Hidden Intentions 2 Page 10

  “Was it hard going through the nursing program?”

  “Yeah, but I refused to give up and wanted to secure my future. Besides, my mother wouldn’t have let me hear the end of it if I left school. She’s been a nurse for the last twenty-five years. How long was your training for air conditioners and whatever else you do?”

  “It was less than a year. I specialize in air conditioning, heating, as well as ventilation and refrigeration.”

  “How long have you been working for Air Professionals?”

  “I started this company about nine years ago. To tell the truth, word of mouth and providing quality service has kept my business alive.”

  Servicing the hospital is probably a good size contract for him, I thought, impressed by his story. “I see.”

  Being in such cramped quarters, the heat was starting to get to me. I quickly pulled out my peach-flavored green teas and Pop-Tarts, handing Vince one of each.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  Suddenly, a dispatch came over to his walkie-talkie. “Vince, where are you, man? Do you want us to start the job without you?”

  “Excuse me, Nya. Rodgers, go ahead and start the job. I’m stuck in an elevator. Hopefully, I will be there soon.”

  Then we heard over the intercom, “Folks, this is Sachs again. The fire department is here. It’s going to be about two hours before we can get everyone out. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

  “Is this going to kill your lunch plans with your husband?” he asked, obviously trying to find out whether I was married or not.

  Shortly after returning home from my mom’s house, I had taken my ring off and no longer wore it.

  “No, it’s not. My husband won’t be meeting me for lunch or dinner. I am separated from him. He’s an alcoholic and left me.”

  “Whoa! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to open up a wound for you. No wonder, the first time I noticed you in the hospital, you looked like you had a lot on your mind.”

  “It’s all right. You didn’t know.”

  For the next few hours, Vince and I talked. He told me plenty of funny jokes to pass the time. Before I knew it, we were out of the elevator. He went his way, and I went mine.

  Chapter 33

  While standing in line to pay for my gas at the gas station, I couldn’t help but notice how the gas prices continued to fluctuate. This week a gallon was $3.40. Ten years ago, I remember filling up with up eighteen dollars worth of gas in my Toyota Corolla. Granted, my car now had a bigger gas tank, but I still felt like it cost me an arm and a leg just to fill up. Now I stopped at forty-five dollars, hoping that would get me as close to full as possible. Fortunately, the hospital was only a ten minute drive from my home.

  Today’s line was unusually long, and about seven patrons were talking about how pissed off they were to have to pay so much for gas. I wasn’t purposely trying to be nosy, but I overheard the manager tell the cashier that their gas would run out by four o’clock this afternoon. Thankfully, I got my gas before the meltdown hit.

  All over this area, gas stations were temporarily closing down due to insufficient gas. Daddy had often told Leah and I that the situation reminded him of the long gas lines back in the 1970s. I was wondering if the country was returning to those times.

  As I was walking out of the convenience store wishing I had brought those hot and spicy flavored pork rinds, a voice blurted out, “Hey, Nya. I haven’t seen you in a minute.”

  “Hmm. It’s you.”

  I compared Charles to a broken-down car. If you don’t do anything to fix it, then it will just sit there. He was still in the same position he was in right after high school—jobless, lazy, and not doing much of anything to get by on his own. He loved living at home with his mom. To him, living at his mother’s house was a pure luxury, with three meals a day and clean clothes every week guaranteed to him. In his eyes, he was living the lifestyle of the filthy rich and famous. Honestly, it’s a damn shame. Fortunately for me, I ran once I realized I was dating a loser.

  A month ago, I saw his distraught mother in Food Lion. I was still her favorite. Maybe, she’d never accept the reality that her son did let me get away. She confessed Charles refused to get a job because he wanted to have his own company. He could at least fix things up around the house and take the trash out, but he didn’t even do that, she complained.

  It’s so unfortunate how Charles’ life turned out. He’d had one of the highest scores in the class on the SAT. I wondered what he could have been if he’d had more ambition and just applied himself better.

