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Marcus

The
emergency waiting room was filled with injured and sick people. A man sat in a chair across the room, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands covering his face. He was in pain, and waiting for his name to be called seemed to take an eternity. There were people who had worse problems than his, like the woman with a bloody gash in her leg and the young boy whose jaw was swollen. He held an ice pack on it, but it didn't seem to help much.

Daria flipped through a magazine while I sipped on a cup of hot chocolate and pretended to watch the television mounted on the wall. Paul was busy sending someone a text message from his phone as the three of us waited for Chris to appear through the double doors that he'd disappeared through earlier. He'd been back there for almost two hours and the waiting was starting to wear on me.

“If you two want to go back, I'll wait here for Chris,” Paul finally said.

“Nah, he shouldn't be much longer,” I said. “We've been here almost two hours already. It can't be that much longer.”

As soon as I said it, Chris walked through the doors. A bandage was on his wrist and he seemed to be holding on
to his midsection. He searched the room for familiar faces and Paul and I stood.

“What's up, man?” I asked.

“Fractured ribs.” He lifted his shirt and showed us the bandages around his stomach. Then held his arm in the air. “And a broken wrist.”

“But you're going to live?” Paul asked.

“Yep,” he said. “Let's get out of this stinkin' place. Lots of germs floating around in here, man!”

People gave him cross-eyed looks when he made the germs comment. Nobody ever taught Chris how to be diplomatic or sensitive. He just said whatever came to mind, without regard for the person on the receiving end of his comments. The first day I met him, I wanted to fight him. But the more time I spent with him, the more I felt sorry for him.

We strolled through the automatic doors of the hospital. It was dark outside and it had started to rain. The thunder was loud and lightning flashed across the sky. The rain was relentless.

“We're going to need a cab,” Paul said. “I'll go inside and call for one.”

He disappeared through the automatic doors and we took a seat on a bench outside.

Chris moaned from the pain. “This is worse than the time my old man threw me out of the house. I mean, literally…threw me out of the house.”

He laughed but I knew he didn't really find it funny. He laughed to keep from crying. I looked in his eyes and I saw the history of hurt and pain. I didn't know what had taken place in his life between birth and now, but something wasn't right. And I had a feeling it wasn't his fault.

“Why'd he throw you out?” I asked.

“Because he's a jackass. That's why,” is all he said. “And he'll get what he deserves one of these days.”

Get what he deserves? What did he deserve? Everything in me wanted to ask that question aloud, but I kept it to myself. Didn't want to get all into his business but I was definitely curious.

He stood, started pacing the sidewalk. Maybe he thought that by pacing he could relieve the pain. He pulled his phone out of his pocket with his good hand, flipped it open, pressed a few buttons and then slammed it shut. Agitated, he took a seat on the bench again.

Paul strolled through the automatic doors, headed our way. “Cabbie should be here in a moment.”

Fifteen minutes later, the yellow cab pulled into the circular drive in front of the hospital. Chris climbed into the front passenger's seat as the rest of us piled into the back. The driver was Jamaican, with a red, green and black knitted cap covering his dreadlocks. Reggae music played on his radio and he bounced his head to it.

“You can turn that crap off,” Chris said before we were even a block away. “How about some music that we can all listen to and enjoy? Like pop, rock or rhythm and blues?”

Was he serious? I wish I could see his face just to see if he was cracking a smile. It was hard to believe that someone could be that tacky. The driver simply ignored him but that didn't stop his inappropriate comments. “I'm sure you don't understand one word I'm saying.” He laughed. “Communication barrier, of course. Would it be too much to ask for you people to stay in your place…in
your
country? You're just as bad as the Hispanics…coming over here illegally…stealing our jobs…bringing that…that…what is it? That swine flu virus crap…”

I couldn't believe my ears. And I wasn't surprised when the cab came to a screeching halt.

“Get out!” the cabbie said.

I peered out the window as the rain pattered against it. I wasn't about to get out of a cab in the middle of a rainstorm.

“Are you serious, dude?” Chris asked.

“As a heart attack,” the cabbie said.

“What was it…the music comment?” Chris asked, laughing. “Or was it the swine flu virus comment? I'm sorry, man….”

