Kiki sat on the table, staring at her fingers as they twiddled together and her legs kicked back and forth from nerves. She had goose bumps all over her body, but that was expected with her paper thin attire and her reason for being there in the first place. After feeling like she’d been waiting for hours, the answer to her question finally walked through the door.
“Well Kiki your suspicion was correct. You’re about 7 weeks pregnant.” Her doctor told her.
Sure she said she dropped out of the European leg of the tour because she couldn’t deal with Justin anymore, but that was only part of her reason for leaving. The other half had to do with her suspicion that she was pregnant. She had been experiencing nausea, exhaustion and body aches beyond the norm, and then the most telling, her period was late. She’d been on the pill since she was 14 to regulate her cycle and not once had she missed a dose, but she and Justin hadn’t used any other form of protection. She knew she was pregnant, she just needed confirmation and she got it.
Breaking out of her reflecting, she asked. “What was um, the date of conception?”
“Well according to the date of your last menstruation and the ultrasound, it looks like July 9th.” Kiki let out a vacant laugh. “Sounds familiar?”
“Oh yes, that sounds very familiar.” That was their first time making love, her first time. What were the fuckin’ odds of that?
“Do you know how you want to handle this?”
Seeing as she'd been suspicious of her condition for awhile now, she had thought of her options already, so Kiki didn't hesitate. “Yes I do.”
“Ok but just in case I have some information here on all your options and should you decided to keep the baby. I have a prescription for some prenatal vitamins and we can set up your next appointment today.” She passed Kiki a folder full of pamphlets and print outs, and the prescription. ”Now its very important…..”
Her doctor continued to drone on with her informational speech, but Kiki had stopped listening. She couldn’t think about all that stuff right now. She needed to figure out how she was going to handle this next step in her life.
After her appointment, working on auto pilot, Kiki went straight to the pharmacy. She was sitting in her car looking at the transparent orange pill bottles when reality set in. Feeling a mix of fear and happiness, she cried. I’m gonna be a mother, there’s a little person growing inside of me that is totally dependent on me. Looking down at her stomach, she smiled and let out a light-hearted laugh, breaking up her tears. The question didn’t even have to be asked, she was keeping her baby. She always wanted kids, she just never expected it this soon. Still she wanted this and she was mentally, emotionally and financially prepared to be a parent.
Thinking about all that motherhood had in store for her, something inside of her lit up. But there was still one major obstacle - telling Justin. Would he be happy too or would he want her to get rid of it? If the latter was the case, then screw him, it wouldn’t damper her joy over this baby and she would have no problem whatsoever being a single mother.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The next day Kiki walked through the doors of WEG, on a mission to find Justin. She didn’t know where he lived and telling him about the baby was something that should be done in person, not on the phone.
“Excuse me Ma’am.” Kiki nervously stood at the information desk. “Can you tell me if Justin Timberlake is in his office and if so where that is?”
The woman continued typing away, not bothering to take her eyes off of the computer screen and actually acknowledge Kiki. When she was done, she looking up and sighed condescendingly. “I’m sorry miss, but Justin Timberlake is unavailable. He’s on tour at this time.” When would these girls realize they couldn’t just walk in here and expect Justin to just be handed to them on a silver platter?
“No he’s not.” Kiki placed her Justified employee badge on the desk. “I’m part of the tour and last time I checked we were on break. So if he’s here, tell him Kiki Lewis is here to see him. It’s an emergency.”
“Oh.” She shrunk down in her seat a little, feeling foolish for getting caught in her lie. “He’s on the fifth floor. I’ll tell him you’re on your way up.” She stuttered, lifting the phone off its hook to make the call.
“Thank you.” Kiki shot her a sarcastic grin and turned around to go catch the elevator. She hadn’t seen Justin yet and already she was hyped. She had to stay calm because instinct told her she’d be walking out of this building anything but calm.
Justin anxiously stood in his office doorway, waiting to greeting Kiki. When the front desk receptionist called to tell him she was on her way up, elation spread through him. He missed her terribly and dreaded going back on tour without her. Knowing she had come to see him, gave him hope. Maybe she was here to give him a second chance or at least come back to the tour. He would gladly take either. He got worried though when the receptionist told him she had some sort of emergency. What had happened to her? Was she okay?
Finally Kiki came around the corner from the elevators, and he smiled with relief. She looked okay; in fact she looked great, wearing just a pair of light blue jean and a black leather jacket over a red tank. There wasn’t anything particular about her appearance, but the way she carried herself made her look classy and so damn sexy.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” He couldn’t contain the cheesy grin on his face. He was so happy to see her and he so badly wanted to hold her, but
kept his distance. “Come on in.” He ushered her into the room, closing the door behind them and offered her a seat on his couch.
