Page 21 of Waiting for Friday Night

“Why, so I wouldn’t figure out that you and Coach Q are pretending as if you didn’t know each other?”

“We don’t know each other,” she replied.

“We didn’t know each other like that.” Quinton spoke right after.

Shania crossed her arms and glared at them both. “Then why would he pop up as my biological father on this DNA test? Don’t even try to say immaculate conception. I’m young, but I’m not dumb. I know how babies are made.”

“There’s no way.” Halle scanned the paper again, reading over the words and seeing the connection. The results that said Quinton Evans had a 99.9 percent chance of being Shania’s father. Her heart rate sped up. The words on the page blurred and swam together as her world imploded. “It can’t be,” she whispered.

“Are you saying you don’t remember?” Shania asked. “Mom?” She looked at Quinton. “Coach Q? What’s going on? You don’t have to pretend anymore. Just tell the truth.”

Halle looked from the paper to Quinton. Tall, Black man who was smart and healthy. That was all she knew. But could it really be? Could fate be this much of a bitch?

Quinton’s eyes reflected the same shock as hers. After a few tense seconds he spoke slowly. “One time in college. I donated—”

Halle held up a hand. “No. Stop. Not right now. Not like this.”

Quinton’s thick brows drew together. “You’re saying you received my—”

“Come on, Shania. It’s time to go.” Halle spun away from Quinton. She hurried over to Shania and pulled on her daughter’s arm until she stood.

“Wait, Mom. What’s going on? Donated what? Received what?”

“We can talk about this somewhere else. Not here.” She pulled Shania toward the door.

Shania jerked her arm away. “No, I want to understand this now. You can’t keep pushing this aside. Mom, please, tell me what’s going on?” Shania didn’t yell, but the quaver in her voice broke Halle’s heart.

“I can’t...” Halle’s voice trailed off.

Couldn’t what? Tell her the truth of her birth? Tell her daughter the one thing she’d always wanted to know, but Halle had always been too afraid to admit? Afraid of what her family would say? How her aunts, uncles and cousins would have judged her for the decision? How they would have viewed Shania? The gossip that would have surrounded them in a small town full of people with even smaller views of what was acceptable in the world?

“Mom, please,” Shania whispered. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Halle looked at Quinton. She didn’t know what to say. She was never supposed to meet the man. Never supposed to know. Damn online DNA tests and the havoc they caused on people’s lives.

Quinton slowly stood and walked to them in the small space. Shania turned to him. He straightened his shoulders and met her gaze. “One time in college, I, uh, donated my sperm.”

Shania’s brows drew together. Confusion clouded her face before she sucked in a breath and looked back at Halle. “Mom?”

For once, Halle couldn’t ignore the plea in her daughter’s voice. “And, if your paper is right, I’m the person who received his donation.”

Eight

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Halle looked up from the cup of tea in front of her at Shania sitting across from her at their kitchen table. After the revelations in Quinton’s office one of the other coaches came to the door to talk with Quinton. Halle had used the interruption to quickly leave with Shania.

Too much was happening. Too many things coming to light at such an awkward time. Her mind still reeled from the revelation. Quinton was Shania’s father! Out of all possibilities, how in the world had he turned out to be the donor?

“Mom,” Shania called her name.

Halle blinked and focused on her daughter’s confused face. “We need to verify the results.”

“That’s what you’re thinking? What happened? Is it true? Did you go to a sperm bank or something?” Shania leaned forward with each question until she was nearly folded over the table.

Halle gently pushed Shania’s shoulder so she would sit back up. “It wasn’t a sperm bank. It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it like? You’re still not telling me what happened and why. I think I deserve to know now.”

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