EIGHTEEN
THE ENTIRE WEEK had passed before Tammy worked up the courage to tell Victor that she was pregnant. She didn't need a pregnancy test to know. Women always know. Without outward evidence, something inside you changes. You start to think different. You start to feel as if a big change is coming as if you aren't alone all of a sudden. Tammy had felt that with Jabari and she felt this with the new baby too. Whether this baby was a boy or girl she couldn't tell yet. With Jabari, Tammy had predicted right. You never know what's going to happen in a pregnancy.
Tammy had taken a pregnancy test on Wednesday and confirmed what she knew to be true. Her birth control had failed her and now she was going to have a baby for her new fiance. They'd taken the risks, so they should have expected the outcome. Perhaps it was their way of silently expressing to each other that from the first moment they'd touched lips, this was always going to be the outcome.
Since he'd proposed, Victor had been staying over every night that week and he’d taken over the cooking. He was a far better cook than Tammy was and Jabari wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is. In fact, Jabari was thrilled to have Victor around to help with his Spanish homework. His grades were better than ever. Tammy noticed while Victor seemed at home in many ways, he still appeared to have something nagging him in the back of his mind.
What was bothering him? Tammy couldn't get him to say a word about it. He'd never been much for talking but he'd grown worse, falling into a brooding silence before they made love. Then they'd do it, quick and rough and without much talking. He'd fall right to sleep without revealing what was on his mind. Tammy's heart raced as she feared he'd been having second thoughts about her. She couldn't blame him...
The more he lived with them, the more responsibility he took on. Raising Jabari wasn't easy. It would never be easy. Tammy worried Victor was in over his head and too terrified to tell her and back out. She fondled the gorgeous ring on her finger, the ring that looked like it had belonged to a Victorian heiress. Her chest tightened. That ring meant more to her than Victor could possibly know.
Stan Duffy had completely laid off his attack on Victor and Tammy. Stephanie backed down too. Ever since getting dumped by her fat, older lover Stan, she was completely depressed. Stephanie's husband was going to be home in two months and they'd been apart for over two years. Stephanie only had one little problem: a little Duffy cooking in the oven. Explaining that to her military husband wouldn't be easy. She'd lost interest in Tammy to worry about how she'd explain her dalliance to him.
Randall was the only person who was truly unsatisfied. Stan got what he wanted, Stephanie got a bigger problem than she could handle, but Randall had only been disappointed. His desire to get back at Tammy had not yet waned. Stephanie had put the idea for custody into his mine and he'd bit down on it like a pitbull clinging to bone. He clenched his jaw and mused, tipping his liquor bottle back into his mouth.
There had to be a way to get back at Tammy for stepping out of line. He'd heard she had another man living with her... with his son. He couldn't have that happen. As a man, he couldn't allow that disrespect. Randall needed a good idea. He was used to getting good ideas. Those ideas led to him knocking up four rich girls and having all of them full up fat with his seed and popping out babies. His little moneymakers, he called them. Randall laughed at his own cleverness.
He couldn’t believe that Tammy had gone so far as to get her fancy pants lawyer to stop his claims for custody dead in their tracks. Randall was furious and now it was time for payback. Tammy wouldn't win. She never did. She thought she could hoe around town and keep their son? Randall planned to punish her.
On the same Saturday that Tammy planned to reveal her pregnancy to Victor, Randall planned to pay a visit to the Powers’ household. After all, he still had the right to see his son...
That morning, before Randall arrived everything seemed peaceful. Victor had whipped up a breakfast spread that would put a short order cook to shame. Eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes… He had it all. Tammy wondered if he cooked like that every day. She could get used to eating good like this. European men had a way about them in the bedroom... in the kitchen... everywhere that it mattered.
