“Finally!” her sister said with an attitude as Dee walked through her mother’s door. Dee had been expected to bring the cake to her nephew Roman’s second birthday party, so Sydney was less than pleased that she had arrived late. Janet only told her a day in advance that’s what she needed to get, however, and it wasn’t easy for her to find too much on short notice Sunday morning.
She had spent the day lounging on the couch with Ricardo and Keisha, having too good of a lazy Saturday to potentially spoil the day with a pregnancy announcement. Ricardo and Keisha were bonding. That might not have been a good thing, as she wasn’t sure if Ricardo would end up sticking around, but Dee certainly liked seeing the two play and laugh together.
“Did you guys even eat dinner yet?” she asked. Sydney’s boyfriend was helping grill hamburgers and hotdogs for her son’s birthday.
“No, but you know how Roman loves his food. He’s been whining about the cake all day,” Sydney responded. Roman loved his food indeed, especially sweets. Dee got him a massive cookie cake as well as two dozen cupcakes that were all frosted together to look like one giant monster.
“Yeah, well she probably got a little lost on the way coming from her fancy ass apartment downtown,” Janet said, lighting a cigarette.
“Mom, please, there are kids here, can you just take it outside for a day?” Sydney asked, pushing her mother towards the door. Janet never really seemed to care about smoking in front of the kids. Dee was lucky she was still healthy, knowing her mother would smoke in the car with the windows rolled up when they were kids.
“Sis, you seem stressed, how can I help?” Dee asked, noticing her sister was frantically trying to keep it together for his birthday party.
“Follow me, I got a long list of things to do,” Sydney told her sister. Keisha had run off to find the other kids to play, Janet enjoying her cigarette in the front of the house.
Dee hated Sydney’s boyfriend, also Roman’s father, so she was pleased he was outside alone in the cold grilling up the hamburgers and hotdogs. That meant she’d also get a chance to talk to Sydney alone about her pregnancy. She knew that her little sister would definitely be the next person for her to spill the news to.
“I have something to tell you, but you have to promise me that you won’t say anything to Mom just yet,” Dee said terrified as she sliced onions and tomatoes for the burgers.
“Is it about you and that dude hooking up? Mom said there was a vibe,” Sydney asked.
“Of course, you and Mom would be talking already,” Dee told her sister. “It’s so much more than that though.”
“So, you are hooking up with him?” Sydney said as she poured chips into a bowl.
“Why you got to be extra like that? Can’t you just keep them in the bag? Now they going to be all stale and I’m going to be the one to wash the bowl,” Nancy said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry about it Grandma! We good!” Sydney said. She loved throwing parties.
“Hi baby,” Nancy said, kissing Dee on the cheek. “Where’s my girl?”
“Off policing the birthday boy probably,” Dee said about Keisha. She helped to make sure that Roman didn’t get in too much trouble. Nancy left the kitchen and called for Keisha, Dee getting another chance to spill the beans to Sydney. She feared she didn’t have much time, however, and figured it was best to do it like waxing hair.
“I’m pregnant,” Dee said quickly and quietly.
“Sis, are you kidding right now? You seriously trapped this dude? You are my new hero!” Sydney said.
“Oh my lord sis, that’s horrible. It’s not like that at all. I don’t even know if I should keep it or not,” Dee responded. She knew it was a pretty big shock, seeing how no one even knew that they were in a relationship, but if there was anyone that wouldn’t cast any judgement onto Dee, it was Sydney.
“What? Like abortion? Adoption?” Sydney asked, shocked. The girls never believed abortion was an option and having her own daughter and her sister having Roman, she didn’t think she could stomach adoption.
“I don’t know sis. I really don’t know,” Dee explained to her little sister.
“Mommy! Roman said that we’re bougie. What does that mean?” Keisha asked, running up to Dee. Though he was turning two, he still knew a few words, apparently one of them being “bougie.”
“Don’t look at me,” Sydney responded as Dee looked right at her. Dee realized her mom was probably the one bad-mouthing her behind her back.
“It means fancy baby don’t worry. Go play,” Dee told her daughter.
“Nice one,” Sydney responded.
“I can’t believe these kids are so old,” Dee responded. “And now we’re going to have another one running around?”
“Just wait till Jordan starts having kids,” Sydney responded.
“Where is he?” Dee asked. She felt like she hadn’t seen her brother in years. He usually kept to himself, but she certainly still missed him.
“Working. He couldn’t take the night off for his nephew’s birthday party, but don’t even get me started on that sis,” Sydney said angrily. She wasn’t one to forgive and forget.
Dee spent the rest of the party chatting with her family, watching the kids play, and partially feeling like she was betraying everyone by not telling the truth. What option did she have? She only peed on some plastic in the store, maybe she had some strange condition that made her have positive pregnancy tests.
She felt like she was suffocating in the crowded house, filled with neighbors’ kids and cousins of cousins of cousins. Dee just wanted to go home, realizing being with Ricardo and Keisha was now her home.