“What going on? Are you ok baby?” She winced at the endearment and scooted way from him, putting some distance between them.
Both actions were not lost on Justin and that hope for a reconciliation was dashed away. But his curiosity was still piqued, if she wasn’t here to get back together then what did she want?
Wringing her hands together in her lap, Kiki quickly exhaled and went with it before she lost her nerve. “So okay there’s only one way I can think to tell you this so, um here it goes……I’m pregnant.” Using all her courage, she dared to look at him after making her announcement. All she found was a blank stare and no movement until he removed his arm from the back of the couch and leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees.
“Shit.” He groaned into his cupped fist. This was definitely unexpected and he didn’t know what to think right now. “Are you sure?”
“Yes my doctor confirmed it yesterday.”
“I can’t believe this.” He replied off hand.
But Kiki took offense to the comment and sneered. “Well then feel free to call my doctor and she can tell you the exact same thing she told me. And hey while you’re at it, you can schedule a paternity test to make sure it’s yours.” She replied sardonically.
“Oh come on Kiki, it was a rhetorical statement, you know that…..And I didn’t say I wasn’t the father did I? I know the baby’s mine okay?” He snapped. “I just thought you were on the pill.” He remembered seeing her take one and before their relationship became sexual, he even teased her about how she didn’t need them since she wouldn’t give him any.
“I think we both know the pill doesn’t guarantee anything and we ,stupidly, never used a condom.”
Without thinking, he asked. “What are you gonna do about this?”
She was taken aback by his question at first. What was she going to do about this? He was bowing out already?! “I’m going to have this baby and I’m going to raise it. The question is will I be doing that alone or with your help?”
Justin quickly looked away from her and stared at the carpet. It wasn’t long before his eyes shifted back towards her and ever so slightly, he shook his head. “Kiki, I…I -.”
She put her hand up to stop him before he could go any further. She knew his answer, hell she had come here expecting this response. To think she actually felt bad for coming here preconceiving the worse from him when she dropped the news. Well those feelings were a distant memory now that ol’ unreliable Justin was here, meeting all her expectations.
“Enough said. It’s fine. Whatever. I am more than capable of doing this by myself.”
She got up to leave and he rose from his seat as well to stop her. “Kiki wait. You gotta understand.” He grabbed her arm and turned her around. “I can’t…I don’t have room in my life for a baby. My career is really taking off. I can’t be a father right now.”
“Right now?” She jerked out of his grasp, in disbelief that he really said that. “Then when Justin? When this baby is grown with its own family? Do you think you’ll be ready then?” Her sarcasm hit him like a well deserved jab. “You think I’m ready? I’m scared to death, but I’m going to do this because this is my child. I have to be strong for my baby’s sake. You? You can go on and continue to be a fucking coward. I don’t care. Go and have your fabulous untarnished career. We don’t need you.”
“I just can’t be a father now.” He sighed in defeat. A kid didn’t fit into his busy life, he couldn’t dedicated the kind of time it took to take care of one. Yes, he wanted kids, just not now.
“Fine. Fine.” She wrote him off with the flick of her hands. Her fingers curled around the door knob in preparation to leave, but she stopped herself and turned back to him. “Oh, in case you were concerned. You don’t have to worry about me coming after you for child support or blabbing to the press. I don’t need or want your damn money. And I have no plans to tell anyone that someone like you is the father of MY baby.” She jerked the door open and stormed out of the room without a backwards glance. She was done with Justin Timberlake.
That definitely did it, Justin thought, if she didn’t hate him already she certainly did now. He just rejected their child and in the back of his mind he knew he was making the biggest mistake of his life. Why was he letting it happen? Because Kiki was right “ he was a coward and he was selfish. He wasn’t ready to give up his life to raise a kid. He knew what kind of responsibility that required, responsibility that he was not capable of committing to. And what if having a baby ruined his career? He’d ended up blaming the kid and that wasn’t fair. So it was best if he wasn’t around, he reasoned. They both would be better off without him.
All the way to the parking lot Kiki was heated. She never would have fallen in love with Justin if she knew that she had been dead wrong about him and that in his heart of hearts he really was a selfish asshole. Why was she always falling for the wolf in sheep’s clothing?
In her car, she took a moment to calm down, it wasn’t healthy for her or the baby to be all wound up like this. As her anger died down it was replace with overwhelming heartache and she broken down crying. She had hoped that Justin would step up to the plate and want to take an activate part in raising their child. How could he do this again, walk away when there was someone else even more important than her involved? Sure she would survive the hurt he caused, but what about her child, an innocent baby who didn’t ask to be conceived. A baby she would move mountains to make sure he or she was loved and well cared for despite Justin’s absence. Her baby would not pay for his cowardice.
