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Unable to respond, I simply nodded. I wasn’t offended by his cognizance of my gentleness or the need to have blows softened when aimed in my direction. Life itself was beating me without relief. I didn’t need a total stranger doing the same.
“I ain’t got your kind of tires,” he said, diverting our attention. “So get all ya shit out of here and I’m going to have it towed to my shop. We can figure it out from there.”
The vibrating of my phone startled me. My words were clipped in my throat as I nodded. With a squint in my eyes and worry lines across my forehead, I pushed forward. Slowly, he stepped backward, allowing me to exit the space he’d cornered me in.
The calculations started immediately. But instead of voicing my concerns, I obliged. One by one, I collected the items I’d just put into the backseat of my car. With them in my hand, I headed for the black truck that was still running. I placed my things neatly on the backseat and then settled into the front.
The scent of cannabis lingered. The car fresheners that dangled from the rearview mirror and lined the vents worked overtime to conceal the aroma, but it was unrelenting with its presence. The mixture of peach and marijuana was one that I didn’t expect to consider pleasant, but I did.
My phone buzzed in my hand for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes. I cut my eyes to make sure that Nelson wasn’t in the vicinity. His persistence since the black truck appeared left me wondering if he was somewhere close, watching every move of mine.
Can’t be. I shook the thought with a release of heavy, hot air. The circumstances would have been much different and not in my favor had he been. My attention was quickly diverted as the movement continued ahead of me.
I watched as the man who’d interrupted his day and came to my rescue, checked my trunk for a spare tire that I didn’t have, secured my vehicle, and made his way back to the truck where I waited. Bowed legs and an incredibly long frame were only a few of the reasons that I was unable to tear my eyes from him until he entered the truck. His dark, licorice skin was another.
Please, Nelson, I begged, watching my phone ring again. Because I understood that ignoring the call would only add fuel to the flame burning inside of him, I slid a finger across the screen.
“Yes?” I answered.
“Why you not picking up the phone, Glacier? The fuck is wrong with you? All of a sudden, you ignoring calls and shit. When did you start this shit?”
“The moment I discovered my man was sleeping with my best friend among other things. That’s when, Nelson. Any more questions before I hang up?” I sighed, refusing to raise my voice even a notch or get my panties in a bunch.
“It wasn’t like that. I told you that shit. And stop listening to motherfuckers who mean you no good and are miserable as fuck, wanting you to be miserable with they bitch ass.”
“I’m hanging up now,” I warned.
“Wait! Wait.”
With a roll of my eyes, I waited to hear what foolishness was about to come from his lips now.
“What about the baby, Glacier?”
His words stiffened my body. Unable to move, I breathed heavily into the phone, evidence that my heart rate, head, heart, and nerves were all abnormal.
“We’re supposed to be a family, Glacier.”
It was untrue. Continuing my pregnancy was never our plan. With it being the year of my graduation, the plan was for us to terminate the pregnancy and plan for a child in the future. I wanted to plant my feet and get accustomed to life as a NICU nurse before I committed to a life that I birthed and would be responsible no matter the circumstances.
The pregnancy was a result of failed birth control. It wasn’t planned. And with everything happening the way that it was, it only confirmed that I had made the right decision by following my heart.
My body grew warm as my face tingled with disappointment. Nelson using the pregnancy as an avenue back into my world was as low as he could’ve scooped. However, my decision was firm and there was no changing it. More than ever, I wanted the termination.
“There’s nothing more to discuss. I hope that you’ll keep your word and provide the money for the termination of the pregnancy as we talked about before.”
“I’m not paying for you to kill my fucking child.”
His antics annoyed me, however, ending the call wasn’t the smartest decision. Without a doubt, I still needed the funds. Shelling out five hundred dollars that I didn’t have to give would deepen my debt and elevate my stress levels.
“Don’t do this, Nelson. We discussed this.”
“You discussed this with yourself. I was never with this shit from the start.”
Hot tears stained my face, smearing my perfectly applied makeup. Though light, it was so pretty. Nelson’s unbelievable claims had no business ruining it.
“I’m more than sure Valencia is willing to have your child. Me, on the other hand, I can’t give you that much access to me, anymore. Neither can I. It doesn’t even matter. I need the money and you said that you’d co—”
A gush of wind brushed against my cheek just as my phone was removed from my possession. With unsteady brows and lips that crinkled, I turned toward the man in the driver’s seat, witnessing him end the call.