“All of you…get out of my cab!”

“What did we do, man?” I had to know, because I hadn't said one mumbling word.

The cabdriver refused to respond. He didn't say another word as the four of us piled out of the car one at a time.

“How much do we owe you, sir?” Paul asked, trying to smooth things over.

“Nothing,” he responded. “I just want you out of my cab.”

As soon as Paul shut the door, the cabdriver peeled away from the curb, leaving us standing there, rain pouring on our heads.

“Thanks a lot, Chris,” Daria said; her hair was instantly soaked and she slipped my blazer from her arms and covered her head with it. Tried to stay dry, but it was raining too hard.

“What's with you, man?” I asked.

“Yeah, man. This is certainly not acceptable,” Paul said.

Daria, Paul and I started moving toward the nearest train station, and after discovering that the rain wasn't about to ease up, we started jogging at a light pace. It was two blocks to the nearest train station and we left Chris behind. He wasn't able to move as fast, and all of us had silently agreed that we'd had enough of him. He knew his way back to campus. I glanced over my shoulder at him. He was limping slowly down the block, frowning from the pain with every step. Part of me wanted to go back, help him along. I contemplated it for moment, but lost the thought just as quickly.
Kept moving at an even pace until we made it to the train station.

Daria was soaked and I felt sorry for her. Even with wet hair she was still beautiful.

Seated next to her on the “T,” I brushed wet hair from her face. “You okay?”

“What a night,” she said. “Chris is such a loser.”

“He's got some issues. They run deeper than any of us knows,” I explained.

“Yeah, you're right, Marcus. He does have issues,” Paul added. “And I'm done with him at this juncture. I can't believe we spent the entire night…” he looked at his watch “…and morning for that matter, mucking around with him. First we rescue him from a bar brawl, rush him to the emergency room where we spend hours waiting for him to see a doctor, then we get discarded from a cab in the middle of nowhere…”

“In the rain,” Daria added.

“You ever been discarded from a cab, Marcus?” Paul asked, and I had to laugh at his choice of words.
Discarded
from a cab? He made it sound as if we were trash or something.

“Never.” I had to laugh just to keep from getting madder.

“I'm embarrassed and humiliated,” he said.

For the remainder of the ride back to campus, we were silent. I thought of Chris and hoped he'd find his way back without problems. My body was worn. I needed sleep like yesterday and I didn't even feel like thinking. Leaning my head against the leather seat, I couldn't help thinking about my cozy bed on campus and wanted nothing more than to crawl into it. My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket. A text message from Indigo.

WUP?

I thought about not answering. What was she doing up at this hour anyway?

I sent a text back. What R U doin up?

Said U wud call after da party…

Things got crazy.

U ok? I'm worried.

I'm ok.

U sure Marcus?

I'm sure…get some z's…Talk 2MORO?

K

Sleep tite. That was my last text before shutting my phone.

Daria was watching me. When I glanced at her, she gave me a smile. She wanted to know who I was texting. I could tell. I stood as the train approached our stop, and when the doors opened automatically, I let her go first. I was happy to be that much closer to home.

As we walked across Harvard Yard, Paul headed toward our dorm and I headed toward Daria's.

“I'm just gonna walk her…make sure she gets in safely,” I told him.

“Okay, Marcus. See you later.”

We shook hands and Paul headed in the opposite direction. Daria and I strolled toward her dorm.

“You didn't have to walk me the whole way,” she said. “I'll be fine.”

“Just wanted to make sure.”

In front of the building that she called home, we stood under the moonlight. The rain had stopped and Daria handed my blazer to me. It was wet and wrinkled. I threw it over my shoulder and Daria grabbed my hand in hers. Before I knew it, her arms were around my neck, her body pressed against mine.

“Good night, Marcus.” She kissed my cheek and then wiped the lipstick from my face with her fingertip.

“Good night, Daria,” I said. “Sorry about what happened tonight.”

“Not your fault. I enjoyed just being with you, though.”

“Same here.”

“You got a girlfriend, Marcus?” She asked the question that I was sure had been burning in her mind all through the night.

“Yeah.”

“Are you serious about her?”

“Yeah.”