Around mid-afternoon, Victor was upstairs in the office Tammy had slapped together out of an old writing desk and a dining room chair. Tammy heard the familiar screeching of Randall's tires coming to a halt in their driveway. Her heart stopped. Jabari was upstairs too finishing up some homework. Randall knocked once on the front door before waltzing in. Tammy froze on the living room couch. She hadn't made it to the door in time. Why don’t I lock my damn door? Tammy thought to herself. She was in a complete panic. She could tell from the look on Randall’s face that he wasn’t here for any good reason.
“Randall,” Tammy choked out.
Randall stumbled in drunk and angry. He'd driven here like that. Tammy's heart stopped.
“Tammy! I love you, Tammy!” He slurred.
“Randall, get out of my house,” Tammy hissed.
She stood up and hoped to God that Victor heard what was going on.
“Tammy you’re my bitch. You’ve always been my main bitch… Please, Tammy, take me back. I’ll be a good father. I’ll be the man you want.” Randall slurred even more.
Tammy saw what Randall was angling for. She thought he'd learned his lesson by now. She was too scared to run, worried that he was armed and even more worried that he might catch her if she dared to escape. She hoped that Victor had heard what was going on from upstairs. She'd have to make sure he heard...
“Randall! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Tammy yelled. She heard shuffling upstairs. Either Jabari or Victor had heard her. Hopefully, both of them had.
Randall didn’t take too kindly to being yelled at. Before Tammy could gain her composure… Whap! Tammy’s face was slammed to the right. She heard the slap after she felt the sting of Randall’s rough palms. Randall grabbed Tammy’s arm before she could react and dragged her to the ground.
“Victor! Victor!” Tammy screamed as she tried to wrestle her arm free.
Tammy was on the ground and she could hear Victor thumping down the stairs. As he bounded down the stairs, Randall landed a good kick in Tammy’s ribs. She cried out loudly.
“Get the hell away from her!” Victor boomed.
Randall kicked Tammy in the ribs again.
Tammy cried out again. “Is Jabari here? Get Jabari away from here!” Tammy yelled.
Victor couldn’t believe that at a time like this, Tammy was still concerned with her son’s whereabouts.
Victor stepped over to Randall and gave him a hard shove. He took his fist and landed a punch right in that punk's face. Victor couldn't let anyone disrespect his girl. His face glowed with hot rage and when Victor saw the pure anger in the man's eyes, he worried that he'd made a huge mistake.
Victor gripped Randall's throat and punched him in the face again, slamming Randall's face into the wall until blood spilled from his nose.
Tammy stood up and clutched her ribs. The baby.
“Jabari is upstairs! Call the police!” Victor yelled.
He landed another punch on Randall’s face. This time, Randall crumpled to the ground. He was too drunk to withstand Victor’s much stronger attack. Victor had to restrain himself from beating Randall to death. He exhaled, his fists covered in Randall's blood and his chest heaving as adrenaline rushed through his system.
Tammy ran to the phone and called the police. She shook like a leaf when she gave them her address. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe Randall had just attacked her. Ow. Her stomach hurt like crazy. Tammy was starting to worry about the baby. She hadn’t even told Victor that she was pregnant.
The police were on their way and Randall was sitting on the ground bleeding profusely. Tammy limped her way over.
“Should we get him something for that?” Tammy asked. Victor didn’t reply for a moment.
“No…” He said. He looked at Randall as if he was staring at a pile of dog shit.
“Don’t fucking move,” Victor hissed. Tammy had never seen Victor so vitriolic before. Victor pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek.
Victor asked, "Are you hurt bonita?"
“I’m hurt, but I’m not injured… I’m just worried about my ribs,” Tammy replied.
Victor kissed her cheek again.
“Are you sure Jay’s okay?” Tammy asked.
“When I heard the commotion I told him to lock himself in his room and not to come out until he heard your voice,” Victor answered.
Good. That was some weight off her shoulders.
“Victor… I have something to tell you,” Tammy began.
The sound sirens announcing the cops' arrival interrupted Tammy before she could continue. The cops arrived with an entourage. Two medics came in an ambulance to assess the injuries.
“I’ll speak to them,” Victor offered. He was sure his appeasing, neighborly face would put the police officers at greater ease, especially considering current events.