Right in that parking lot, Kiki gave herself and her baby a good cry for the wrong done to them. It would take some time to get past this new addition to her heartache, but she was going to move on. For both their sakes.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Since she was still "on break" and not back to working at Key, Kiki used her vacation time to plan the arrival of her baby. She started researching information on nutritional needs, changes she would have to make in her everyday lifestyle, suggested exercise regimens and Lamaze classes. She meticulously wrote out a game plan for how she was going to prepare for her baby’s gestation and arrival which included a list of questions she had to ask her doctor at her first obstetrics appointment. All the information she was absorbing was making her so excited about being pregnant. She was constantly rubbing her belly and looking at herself naked in the mirror to see if there were any noticeable changes in her body. There were a few, her hips seemed to be flaring slightly and her breasts were a bit fuller but her stomach was still flat, no paunch yet. She wondered how big she would get, would she have to buy maternity clothes or could she wear the clothes she had just altered a bit? All she did know was that she was truly happy about becoming a mother.
However when she ran across some information on pregnancies for fathers she became depressed. Her baby wouldn’t have a daddy to come with her to Lamaze or talk to her belly so it would know his voice once they were born. It wasn’t fair, why couldn’t her baby have a father that loved them enough to stick around. The more she thought about it the more upset she became and she needed someone to talk to about all this. She had yet to talk about anything that happened with Justin let alone this new development in her life.
Her parents were out of the question, she wasn’t ready to tell them yet. Derek? No way, he’d flip out and then go straight to their parents and blab. Maya! Her big sister. That’s who she could tell. Like when they were younger, Kiki needed her big sister to share her pain and secrets with. Maya would listen to her and be the shoulder she needed to lean on, without passing judgment.
It was the middle of the afternoon, she was probably busy at the fashion house, but maybe she had some time to calm her baby sister a little.
“Maya.” The receptionist called her over to the front desk as she was passing by to get to her office. “You have a call on line four. Its Kiki and she didn’t sound too good.” She told her discreetly.
Maya hurried to her office at that, give Janice a passing ‘thank you” for the heads up. She closed her door and quickly picked up the line.
“Hermanita what’s wrong?”
“My, are you busy? Can you take a break or something and come over?” Her sister’s voice was so dejected. What had made her so sad?
“Honey what’s wrong?”
“I just need you to come over. Please?”
“Absolutely I’ll be right there.” She was already pulling her purse out of her desk drawer and shutting down her computer.
"Thanks Maya the Bee.”
She hung up and swiftly finished packed up her office. Forget a break, she would take a half a day, her baby sister needed her. Telling the receptionist she was taking the afternoon off, she left the office and got into her car, driving towards West LA.
She had a key to her sister’s place so she didn’t bother to knock and just let herself in.
“Kik where are you?”
“I’m up here.” She called from her plateaued den.
Climbing the small set of steps, she found her sister sitting in the couch, her legs crossed and holding a throw pillow to her chest. She could see that physically nothing was wrong with Kiki, thank God, but she was clearly upset. She seemed rather sullen, not like her typical upbeat self.
“What’s wrong Kik? You got me worried here honey.” She dropped her purse on the floor in front of the couch and sat down next to her.
Kiki just gestured to her open laptop on the coffee table. Maya looked at it and saw What to Expect headlining the internet window.
“I’m pregnant.” She announced.
Maya reeled back at her with wide eyes. “You finally had sex?!”
“Maya.” Kiki admonished.
“Sorry. It’s just…you were a virgin. Now you’re obviously not and you’re pregnant. It’s a little surprising.” Kiki gave her a "no duh” look and then Maya blurted out again. “When did you have sex? I mean who’s the fa- Ooooh. Oh my gawh. Justin is the father?!”
“Yup.”
Maya frowned. “Didn’t you guys use protection?”
“Just the pill which obvious didn’t work. I know it was stupid. I got tested though I don’t have any thing, just a baby.” She joked wryly.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to keep my baby and raise it by myself.”
Having a feeling about where this was headed, Maya’s eyebrows rose and she asked for clarification. “By yourself?”
“He doesn’t want anything to do with the baby.”
“Are you serious? How the hell can he abandoned is girlfriend when she’s pregnant with his baby?”
“I’m not his girlfriend anymore. We broke up before the tour ended. He um… he cheated and that was that.” She shrugged trying to ward off the pain that was trying to resurface. “Another one broke my heart.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? Are you okay? I mean this has got to be hard for you. First he hurts you like that and then snubs your baby. What a bastard! How could he do this?” Maya ranted getting angrier as she thought about what Justin was doing to her family.
