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“I’m a nurse.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I have to get to work.”
“Yes. Of course, baby, you told me that. I’m sorry for keeping you so long.”
“It’s fine. I love you, old lady.”
“I love you, too, Icy. Bring me some of that candy I love next time. Your dad said he was on his way, but—”
“He left it in the drawer beside your bed. You had fallen asleep so he left it there for you. Remember, one! Two if you’re really craving something sweet.”
“All right. If you talk to him, tell him I’ve been trying to call him.”
“I will.”
With my heart in shambles, I left my grandmother and headed to pick up the cake from the bakery for Tony. Because he was a rather simple man, his requests were simple. Gift cards, that was all he wanted. I decided to add a cake and personal birthday card to appease myself more than him. Either way, I knew he’d love and accept them both.
My new accessory rolled around my skin as I trekked through Martain’s, the private supermarket in the heart of Berkeley. Though it wasn’t near my home or the hospital, it was a few miles away from my grandmother’s nursing home and on my route.
The bakery to grab the cake was my first stop. I arrived to find a small line forming. Because there was only one employee fulfilling orders and checking customers out, the service was substantially slower than usual. I checked the time on my phone screen.
I should be fine, I thought, preparing for the wait. The line moved up a notch as soon as I got in. The person standing at the counter had received their order and was headed in my direction, pushing a cart and carrying a belly in front of her that made my brows hike on my face, rushing toward my hairline. Completely caught off guard, I found myself gawking at the round belly of Valencia.
The cart she pushed stopped mere feet away from me. I moved forward in line, hoping the message was clear. Since the night everything was exposed, I had yet to speak with Valencia. Seeing as though she was standing in front of me, very pregnant, with a stomach that would’ve matched mine had I continued my pregnancy, left me flabbergasted.
“Glacier,” she called out to me.
She hadn’t gotten the point. She hadn’t realized talking to her was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Can we talk?”
“I’m not sure what we’re supposed to talk about, Valencia.”
“Everything.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m well, you’re well… what more is there to discuss?”
“I’m sorry, okay?”
I stood silently, unable to respond.
“I am.”
“Congratulations on the baby, Valencia. I pray that you’re having a safe, healthy pregnancy and that your child lives a happy, healthy life. As for me, pretend I don’t exist because that’s what I’ve done for the last six months with you. There are absolutely no hard feelings. I simply feel nothing.”
“The first time it happened, we were both drunk. He was taking me home because I’d had a little too much to drink and couldn’t drive home. He was at the same club. He helped me inside and it kind of just—it just happened.
“And after the first time, though I felt so guilty, I just couldn’t stop. We couldn’t stop. One thing led to another, and the next thing I know, we were repeating the crazy shit to each other. Things that we shouldn’t have been to express feelings we shouldn’t have had for one another. I’m so sorry, Glacier.”
“You’re not sorry for what you did, Valencia. You’re sorry it was me that got caught in the crossfire. However, you wouldn’t change it if you could. You wouldn’t go back to that night and change a single thing. You had sex with your best friend’s boyfriend and you loved it.
“You loved it so much that you couldn’t stop yourself from doing it again and again and again until eventually, feelings got involved and a child was conceived. You’re in love, Valencia. I can see it in your eyes even now. How I didn’t see it the last eight months of my relationship with Nelson, I don’t know. But I can honestly tell you that I’m happy for you. Just stay safe. Not all that glitters is gold, Valencia.”
Stepping closer, she responded with a whisper, “I know.”
“If you’d excuse me, I have a schedule to stay on.”
