The California Saga (47 page)

I stopped at the front desk, and they gave me some Advil for my headache. But what I needed right at the time more than anything was to talk to Jewel. She was the only one that could comfort me. She knew how much I had longed for a father in my life. She would be able to understand my pain and anguish. I called the realtor and pretended I was interested in buying the house but would only speak to Jewel. It took a little convincing, but she finally gave me the number.

“Hey,” I said as soon as she answered.

“Hey,” she said back in a flat tone.

“You busy?” I asked her.

“Not really. Right now I'm free, but I have a doctor's appointment later on today.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked, truly concerned that something was wrong with the baby.

“Everything is fine. I'm just going for a checkup.” “Okay, cool. Well, can you meet at Mahi Mah's by the oceanfront? I really need to talk to you.”

“Okay, I will meet you. But don't try no stupid shit because I won't hesitate to shoot your ass.”

 

 

“Are you sure you don't need me to go with you?” Misty asked, while giving me a hug. “I don't mind.”

I had come back to Virginia to go to the doctors and take care of a few things, and Misty was nice enough to let me sleep at her place. Well, I'm sure the fact that we were having sex every night didn't hurt. Anyway, lucky for Touch, I was in town because if I was in DC, I would never have agreed to meet up with him. “I'll be fine,” I said with a fake smile.

The truth was, I felt sick to my stomach and vomited again the previous night. At the time, Misty was asleep and didn't hear me. If she knew I didn't feel well, she would have insisted on coming along with me. It was strange, but it felt nice sleeping next to Misty. Plus, she was pampering me constantly. No man had done that to me for a while.

“Just in case I'm not home, here is your own house key,” she said, handing it to me. “Thank you.” I nodded.

“Have a great day. Hopefully, you won't run into traffic,” Misty yelled, as I headed out the door.

I rushed to the oceanfront to meet Touch. I prayed everything would go well, and I could eat and get out in time to make my doctor's appointment. When I walked in the restaurant, I saw Touch right away. The hostess met me at the door. After she sat me down at the table where Touch was sitting, I looked into his eyes. Surprisingly enough, I felt nothing for him at all. I guess, once my mind was made up, my heart had no choice but to follow the same path as well. It's funny, because the way I used to feel when I looked into Touch's eyes was the way I felt when I looked into Misty's eyes.

While we ate lunch Touch revealed the story about his mother lying about his father being dead. The whole story was just so sad. Maybe if Touch's father had been in his life, he wouldn't have turned out the way he did. Listening to the story though, I kept thinking,
Like father, like son.
Touch's dad was a cheat, and so was his son. Still, I felt sympathy for Touch. All the years we were together, he always wished he could see his father. I felt his mother was very selfish and only thinking about herself.

“Listen, Jewel, I need you to come back home. I love you, and I miss you. I'm sorry for everything I put you through. Hearing this story about my father makes me want to be a great father to our baby and a better man for you,” Touch pleaded, touching my hand. “Touch, I can't do that,” I stated, shaking my head and removing my hand from his.

“Why? We have been together too long to just end it.”

“Yeah, that's what I used to think. Touch, you have hurt me so bad. As bad as your father hurt your mother, maybe even worse. At least he never laid his hands on her like you did to me. I'm tired, and I have reached my limit. Besides, the house is going to be sold next week. In fact, I'm meeting with the realtor at the house today at six to finalize a few things. I've moved on with my life, Touch. I moved out of Virginia over a month ago.”

“Why would you do that without talking to me first? I understand if you don't want to be with me, but what about our baby? How can I be a father to my child if you're in an entirely different state? It will be like my father and me.”

“Enough of the baby talk,” I spat, frustrated. It was time he knew the truth. “There is no damn baby, Touch.”

“What?”

“You heard me, Touch. I had an abortion, okay. You were on the run, and we were having major problems in our relationship. I didn't know how or when I would see you, and I barely had enough money to take care of myself, much less a baby. There was no way I could bring a child into a situation like that. There was no way I would want my child to have an unstable father like you.”

“Bitch!” He reached for my throat.