“He didn’t trust me and instead of being upfront about it, he destroyed our relationship.” Kiki summed up the demise of their relationship briefly. She really didn’t want to get into that right now, so she went to the other issue at hand. “As far as the baby goes - he says he’s not ready to be a father, he's a coward.” She scoffed. “Which isn’t a legitimate excuse to me. I’m afraid too, I’m overjoyed to be having a baby, but at the same I’m scared. I’m supposed to be. This is a whole new world I’m stepping into, but I’m not backing down. I’d rather be afraid while I’m experiencing motherhood than regret that I gave it up.”
“That is so pitiful. He’s going to have his conscience weighing down on him for the rest of his life. Meanwhile you and your baby….” Maya smiled and reached over to rub her stomach. “You’re going to be thriving and happy doing it.”
Kiki smiled feeling her spirits and confidence lift. “Yeah, I think we are. He made his choice and I can’t force him to be a father so I’m done worrying about him. I can’t, not with this baby who’s ten times more important.”
‘You’re strong Kiki. I know you can do this. You have our fam- Ooh Mamí and Daddy don’t know do they?” Maya grimaced. Boy was she happy she wasn’t the one that was going to have to tell their parents she was pregnant and by a deadbeat.
“No they don’t and I’m not telling them until I’ve processed this all myself.” She needed to prepare herself in case their parents weren’t as supportive as she hoped and needed them to be. “They’re going to ask a lot of questions.”
“Yeah one of which being - who’s the daddy. Are you going to tell them?
“Yes but it’s going to have to be one of those deep dark family secrets that no one talks about.” She stressed. “No on can find out who the father of my baby is Maya.”
She nodded, understanding that if people found out, Kiki and the baby would become tabloid fodder.
“I can’t even tell Tami and Alex right now. Alex still has to work with Justin for 4 more months and he already despises him.” He would probably try to kill Justin if she told him and she wouldn’t be there to stop him this time. “Tami: she and Joey are really happy and I don’t want this to put a rift in between them if they feel like they have to choose sides.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I can’t imagine Joey or Josh being too happy with Justin when they do find out.”
“Well until I start showing this stays in our family.”
“I’m right here for you hermanita, so will Mamí, Daddy and Derek once you tell them.” Maya assured, but then on second thought she winced. “Oh geez Daddy and Derek are gonna want to kill Justin.” But then it dawned on her and turned her frown into a devilish grin. “Actually I think I’d enjoy being front row to see that, popcorn in hand.”
They giggled together and Kiki leaned over to hug her sister. “I love you My.”
“I love you too.” She pulled away and started squealing when it really set in. “You’re gonna be a mommy!”
“You’re gonna be an auntie!”
She gasped. “I am aren’t I? Oh I gotta start making her or him clothes.” All kinds of ideas for cute little baby outfits were running through her head; however, the baby wasn’t the only person who needed a new wardrobe. “Oh we gotta go shopping for you. Let’s go now. Only if you’re up to it though.”
“I probably should get out of the house.” Sitting here all alone, moping was not doing her any good. This was a happy time in her life and she wasn’t going to let anything or one bring her down. “Okay let’s go.”
“Yay! I know exactly what’s in now for maternity wear. You are going to be the cutest pregnant woman in LA.”
Kiki was barely able to slid her flips flops on and grab her purse before Maya was dragging her out of her apartment.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The end of her “break” was drawing near and sooner or later Kiki would have to tell the rest of her family that not only was she not going back on tour, but that they were going to have a new addition to the family. Nina had been cooking family dinners almost every day since she’d been back and one night in particular Kiki felt it was time to tell the truth. So far she had been very quiet throughout dinner, trying to decide how to broach the topic.
Hey can someone pass the string beans please. Oh and by the way “ I’m having a baby!
That was not going to work. She wasn’t sure what would, but it had to happen tonight. Regardless of the outcome, keeping this news to herself would only cause stress that she did not need, especially now. Plus Alex wasn’t in town, he’d gone back to New York to check on his apartment and visit some friends. It would put her in a tough spot if she didn’t say anything and then they realized she wasn’t shipping off with him. The questions would definitely be flying then and so would the fist when Alex found out about Justin’s latest blow to his best friend.
“Kiki you’ve been awfully quiet tonight. Is everything okay?”
At her side, Maya threw a look at her and she nodded subtly. It was time to tell them.
“I’m fine, but um I have something to tell all of you." She took a deep breath as she waited for everyone to turn their attention to her. "I know you think I’m going back on the tour next week, but I’m not.”
