Philadelphia (15 page)

“This shit just ain't fair,” I whined. My twin brother Rio and I had just sat down to eat at the Au Bon Pain sandwich shop at Long Island Jewish Medical Center where London was having her baby. My own baby had been kicking the shit out of me because she was hungry. So I damn near dragged Rio with me to get something to eat after we'd been sitting in the hospital waiting room almost two hours with the rest of the family.

“What ain't fair?” Rio asked scooping two spoons full of soup out of a bread bowl.

“That London's having her baby before I'm having mine. We had the same damn due date.” I sighed ripping open a second packet of mustered and spread it all over a piece of French bread. “Her ass is always trying to outdo me in front of Daddy. I know she did that shit on purpose. She just wanted her baby to be older than mine.”

Rio picked up his sandwich, took a bite and laughed. “Gurrrrrlll, are you for real? Do you really think she went into labor in the middle of a board of directors meeting, while Ma was on the war path I might add, just to piss you off?”

He gave me a skeptical look, but I replied quickly.

“I wouldn't put it past her. She's a nurse ain't she? She probably figured out some way to induce labor before she even got to the meeting.”

“Why, because that's what you would do?” he was half-heartedly joking, but my lack of response and the smirk on my face gave him the answer he was looking for. “No! Girl, you need to stop. You were not going to induce labor just to make sure you had your baby before London?”

“The hell I wasn't. I was supposed to see the doctor tomorrow but that sneaky bitch London beat me to it. I know she did.” Just thinking about her trying to outdo me in front of my father pissed me off.

“Not everyone is as calculating as you, Paris.” Rio took another bite of his sandwich.

I stopped and stared at him. “What's that supposed to mean? I know you're not taking her side because you're supposed to be my twin.” Not only was Rio my twin he was like my best girlfriend. I could talk to him about anything and I mean anything. I guess it didn't hurt that he was gay.

“Girl, I ain't taking nobody's side in this one. You both my sisters and I love you, you know that.”

“But you love me more, right?” I tilted my head and smiled waiting for my brothers' answer. I loved putting him on the spot. “Right?”

He nodded, “Yeah, you my twin, my other half, I got to love you more, but that don't mean I don't love London too.”

I smirked my approval, taking a bite out of my mustered and bread sandwich, savoring the taste. I'd been craving mustard and bread all day. “Oh my God. This is so good. You have got to try it!”

I lifted my sandwich up towards his face and he backed away, waving his hand. “No thanks. I don't know how you can eat bread and mustered with no meat. That's nasty if you ask me.” He made a face.

“I'm pregnant silly. I can eat just about anything, if I'm in the mood. And this is so good.” I took another bite then laughed lifting the sandwich towards his face again just to watch him squirm. I stopped abruptly when I saw a woman at the counter purchase some candy. “Rio, you know I got a beef to pick with you right?”

He sighed, “Oh lord, what I do now? I know this ain't about that baby shower I gave you last week, 'Cause I didn't invite London, Ma did. Besides, everyone thought it was the bomb! ”

“No, no that was fabulous. This ain't about that,” I nodded thankfully. “We got beef because you didn't tell me about this new drug Orlando's been working on. You should have told me about that a long time ago.”

Rio looked like he was caught in thought before he answered me. “I've only known about it for about two weeks. And I didn't tell you because I was sworn to secrecy until O ran all his tests and was ready to bring it to market.”

“You've known about this for two weeks! And you didn't tell me!” Now I was genuinely pissed. “I don't give a damn if you were sworn to secrecy by Bishop TK Wilson himself, that don't mean me; that means other people not me. You're not supposed to shut me out.”

“Look I know this seems hard for you to comprehend, but I'm trying to build a relationship with my older brothers. I want them to trust me, Paris. Pop ain't gonna be around forever. I want them to know that we're a team and they can count on me.”

“I hear you,” despite his explanation I was still annoyed. “but you still wrong for that Rio. You know I wouldn't tell anybody. We're twins there isn't supposed to be any secrets between us, dammit. I tell you everything.”

He stopped himself from taking another bite. “Don't even go there, cause you don't tell me everything.” Believe it or not he had a little attitude himself.

“Yes, I do and you know it. What haven't I told you?” I eagerly challenged taking another bite of my sandwich.

“Oh yeah, you never told me who your baby daddy is, have you?” Not this shit again. I couldn't even finish chewing my food. He was sitting across the table, but it felt like he was all up in my face. “Why won't you tell me if it's Miguel or Trevor, huh?” he demanded.

I threw my sandwich back on the plate. “Because it's none of your fucking business, that's why, Rio! How many times I gotta tell you that?”

Rio threw his hands in the air. “See, that's what I'm talking about. You don't tell me everything. You tell me what you want me to know.”

“What the hell does it matter which one it was? My baby ain't got no father anyway because both of them are dead. So I'd appreciate it if you stop asking me that shit.” Disgusted by the whole conversation I stood up.

“Where are you going?” Rio asked.

“Upstairs to see if this heifer London had her baby yet. I guess your forgot, she's the one with the real baby daddy issues.”

I left Rio with an attitude and headed back to the waiting area of the maternity ward where I was surprisingly greeted by a roomful of grim faces. When Rio and I left for the restaurant most of our family was leaning against each other trying to catch a nap until the doctor, or Harris came out the delivery room to tell us London's baby was born. There was no sign of the doctor but Harris was there sitting between my mother and father. His face was so scrunched up it looked like he was in pain. My parents' faces weren't doing much better. From the looks of it someone had just delivered some bad news and I knew exactly what it had to be.

