When she made it to work later that evening she could barely keep up as the nausea became a prominent hindrance as the different aromas wafted to her nose and settled in her stomach. In between orders she had to be visiting the restroom. She was grateful that Tom her Manager hadn’t been paying keen attention to her activities otherwise she might have been out of a job. She decided to call her Doctor to see if she could get something to help with the nausea.
*****
Imani heard the ringing of her doorbell but felt too exhausted to get up. The persistence of the person resulted in them beating down her door and effectively causing her to get out of bed to go answer it.
“Girl I thought something happened to you. Didn’t you hear me ringing the bell?” asked Lauren as she brushed past her.
“Well if I knew it was you I wouldn’t have bothered to open it. You just woke me out of my sleep,” she replied grumpily. Lauren gave her an ‘and so?’ look to which she rolled her eyes.
“You needed to get up anyway. We have a mission for today.”
“Ugh,” she sighed in displeasure still not prepared for a reunion with the man who made her throw caution to the wind, effectively putting her in the position she was currently in.
One hour later, they left the apartment and made their way to the Wyndham to try and find Michael.
“I’m sorry Ma’am but we are not allowed to give out any personal information on our guest,” said the receptionist at the front desk giving her a sincere look of regret.
“It’s ok, I understand. Thank you for your help,” she conceded before turning to Lauren who sat in one of the settees set against the far wall. Her face conveyed the disappointment of their quest and as such she rose and put a hand over her shoulder as they strolled out of the hotel.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked.
“There’s nothing I can do Lauren. He probably left the city and I won’t see him again. So I guess it’s just me and my baby.” Lauren squeezed her shoulder in reassurance reminding her that she would always be there for her. “The next hard feat now is going to Pastor Jacobs with this news,” she said in a forlorn voice.
“It will work out Mani, just have faith.” Faith was what she needed but it seemed to be eluding her as the plot of her life thickened and willing to play her role became increasingly difficult. “Let’s go get something to eat, you must be hungry.”
After getting something to eat and picking up the pills that her Doctor recommended to help with the morning sickness, Lauren dropped her off at her apartment where she took a long nap before preparing herself for work. She found that the pills she bought helped her nausea and she was able to get through her schedule without incident. The fast pace of the restaurant and the constant orders and walking back and forth was hectic and played out on her ankles that felt slightly swollen in the 3inch stiletto heels but she welcomed it as her mind was kept busy and away from thoughts of the future that constantly plagued her mind.
The following day she decided to tell her pastor and get it over with as it would have even greater implications for her if he were to find out before she told him. She scheduled a meeting at his office for the afternoon and being as Lauren was not available to go with her, she took the bus across town to her church. When she entered the building she couldn’t help the feeling of trepidation that overshadowed her and she kept her eyes away from the front of the church and effectively away from the stained glass portrayal of Christ. Walking up the aisle she made her way to the door on the left that led to her pastor’s office.
“Come in,” came the deep fatherly voice of her pastor as she knocked on the door. He had always been a tower of strength for her and having no parent around, his advice had always served as a guide both in her spiritual and personal life.
“Hello pastor,” she greeted mustering all the cheer she could into her voice given the circumstances under which she was there.
“My child, it is so good to see you. How are you?” he asked, the smile he wore whenever she was with him present now.
As she sat across from him at his desk she felt the guilt coursing through her as she attempted to confess her sinful actions.
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“Pastor, I’m pregnant.” At her words the smile fell and his eyes widened in surprise. Not giving him time to recover and wanting to just get it over with she rushed on. “When I left the reception I met a man and against my better judgment I went with him to the hotel he was staying at and I became disoriented after consuming a considerable amount of champagne. I just wanted to forget everything about the day and I don’t know but one thing led to the other and the following morning I woke up in his room.” As her pastor sat looking at her still shell-shocked the tears began to flow as she finished her confession. “I was ashamed and I felt dirty but I kept it inside because it felt like it would be the end of the world if I told anyone and then I found out I’m pregnant.” At this she began to sob uncontrollably.
Without a word her pastor rounded his desk, pulled her from her seat and embraced her resting his chin on top of her head as she let it all out. Afterwards it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
“I can’t say I am pleased with the situation Imani. I am disappointed that this happened but if God is our judge who am I to hold this against you? I wish you had come to me earlier it would have made this news a little easier to swallow. I can see how much it tore you up inside to hold this in for so long and I reckoned something was wrong seeing as you didn’t come to visit as you usually did after sermons but I wanted to give you the space to deal with it.”
Her head was buried in his chest and as he spoke, his chest vibrated with the words he spoke and somehow the motion calmed her even as she could sense the disappointment in his voice. She could appreciate that he was still trying to be understanding.
“I will have to announce it at church come Sunday,” he said waiting for her response. She knew it was necessary and as such she nodded her head still buried in his chest in acknowledgment. She stepped away from him and saw the concern mixed with disappointment etched on his face and she wished so much that she had not been the cause of that.