“What? Why not?” Nina asked in general concern. Kiki was being very calm and collective so she wasn’t alarmed over anything that might be wrong.
“Because I choose not to continue on to Europe.” They didn’t have to ask why, the question was written on all there faces, so she pressed on. “Some things happened and I can’t exactly do my job on the tour anymore. I um..” She exhaled and revealed. “I’m having a baby.” The whole time she kept her head high and made eye contact with each person sitting around the table. She wasn’t ashamed that she was having a baby so she wasn’t going to act like she was.
The room was silent as everyone took in everything she just admitted. Maya grabbed her hand and together they braced themselves for whatever was coming.
“How did this happen?”
“I think we all took Health Pop.” Frederick glared at Derek and Rhea smacked his arm, but he only shrugged. They really didn’t need the specifics.
Kiki made it cut and dry and told them. “I started dating a guy who was on tour with me and we fell in love. I was going to introduce him to you all when break started, but we broke up before that could happen and in the middle of all that I got pregnant. I’m keeping my baby and that’s that.”
Since her announcement Nina had been watching Kiki closely, just sitting back, listening and observing. There was something that her daughter was still holding back. Who was the father, this man that she fell in love with and was so serious about at one time that she was going to introduce him into the family? A memory of Kiki’s expression when she inquired about one young man in particular came to Nina and she knew who the father was. “It was your dance partner, the musician, Justin. He the one isn’t he? Your ex boyfriend? He’s the father.”
Kiki looked at her mother and the answer was right there in her face for all to see.
“Oh man.” Derek said out loud. This spelled nothing, but drama. His baby sister was pregnant by not just any ol’ celebrity, but one of the big names in the Hollywood game. Her life and the baby’s were going to be a circus.
“Now that you all know that Justin is the father, every single one of you has to keep your mouth shut about it. No one can know the truth.” Kiki had leaned into the table and she had a look on her face that demanded their secrecy.
“Why not and where is this boy? How is he going to be there for you and the baby when he’s flying out of the country next week and who knows where after that?” This situation just became a confusing mess to Nina. Her daughter was being so adamant that the father of the baby be kept a secret.
Well here comes the second bomb she needed to drop - the one that was going to send them all into a tizzy. “He has chosen not to be a part of the baby’s life so I’m going to be a single mother.”
Both Derek and Frederick immediately exclaimed in unison. “What?!”
Frederick went a step further and got out of his seat to pace. His youngest was having a child and the man responsible for creating a life with her was snubbing his responsibility? His anger and his blood pressure were climbing and he had to get up and move before he exploded.
“What do you mean he’s chosen not to be in the baby’s life? He doesn’t have a choice!” Derek yelled. He’d be damned in some punk ass left his sister high and dry.
“Yes he does. Hell I have a choice, but I want my baby. I want to be a mother, but he doesn’t want to be a father and I can’t make him so that’s that. I have to be strong and do this myself and I damn sure am going to do just that!” She was getting mad now. Like always her father and brother were getting too hyped about a situation in her life that they had no control over. She needed them to be calm and give her support, not get out of sorts over worthless bullshit.
That temper of Kiki’s was flaring and in her condition that was not good. Maya sat next to her rubbing her back, trying to bring her stress levels back down while Nina was playing mediator.
“Ok cada uno calma abajo. Derek, cállate. And Freddy, you sit down. Your sister and your daughter does not need the two of you flying off the handle.” Derek complied without a second thought, but Frederick stayed put, he was still too hot to sit. “Kiki is right, she can’t force him to take responsibility for this child. It's out of her hands, it’s out of any of our hands.”
“To hell it’s out of her hands. She’ll file for child support.”
“No I won’t.” There he went again trying to dictate her life. It wasn’t going to happen, especially now that she was pregnant. This was her baby and no one was going to tell her how to raise it. “I don’t need his money. You know better than anyone that I make more than enough to raise a child, but more importantly Daddy. What do you think is going to happen if I go to city hall and admit into public record that Justin Timberlake is the father of my baby?” That stopped Frederick's fuming and pacing. He knew the deal, there would be “photographers all over this house, my house, the club, every step me and the baby took someone would be pushing a camera in our faces. Everything about us would be all over every magazine and newspaper in the world. I’m going to do whatever I can to prevent that, especially under these circumstances. I’m not going to let my child be humiliated by letting their own father’s rejection be made public knowledge.” Kiki emphasized. This wasn’t about her or anyone else. It wasn’t about the principle behind child support or about her swallowing her pride. This was about protecting her child. “I can do this by myself, but it would be nice if I knew my family was there for me.”
Kiki put her head down and her hand across her forehead. She was drained. All she wanted was for this dinner to be over so she could move on and take care of herself and her baby.
