by Sephiri J
My phone buzzed as I folded, and I picked it up to see a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?” I said as I cradled it between my ear and shoulder, so I could finish what I was doing.
“Hi, I’m trying to reach Sade Williams or Gregory Johnson,” a woman’s voice said on the other end of the line.
“This is Sade. Who is this?” I asked.
“Hi, Sade. This is Priscilla calling from Doctor Stein’s office. You and Gregory were here a few days ago to do some male testing and an IVF information session,” she started.
“Oh, right. How are you?” I asked.
“I’m okay. The doctor wanted you to come in to discuss something that came up in the testing. Are you available this afternoon?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s fine. While I was there, I found out I was pregnant, so we don’t need any more IVF information,” I said, smiling and lightly touching my belly.
“Well… I understand, but… the doctor wanted me to have you both come in anyway. There’s something she needs to discuss with you,” Priscilla said.
“Okay…” I said. “Um... sure. I guess we can come in today. I’m home, and Greg is working, but… do you know how long this will take?”
“I don’t think it will take long. Can you come at three o’clock?” she asked.
“Yeah, okay, we will be there,” I said then hung up.
I was confused because I wasn’t sure what else there was to talk about. Putting the clothes down, I went to Greg’s office.
“Babe,” I said then walked up and tapped him on the shoulder since he had his ear pods in.
“What’s up, babe?” he asked as he took one out and looked up at me.
“That was Doctor Stein. They want us to come in today at three,” I told him.
“For what?” he asked.
I shrugged. “She said she wants to go over something with us. I don’t know. We got like an hour, so I’m gonna finish the laundry then we can go.”
Forty-five minutes later, we were driving to the office. Greg had told Summer that we were running an errand and would be back, but she wanted to act like she didn’t even hear us. Her whole attitude was getting on my nerves, and I wondered if I could get Greg to tell her to leave earlier than the four weeks.
Ten minutes later, we pulled up to the parking lot. Greg opened the door for me and took my hand as we walked in. I loved how he was with me ever since we found out about this baby. I just wished it didn’t take us getting pregnant for him to start treating me this way.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” the lady named Priscilla said when we walked in. I recognized her from the first time we were there. “Come to the back with me.”
We walked in behind her, but instead of going to an examination room, we walked to the very end of the hall where the doctor had her office. When we stepped in, Doctor Stein was sitting behind her desk on her computer. When she saw us, she stood.
“Good to see you both again,” she said and reached out to shake our hands.
“What’s this about, doctor? I thought we had gotten everything out the way last time,” Greg said.
I knew he was ready to get back to the house and back to work. With two babies coming, he needed to make money more than ever.
“You recall that we tested your sperm count before we discussed IVF to cross off any possibilities that there was anything deficient on your end,” she started, and I nodded.
I didn’t see the point of going over this when we already knew nothing was wrong with either of us.
“Well, we got the results back this morning, and it’s a little odd to say the least,” she said, looking down at the table in front of her at some paperwork she had.
“What do you mean?” Greg asked.
“Well, according to the sample you gave, your sperm count is registering at zero,” she said.
I cocked my head to the side. “What?”
“We did some further testing because that is extremely abnormal. At a minimum there would be a low count, but, Greg, you are showing none. When we did further testing, we found out that you have Congenital Obstructive Azoospermia,” she said.
“The fuck is that?” Greg asked as I listened in confusion.
“It’s a genetic condition that you were born with. It’s similar to a vasectomy where a portion of the vas deferens, the part of the male reproductive system that transports sperm to the ejaculatory ducts is missing, which stops the flow of sperm,” she said.
“Come again? In English, Doc,” Greg said and leaned forward in his chair.
“In layman’s terms, it means you were born without the ability to ejaculate sperm, which is what you need to have children,” the doctor said. “Semen is made up of sperm plus other sugars and protein substances. In your case, the level of sperm in your semen is non-existent. It is very rare.”
I listened to what she said with my head spinning. This made no sense.
“No, that doesn’t make sense. I have a kid. I have kids! My oldest is seven years old, and his mom is pregnant right now for me. Sade, she’s pregnant. You told us that she’s pregnant,” Greg rambled.
“I understand, and that might be the case, but it is impossible for you to have children, Gregory. This was something you were born with that cannot be changed without surgery. I’m not sure what happened, but it is impossible for that seven-year-old to be yours or the other children that you were told are yours,” the doctor said before glancing over at me then looking down at the desk.
My head was spinning as the reality of what she said sank into my head.
“So… so, you’re saying my son isn’t my son? You’re saying it’s impossible for me to have any children at all?” Greg blustered then stood up and clenched his fists.
He was angry, and I could hear his voice cracking as he spoke. He turned to look at me with fire in his eyes, and I felt like I was going to melt through the floor.
“So, who the fuck are you pregnant for, Sade?!”