I quickly jumped up and threw my water in his face. “Don't make me pull out on you,” I said, going into my purse to grab my gun.

Touch called me every name in the book using every profanity you can think of. He pushed the table over, and people all over the restaurant began to stare at us.

I pulled my gun out and pointed it at Touch. Everyone in the restaurant scattered. We had a little stand-off, neither of us saying anything, just staring into each other's eyes.

Finally, Touch left with tears in his eyes, but I refused to shed a tear for that fucker. I calmly put my gun away, paid the bill for the little that we ate, and left the restaurant.

On the way to the doctor's office, I started thinking about everything that just happened, and I actually started to feel a little guilty for what I did. I realized by the tears in Touch's eyes that he really wanted a son. Touch had twin girls that he loved dearly, but because of a domestic dispute between him and his baby mother, he hadn't seen them in months. My baby was probably his only hope of filling that void. Now with the news of his father and everything else, he was fragile. I began to get a little choked up as I pulled up to the doctor's office, but again I refused to drop a tear.

I probably should have told him sooner that I'd had an abortion, but I was afraid that he would've put a beating on me when I told him. I didn't know what I would do when the time came for me to have the baby, but I knew I was going to avoid telling him for as long as I could.
Oh well, Touch brought this all on himself.

The waiting room was empty when I arrived. “Hello. I'm here for my appointment,” I announced as I walked to the receptionist's desk to sign in.

“Hi, Jewel. Fill out these forms. Here is a pen. After that, I will need a urine sample from you for a routine check. The urine cups are in the bathroom with your patient information already labeled on it,” the receptionist said to me.

I loved this doctor's office. They had everything all ready for me. All I had to do was show up, and they took care of it all. So much better than the ghetto clinics I used to go through. Those places were third world.

“Thank you,” I replied, nodding.

On the form, I decided to put Misty's address as my current address. To be honest, I was feeling Misty and had decided to tell her I wanted to move in when I got home later. It just felt right to me. She treated me the way no man had ever treated me. We'd started out as friends, and it was so easy to talk with her. It just seemed natural to me that we would be lovers. Every time I thought of her, I would smile.

With the form filled out and my mood feeling good, I went to the restroom and tried my best to pee, but I couldn't get even a tinkle. I went back to the waiting room for a while to wait it out. Ten minutes later I went back into the bathroom, but I still couldn't pee. I didn't know what was going on with me. I was getting sick a lot, and now I couldn't pee. I was getting a little concerned that there might be something seriously wrong with me.

“Excuse me,” I said to the nurse behind the counter.

“Do you have any water?”

“Honey, are you having trouble giving us a urine sample?” she inquired.

“Yes, I am.” I laughed, a bit embarrassed.

“There's a water fountain down the hall. Drink 'til your heart is content. Wait fifteen minutes, and I'm sure nature will come calling.”

“Thank you,” I said and headed to the water fountain.

I guzzled four cups of water, and fifteen minutes later I certainly had to pee. The nurse's plan worked. I peed about three times waiting for the doctor to come in. My legs felt cold as I sat there in the gown they had provided for me.

I thought of Misty and started daydreaming about our future together. I hadn't been this happy in a long time. Touch had put me through so much, I had forgotten what happy really felt like.

I was brought back to reality from a knock on the door. I still had a huge smile on my face from my daydream when my doctor entered. “Come in,” I said.

“Jewel, sorry for the delay. I had a false alarm with another patient. How have you been?” Dr. Gills started looking over my chart.

“Okay. And you?”

“My kids are growing and eating everything in sight. My husband just bought another motorbike. Life is crazy.” Dr. Gills stopped talking as she read my chart. “Well, well, well, looking at your lab work, it looks like you may not be far behind me because you're pregnant. Welcome to the crazy life of husband and kids,” Dr. Gills said with a huge grin.

“What?”

We instinctively hugged each other.

“Jewel, I didn't stutter. You're pregnant, honey. And based on your last period, you're about six weeks.”

“Wow! Unbelievable!” I said, letting out a loud sigh. I was in a little bit of shock.