A look of disappointment on her face, she removed her arms from around my neck. “Can't blame a girl for trying, right?” she asked.

I didn't respond. I just watched as Daria walked away and headed toward her dorm. If I had the girl of my dreams in College Park, Georgia, then why on earth was I standing here wishing that Daria had kissed my lips instead of my cheek? I didn't have the answer right then, but as I walked toward my dorm, I knew that I had to figure it out.

Tameka

The
Fourth of July. And the picnic table in the backyard was filled with ribs, chicken, pork chops and hot dogs. A huge bowl of potato salad sat right in the middle of the table, and Jell-O cake with whipped cream on top looked inviting as I made myself a plate. My parents and Uncle Rich and Aunt Annette listened to Frankie Beverly's entire CD and I wondered if they forgot that there were young people there, too—or cared. I thought they should at least mix the music up a little bit—play a little Frankie Beverly and then a little Kanye West—a little Marvin Gaye and then a little Beyoncé. What happened to the compromise?

The Fourth of July used to be one of my favorite holidays—right up there next to Christmas and my birthday. But this year I wasn't quite feeling it. It was hot and muggy in Atlanta and the mosquitoes were eating me alive. And every time one of my little cousins popped a firecracker, I nearly jumped out of my skin. One time I thought my water would break and I snatched the pump from my cousin Nate.

“What did you do that for?” he asked, unaware of the fact that he was getting on my last nerve.

“Because,” is all I said.

“Because what, Tameka? I was using that pump!” Nate yelled.

“Not anymore.” I smashed the fire out on the sidewalk.

I was always glad to see my twin cousins, Nick and Nate, but only for a short time. I knew it wouldn't be long before they started to run me crazy, and being pregnant didn't help much at all. In the city for less than twenty-four hours, they'd already broken my iPod, drank up all of my favorite juice that was in the refrigerator and destroyed my bedroom. Their Wii had been hooked up to my television since the moment they arrived.

However, I was glad to see their sister, my older cousin Alyssa, despite the fact that her little brothers drove me crazy. I hadn't seen her since my Grandpa Drew's funeral and we had so much to catch up on. She hadn't seen me since my stomach had grown to be the size of a small watermelon and my ankles were swollen. The last time she'd seen me, we had sat huddled in the small bathroom at Grandpa Drew's house awaiting the results of my home pregnancy test. It was the day that my life had changed forever.

“Wow, you are really big,” she said as she dropped a heaping spoonful of potato salad onto her plate.

“Thanks a lot.”

“I didn't mean it like…an insult or anything.” She smiled. “It's just that…your stomach grew so fast….”

“I know, and it's only gonna get worse. I'll get bigger before I get smaller.”

“You talked to Vance?” she asked the million dollar question that everybody wanted an answer to.

“Not often. He's so busy with classes and basketball, he doesn't have much time for his pregnant girlfriend.” I said it sarcastically.

“Does he know that he's just as much responsible for the baby that his pregnant girlfriend is carrying?”

“He knows,” I groaned and took a bite from my pickle. I changed the subject. Everybody seemed to have their opinions about Vance and I really wasn't in the mood for hearing them. “What about your little college boyfriend? He still around?”

It was no secret that Alyssa had been dating an older guy. Much older. He was in college and her parents had no idea about him.

“T.J.?” She smiled and I knew the answer to my question. “I'm gonna have his children someday.”

“Not anytime soon, I hope.”

“Of course not anytime soon, Tameka. I have to finish college before I even think about getting serious with anyone. I think I'm in love with him, though.”

She didn't need to tell me that. Her eyes said it all. It was obvious that she'd already slept with her nineteen-year-old boyfriend who attended FAMU. The evidence was written all over her face.

“I hope you're using protection,” I said.

She was shocked by my comment; didn't know what to say, so she simply rolled her eyes.

“I'm serious, Alyssa. Make sure you're using protection. You don't want to end up like me, pregnant at sixteen.”

“I'm protecting myself, okay?” she whispered.

“Good,” I whispered back.

