The road ahead was long. There would be contracts, screenings, appointments, conversations, and a whole lot of patience. But it would bring me steps closer to becoming a father. And if this process brought Saje and me even closer than we already were and strengthened what we’d built instead of straining it, that would be the icing on the cake.
Now, all I could do was hope Nehemiah and Amara found the perfect surrogate for us.
CHAPTER 13
EMBER
One Month Later
“Mr. Gross, are you sure I can’t stay a few extra hours later this week?”
He looked up from his nasty, oil-soaked desk. “Strange. Most evenings you’re rushing out of here. Now you’re asking for extra hours?”
Why did this man always have to make everything so difficult? A simple “yes” or “no” would’ve sufficed. Desperation was the only thing that helped me hold my tongue. Bills were piling up, we needed food in the house, my bank account was overdrawn, and my rent was due. This wasn’t the first time I’d been late paying the rent, and I knew it would be the landlord’s last straw. She’d had enough with my late payments or there being no payment at all.
This morning, I’d woken up to a “notice to vacate” document taped to my door. I was in hot water with not even twenty dollars to my name.
“Yes, I need extra hours,” I finally responded to Mr. Gross as my pride slowly faded away.
He pushed aside his calculator and tapped the desk with his chubby fingers. “I ain’t got no extra hours for you… but what are you willing to do for some extra cash?”
My lips curled in disgust. “Not a damn thing.”
Coming to Mr. Gross was a waste. His nasty ass always looked for ways to take advantage of struggling women. I’d seen him use many former employees who were down on their luck.
Months ago, Cassie and I walked in on him and one of the employees. She was jacking him off inside the storage room. We would’ve never caught them if he wasn’t moaning like a little bitch. Cassie heard the sounds first and came to me. We had no idea what the noise was, but that day we sure wished we weren’t so nosy.
He cleared his throat to get my attention. “In that case, I can’t help you. Keep up with that attitude, and you’ll never get nowhere in life. My mama used to always say, ‘A bitch who don’t use that cat to pay the bills gon’ always be one broke ass bitch.’” Mr. Gross laughed so hard that a snort burst out of him. “Man, I miss that woman,” he added.
So, broke it is. Got it.
I stared at him coldly, wishing I could slap that smirk right off his face.
“What are you staring at me like that for? See ya way out,” he snapped.
There wasn’t shit else for me to say to Mr. Gross. It was clear that he was willing to dish out money in exchange for some pussy, a touch, a kiss, or anything else that involved having our bodies come in contact. I’d rather swallow an elephant’s piss or vomit than have that man come anywhere near my body.
I secured my purse strap on my shoulder and held my head up high as I strolled out of his office.
“So, what did he say?” Cassie rushed me when I walked into the break room where she was waiting for me.
“Fuck him,” was my only response. “I gotta go, Cass. We’ll catch up soon. ’Cause I need to figure this shit out.”
“Here, this is for you.” She shoved a folded white envelope into one of my cargo pockets.
“No, Cassie.”
She looked at me sincerely. “Yes. Take it.”
Cassie hugged me until her husband honked from the parking lot. I grabbed my lunch bag, and we walked out together. We waved, parted ways, and headed in opposite directions.
I drove to Rhema’s school to pick her up. After that, we would go back to the house, a place we would not be able to call ours for much longer.
I sat on my couch, looking around the apartment, not knowing how I was going to tell Rhema we had to leave because I hadn’t come up with the money for the rent. Nor was I able to persuade the landlord to give me extra time. I was all out of favors, and nobody wanted to hear a sob story. They wanted their money.
Earlier, I gathered things around my place that I didn’t want and sold some items online, then I visited the pawn shop. Still, all I made was three hundred dollars on top of the one hundred and fifty dollars Cassie gave me. Thinking about her brought a smile to my face. Cassie and her husband didn’t have much, but she always found a way to slide me something. Her heart was rare. She never asked for anything in return, but I felt like I owed her. There were plenty of times that she considered the things she’d given me asnot being much, but it had indeed been enough for Rhema and me to eat.
Damn, I wish my parents would let us crash at either one of their places for a few nights.If only I knew where my dad was.After he and my mother divorced, it was like he fell off the face of the earth. Sometimes I drove by our old house and noticed that my mom still lived in my childhood home. I just never had the courage to knock on the door and face her. It wasn’t like she would let us inside her home anyway. My mom and dad weren’t the forgiving type; they were stubborn and set in their ways. I still couldn’t fathom how they were able to sleep at night knowing they had a daughter they hadn’t seen in forever and a grandchild they never met.