“You’re not going to be alone in this.” Frederick broke the silent that had taken over the room as everyone digested Kiki’s words. “We’re Lewises. Mantenemos unidos.” He moved over to Kiki’s side and knelt down next to you. “I know you can do this on your own. You can do anything. It’s just that I love you. You’re my daughter and now you’re carrying my grandchild and I don’t like knowing that you both are being disrespected. But I understand why you’re doing this and it is your life, your baby, so it’s your choice. I’m still going to be right here for you. We all are.” He looked to everyone else around the table and they were nodding their heads, Derek gave Kiki a reassuring wink. “And unless you say otherwise, everything said at this table, stays at this table. Are we all clear on that?” Frederick asked in a stern voice that held no room for discussion.
“Yes.” Was the collective answer.
Kiki had tears in her eyes at this point. She was looking at her family who always had her back no matter what and she was so grateful for that right now. She would have done it, but she didn’t want have her baby without them there to experience this happy moment with her. “Thank you, all of you. Thank you Daddy.” She leaned down and hugged him tight. “I love you all.”
“You’re welcome baby. I love you always.” He pulled away and kissed her on the forehead. Kiki was sniffling as she shed a few tears and Frederick helped her wipe them away. “So. I’m gonna be a grandpa huh?”
She smiled brightly. “Yup.”
“Cool.” He and Kiki laughed together.
At this point, Nina couldn’t contain it anymore. “And I’m going to be a grandma! Oh!” She jumped out of her seat and scurried over to Kiki, wrapping her up in a big hug. “Oh hijita I’m so happy for you. How far along are you?” She had pushed her husband out of her way to take his place. Kiki laughed thinking that her mother would probably be pushed people out of her way to get to her and the baby from this day on.
“I’m almost 2 month.”
“Oh. Oh. My baby’s having a baby.” She whined and started crying for joy.
Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes, here came the waterfalls better known as Nina’s tears. Someone needed to give her some alcohol. Now….
Dinner was over, the dining room table was cleared, and the guys were in the den watching basketball. Maya and Rhea were in there with them while Kiki had volunteered to help Nina wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen.
Nina was busy rambling about all the things they had to do to prepare for the baby. She was so excited and Kiki was so happy about that, but her mind was elsewhere. She still had something nagging at her heart, not her head, and she was glad to have this moment alone with her mother. It was time to get the comfort only a mother could provide.
Kiki stopped washing down the counter and turned to her mother standing at the sink, elbow deep in soapy water. “Mamí.”
“Yes hijita.”
She stood there not saying anything and Nina turned to look at her. Her mother stopped and dropped the cup she’d been washing back into the water. Kiki’s eyes were filled with tears and her chin was trembling. Something was terribly wrong with her baby. “My heart is broken.” She sobbed.
“Oh baby.” Sudsy hands and all Nina pulled her daughter into her arms. “Oh baby. I’m so sorry.”
“It hurts so much.” She finally admitted. She’d been keeping this in for so long, feeling it would be a sign of weakness if she broke down. Now that she did, she felt like she couldn’t stop.
Nina could feel her child’s pain like it was her own. She knew what a broken heart was like and she could kill that boy for doing this to her child. Taking Kiki over to the kitchen table she sat her down and knelt in front of her on the floor, her arms still around her, rubbing her back soothingly. “Shh hijita. It’s going to be okay. You’ll get through this.”
Just then Maya and Rhea came into the room laughing, Nina was facing them as she held Kiki and she shook her head, telling them to leave the room. The two girls could hear Kiki crying so they took the hint and backed out of the room. It was obvious she was breaking down and with everything she was dealing with it was bound to happen. They were just going to leave her to get the comfort she needed from Nina, but if she needed it from them too they would be right there.
Alone again, Nina pulled away and brushed Kiki’s fallen hair and tears out of her face. “Do you want to tell me what happened between you and Justin?”
Sniffling and accepting the napkin her mother handed to her, she wiped her nose and then for the next few minutes, told her the entire tale of her and Justin. From their crazy, yet beautiful rise to their sad and unfortunate fall. “I thought he was it you know. We might not have known each other that long, but it was really good with him.” Propping her elbow on the table, she rubbed her tired eyes and sighed.
Nina got off her knees and sat on the chair adjacent to her. “I’m sorry baby. I know the ache you're feeling, but I promise you that it will get better.” She hated seeing her like this, but thankfully it would pass with time.
“I know that Mamí. I just want to get over it so I can put my main focus on the baby. I am going to be just fine though.” She smiled at her mother, a small, but real smile and Nina knew she really would get pass her heartache. She knew she had three very strong and determined children who would prevail through every hardship and challenge life threw their way.
