Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [104]
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When I got home I realized my day of surprises was far from over. Standing in my lobby, looking like she was carrying an exercise ball in her stomach, was Rosa.
“Why haven’t you returned my calls?” Rosa asked.
“I’ve been busy,” I said as I headed toward the elevator.
“Basil, I’m not leaving until we talk. It’s important,” she said, her voice getting louder.
I turned around and looked at Rosa; she was staring at me so intensely, like she was demanding that I notice and listen to her. I didn’t want a scene in the lobby, so I said, “Why do you need to talk to me? Did you get a phone call too?”
“A phone call? What are you talking about?”
“Never mind. Come on up. You’ve got five minutes,” I said.
Rosa and I rode up the elevator in silence. When we got to my apartment, I stood in the foyer and looked at Rosa and said, “Now tell me what’s so important.”
“Can I sit down?”
I started to say no, but it looked like she could drop her load any minute and I didn’t want to deliver some other man’s baby in the foyer of my home.
“Come on, and make this quick. I’ve got some packing to do,” I said as I walked to my sofa and sat down.
Rosa stood silently for a few moments and then she moved toward the living area and took a seat on the sofa next to me. I didn’t want to look at her, so I just looked around my living room like I was seeing it for the first time. I noticed the new Paul Goodnight painting my art dealer had sent for approval, a tall metal and glass lamp in the corner of the room, next to the maple armoire that held my television and DVD player. I wanted to look anywhere but Rosa’s face.
After a few moments of silence, I heard Rosa’s voice. “I know what I did was wrong, and I hope you’ll forgive me. But, Basil, I lied to you. The baby I’m carrying is yours,” Rosa said, her voice breaking over the words.
I turned around, stunned, and looked into Rosa’s eyes. They were shiny with tears, and my heart was beating faster with a strange mixture of rage and excitement. I didn’t know if Rosa was playing some kind of sick game with me or if she was telling me the truth.
“What did you say?”
“This baby is yours,” Rosa said as she gently patted her stomach.
“Rosa, what kind of game are you running on me?” I yelled.
“Basil, I lied to you because I thought if you found out I was carrying your baby, you would want to get married. I don’t want to get married.”
“What about this other guy you told me about?”
“There was no other guy. I was lying. This is your baby. I’m a hundred percent positive.”
I jumped up from the sofa and started shaking my head from side to side. The anger had passed, but I suddenly didn’t know how I should feel or what I should do. A part of me wanted to rush over and hold Rosa in an unbreakable embrace, and yet I didn’t trust my emotions.
“Rosa, are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I’m sorry, Basil. I realized I had made a mistake the moment the lie left my mouth. I was being selfish. I know how much you want children, and so do I. I suddenly didn’t want to share my baby with anyone.”
“What made you change your mind?” I asked, determined to detect any falseness in her voice, before I surrendered to my dream of being a father.
“My father. He told me a child needed both parents. I realized that even if we weren’t married we could still make this work.”
I moved over to the sofa and sat down and looked at Rosa. Tears were pouring from her eyes, and I pulled her to my chest. Stroking her hair softly and gently, I whispered, “We’re gonna make this work for the baby.”
The Diva Is Dismissed!
How did you find out about Madison?” I asked as I took a sip of my herbal tea. I was sitting on a brown leather love seat in a suite at the Four Seasons, directly across from LaVonya.
“Let’s just say a little birdie told me,” LaVonya laughed as she placed a slice of Muenster cheese on a cracker.
I stood up and said sternly, “I don’t have time for games. I don’t care if it’s People magazine or a reprint of the Bible. I’m not