Niki's Challenge (8 page)

“
Nana Rita likes David, and
talks about him a lot.” Pausing, she looked at Louise in the
mirror. “He’s handsome and rich. And yes, he is an up and coming
lawyer with his own firm, which is good, for him anyway.” Sighing
deeply, she spoke the question that had bugged her for
months.

“
Why does he want me? I’m
pregnant with another man’s child…well, children. I don’t call him
or try to spend time with him. I don’t stroke that big ego of his,
well deserved or not.” Shrugging her shoulders, his behavior left
her stumped. “I just don’t understand why he’s after me so
hard.”

“
Some men are like that,
sweetie. They want what’s out of reach. Others just love the thrill
of the chase. Maybe it’s the challenge to change your opinion. On
the other hand, he might genuinely like you and sees past the tough
façade to the lovely, hot woman beneath.” She tugged Niki’s hair,
smiling. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that any man would
want you like the Italian hot stud does?”

Niki chuckled at Louise’s name for
David. “I don’t know. It just seems odd to me.” Ducking her head,
she continued. “He’s going to be in Atlanta next week.” Fiddling
with her bag, she couldn’t be sure what was happening to her. The
last thing she wanted was to hurt anyone. Going out to dinner and a
movie was a simple thing. But she knew David would see it as a
major victory, considering she’d turned down all his requests for
any outing. What if she couldn’t connect with him? She hadn’t
before. “I didn’t tell him I was going to be in Atlanta for the
party.” She shared a look with Louise, who continued parting her
hair. “Should I tell him?”

“
Do you want to see him in
Atlanta?”

“
I don’t know–maybe. I mean
everyone will probably have a date or something.” Glancing up, she
bit her lip, thinking. David cleaned up good and it’d be nice to
have an escort.

“
Think about it, Niki. He
doesn’t appear to be the type of man who would let you go easily.
How long has he been after you?”

“
A couple of years,” she
confessed. “I don’t know, Weeze, he’s wearing me down. He looked
really good today and the things he said, whew!” She wiped her brow
laughing.

“
That good,
huh?”

“
Yeah, he’s good.” Pausing,
she looked up at the mirror. “I know this is selfish of me, but I
want this time for just me and my kids. I really don’t want a man
in my life. Right now, I’m so excited about becoming a mom. There’s
so much I want to do. I’ve all but gutted my schedule, so I can be
home with them,” she said, glowing as she got caught up in her
enthusiasm. “And it’s hard to miss something you’ve never had.” She
and Louise shared a moment, staring at each other in the
mirror.

“
It just ain’t right,”
Louise drawled.

“
What? What’s not right?”
Niki looked around, fidgeting in the chair trying to get more
comfortable.

“
How long I been doing your
hair?” Louise asked instead of answering the question.

“
According to Nana Bea,
since I was five, so twenty-two years. What’s wrong
now?”

“
Don’t get sassy with me,
miss,” she quipped, then laughed as Niki bent to get a
magazine.

“
You remember when I was
pregnant with Pam, right?”

“
Uh-huh.”

“
You also remember when
Dolly was pregnant with her little man?”

“
That’s the lady who worked
with you a year ago, right?” she asked. Louise nodded. “Yeah, I
remember her. She was crazy.”

“
You’re being nice.” Louise
chuckled. “Now what did we all have in common?”

“
You were all black?” Niki
said, not sure where the conversation was headed. She knew Louise
would take her sweet time to get them there, so she settled in
order to get comfortable.

“
Well, yeah, but what
else?” she asked, preparing Niki’s scalp for a light
relaxer.

“
Y’all were mean, had
attitudes and blamed it on the babies?” Niki laughed as Louise
popped her shoulder with the comb.

“
No, brat. We were all big
as houses by our sixth month. Look at you. You’re having twins. You
didn’t get sick. You only gained weight in your tummy, some in your
boobs, which you could afford, by the way.” She laughed as Niki
rolled her eyes.

“
Tell the truth, how much
have you gained so far?” She challenged looking at Niki in the
mirror.