“Oh shit! Don't tell me London's baby got straight hair and blue eyes?” There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room. Harris lifted his head and was the first to turn towards me. His face was crimson and his eyes were sending daggers of hate directly through me, but his look was nothing in comparison to the look my parents were giving me, especially my momma. I don't know what hell everyone was being all sensitive about anyway? We'd all known there was the possibility that London's baby might not be Harris. I mean it wasn't as if I was a secret that she was fucking that white boy Tony Dash around the same time the baby was conceived.

“She hasn't had the baby yet,” Harris growled at me.

“Ooops, my bad,” I replied then quickly changed the subject. “So why aren't you in the delivery room with my sister?” I asked Harris.

London and I had our issues, but she was still my sister. She was having my niece or nephew and with all these gloom and doom faces, I was actually worried there for a second. Although I would have liked to keep that bit of information to myself. “What's going on?”

“She's having some complications, so they asked me to wait out here,” Harris replied.

“They're going to give her a C-section,” my mother added.

“A C-section! Jesus Christ, I hope they don't do that to me.” I ran my hand across my belly. “Last thing I want them doctors to do is cut me up so I'll have a scar. I plan on wearing a bikini to the beach this summer.”

“Always about you isn't it, Paris?” Orlando laughed pathetically from cross the room.

I stuck up my middle finger. “Fuck you, Orlando! You just mad cause momma shot you down in the board meeting tonight.”

“Paris,” my father snapped before Orlando could reply, “sit your ass down and shut up!”

“He started it, Daddy,” I said pointing at Orlando.

“And I'm ending it!” he demand with finality eying me the entire time, “Now sit your ass down. And shut up. Don't make me get out this chair and embarrass you. Do you hear me?”

The look he shot my way told me exactly what he had in mind and I did not want to get smacked in front of my entire family in a hospital. So, instead of lashing out and arguing, I plopped down in the seat. There weren't many people who could shut me up and get away with it. My father happened to be one of those people. Usually I could just bat my eyes at him and give him a puppy dog look and all would be forgive me, but that hadn't been working to well since I'd become pregnant.

“Yes, sir,” I said humbly, but for me that was easier said than done because a sudden pain hit my stomach causing me to wince and instinctively place my hand over my belly. “Shitttt!”

“You okay?” Junior took me by the elbow guiding me towards a seat.

I took a breath holding onto the arm of the chair. “I'm okay the baby just kicked me like a mule, though. She's probably hungry. I should have finished eating that sandwich with Rio.”

“You should have gone home like we told you. Lord knows you shouldn't be having no baby.” My mother shook her head as she walked across the room towards me. “You can barely take care of yourself. How in heaven you gonna take care of a child.”

“Momma,” I fumed.

“Don't get upset with her,” my father sighed. “Everything she said is the God damn truth. You don't need no baby, you're a damn baby yourself.”

“Daddy!”

“Don't you Daddy me. How the hell could you be so irresponsible? I thought we raised you better than this.”

“You did. I'm gonna be a good mother.”

“I guess we'll see about that won't we,” he sighed. “I know one thing. Your partying days are over.”

After my father's verbal smack down a tense silence fell over my family. No one dared say anything to ignite another tongue-lashing. It was taking all my strength not to start wilding. My stomach was really rumbling and I wanted to kill my baby for making me feel this way.

Twenty minutes later a nurse entered the room and shouted, “Mr. Grant? Harris Grant?”

Harris slightly raised his hand as an acknowledgement. “That's me.”

The nurse paused, “Would you like to come and meet your daughter?” She smiled wide.

Harris looked up at me and hesitantly said, “Uh-huh, I wanna see her.”

“Congratulations brother-in-law,” Orlando got up from his seat and patted Harris on the back breaking the room's uneasy tension and starting a round of congratulatory hugs and well wishing. For the next three or four minutes we were all one big happy family, but as Harris exited the room Daddy, Orlando and Junior gave each other a look. I knew exactly what they were thinking. I think the whole family was thinking the same thing:
I hope that baby comes out with nappy hair.

“You want me to go in with him, Pop?” Junior asked my father. Junior was volunteering to go in there to make sure Harris didn't whip London's ass if the baby wasn't his. I wanted to go in there to watch him whip her ass.

“I'll go with him,” I cut in.

My father shook his head. “No, he's not that stupid. I'm sure he's prepared for the worst, because if he does something stupid, I am.” I looked at my family and instead of joy and relief there was still a look of anxiety on all of their faces.

“Oh shit.” I said as the baby kicked.

“Paris, do not start. Now is not the time.” My father warned.

“Oh shit!” I had a pretty high threshold for pain but this baby was kicking the shit out of me. “I'm not starting, Daddy.”

“Yes, you are,” He said in a low growl.

“No, I'm not.” I doubled over. All of a sudden my stomach was now doing flips.

“Is she alright?” My sudden move caught the nosey nurse's attention. She came over and put her hand on my belly. I wanted to slap her hand away, but my stomach was taking all my attention.

“There's no need to be touching me. My baby's just kicking is all.” I winced at the huge surge of pain in my stomach. It hurt so bad it felt like I was being split wide open.

“Honey, you've got a little more than a baby kicking going on there. Your water just broke. You're about to have your baby.” The nurse pointed at the water dripping from the chair I was sitting in.