Page 33 of Tap In

Chance embraced her with a smile. “Hey, Mama. You’re here just in time. She’s almost ready if our boy doesn’t decide he wants to chill for a little while longer.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, my grandson is already temperamental.” She walked over to Lark and kissed her forehead right as a contraction hit. “Breathe, baby, breathe.”

Lark chose to go natural with her birth. I told her she was smoking fentanyl laced meth with a side of crack sprinkled heroin. I wanted all the drugs. “I feel like I have to push.”

“Let me check you,” Tana said before she came over to check her cervix. “Yep! Baby boy is ready to meet his parents.”

Joston cleared his throat. “That’s my cue to head on out to the lobby.” My baby walked over to me, then kissed my lips. He told Lark good luck, dapped Chance again, wishing him luck as well before he left the room.

Lark wanted Chance, her mother, and me in the room while she gave birth. For the next twenty minutes, I watched my best friend bring life into the world. It was a beautiful, yet mortifying thing to watch. When CJ (Chance Junior) came out, he was a big boy.

“My boy got some weight on him. Nine pounds and six ounces!” The pride in Chance’s voice and eyes was breathtaking.

CJ lay on Lark’s chest as she rubbed through his hair. His eyes were wide open.These new babies are different.After the baby was taken to be cleaned up, Chance brought Joston into the room to meet his godson. Everything was so damn perfect. I prayed my experience would be the same.

* * *

Joston is going to kill me.It wasn’t more than a week ago that I got sick from eating clam chowder. Here I was again, sick as hell. Joston went out to look at some properties that he considered purchasing. I told him that I didn’t want to go because I wanted to take a nap. That wasn’t the truth. I wanted clam chowder.

That was what I got for lying to my man. I got this chowder from a different restaurant than the first two that I had. Well, the third time was not the damn charm. I was scared to call Joston, so I took the safer route and called my mama. She was on her way over from the big house.

“Jacobia, where are you?” My mother was one of the loudest, quietest people that I knew. Lachelle Patrice Christianson didn’t say too much, but when she did, it was usually loud as hell. “There you are! What’s going on?”

I was ashamed to tell her because although she was safer than Joston, she would still fuss. “Mama, I ate some…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. I grabbed the trash can that sat next to the recliner that I sat in to throw up.

My mother rubbed my back as she told me to get it out. Clam chowder tasted like spoiled milk on the way up. “So, your hardheaded ass ate some more clam chowder, huh?

“Mama, it’s so good. I can’t help it,” I whined. “Can you help me clean up so I can take a shower before Joston gets back?”

She burst into laughter. “Lil girl, if your ass would stop doing what you’re not supposed to do, then you wouldn’t need anyone to clean or should I say cover up your bullshit. Come on.”

Mama helped me out of my seat. I went into the bathroom to start the shower, and she started to clean up the clam chowder. I stripped my clothes off. Before I could step foot into the shower, a vile taste rose in my mouth, prompting me to rush to the toilet. In the middle of releasing my stomach, the pain that hit my side almost crumpled me. “Ah! Oh, God!”

“Baby! What’s wrong?” my mother asked after she rushed into the bathroom.

I tried to say something, but another pain hit me. Next thing I knew, I was peeing on myself. “Mama, I peed on myself.”

When I glanced at her, she was on her phone. “Your ass ain’t peed nothing. Your water just broke.” The next thing I heard was her telling Joston that I was in labor.

My mama helped me get cleaned up and put on clothes. These contractions were not playing with my ass. “Mama, don’t tell him that I had clam chowder.”

“Lil girl! I know you not talking about no damn clam chowder. Bring your ass on,” Mama fussed. She helped me downstairs.

The door burst open as soon as we got downstairs. Joston rushed over to me. “Baby, baby! You okay?

Tears ran down my cheeks. “It hurts so bad. Ah!” Another contraction hit.

Seconds later, Joston scooped me up in his arms bridal style and rushed me into his SUV. I heard my mother on the phone calling all of the necessary people. All speeding laws were broken to get me to the birthing center. How Joston put me in the car was the same way that he took me out. By the time I was undressed again and in the bed, Tana, Xena, and another nurse, who I didn’t care to learn her name, buzzed around the room.

“Alright, cuz, let me check you,” Tana said after she gloved her hands. I jumped at the feeling of her fingers. “Do you feel like you have to push, Jacobia?”

I shook my head. “No, but I feel like I have to go to the bathroom.” Another contraction hit me. Joston kissed over my face while my mother had a cool washcloth on my forehead.

“Yeah, you’re ready. You’re ten centimeters, so we’re going to get ready to push,” Tana said.

No, that can’t be right.“Wait, Lark is not here?—”

“I’m here! I’m here!” She rushed into the room. When I asked where CJ was, she told me that Mama Gloria had him.

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