  “You need me to pump your gas?” he eagerly asked.

  “No, I already did, but thank you,” I said, keeping my response to minimum. Every time I ran into Charles, he got delusional, thinking I would give him twenty minutes of my valuable time.

  “How have you been?”

  “I’m well.” I nodded as I opened my car door. Charles wouldn’t speak to me if Tory was here, since he knew a beatdown in the parking lot would be probable for him.

  “With a face like yours, are you still getting away with everything?” he asked, a grin on his face.

  “Yes, even murder. I’m warning you, don’t get too close.”

  “I heard about what happened to your husband. Word gets around,” he explained in an irritating tone.

  Charles was bringing up the subject just to get a quick rise out of me. He was the type of man who loved it when women got mean with him. It was as if my rejecting him many times over and over again made him want me even more. While sitting on his mother’s couch watching music videos, was he cooking up the master plan to win me back? Charles had nothing to offer me or bring to the table, but yet somehow he felt as though he deserved another chance. Yes, I did believe in second chances, but with him, I definitely had to decline.

  “Is that so?” I shot back at him, trying to keep my cool.

  Today, I was leaving my anger, frustration, and self-pity party at home for the sake of my cute little goddaughter, Natalie, who’d landed the star role of Snow White in her school’s play. Today was her debut performance, and I wasn’t going to miss it for anything or anyone. Especially Charles, of all people.

  “Yeah. Momma told me she ran into you at the store.”

  “Tell her I said hello. I’ve got to run,” I replied, putting the key into the ignition.

  “It was good seeing you. Maybe we could get together, you know, go to a late-night movie, just like old times.”

  “Sorry. At this time, I’m not giving out any samples.” I drove off, leaving him looking stupid in my left rearview mirror.

  “Cock-teaser!”

  Chapter 34

  Leah, Tara, Yvette, and I had attended the same school. Pulling up to the parking lot, I reminisced about our childhood there—the countless jump rope competitions we had during recess almost every day, the candy necklaces, Fun Dip, and Bubblicious bubble gum we all used to trade. Then there was the janitor, George Benson, who most of the kids feared. He used to walk the halls daring us to litter in “his” hallway.

  Yvette stood up and motioned with her hand for me to join Jarvis, their son Michael, and her. “Glad you could make it.” They had the look of proud parents on their faces. The dreadful mother-in-law was front and center in the auditorium. I cracked up laughing when Yvette mentioned to me that Grace had helped Natalie practice for hours on her lines like it was a Broadway show.

  “I couldn’t miss Natalie’s first play,” I told her after sitting down. Thankfully, I didn’t forget the Sony digital camera to record the play. Next, Yvette’s parents should show up.

  “When is the show going to get started?” Leah asked after she found where we all were sitting.

  Even at a child’s school play, she dressed as if she was going to a club showing way too much cleavage I was quite embarrassed. If I knew one thing, she was definitely proud of what she had to show off.

  “In about ten minutes,” Yvette answered.

&
nbsp; “Where’s Tara?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Leah said. “I texted her and left her a voice mail, but no answer.”

  “Shhh! Please be quiet,” Grace said. “The show is about to start.”

  Grace refused to let anyone call her by her last name or put Mrs. in front of her name, claiming it made her feel way too old. But Leah and I were raised to show respect for our elders.

  Little Natalie stole the show and, along with the other members in the play, received a standing ovation. Jarvis had white carnations for his baby. I had the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs limited edition DVD to give to Natalie, which would make a great addition to her DVD rack. Afterward, we all stood in line to congratulate Natalie and give her lots of love. Instead of giving her a kiss, her baby brother Michael drooled on her. We all started laughing.

  Since the middle of the show, my cell phone had been blowing up. I didn’t even bother looking at the phone, thinking it was my job calling me. I needed a break.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Nya,” Rob screamed on the phone.

  “What’s going on? Are you all right?”

  “No. Tara was in a horrible car accident.”

  “Oh no! What hospital was she taken to?”

