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TEN
“No.I’m actually bagging the last of my child’s milk,” I corrected Zane, who assumed I was unbagging groceries.
Over the last three weeks, he’d become the exclamation point at the end of my day. After Mason was down for the night, I took the opportunity to respond to messages he’d sent throughout the day or return any calls I’d missed. In the short time span, my interest had piqued. Not only was his patience commendable, but so was his persistence. Fortunately for him, the perfect opportunity for us to finally sit down and have that meal he’d been proposing for months had come.
“I promise not to keep you out too late, aight? I know you have to get back to the little one.”
Though we’d gotten to know each other more, Zane still knew very little about my son, other than the fact that he’d been born almost two months ago and he was breastfed. He wasn’t informed of Mason’s gender, parental dynamic, or anything else. I was very hesitant to offer any amount of information pertaining to my son to anyone. My protective nature had kicked in and it was severe.
Discovering his disability made it a bit more potent. The urge to protect him from any and all things possible left me with little to say about him when talking to those that weren’t in my immediate circle. Concealing his condition wasn’t the plan, but until I felt comfortable with sharing, it would be our little secret.
His diagnosis changed little to nothing in our lives. Mason was still growing and thriving as any newborn. He was hitting his milestones with ease, and the way he was bursting at the brim with smiles and giggles made us question the truth in his diagnosis. However, after two visits with audiologist, there was no doubt in our minds.
Because Milo was returning to work on Monday after spending three weeks resting, resetting, and watching our son grow a little more each and every day, he planned he and Mason’s first weekend together. This would give me the break from mothering that I desperately needed and allow me to get a fresh breath of air. Each time I closed my eyes since he’d announced his plans, I could feel my hair blowing in the wind and see the endless smile that spread across my face until I began to drool.
Our communication was improving. His willingness to put his world on hold for Mason was commendable. I appreciated his presence over the last three weeks, but the slight resentment I felt toward him still remained. The strain was felt on both ends, however, Milo still knew no boundaries and crossed mine each chance he got.
“Thank you, for the consideration, but time is not a factor for the night, Zane.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Not this weekend, it’s not.”
“Shit, don’t tell me that, Nature. I might not want to bring you home,” he responded.
“Well, I do plan on coming home.” I laughed. “Being that we agreed to dinner, I’m assuming I should be home by eleven, correct? Dinner doesn’t last too many hours.”
“I thought time wasn’t a factor?” he reminded me.
“It’s not.”
“Then let’s not time stamp it and just see where the night takes us.”
My phone buzzed. My heart leaped in my chest as I realized who was trying to get through to me. An incoming FaceTime call from Milo meant that I needed to end the call with Zane. Reluctantly, I shared the news.
“Someone is on my other end. I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon.”
“In about an hour and a half,” he replied.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Since Wednesday, after agreeing to finally having dinner with Zane, I’d been in knots. Nervousness and anxiousness were attacking my nervous system, leaving me with bubbling bowels and an unsettled stomach. Waiting to see his brown skin and perfect teeth happened to be much more difficult than I’d anticipated. The rawness of our union might’ve contributed to my vexation, or maybe it was the man on the other end, trying to get through to me. It was still undetermined.
Without waiting for a response, I tapped the green circle on the screen. Milo’s face appeared, replacing Zane’s.
God, this man is fine, but he is trouble for my heart and my head. I cringed.
His presence was possibly the reason for the strength of my pelvic floor. Whenever he was on my other line, so was my sanity. With his gold teeth gleaming, especially in the dark, and dark eyes glistening, he was the recipe for disaster.
“What is it, Milo?” I sighed with a roll of my eyes, concealing my true thoughts.
His smile widened. He was no fool and knew me well enough to pinpoint my charade. As if he found joy in annoying me, he chuckled.
“You sure you don’t want to spend the weekend with us? We can make room.”
“No. In fact, I don’t.”
“Pleeeeeeaaase.”
