A Rich Man's Baby. Daaimah S. Poole

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      We entered our large two-bedroom apartment. There was a cream sofa and two black end tables filled with magazines in the shape of a fan. Terrance had black-and-white photos he had taken hung over the mantel. We had a small kitchen with a table for two. And our computer desk set up in the corner. When I moved in last month, we agreed only to keep three things from our apartments. Everything else went to the Salvation Army.

      “Look in the closet,” Terrance said with a big smile.

      I couldn’t imagine what could be inside. I kept my eyes closed and walked over. There were five suits and three pairs of shoes.

      “I want you to walk in that office like you already own it,” he said as he hugged me.

      “That’s what I’m going to do, baby. How did you pull this off?” I asked. The suits were perfect. I was amazed that he got my style and size correct. The briefcase matched my shoes, and the suits were Tahari and Donna Karan.

      “I took one of your other suits to Bloomingdale’s, and you know what? I can’t take credit for it. The saleswoman put them together, so you have to go and thank her. I just paid for them.”

      “Terrance, this is so sweet. Thank you, baby,” I said as I turned to kiss him.

      My life was so good. I had so much to be happy about. I had a great man and was about to begin my dream career. After Terrance was asleep, I tiptoed into the bathroom to call the other special man in my life: my ex-boyfriend Kevin Wallace.

      “I’m done. I’m an attorney now,” I whispered excitedly.

      “Congrats, baby. When are you coming out here?”

      “I don’t know. I start my new job in September. I’ll talk to you later. I just wanted to call and tell you,” I said before hanging up. I got back into the bed with Terrance. My thoughts wandered to Kevin and four years earlier. Kevin played basketball for our college Georgetown. He was pretty good but never seemed to catch a break. He couldn’t stay out of trouble or keep his friends from Richmond off campus. Then he scored low on his SATs, so he had to sit out his freshman year. He got caught with one of his friend’s weed and almost got kicked out of school. We met at one of the parties. He started being with me and left the bad scene behind. He was the leader in scoring and rebounds. He had a lot of hype around him and everybody knew he would go pro.

      Kevin eventually put his bid in for the NBA our senior year. I remember that night me and his mother, sister, and his mom’s boyfriend sat in front of the television waiting for them to call his name. We cringed every time a guy he knew or played against walked onstage and put on their team jersey and hat. We waited all night, watching until the second round and the last name was called. He was shocked and so were we. He had worked out with the Pistons and Warriors. He was just about promised a spot with the Raptors. He was so disappointed. Kevin’s agent told us not to worry and that he would work things out for him. That didn’t stop Kevin from crying in my arms. He wasn’t worried about being in the league as much as he was worried about taking care of his mother and little sister, Andrea.

      Everybody was already calling and had so many expectations for him. When he wasn’t selected, it shattered his ego. I comforted him all night.

      As promised, the next morning his agent, Larry, called and said that he got him a deal with a team in Italy. I wanted to go with him, but I couldn’t pass up school. I had already been accepted to Howard Law, and I wasn’t his wife, so I wasn’t about to go overseas with him. He was very upset about my decision and to this day, if you asked Kevin, he would say I abandoned him while he was at his lowest. And it wasn’t like that at all. It was just that his basketball dreams weren’t reality. I didn’t know how long he would last, and I couldn’t face my parents and tell them I wasn’t going to law school. So instead, I let my man go. And after he left I had a major breakdown and had to be hospitalized. It was like I couldn’t live without him. I almost didn’t make it through my first year of law school. But with my parents and sister by my side, I made it. I think going through that breakdown made my and Kevin’s relationship stronger. He realized it was hard on me too. Today, we still kept in touch—friends with benefits. I went to visit him from time to time. And when he was home, we’d meet up.

      Chapter 4

      Tanisha

      At every light I stopped at on the way home from work, my thoughts overflowed. It just seemed like life was so damn hard. Why the hell me? How the hell am I ever going to get out of this rut of not having money and being able to pay all my bills?

      I was still trying to figure out how I was going to pay a seven-hundred-dollar cell phone bill. I just hoped our cell phones didn’t get cut off. I spent just about all my savings and was having a hard time filling my gas tank up on my own and giving the kids an allowance. I mean, the flip side was I could have kept Tyrone around, but it would have been just for his paycheck. That wouldn’t have been fair to him, and I’d rather try to make it on my own. I just had to start bringing my lunch to work instead of eating out every day and cut back on everything. I thought I still might have to get a second job to handle all my expenses. The only time I missed Tyrone was when I started thinking about my finances. I was so happy to have my bed to myself. I stretched out and didn’t have to hear no snoring. I didn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to turn off the television, and I didn’t have an old man begging me for sex.

      My only regret was I wished I had left him sooner. I’d been feeling incomplete for years, but I was too scared to leave. I always asked myself, Who’s going to help me with the children and pay the bills?

      I should have him left when I was in my twenties, ’cause now at thirty-two, I wasn’t old, but it was going to be a little harder getting on the dating scene. I knew I still looked good. No one could ever believe I was over thirty. I didn’t do anything special, but I maintained my weight. And I drank a lot of water. My mocha skin was always smooth and soft, and my hair, I wore it just below my shoulder. I did very little makeup. But however I looked on the outside, I didn’t feel it on the inside. I’d been around an old man for so long I had old-lady ways. Tyrone was still heartbroken, but I couldn’t live for him. His best friend George’s wife, Rose, had been calling me, asking me to reconsider. His chains were off me. I was free, and I wasn’t turning back.

      I soaked in the scalding hot bubble bath. I liked my water so hot that I could barely take it. I sat in the tub and just relaxed. I had the Smooth Jazz station playing. My mind was at ease. I had my dinner cooking on low and had just enough time to relax, until I heard a loud knock at the door. It never failed. I couldn’t even take a bath without somebody bothering me. I loved my kids, but I always imagined life without them. I’d been tied down since I could remember.

      “Mommy, my daddy told me to tell you he downstairs,” Kierra yelled.

      “Okay, tell him I’ll be down,” I said as I hurried and washed and let the water out of the tub.

      After I dressed in my walk-around-the-house СКАЧАТЬ