1
Bo
City had my mind so fucked up as I drove to the Starbucks in Midtown. The audacity he had to look me in my face and tell me that he didn’t know that bitch Giselle was in his house made me so angry that I couldn’t even think straight. Everything that scared me about getting involved with another man was hitting me in the face now. I was convinced that niggas weren’t shit. The used condom under the bed. The foundation on the pillowcase. The hair in the bed. The pictures in the tub. It was too much shit, and he couldn’t even have the decency to give me a legitimate explanation. He literally thought I was dumb enough to believe him when he told me she wasn’t there with him.
I’d turned my phone off after Dontrell called because I didn’t even want to hear it ringing and wonder if it was City. I laughed out loud as I took a left at the light and saw the Starbucks on the right. I wasn’t one of the dumb bitches he was used to who would fall over their feet trying to get with him. I wasn’t about to be Sade with him. I loved my girl, but she wasn’t what I aspired to be like in a relationship. I was done.
I parked and exhaled slowly as I rubbed my temples. I wasn’t even sure why I’d agreed to meet Dontrell. The disrespect he showed me and embarrassment he put me through had turned me off him so bad. Part of me knew I had agreed to meet him just so he could say I did it then he could leave me alone. I was trying to ignore the little part of me that remembered the times I was actually happy with this man. Those weren’t the memories I needed to be in my head as I walked into this place to see him.
Getting out the car, I walked into the Starbucks and immediately saw Dontrell sitting outside on the patio. He didn’t see me at first, and I stopped walking for a few seconds as I looked at him. He was staring down at his phone while sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him wearing jeans and a polo shirt. He had a bouquet of lilies on the table in front of him beside two cups of coffee in grande cups.
When he looked up and saw me, he grinned and stood. My stomach did
an involuntary flip. Dontrell was so handsome. Why was he so freaking handsome? I walked over while chewing on the inside of my mouth.
“Hey, Bo,” he said as I approached.
He opened his arms to hug me, but I put my hand out to shake his. He looked down at my outstretched hand puzzled but then he put his arms down and shook my hand instead.
“What’s up?” I asked and sat across from him.
“These are for you,” he said then reached for the flowers and handed them to me.
I took them to be polite then put them back on the table.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, looking over at me with his intense eyes.
I had to look down at the table because I didn’t want him to look into my soul. We’d known each other for such a long time. He knew me, and right now was not the moment I needed him to read that something was off with me.
“You look nice,” he added.
“Thanks,” I said looking back up at him.
The battle going on inside me was crazy. Dontrell was familiar. When I looked at him, I saw years of my life. Growing up, our families took trips together. Every family party that my parents threw at the house, he was there with his parents. We were friends before everything when we were kids, and then, when we became teenagers, it just naturally progressed.
I looked at him and saw the first kiss I ever had. I heard the first “I love you” I ever received from a man. I felt him making love to me for the first time in my life. I felt the happiness I experienced when we used to be together and take our own road trips and staycations. But I also felt the blistering heartbreak of knowing that he had done me so wrong. I didn’t think I could ever get over that. No matter how familiar he was, no matter how comfortable he was for me because he had literally been my whole life, I couldn’t see myself looking at him again and not seeing Nichole up under him.
That girl loved him. The way she cried when she showed up at my house the week before the wedding, I could see that she had real feelings invested in him, which meant he was going hard with her. Shit, I’d heard out of his own mouth on the voicemail that he cared about her ass too. Looking at him now, I had a bad taste in my mouth. I’d only loved him. I’d given all my love to him. So, knowing he had shared his love with someone else behind my back for months, I didn’t see how I could ever trust him again.
“So, I called you to meet me, and I’m glad you picked up. I owe you an explanation and an apology. So, thanks for coming,” he said.
I looked at him with an eyebrow raised, but I didn’t say anything.
“Oh, I got you some coffee,” he said and pushed one of the cups toward me.
“What did you get?” I asked.
“What you always get. I didn’t forget,” he said.
I felt my stomach dip again. Reaching for the cup, I took a sip. White chocolate mocha with soy milk, no whip. He did know what I liked. It’s what I always got.
“Thanks,” I said.
“So,” he said, leaning forward in the chair toward me. “First off, I want to apologize to you for being an asshole. I’ve loved you my whole life. You are literally the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know I’m selfish and inconsiderate. I know I should be groveling at your feet right now, and I fully intend to do that. Nichole can’t hold a candle to you. You have everything going for you, and at times that made me see things in myself that I knew I needed to work on.
“I won’t lie. It was immature of me to think that treating you like you were too headstrong would somehow make me feel like more of a man. I wasn’t man enough to handle how blunt you are. I wasn’t man enough to realize that I had a strong ass partner. I thought if I got a pushover, a chick who would just go with whatever I said without questioning it, I would feel like more of a man.