 

I took a seat at the table, set my plate down in front of me and began to devour my food. It seemed that the more I ate, the hungrier I became. It was as if my hunger could never be satisfied. Alyssa took a seat across from me at the table. The music seemed louder and Daddy was playing more old school than new. And Indigo and the rest of my friends hadn't shown up yet like they'd promised. They were late.
When I sent Indigo a text message, I found out that they'd had a change of plans. Somehow they ended up at Six Flags instead. At first I was hurt that they hadn't bothered to invite me, but after thinking about it I realized that Six Flags wasn't a place for a pregnant person. I wouldn't be able to ride any of the rides and all the walking would have me worn out and I would've probably spent the entire day sitting on some bench in the middle of the park—watching my friends have the time of their lives. Six Flags definitely wasn't for me.

When I heard a loud giggle coming from the house, I recognized it. Fawn from my exercise class. She waddled from the kitchen carrying a dish covered in aluminum foil. Her son Sean followed behind her carrying a case of soda. He looked handsome in his crisp tan shorts and orange shirt. He wore orange-and-white sneakers to match. I couldn't help noticing that orange definitely looked good against his dark brown skin.

“Who's that?” Alyssa asked. “He is fine.”

“His mama is in my prenatal exercise class.”

I watched as Mommy introduced Fawn and Sean to Daddy. She took the dish from Fawn and set it on the table with the rest of the food. Daddy took the case of soda from Sean and placed the cans one by one into the cooler. When Mommy started looking around the yard, I knew she was looking for me, and once she spotted me, they all headed my way.

“There she is,” Fawn said as she approached. “Here's our little mommy.”

I stood and gave her a hug.

“What's up, Tameka?” Sean said in his deep voice.

“What's up, Sean?” I said, “This is my cousin, Alyssa. Alyssa, this is Fawn from my exercise class and this is her son, Sean.”

“Hi.” Alyssa smiled at both of them.

“Nice to meet you,” Fawn said and shook my cousin's hand.

Sean simply gave her a nod that said “what's up?”

Fawn disappeared into the house with my mother; the two of them running their mouths and catching each other up on the latest gossip. Sean made himself a hefty plate filled with ribs, chicken and potato salad and took a seat at the table next to me. As the wind blew, I caught a smell of his cologne. It was an enticing smell, made me want to lean closer just to inhale it.

“What was that dish covered in foil that your mama brought?” I asked. It seemed that food was the most interesting thing in my life these days.

“It's just some peach cobbler that she made this morning,” he said.

“Are you for real?” I asked. Just the thought of it lingered in my mind for a few moments.

“Yeah. My mom makes the best peach cobbler.” He smiled. “You should try it.”

“I plan to.”

“You want me to get you some?” he asked.

“You would do that?”

“Of course,” he said and stood. “You stay right here. I'll be right back.”

Alyssa stared at me. Her hand on her chin, a goofy grin on her face.

“What?” I asked.

“He likes you,” she said.

Her comment was ludicrous. No one as fine as him would be interested in someone as pregnant as me. Not when there were thousands of unpregnant pretty girls in the Atlanta metro area. Not to mention, even if he did
like
me as Alyssa seemed to think, I had a boyfriend. There was no hope for any type of future for us. Vance and I were still a couple. He
was just away at school, just for a moment. He would be back during the holidays and we would be a family just as soon as the baby was born. There was no room for anyone else in my life.

“He's just being nice,” I said, and couldn't help sneaking a glance over at the food table to watch as he made me a plate of peach cobbler.

“He's cute, though, isn't he?” Alyssa smiled as she stuffed a forkful of potato salad into her mouth.

“He is cute. I give him that, but I do have a boyfriend,” I said.

“When's the last time you talked to this boyfriend anyway?” she asked.

“Last night,” I told her. “He said that he was driving down to Mississippi with a few friends from school to spend the Fourth of July.”

“Do you think he's excited about the baby?” She asked the one question that I'd asked myself a million times. Sometimes I wondered if he even remembered that there was a baby growing inside of me.

“Of course he is,” I told her, and hoped that I was right. “He's just a little scared. But so am I. We can't let that get in the way of our future, though.”

Sean walked up and placed the peach cobbler on the table in front of me.

“Here you go.” He smiled.

I watched as he took a seat at the table and began to dig into his food. He was a sweet guy, I thought. He'd be a perfect match for one of my girlfriends. I just had to figure out which one.