“
About 20 to 25 pounds,”
Niki stated in a deadpan voice, then broke out laughing at the
comical face Louise made. She still remembered the astonished
expression on her face when her doctor informed her she was having
twins. The ultrasound photos confirmed the announcement. It was too
late to panic now. She’d immediately prepared her home for two—not
one—additions, glad she hadn’t known it was a possibility from the
beginning. That one announcement caused a moment regret of not
taking her babies’ father’s information. Even though she never
would have contacted him, she could have gotten his personal data
and known what to expect. Obviously, it was too late now, but she
wondered how many other surprises awaited her. She’d never admit
it, but she regretted her rash actions and hoped her children
didn’t pay too steep a price.

“
See that’s what I’m
talking about! That shit just ain’t right. You’re smart
and
cute,” she continued
laughing. “But you got the pretty skin, not that Bea would allow
anything else, mind you.” They laughed. Louise talked a mile a
minute, you could barely get a word in, but she was the best in the
area. No matter what, you were bound to be entertained in her
shop.

Nana Bea had been sending Niki to a
professional for her hair, nails, feet and skin sessions so long;
it had become a natural part of her life. She couldn’t imagine not
having regular facials, massages, manicures, pedicures or body
rubs. Her Nana had insisted taking care of herself was as important
as getting her degree.

“
Maybe it’s just the genes,
I don’t know,” Louise continued. “Your mom had pretty skin and nice
hair, but it wasn’t long and thick like yours. She was smart, went
to college and all that, but she wasn’t passionate about studying
like you were.” Pausing, she and Niki looked at each other in the
mirror. “You’re a good mix of both your mom and dad.”

They’d had a variation of this
conversation many times over the years and Niki never tired of it.
She loved being with her self-appointed “godmother” Louise and her
kids. Louise always had an opinion about things, and had no problem
sharing them.

“
Like I was saying, you’ve
always been pretty, smart, and you have a huge heart.” Niki
wondered if Louise referred to the fact, since she wouldn’t allow
Niki to pay for services rendered, Niki had taken all the money
Louise would’ve collected from Bea and invested in a retirement
account for Louise. Niki hoped she didn’t notice, but she always
placed large bills in Louise’s tip jar when she thought she wasn’t
looking.

“
All of that and still you
don’t get fat or sick pregnant.” Shaking her head as she rinsed
Niki’s hair, she asked, “what do you feel like today? Up, down,
wrapped?”

“
Roll it tight with the
rods. I’m leaving in a few days to Atlanta. I’ll be there for a few
days, so as it drops, I’ll be able to do more with it.” Truly, Niki
didn’t want to go at all. The summer was too hot and she felt full
all the time. But her cousin would be really disappointed if she
didn’t show up. Family, she sighed, what could she do?

“
Sounds good to me. The
doctor says it’s okay?” Louise asked, bending down to get the
rods.

“
Yes, ma’am. This will
probably be my last trip, but since I’m doing well, he approved
it.”

“
That’s my girl. Now, have
you decided what you’re going to name my babies?” Louise rattled
on. Ever since they discovered she was having twins, Louise found
new ways to bring them into every conversation.

“
No, I’ve been reading up
on some names. I want the names to have meanings. But if I have a
girl, her middle name will be Juanita after Mom and the boy Thomas
as his middle name after Dad.” She leaned down as Louise worked on
her hair.

“
That’s real good, honey.
How are Bea and Jack?”

“
I think they’re living
together now that I’ve moved into my house. She’s never there when
I pop over, and she always calls me from his house.” Niki scratched
her face and turned slightly. “Now, the real shocker is I think
Nana Rita’s seeing someone.”

“
No, really, who?” She knew
Louise always heard the latest gossip first. This was a pleasant
surprise that she knew something before her long time
friend.

“
I’m not sure yet, she’s
being evasive. But you know me, I’ll find out sooner or later.” She
smiled at she thought of her straight-laced Nana. Her dad’s mom was
a brilliant lawyer who’d recently retired. Grandpa Pete had been
sick the last five years before he died with cancer, leaving Nana
Rita alone. Niki didn’t know much about him, she’d been young when
he died and Nana Rita rarely talked about him. She had moved in
with her and Nana Bea not long after her husband’s death. Having
lost both husband and son, she was determined to spend as much time
as possible with her closest relative.

