Chapter 2

“You’re what?!” screeched Lauren as the shock of Imani’s words converted her face. Imani had called her over to confess what to her what had happened over a month ago after the shock of the test results wore off to leave a dull feeling of dread in her stomach.

“I’m pregnant,” she repeated as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

“How?” asked a still shocked Lauren.

“Remember when I left the reception last month?” she asked.

“Hmm hmm,” Lauren replied.

“Well I met someone while I was walking and he offered to take me to get something to eat while I took my mind off what was bothering me.” As Lauren sat listening intently to her explanation she tried to gauge her reaction. “I don’t know what came over me but we were talking and I felt so at ease. The attention he was giving me, I guess it went to my head with the fact that I drank more wine at the restaurant. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hotel suite and feeling so disappointed at myself.” By now the tears had become like second nature as they ran down her face unabated.

“Why didn’t you tell me Mani?” came Lauren’s concerned voice as she stared at her friend intently.

Imani stared at her earnestly as she replied, “I was scared that if I told anyone then I would be judged by this one mistake and I would be excommunicated from the church.”

“But I’m not everyone Mani; I’m your best friend. I would never be like that to you.”

“I know,” she sobbed. “I was just so scared and ashamed.” The tears continued falling like a cascading waterfall. Lauren scooted over on the bed to hug her friend as the tears continued to run.

“Don’t worry. It’s gonna be alright. I’m here for you.” At her friend’s consoling words she became even more mournful. The tears never stopping after having to carry her secret for one month.

“What are you going to do about the father?” she asked above her head.

“I don’t know. All I remember is his last name and the fact that he was staying at the Wyndham. It’s hardly unlikely that he would still be there.”

“Well you’ve got to make sure. It would be a good thing if you can find him and tell him now before he finds out later by accident and everything blows up in your face.”

She sighed as the thought about what she would say to the man she had met only once and what his reaction would be after he found out that he was going to be a father. No matter what she said she couldn’t fathom any words of elation emitted from his lips that had been so smooth and caressing as they spewed his honeyed words.

“This isn’t how I planned my life,” she half-whispered to herself as she looked at the outcome of her life.

All the while Lauren ran her hands through her curly hair untangling the knots while massaging her scalp. A few more minutes of Lauren’s massage therapy combined with the stress of all she had been through and Imani was fast asleep.

Lauren carefully placed her head on a pillow and wrapped the thick comforter around her shoulders deciding to stay to offer support as she knew her friend was hurting a lot. She couldn’t imagine how much stress her friend was under.

Imani awoke to Lauren cooking her a savory meal only the scents caused the opposite effect as her stomach roiled, threatening to bring up whatever was left in it from the afternoon’s meal. She quickly got up from the bed and ran to the bathroom to dry heave. She then rinsed her mouth and went to the kitchen.

“Hey. You hungry?”

“Yes but I can’t eat that,” she said eyeing the plate of shrimp pasta. “It’s making me nauseous,” she further offered to save Lauren the trouble of asking why. Lauren poured her a glass of juice before making a simple sandwich for her.

“Have you set up an appointment to go see the doctor?” she asked.

“Yes, I actually called Dr. Grace and she told me I can come in tomorrow. So I’m gonna go before my shift at the restaurant.”

“I can come with you,” offered Lauren.

Smiling widely to show her appreciation she replied, “Thanks sweetie. It is greatly appreciated. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“After that maybe we can try finding the father.” At this statement her smile wavered. She didn’t want to think about it until necessary.

“What if he doesn’t want the baby?” she asked voicing one of the many concerns she had.

“Then it would be his loss. God has blessed you with a precious gift Mani. Irrespective of the circumstances, the baby is a blessing.” At the mention of the word baby, her hand automatically went to her belly as she imagined how it would be once it began to grow and her baby truly began to develop. She already loved the baby and couldn’t imagine parting with it.

“I can’t imagine parting with this little one. I don’t know but this baby may just be my act of salvation,” she said with surety. The following morning Lauren kept her promise and went with her to the OBGYN.

*****

“Congratulations Imani,” Dr. Grace said to her after carrying out another pregnancy test and ascertaining how far along she was as well as checking to see that everything was progressing normally. “The father must be very happy.” At this she averted her eyes as she thought about the way her baby was conceived. The Doctor seemed to notice her discomfort and put forth a hand to rest on hers on the table. “Don’t worry everything will work out. In the mean time, you need to say healthy for your baby.”

“Thank you Dr. Grace,” she replied.

“Ok so I am prescribing some prenatal vitamins for you as well as recommending a change in your diet. Your next visit should be four weeks from now.” At this, Imani got up and shook her hand before exiting the office.

“How was it?” asked an anxious Lauren who had opted to remain in the reception area.

“Good,” she replied giving her a brief smile. “Everything is progressing well.” Together they walked out of the building towards Lauren’s car and she took her to get the supplements before taking her home to get some rest before her shift at the restaurant uptown. They had agreed that the following morning they would try to find her baby’s father.