice said as they hung up the phone.
I walked back into the living room, “All right Nevaeh, momma’s working her magic and the doctor will see you, but we have to wait until the office closes. He can’t take you in until he’s seen everyone else. Do you think you’ll brave it out until then?”
She shook her head yes. “Momma, would you turn on Daniel Tiger? He’s my favorite cartoon. I don’t like these kid cartoons,” she commented as she watched Dora.
I chuckled at my daughter and her way with words. “We wouldn’t want you looking at childish shows! What was I thinking?” I changed the television channel and said, “Okay, one more call to my boss and then I’ll come hang out with you.”
I took the phone into my bedroom and called my work. “Kevin, it’s me again.”
“And what did they say?”
“The doctor indicated they’re all booked up today and he can’t examine her until the practice closes because they have no empty slots.”
“When does his office close?” he quizzed me.
“They said to bring her in at five.”
“Good, you can make it in after all.”
“Kevin, my shift started almost an hour ago. What do you sugest I do? Just leave my sick kid?” I challenged, angry at what he was suggesting.
“We need you. If you come in, I’ll waive the point and just put you down for six hours on the schedule this afternoon so it looks like you were here for your scheduled time.”
I thought about it for a moment. “And what do you suggest I do for my baby who can hardly walk because she can’t bend her legs?”
“Can’t your babysitter watch her at your house? She does have a babysitter, right?”
I sighed, “I’ll call her and ask if she will drive over here.”
My heart broke when I hung up with my boss. I wanted to stay home with my daughter so bad, but I didn’t wish to get into trouble either. I felt like I was ditching my baby for work, but I needed this job if I planned on paying bills and having insurance. I picked up the phone to call my friend. She answered on the first ring.
“Lorraine?”
“Yes? Where are you? Weren’t you supposed to be working almost an hour ago?”
“Yeah, I was, but Nevaeh woke up last night. She was running a fever and was unable to bend her legs at all. Her knees appear more like knobs.”
“Aww, poor thing. Is she okay now or is she still sick?”
“Well, I have her on the couch with her blanket, watching cartoons. I called the doctor, and they said they will see her today, but it would be after office hours because they didn’t have any open slots this afternoon. I tried calling in to work, but Kevin is being a complete ass. He said I’ll receive an occurrence if I take the whole day off, or he’ll let me come in as soon as I can, change the schedule and not give me a point.”
“What are you going to do?” Lorraine asked.
“Well, as much as I hate to abandon Nevaeh, I will go in late. I was wondering if you would drive over here to babysit her though since she’s having trouble walking, plus it would buy me a little extra time while I get ready for work.”
“Absolutely. I’ll leave just as soon as I slip on my shoes and grab my purse.”
Later that day while I was at work, the same man came back in and requested to sit in my section. As I came out of the kitchen, I saw him sitting at one of my tables. Here we go again. I mustered a fake smile as I approached him.
“Good afternoon, sir. What can I get you to drink?”
“I’d like a Dr. Pepper, please,” he said grinning up at me.
When I returned with his drink, I took out my order pad. “What would you like today?” I tried not to sound annoyed.
“Your phone number, and this time, I’m not taking no for an answer.”
I inhaled sharply, “I already told you. I don’t give my number out to strangers. What would you like to order?”
“My name’s Dale Halloway. There, now I’m not a stranger.”
“That’s nice Dale. Real cute. What would you like to order?”
“I’d like to take you out if you’d quit being so God damned difficult. So tell me, where are we going?" he crossed his hands below his chin, waiting for my response.
I rolled my eyes, “Nowhere. Are you going to order or not? I have other tables that I need to attend to.”
“Yeah,” he said hastily. “Let me have…a turkey club with an order of fries, and your number.”
“I’ll put your order in,” I said, tucking my order pad into my apron as I walked away from the table.
Rachel could tell that I was stressed out as I made fountain sodas for my three top table.
“What’s wrong? You look pissed.”
“That guy’s back! He’s sitting in my section and demanding my phone number again. He said he’s not taking no for an answer,” I sighed.
Rachel peeked her head out of the kitchen and immediately spied the hunky rich guy sitting in my section. “I think you should give him your number. If a man like that came demanding my number, he wouldn’t have to ask twice. He’s fucking hot! And girl, you know he’s got some money. Look at his clothes and his shoes.”
“I better get back to my tables,” I said pushing through the swinging doors of the kitchen.
As I waited on my other tables, I noticed that he never took his eyes off of me. Maybe Rachel was right; maybe I should give him my number. Even though my family hated white people, I didn’t hold the same grudge. I was smart enough to know that not all cops are monsters, and not all white people are bad.
“Do you need a refill?” I asked as I made my way past his table.
“Yes, please,” he grabbed my wrist. “Tell me why won’t you give me your number?”
“Why do you want my number? How do you know I’m not already taken?”
&n
bsp; “I don’t see a ring on your finger,” he said eyeballing my hand.
I paused as I tried to find the right words. “How do I know you’re not some kind of psycho? I don’t know you from that guy over there,” I pointed to a man with a scraggly beard and dirty shirt.
“One date. That’s all I’m asking for. After we go out, you can decide whether or not you want to talk to me again, but you will. I can promise you that,” he winked at me.
“I’ll be back with that drink,” I said, breaking free from his grip.