Page 2 of Read the Room

Tsireya’s time in the group home was thankfully uneventful. There were no horror stories of mistreatment or bullying. She stayed to herself and helped others pass their classes. She was identified as the sweet, quiet, smart, cool girl. No one bothered her. Although no one bothered her, a group of girls felt that it was essential to teach Tsireya how to fight so that she could defend herself against bullies. They knew that her quiet, introverted demeanor would eventually attract a bully or two.

Tsireya was a ward of the state when she graduated from high school, so she was able to attend any public school in the state of North Carolina basically free. She took advantage of that by attending University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC). Leave it to Tsireya to mess up a blessing, or at least that was how she felt as she sat on the bed in her dorm room with a positive pregnancy test. After high school, she took a year off to work before she started college. She already felt like she was behind.

“What the hell am I going to do?”

A twenty-two-year-old Tsireya had gotten herself in a tight squeeze. Two weeks prior to the life-changing test results, she’d broken up with her boyfriend, Kevin, because of his inability to keep his dick in his pants. She should have known better when she met him at a party, throwing up those infamous hooks. She saw how he moved with the females at the party but conveniently blocked that out when his attention turned to her.

In college, Tsireya’s flow hadn’t changed as far as her personality. She was still the smart, quiet, and introverted girl. Now, the adjective “beautiful” was added to that list. Everyone on campus knew her for her signature round glasses and her curly hair. She stayed out the way and bebopped around campus to her classes with her Beats on. The most attention she received was when she was with Kevin, and she abhorred it. When she found out that he was a cheater, breaking up wasn’t hard to do.

Breaking up with Kevin was as simple as texting him that she would not subject herself to men who had no respect for her. He tried to claim ignorance, but a few pictures that left nothing to the imagination helped stir his memory. There wasn’t much to discuss after that. Kevin reached out to her every other day, but she ignored him. Now, she would be the one that would reach out. She was not looking forward to it.

“Let’s get this over with,” she mumbled to herself. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the number that she hoped she never had to. With the positive test in her hand, she listened to the line ring.

“What’s up, Reya, baby?”

Kevin was surprised to hear from her. He knew he had messed up, but he’d underestimated her. He thought because of her quiet, timid nature that she would be more passive to thebullshit that he may get into. Reya was a good girl, and he wanted her in his back pocket.

“I miss you, baby.”

“Hi, Kevin. I’m sorry to call you randomly, but I needed to speak with you.”

She wanted to slap herself for being so irresponsible. She knew that no birth control plus no protection equaled potential babies.

“I haven’t been feeling good, so I took a pregnancy test. It came back positive.”

That was not what Kevin expected to hear when he answered her call.

“Wow! I don’t really know what to say right now.”

Kevin was a fuck boy, but he wasn’t a complete trash nigga. He wouldn’t play her like she was one of the loose girls on campus that he smashed with. He knew that he was the first man to touch Reya, so he wasn’t going to do her like that.

“So, are you trying to get an abortion or something?”

“No, I want my baby.”

Reya didn’t need any time to think about that. Did she feel she was ready to be a mother? No. That was still no reason to not step up to a challenge that she’d put herself into. She wasn’t ready to be put out of her mother’s house, but it happened, and she handled it.

“I don’t want an abortion. I just wanted to let you know.”

Kevin didn’t need this right now. He was a graduating senior, so a baby was not on his horizon any time soon. There was only one thing to do… tell the truth.

“Reya, look. I’m not ready for a kid. I don’t want it to seem like I’m trying to be a deadbeat, but I’m lettingyou know that I don’t want a child right now. If you want to have an abortion, I’ll fully pay for it.”

She wasn’t surprised by his response at all. Tsireya may have hoped for something different, but she was a realist.

“That’s fine. I don’t want an abortion, so what we’ll do is once I have the baby, I’ll let you know so you can relinquish your rights.”

“Why are you going to do that? You just don’t have to put my name on the birth certificate,”he responded with a scrunched face as if she could see him. Kevin felt like she was doing too much.

There was a huff on Tsireya’s side of the line.“Kevin, me not putting your name on the birth certificate will not stop me if I ever wanted to come for child support. The only thing that will stop that is if you relinquish your rights. I’m thinking of you, sir.”

She refused to become a bitter baby mama. If he didn’t want a child, then he wouldn’t have a child as far as she was concerned. She would allow him to disconnect himself from her child completely. Kevin thought about what she said for a moment before he agreed with her line of thinking.

“I get what you’re saying. I guess that’s fine.”

He sighed at the situation that he allowed himself to get into. Kevin would admit that he lost his mind when he climbed into her untouched pussy raw. He never took the time to make sure she got on birth control knowing he had no plans to use protection. His actions didn’t represent those of a man who didn’t want children.

“I know you think I’m a fuck nigga.”

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