Page 60 of Book Bae

“My mom.”

“Answer her.”

“I’m not in the mood to talk to her right now.”

“So because you’re in your feelings, you’re going to let her sit and worry. That’s not right, Myraj. You know that she was worried about you and how you’ve been feeling the last few days. Answer her,” I commanded.

“Fine,” she replied with an attitude.

“Hi, Mommy,” she greeted with a false sense of cheer when she answered the phone.

“Hi, baby. I was calling to see what the doctor said. I know that you had your appointment today. Myr-Myr, are those tears that I see on your face? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mommy. I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, Myraj.”

Myraj glanced out the window and exhaled heavily, but after her mother called her name two more times and she didn’t respond, I reached over and grabbed the phone from her hands.

I had met her mother a few days ago, but it was unplanned. I had popped up at Myraj’s house, and her mother was there. We talked for a while that day, and she really liked me. That was the first day that Myraj had been having contractions, which was why her mother was there and why I popped up too.

“Hi, Mrs. Nicholson.”

“Oh, good. She’s with you, Micaiah. What’s going on? Is the baby okay?”

“She’s okay, but Dr. Rose put her on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. She’s concerned about the high blood pressure and the contractions that she’s been having.”

“So was I, and I’m glad they’re going that route. She needs to slow her behind down. Is that why she’s crying? That child can’t stay still to save her life.”

I wanted to say or to save her child’s life either, for that matter, but I knew that wasn’t called for, and it would only upset both ladies. Besides, I was in my feelings at the moment, and I knew I was thinking about Karen, which was causing me to be firmer with Myraj than I might normally. I wasn’t here for that, but I was upset that Myraj was acting the way she was.

“Yeah, well, she’s upset about it, and I’ve told her that I’m moving her in with me. Because I work from home full-time, and I have the physical and financial means to provide for her, I think it’s what’s best for her. She wants to hire a private nurse, but they can’t give her the same level of care that I can.”

“I agree, Micaiah. That’s the best thing for her right now. No one else can do it, and she knows this. She might not like it, but this is in her best interest, and I’m glad that you’re taking over. She can be stubborn when she wants to be.”

“Mommy!” Myraj finally spoke up.

“I’m just telling the truth, honey. Let that Black man take care of you.”

I chuckled as I held the phone up to Myraj’s face so she could get the tongue lashing she needed to make her behave.

We talked for several more minutes with her mother.

“All right, baby. I love you and I’m proud of you. I know that this isn’t easy for you, Myraj, but you’ve accomplished so much. Sit back and enjoy your labor now and trust your staff can handle things in your absence.”

“Absent? I won’t be absent. Just a scaled down workload,” she balked.

“Either way, I will be praying for you. I will be here for you in every way that you need me to be. Just pick up the phone and call.”

“Thank you, Mommy,” Myraj replied in a tired voice.

We talked for a little while longer and ended the call as I was exiting the highway to her house.

“You get on my nerves,” she stated with a pout.

“What did I do?” I asked, glancing between her and the traffic I was maneuvering.

“Just take me to my house to pack up what I need.”