  “She’s at your hospital, Creekdale Memorial. I don’t know what to do. What if the baby doesn’t make it? Tara looks pretty banged. I can’t lose her. I have Ryan with me, but he’s getting restless. It’s getting hard for me to keep it together.”

  I could hear the pain and anxiety in his voice. I wanted to cry, but I had to remain calm. I dealt with distraught families and friends almost every day at my job, but when it came to my friends and family, it was hard.

  “Leah and I are on our way. I can get Leah to keep Ryan. I will be there no later than fifteen minutes.” I hung up the phone and my heart began to race.

  “Listen, Tara was in a car accident. She’s at my hospital. We’ve got to get over there now,” I said to everyone.

  “What are the doctors saying?” Yvette asked.

  “I won’t know till I get there. All Rob said was that she looked banged up.”

  “Let’s go,” Leah declared.

  “I’m going too.” Yvette nodded her head.

  “I understand if you don’t want to leave Natalie on her special day,” I said to Yvette and Jarvis.

  “Tara is like a sister to me. She needs all three of us right now. Jarvis and Grace can take the kids home. Let me help him get the kids settled in the car. You go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.” Yvette threw Michael’s bag over her shoulder and grabbed her keys out of her purse.

  I couldn’t get to the hospital fast enough. Pushing seventy-five on a fifty-five mile-per-hour highway, I didn’t care. Getting to Tara was the only thing I could think about.

  “How is she?” I asked Karen after barging into the emergency room doors.

  “We’re working her now. I got samples of her blood and took her blood pressure. Her reading is skyrocketing. We may need to take the baby.”

  “I want in,” I demanded, quickly looking for scrubs.

  “No, Nya, you’re upset. You won’t be any good to Tara in surgery.”

  “The patient’s heart rate is dropping, and she is non-responsive,” the attending doctor added, reviewing the monitor.

  “Doctor, should I prepare her for surgery?” Karen inquired.

  “Yes, she is approximately thirty-two weeks. We need to prep for a cesarean section.”

  Karen said, “Will you—?”

  “Yes, I will let her husband know what’s going on.” I turned to run toward the patient waiting room.

  For the next hour or so, I held Rob’s hand and tried to keep him at ease. Yvette sat close to Tara’s father and brother, who both put their heads down and began to pray. Honestly, I was scared myself.

  According to the police report, Tara was hit pretty hard by a drunk driver and spun around Highway 264 before landing into a concrete wall. Anger surfaced within my chest. Another person’s stupidity and irresponsibility may have killed one of my best friends. Every time anyone walked by with blue scrubs on, I was hoping it was Karen. Finally, she walked into the waiting area.

  Before I could even get the words out of my mouth, Rob asked, “How is she?”

  “Tara is stable. There appears to be no brain damage. We had to take the baby. Congratulations, Mr. Peters! You have a six-pound baby girl. Your wife is in the intensive care unit, and the baby is in the NICU unit. We want to monitor both of them for the next several days.”

  Rob didn’t hesitate to hug Karen. Then he turned to me, Yvette, Leah, and his in-laws, and we all began to hug each other.

  “Thank you so much,” I whispered in Karen’s ears.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied.

  “Tara and I finally decided the baby’s name will be Victoria Mary Peters. When can I see both of them?” Rob asked Karen.

  “You can see your daughter now. We’re hoping Tara will wake up in the next couple of hours. Follow me so you can get to hold baby Victoria.”

  A couple of hours later, we all sat at Tara’s bedside waiting and hoping for her to wake up. Yvette, Leah, and I were watching The Wedding Date on the television in her room.

  Tara lifted her head and began looking around. “Where am I?”

  Rob had gone to the check on the baby for the fourth time, and Tara’s parents had gone down to the cafeteria to grab coffee, sodas, and snacks from the vending machine.

  “You’re in the hospital,” Leah said to her.