To keep her spirits up, Nina made a suggestion. “How about some half baked ice cream? Double scoop.”
“Sound good.”
“Alright, coming right up.” Nina got out of her seat, and as she walked to the fridge, she dropped a kiss on top of Kiki’s head. “Love you baby.”
“Love you too.”
Kiki watched her mother preparing her dessert and felt a sense of peace fall over her. This night was a stressful one, but in the end when the dust cleared and it was just as it always had been. Her family was still right there surrounding her with love and support and she felt like regardless of Justin or anything else that might try to bring her down. Everything would be okay for her and her baby.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Sitting in her office, Kiki was busy getting the fall group fitness schedule organized when her cell phone started ringing. “Hello.”
“Hey Kiki its Joey.”
“Oh hey, what’s up?”
“Well I was wondering if you could call Tami. I called your mom and she's in an appointment with a client so she can't come over right now and I know Maya’s busy with the show coming up, so that makes you the most accessible at the moment.”
On alert and almost in a panic, Kiki quickly asked. “What’s wrong, did something happen to her?”
“She had breakfast with her mom earlier today and of course it didn’t go well, but I think it was really bad this time. Like ‘I have no future plan to talk to you ever again’ bad.”
“Oh shit. What the fuck is wrong with that woman? Why can she just be a decent mother to Tami for once?”
“I know. We talked about it, but I think she needs her family right now.”
“Ok uh give me like 20 minutes and I’ll be right over.”
“What do you mean you’ll be right over? Why aren’t you in Europe?”
Kiki winced remembering he and Tami didn’t know what was going on yet. Well it looked like she would have to give them half of the story, for now at least. Even though she hated keeping things from her best friend, like Joey, Tami would have to wait for the paunch to make an appearance so she could keep the peace. “I dropped out of the second leg. I was just too exhausted to go on.”
“Oh that’s too bad. J must be bummed.”
“Yeah.” Her answer was laced with sarcasm that he luckily missed. Justin was probably living it up overseas, screwing everything that walked. Shaking that disturbing thought off, she turned the conversation back to Tami. “Like I said I’ll be over in a bit.”
“Ok. See you soon.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After ringing the door bell, Kiki didn’t have to wait long before Joey let her in. “Whoa. Nice house.” She said as she took off her sunglasses and looked around the foyer.
“Thanks. I’ll give you a tour later.”
“Great. That’ll be nice after we fix whatever that bitch did this time.” She growled.
“Tell me about it. I knew I shouldn’t have let her go without me.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Débora Ramirez is just a sorry ass excuse of a mother.”
“Thank God Tami has you guys.”
“Yeah and it’s looking like she’s lucky to have you too now.” She nudged him and he smiled shyly. He loved that girl, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. “By the way, very cool of you to activate the family tree. You’re learning how to be Lewis fabulously.”
He smirked cockily. “I do my best.” They both laughed as Joey led her over to the den doors. “She’s in there.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
“Oh and I know you’re too bad ass to get tired and quit. So when you’re done I wanna know why you really dropped out of the tour.” He was quirking an eyebrow at her as if he already knew what had gone down, but she knew Justin wouldn’t dare tell anyone the things that he’d done. He was too image conscious to air his own dirty laundry to anyone.
Keeping her wit in check to hopefully throw Joey off if he was thinking she left for any reason concerning Justin, she quipped, saucily. “Well you said it: I was just too bad ass for them to handle.” Leaving him to his own devices, she entered the room and found Tami curled up on the overstuffed couch watching People’s Court.
“You better not be crying cause the Tami Monté I know doesn’t cry over evil heifas like Débora Ramirez.”
Tami had turned around as soon as she heard Kiki speak and boy was she glad to have her family here. “What are you doing here? What happened to Europe?”
“Oh that doesn’t matter right now.” Kiki plopped down on the couch next to her and pulled her best friend into a hug. “What matters is, are you okay? What happened?”
Tami scoffed and picked up the remote to turn the TV down. “The same thing that always happens only this time she claimed she didn’t need my ‘sorry ass’ anyway so I wouldn’t have to worry about her coming around anymore.” She sneered. “Good. Like I really need her.”
Kiki snorted. That woman had some nerve. She barely did shit to raise Tami and she was cutting her off. What a whack job. “What did you ‘do’ this time?”
