The Baby They Bonded Over

“Well you don’t have to worry about that because once I have the baby, I’m giving it up for adoption. We can give a loving family hope and a child to love. I can get rid of Paul. And Jeremy, well Jeremy gets to save me one last time from Paul’s clutches,” Nadia laughed.

“This isn’t funny,” Sylvia grinned slightly.

“I heard you smile,” Nadia joked. “But I know this isn’t funny, and I’m taking this plan very seriously. You don’t have to worry about either one of us.”

“Yes, so relax,” Jeremy stated. “Besides we don’t even know if it will go that far. I think we can get rid of Paul before that has to happen, but even if we do get to that point… Pregnancy isn’t too bad. And like Nadia said, we’re going to give the baby up for adoption. This is a win win situation for everybody. But you know we’re going to need you to go along with this, Vee. Paul ain’t gonna believe it, if you don’t.”

“Fine,” Sylvia relented. “You guys have my support. But I want the records to show that when this sh*t blows up in y’all faces that I was the voice of reason and that I told you so.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Nadia rattled off. But while Nadia patronized her sister, there was a knock at her door. It was Paul.

Jeremy and Sylvia heard him banging and urged Nadia to call the cops and not to open the door. But Nadia knew how to handle Paul. She wasn’t going to pretend she wasn’t home, especially with her car in her driveway. She put the chain on her door and opened it just enough for Paul to see she wasn’t in the mood for his bullsh*t.

“Why do I feel like I’m kicking you out of every place you show up? You need to go, Paul! I ain’t got nothing to say to you!” Nadia shouted through the crack in the door.

“You sure as hell got something to say!” Paul shouted back. “You need to open this damn door and let me in! How you got me out here looking crazy, arguing with that chump?! That square ass dude don’t know how to treat you! I don’t care how much money he got!  Just open the door so we can talk. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“Yeah I heard that before,” Nadia mumbled under her breath. “It don’t matter anyway. Ain’t you with your new girlfriend? Why aren’t you banging down her door? She’s the one who wants to be with you. I’m so done with you and your sh*t, Paul. You gotta go and I don’t have to explain sh*t to you. You are not my man. Hell, you’re not even my friend, so leave.”

“I’m not your friend?” Paul asked sarcastically. “Wow, I can’t believe you just said that!”

“Well believe it! And believe it somewhere else, preferably off of my door steps!” Nadia snapped.

“I just can’t believe you chose him over me! I should have known there was something going on between you two! Something told me you was stepping out on me!” Paul accused her.

Nadia wasn’t going to stand for that. After everything they had been through, what he wasn’t going to do was lie on her.

“You are way off base with that and you know it,” Nadia defended herself. “You’re only saying that because you cheated on me the whole time we were together and I constantly took you back. You know deep down inside, that’s your guilt talking. You can’t stand the fact that you treated me like crap and when I finally find somebody who treats me like the Queen I am, you can’t take it! Get out of here. There’s nothing else for us to discuss! You really messed me up and I can’t go another round of love with you, even if I wanted to. What you did hurt me, Paul. How am I supposed to trust anything you say?”

Nadia could feel herself tearing up as the leftover feelings she had for Paul surfaced. He stared at her watering eyes and it pierced his heart. He knew he did her wrong, and there was nothing he could do. But what he wanted to believe was that Jeremy was the reason why they couldn’t be together. It wasn’t anything he did; it was all Jeremy’s fault. Jeremy was plotting on his position the entire time. That’s what Paul wanted to believe.

He reached out to Nadia, but touched the frame of the door instead, since she still wouldn’t let him inside, “Please, just let me in so I can explain and make things right. I hate seeing you upset, and even worse, I hate knowing that I’m the reason you are.”

Paul’s voice cracked as he peered deep into Nadia’s tearful eyes. She wiped it away, straightened her posture, and reaffirmed, “I can’t let you in, Paul. Not in my house, and definitely not into my heart. If you truly felt that way, you would have thought to never hurt me in the first place. I’m with Jeremy now and that’s not changing for you or anyone else.”

Nadia was getting so good at telling herself that lie she was beginning to believe it. Paul went from sadness and remorse, back to anger and frustration. He slammed his fist on the door frame, “I knew you two were together.”

“Don’t go back down that road,” Nadia warned him, ready to slam the door in his face.

“No! I am because now that I think about it, he’s always been trying to take my place doing nice sh*t for you. Like that time you were late for work and he just happened to be in the same area, to give you a ride? Yeah, yeah, and what about that time you went to the doctor because of that flu that was going around. All of a sudden he clears his schedule to come bring you soup and a maid to clean the house for you. Yeah, not messing around my ass, and what about when you were backed up on the mortgage here! He magically appears as the loan genie to give you cash? Yeah you guys were always into each other. That’s why I was going out with those other women because deep down I knew you were into him. But I’m glad y’all finally together! I bet you that sh*t won’t last though. I’m still gonna be around too. Because when he slips up, I’m gonna be right there to pick up the pieces.”