  “I remember the accident. Someone hit me,” she said, placing her hand on her forehead. Just then, she gasped and clutched her stomach. “Oh my God! The baby! Where is she? Oh God! Is she okay?”

  I moved her hands off her stomach. “Relax, honey. Victoria is fine.”

  “Is she healthy, with ten fingers and ten toes intact? How many pounds did she weigh?”

  “Yes, the baby is healthy. She’s premature and barely six pounds. That baby may be little, but she’s a fighter just like her mother. Rob just went to check on her again. I believe your brother is with her too. She is so precious,” I replied, holding her right hand.

  “Has she been crying?”

  “Yes, a little. I think she may be ready to breastfeed, if you’re up for it. After the nurses took the necessary tests, I changed her and fed her formula. It’s a good thing her auntie works in the hospital. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let me. Let me tell you, that girl has got a good grip on the nipple bottle. I can already tell she’s going to love eating.” I smiled.

  “She’s beautiful,” Leah added.

  Yvette had a huge smile on her face. “Victoria has your nose and eyes.”

  “It’s going to take some time to really see who she will look like or if she will be a combination of Rob and you,” I said.

  “She’s going to look like me, of course.” Tara, weak from the surgery, was barely able to giggle.

  Leah grinned. “I’m just grateful my club buddy made it through.”

  “Me too. I remember the accident.” Tara took a deep breath. “As I turned the wheel to try to get control of the truck, it felt as if the devil and God were fighting over me. I’m here, I survived, and I want to see my baby.”

  Chapter 35

  “Excuse me. I’m looking for Nya Sothers,” a delivery guy said to no one in particular as Karen, Evita, Donna, and myself were scattered around the nurses’ station.

  “I’m Nya Sothers,” I replied, waving my hand as we all admired the fruit basket from Edible Arrangements, consisting of strawberries, honeydew melon, watermelon, cantaloupe, and grapes.

  “Ma’am, I just need you to sign this sheet for confirmation.” The delivery guy pointed to his clipboard.

  “Who are they from?” Donna asked.

  He shook his head. “Unfortunately, I’m not authorized to tell you who sent them.”

  “Hmm. I don’t know,” I said, signing my name.

  “Oh, Ms
. Sothers, before I forget, here is a box of frosted blueberry Pop-Tarts and a case of green tea.”

  “Thank you.” I nodded. Wow! I never would have guessed the air conditioner man had given me a second thought. This certainly brightened up my day.

  “Read the card,” Evita demanded.

  “Nya, I enjoyed our conversation and wanted to return the favor of the light snack we ate in the elevator. If you want to continue our conversation, meet me at the March of Dimes walkathon. I’ll be number 403. Have a nice day. Vince.”

  Karen, who was reading the note along with me, looking over my right shoulder, said, “Aaw, he’s so sweet. I wish someone would do that for me. Nya, that man may be a keeper.”

  “I don’t even know him. He’s not on the good-guy list yet.”

  Donna asked, “Are you going?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there. I happen to be number 804. Now, let’s go enjoy this fruit flower bouquet in the comfort of my office. Whatever we don’t finish, I’ll put in my miniature refrigerator and save it for tomorrow.

  The rest of my day, I was feeling somewhat special that someone had cared enough to send me an edible arrangement.

  Chapter 36

  Mother Nature decided to be kind to us. The weather wasn’t too hot, too cold, or too windy. As I approached the park, more and more people started gathering around waiting for the event to begin. I spotted Vince doing a few rounds of warm-ups and stretches before the walkathon. He was dressed in a black-and-gray jogging suit. I woke up this morning and decided to sport a light blue one with a white tank top.

  “Good morning,” I greeted him.

  “Hey,” he replied smiling. “Good morning to you too.”

  “Thank you for the edible arrangement.”

  “Since I didn’t have your number, I figured I could have them deliver the fruit arrangements to your station. It was my way of saying thank you, and was long overdue.

  “My coworkers and I ate from it for days. I really appreciate it, along with the green tea and the blueberry Pop-Tarts.” I giggled.