Will I miscarry before I get the chance to tell him the truth?! Tammy wondered in frustration.
Her stomach ached and Tammy clutched it again, hoping she could talk to someone soon and find out if the baby was alright.
It took a full forty minutes for Randall to get cuffed and for the cops to take statements from Tammy and Victor. Medics assessed that Tammy was fine; she neglected to tell them that she was carrying a child. This wasn’t the way she wanted Victor to find out. The entire time the cops and medics were traipsing in and out of her house, Tammy couldn’t help but think about her baby. She just wanted to chase these people off and have a solitary moment with Victor.
She had to tell him. She had to confess.
Medics suggested that Tammy didn't have to worry and if she were still worried, they'd speak to her tomorrow. She managed to converse with them in hushed tones as Victor spoke to the police. Once Tammy was done, she watched him speaking with the officers, his face twisted into a concerned expression. The wrinkles on his face trailed down to his stubble, which he stroked as he spoke to them.
She hadn't known Victor had it in him to defend her like that. He'd gone crazy, as if he'd lost his mind in pursuit of protecting her. Tammy wondered if she should worry about him, about the fact that she was marrying him. He'd come into her life suddenly and if she rushed into marrying him, she might be making a huge mistake. Tammy wanted him to be that older, wiser force in her life, but she didn't want to be trapped again.
Finally, it was all over and Tammy went upstairs to get Jabari out of his room. He was shaken for a bit but he seemed fine once he was sure that his mother was okay. Tammy told her son what she had planned to announce to Victor and sent him back to finish his homework unbothered. Jabari didn’t ask too many questions about what had happened downstairs. Once he knew who the real Randall was, he had decided all on his own that he wasn’t interested in a relationship with that man. Before he believed in an idealized version of Randall. Once he had a taste of the bitter truth, Jabari realized that he would be okay without him. He didn’t consider Victor a father figure yet, but he was certain that Victor would be a better father figure than his current one.
Tammy left her son upstairs so she could have a chat with her fiance. Calm had settled over the Powers’ household. Victor was locked up on assault and attempted murder charges. With the Powers’ family lawyers on the case, Tammy was sure that she would never be bothered again by her ex. She could finally live in peace with her son and her new fiance. There was just one thing left to figure out.
“Victor…” Tammy started.
Victor was cleaning the downstairs floor since Randall had dripped some blood on it.
“Yes?” Victor asked. He could tell that there was something serious on Tammy’s mind.
“I was trying to tell you this earlier but things got a bit out of control. I’m pregnant. Well… At least I think I’m pregnant. After what happened earlier I’m not sure. They say everything's alright but I don't know,” Tammy confessed.
Victor looked stunned. “You’re pregnant? With my baby?” He asked.
Tammy nodded.
“Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness,” Victor exclaimed. He dropped everything and ran to Tammy, lifting her off the ground. Tammy kissed Victor on the lips.
“Are you happy?” Tammy asked.
Before Victor even said a word, they both knew the answer to that question.
"Of course I'm happy."
He set her down.
"What happened back there Victor?" Tammy asked.
"What do you mean?'
"With Randall."
"I protected you."
"You almost killed him."
"Maybe I should have."
"Don't talk like that Victor."
He furrowed his brow.
"Why not?"
Tammy sighed, "Because, it scares me... to know there's violence inside you."
Victor smiled, "I can assure you, there isn't."
"Promise?"
Victor shook his head, "Listen, Tammy, I want to be with you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'll never hurt you."
"Can you really promise me that Victor?"
"Si..." he whispered, "Si..."
He kissed Tammy on the lips and she closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of his lips against hers. If he promised her that everything was going to be okay, she had no choice but to believe him. She trusted him after all. He'd given her no reason to doubt him.
"I love you, Victor."
"I love you too."
"Does this mean Randall's finally out of my life?'
"Yes," he said, "It does."
Tammy exhaled a sigh of relief.
"Feels good?" Victor asked.
"Oh yes."