“Jewel, you have options, which we can discuss. Now I need to examine you. So if you can just lie back.”

My brain was racing during the entire exam. How did this happen? I can't believe I just told Touch there was no baby and there actually was. Now it made sense why I was getting sick so much lately. I can't wait to tell Misty. What will Misty think? Does she even want kids? Even though I didn't know how Misty felt about children, I wasn't afraid to tell her, like I was with Touch. I wasn't afraid of catching a beating from Misty. That was for sure.

After she finished, I requested the nurse perform a blood test to ensure the test results were accurate. Sure enough, the blood test confirmed what Dr. Gills had already told me. Now the reality really set in. I was going to be a mother.

Dr. Gills and I discussed all of my options. I could abort it, but I wasn't going through that again. I could put it up for adoption, but I didn't want my baby growing up in foster homes or going to a bad family. The only option I considered was having the baby and being the best damn mother I could be.

I was so happy when I left the doctor's office. Driving home, I did some calculating, and if my calculations were right, Touch had gotten me pregnant as soon as he came home from jail. I panicked thinking about him. I didn't know what to do. Should I tell him or keep it a secret?

I desperately needed to talk to Misty. Anytime I found myself in a bind or didn't know what to do, she was always my savior. She had the answer to everything.

I rushed back to the house to talk to her. As I walked in, I heard my name, but it wasn't being said to greet me. It was said like someone was talking about me. I paused at the front door. I heard Misty say on the phone, “Jewel has already agreed to testify, so that's a wrap.”

I stood at the door and continued to listen.

“The case is solid this time,” Misty said. “Captain, no room for fuckup. In fact, I know where Touch is. We can do the sting tomorrow. I can't wait to officially be back on the force.”

It felt like my stomach had dropped out my asshole. My head began to spin. My world collapsed in an instant. One minute my future was so bright and happy, the next, it gets crushed by the woman who I thought I loved. I had been used once again by Misty.

I grasped my heart and quickly walked out the house.

I was struggling for air when I got in the car. I felt like I was having a fucking panic attack. I couldn't believe that bitch was using me to get rank back on her job.

Tears began to run down my face as I started the car and pulled off. I didn't know what to think or who to trust. I couldn't believe I'd let this happen again.
Did she even love me? People are always betraying me
, I thought as I drove to the house to meet the real estate agent
.

I tried to call Touch, but he didn't answer. I sent him a text asking him to meet me at the house. I wanted to come clean to him about everything, including Misty. He was the only person I felt I could turn to. My only hope was that he would take me back and keep his word about being a better man to me.

“Oh my God! What is he doing here?” I said to myself in a panic.

When I was pulling up to the house, Rico was in the driveway. I almost shit in my pants. I couldn't deal with him right now, on top of everything else. That was the last thing I needed.

Instead of pulling in, I just kept driving past the house. I looked in my rearview to see if Rico had seen me. He didn't seem to react like he had seen me. Thank God for that.

I went to the store to buy a ginger ale to help with my constant nausea. I loitered around the store, wasting time in hopes that Rico would be gone by the time

I drove back. I must have looked like a crack addict the way I was pacing up and down the aisles. I just couldn't stay still, I was so worked up and on edge. Everything was happening too fast.

I tried to read a magazine, but it was impossible for me to concentrate on any of it. I threw the magazine down and went back to my car. If Rico was there, so be it. I had dealt with enough shit today. What's one more little drama?

“Whew!” I gave a sigh of relief as I drove up.

Rico's car was out of the driveway. He had left. I pulled in the driveway and waited for Touch. I sat singing along to the tunes of Keri Hilson, desperately trying to keep my mind off my problems. As I sat there, through my rearview mirror, I got a glimpse of Touch pulling up. He parked on the street in front of the house instead of coming into the driveway.
He must be angry with me,
I thought.

As I was opening my car door, I saw Rico rush toward Touch from next door. That's when I realized he hadn't left. He'd just parked his car someplace else. I jumped out of the car and headed in their direction, but before I could reach them, Rico and Touch had already locked eyes, and both pulled out their guns.

“No!” I yelled, as I ran to get between them.