“That’s some crazy shit. I know that, and I know it’s fucked up that it took me so long to see that. It shouldn’t have taken you sending me a video of her in the bathroom doing cocaine for me to know that she was the wrong decision. Any girl other than you is the wrong decision. I messed up, and I know it will take a whole lifetime for you to even begin to forget. I am willing to sacrifice my happiness forever, even if takes you years to come back to me, because I’m going to show you that I’m where you’re supposed to be.”
I listened in silence as he spoke, but when he said that last part, I couldn’t help a small, sarcastic laugh.
“You’re having a baby with her, Dontrell. Why should I even consider coming back to you?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s pregnant. But, to be honest, I don’t know if that baby’s even mine. We were messing around for maybe five months. I don’t know if she was fucking anyone else. Shit, I didn’t even know she was a cokehead. She wasn’t like a serious thing. She fell in love with me, but she was more sex than anything to me. For real.
“When that baby comes, I already told her I want a paternity test. And if it’s mine, I’m gonna fight for custody. She’s not fit to be taking care of any kids. That video you sent me will help. Thanks for that again,” he said. “I got a plan. I promise. My future is you and me. Everything outside of that, we can work through because we love each other. You can’t tell me that the love you had for me all these years just disappeared overnight. Let me work this out with you.”
“So, you basically want me to help you raise a crack baby and forget that you knocked up the girl you cheated on me with? And then we can be a whole ass happy family?” I asked, looking at him with my arms folded in front of me.
I was swallowing all my feelings and emotions and actually listening to the words he was saying to me. He knew he fucked up, and knowing Dontrell, his parents had probably laid into his ass for embarrassing their whole family. I wouldn’t be surprised if they threatened his trust fund if he didn’t fix this. This whole thing just felt off.
“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said and rubbed his hand down his face. “I love you. We can work this out. You know the two of us together can be a power couple. Between our two families, we can be that couple. You don’t even know how great we could be Bo. Don’t throw us away over this. Please just give me a chance.”
“A power couple? Our families? Our families are the least of my concern right now. Mine doesn’t give two shits about me, so doing anything that benefits them isn’t my priority,” I said. I was ready to go.
“You know us getting married is what you and your family need. You can stop pretending like you’re gonna play hard to get. You know the stakes involved in getting back together better than I do,” Dontrell said.
I cocked my head to the side. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
He frowned and looked at me. “Bo, stop. I know.”
“Know what?” I asked.
“Your dad’s business. I know it went under a few months back, and he’s been wanting to open something new with my father. Quit with the theatrics and let’s just fix this. It’s gonna be awkward as fuck for our families to do business together if the two of us still have this underlying problem. It probably won’t even happen at all. You made your point. It’s been a while. You’re not going to look weak if you come back to me now, so we can work on this,” he said.
I was stunned as I listened to him. What the fuck was he talking about? My father had owned a couple of investment consultation businesses for years, and they did really well. He made great money, and my mother’s family also had money, so together they raised us in luxury. As far as I knew, my parents were doing great. So, what Dontrell said was news to me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dontrell. For real. Look, I’m not about to sit here and act like I still have these deep feelings for you or want to be back together because I don’t. You hurt me in the worst way, and I can’t put myself in a situation like that again. I came here to hear you out because I needed to put this behind me. You’ve said what you needed to say, and I’ve heard what I need to hear, but my answer is still the same. So, I would appreciate if you would move on f
rom me and raise your kid. Because I’m done,” I said.
“That man you been running around with won’t treat you the way I did. You were the love of my life, Bo. Don’t do this,” Dontrell said.
I could hear the hurt in his voice, but I had already made up my mind.
I stood and sighed. “Take care.”
“At a minimum, go talk to your dad. I know if you do, and he tells you what’s really been going on financially, you might change your mind. You need stability, Bo. I know your parents paid for your house and you use their credit card. You need their money. If they don’t have any, who will you turn to? You need me, you just don’t know it yet. But I’ll be here. Go talk to him then call me. I know you will. My number’s still the same,” he said to me.
I had no idea what Dontrell was talking about but the way he was talking made me feel like there was something he knew that I wasn’t aware of.
“Bye, Dontrell,” I said and stepped away from the table.
Getting back with Dontrell wasn’t even an option at this point, but what he was saying about my father’s business was something I had questions about. I knew I needed to stop at the house and find out what was going on. I just hoped whatever information he claimed to have was wrong.
2
Sade
My head was swimming as I looked up at Greg. I felt like a dead fish with my mouth open because I didn’t even know what to say. His eyes were full of anger, hurt, and disgust as he looked down at me, and there was nothing I could say.
“Who the fuck are you pregnant for, Sade?” he asked me again.
“Greg,” I managed to say and started to stand up.
“Nah, keep your hoe ass sitting in that chair. You don’t deserve to stand up when you talk to me. You fuckin’ another nigga and have the nerve to be mad at me?” he roared.
“Okay, sir, I need you to calm down,” Doctor Stein said and stood up behind her desk. She looked at me with a concerned expression, and I was so embarrassed.