And although she got along with Nana
Bea, they were so different that Nana Rita felt she needed to be
involved with Niki’s upbringing to provide balance. She was a
fierce advocate of women’s rights and had taken Niki to work with
her, so she would be accustomed to the professional arena. The high
profile cases she won and her keen intelligence offered
opportunities to speak her mind freely, regardless of the venue.
The days of the southern belle were over, and she didn’t want Niki
sitting around waiting for any man. She’d made it clear to Niki and
Bea she expected and would help Niki find her career path, so she
could be self-sufficient. After all these years, it seemed her Nana
was finally reconnecting socially.

“
You know, of your two
grandmas, she’s the slickest. It’s possible she’s had a little on
the side all along, and you just didn’t pick up on it,” Louise
said.

You may be right. With my track
record, I wouldn’t be surprised. I mean, I didn’t know Jack was
dating Nana Bea for years. I thought they’d just started
recently.”

“
You’re the only one who
didn’t know then. Everybody, including Pastor Brown, knew.” She
laughed at the surprised look on Niki’s face. “You were into your
own little world and missing stuff happening right under your
nose.”

“
Yeah, it seems like
everyone’s hooking up,” she said slowly, causing Louise to look at
her. Niki refused to return the glance and opted to rub her
stomach.

“
I will say, yours is a
unique situation, baby girl,” Louise told her, ushering her to the
dryer and settling her in. “But life is funny and when you least
expect it, God will show his sense of humor.”

Chapter 7

Atlanta was so muggy and hot. Niki
felt wilted, drained, and opted to head straight for the hotel to
rest. Nana Bea went with her so they’d be fresh later that night
for the party. Taking the rental car to the hotel, Niki watched the
clerk run her room card through the activator. If she had done that
in Chicago instead of taking her Stellar pre-assignment, the
computer would have spotted the error, and avoided the mix up. A
tough lesson learned.

Once inside the suite, Nana unpacked
their suitcases while Niki fell asleep. Hours later, refreshed, she
sat down to a meal provided by room service. Looking around, she
experienced a sense of déjà vu. Upscale hotel, large suite, in a
different city. Thinking back on Louise’s cryptic remark about
God’s sense of humor, she shook her head. “No more, please,” she
whispered, placing her fork down before leaving the
table.

Later that night she walked into the
dimly lit hotel ballroom where her cousin celebrated her 30th
birthday. Niki’s gold-colored raw silk dress accentuated her milk
chocolate complexion. Her thick hair framed her heart-shaped face,
and long curls hung down her back. Her multi-colored jewels
accented her attire, sparkling as they caught the light in her ears
and around her throat. David walked tall and handsome beside her,
having stayed over an extra night to escort her. He had been
surprised at the last minute invitation, and graciously refrained
from calling her out on it. Nana Bea commented repeatedly on what
an attractive couple they made. Her nerves stretched taut as he
moved closer to her side. Nana walked on the other side.

Spying her cousin across the room,
they made their way over to the birthday girl. Letting out a loud
yelp when she saw them, Rissa ran forward, meeting them halfway.
She was short, curvy and petite, with a light brown complexion with
straight, shoulder-length black hair. What grabbed you immediately
about Rissa was her large dark brown eyes and deep dimples that
flashed when she talked or smiled.

“
I’m so glad you’re here.”
Rissa hugged as much of her as she could, and then leaned forward
to kiss Niki’s cheek.

“
Nana, I’m so glad to see
you. Thanks for coming.” Rissa kissed her grandmother and searched
the crowded room for her errant parent. “Mom’s here somewhere.”
Once Nana Bea announced she’d be flying to the party with Niki,
it’d been arranged for Nana and Rissa’s mom, Aunt Sharita, to spend
most of this visit together. Niki and Rissa planned to hang out and
catch up. Now that Niki was here, she was glad she came. Her
stomach settled as David moved away slightly, allowing her to enjoy
the celebration.