“She wanted to borrow money and I said no. I wasn’t going to give her any so she could just waste it in the casino. She’s got a problem and I’m not about to help support it.” Débora had gone from hopping from man to man, to hopping from slot machine to slot machine. She gave so much attention to so many unimportant people and things but, she passed her own daughter by each time. “Then she goes on and on about how she was my mother and she was the one I should be loyal to not that woman who took me away from her.” Both girls rolled their eyes. Despite the fact that if it hadn’t been for Nina and Frederick there was no telling what would have happened to Tami, Débora never liked them. The years of neglect she inflicted on Tami was always everyone’s fault, but hers. It was seriously time to take that broken record off the turn table. “She stormed out after her little tantrum. I say good riddance. She may be the woman who gave birth to me but that’s as far as the connection has ever gone.”
“I’m sorry Tams.” Whether she needed her or not it had to be hard having a parent that always treated you like a second thought. It looked like her baby and their Auntie Tami would have a lot in common in that department.
Tami shrugged. “It’s ok. I was upset at first, but I’m over it now. I can’t stress over her and her endless problems.”
“Well I’m glad you’re not letting her get to you anymore.”
“No. Those days are over with.” She was done worrying herself sick over someone who really didn’t give a damn about her. She had her own life to live. Not to mention, there were other people in her life who truly cared for and loved her. “So subject change “ what the hell are you still doing in LA?”
Kiki laughed uncomfortably. “Oh that’s a story and a half. I’m sure you don’t wanna hear it.”
“Yeah I do actually. You’re drama will take my mind off of mine.”
Kiki looked at her best friend and she knew she couldn’t not tell her. Tami was family, her sister and it didn’t feel right to tell one while keeping the other in the dark. When she told her secrets to Maya, Tami was usually right there to keep them as well. It might put her in the position to have to hide the truth from Joey, but Tami would want to know if she was going through anything major.
“If you’re sure.” Tami nodded, anxious to know what was going on. “I’m pregnant.”
Her eyes widened in shock before she beamed. “Oh my gawh. Oh chica. You’re smiling so I’m guessing this is a good thing?” Kiki nodded excitedly and the two embraced again. “Oh I’m so happy for you. I’m so happy for you and Justin.”
Kiki’s smile fell and with a scoff she corrected her. “Oh no. Just be happy for me, not for him.”
“Uh oh. Why not? What happened?”
“Well….” Once again Kiki told the story as she watched Tami’s face twist into disbelief and anger.
“That fucker. I can’t believe him. It’s one thing to break your heart like that, but he took it to another fucked up level to abandon his own child.”
“What?!”
Both girls whipped their heads to the side to see Joey standing in the doorway. All twined together they could see he was confusion, in disbelief, but mostly angry.
Joey hadn’t been eavesdropping the whole time, but he could only sit in the kitchen trying to distract himself for so long. He was worried about his girl and he wanted to make sure she wasn’t placating him by telling him she was okay when she really wasn’t. He had crept to the sliding den doors that connected the room to the kitchen and opened them a crack. What he heard surprised him. The way Justin had talked about her, he thought his friend was in love with Kiki. He couldn’t believe he had done that to her, but apparent that was just the beginning.
“There’s no way he did that. Justin would never do something that shitty.”
“I have no reason to lie about it Joey.”
Taking a moment to regroup from this shock Joey corrected himself. “I know. I’m not saying you are. I can’t imagine you would lie like that. I just can’t believe he would stoop this low.” Justin was no angel by any means, but Joey always thought he was at least man enough to take responsibility for his actions. He couldn’t imagine what his friend was thinking. “I’m gonna go call him.”
Kiki jumped out of her seat. “No! No. You can’t say anything to him about this.”
“Are you crazy? You’re one of my friends, he’s one of my best friends. I’m not going to sit back while he screws you and himself over like this.”
“I know Joey, but I am asking you to not say anything to him or anyone else for that matter. This is a family secret, you knowing about this baby has included you into our family and you don’t tell family business. You cannot say anything about this baby. Please Joey.”
“Joey.” Tami implored from the sideline. The least he could do was stay quiet for her.
Looking at both girls who wore pleading eyes, Kiki’s bordering on desperate, there was no way he couldn’t do what they were asking him to. “Alright.” He conceded. “I won’t say anything to him….But don’t expect me to be nice if I see that little shit in public.”
Kiki smiled and gave him a hug while Tami walked over to give him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you Joey.”
“Sure.” As hard as it would be to stay quiet, he was a sucker for making two beautiful women happy. Looking at Kiki, he gently poked her in the stomach. “I’m cooking lunch. How about you and the booger join us and then I’ll take you on that tour?”
“Pregnant or not I never turn down food.”
He chuckled. “Alright both of you come on then. It’s almost done.”
Walking behind him, Kiki and Tami linked arms. “Nice catch Miss Monté. He cooks and it looks like he’s got a little junk in the trunk.”
“He most certainly does.”
“Hey!” Joey chastened them and the two broke out in giggles.
