Chapter 11
“I think it would be a good idea if you spent this period with my sister in Atlanta,” said Rosemary in a solemn tone. “You know she is a midwife and she recently earned her doula certification, so she is in the perfect position to help you through this phase. Plus, your cousins stay at home and I’m sure that they’ll be happy to render any help you might need throughout your stay with them. And then there’s her darling husband too, who is ever ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. It’s the perfect place to bring a baby into the world.”
“Wait, are you sending her away?” Rob asked incredulously.
“No!” Rosemary replied vehemently. “This is for her own good. Do you expect her to keep living alone during this period? You are over there in your apartment with your boyfriend doing your thing, I’m over here with my job at the school and my weekly church meetings, between the both of us, we are way too busy and too invested in our personal lives to provide Rachel with the care and attention that she and the baby need at this time. Don’t you get it?”
“Mom, is right,” said Rachel, surprising everybody. Her mother had expected an argument from her but here she was agreeing to the suggestion without putting up a fight.
“She’s right, Rob,” Rachel said to her brother who was still staring at her as if she had sprouted a second head. “I can’t do this on my own, I’m not superwoman. I’ve never been pregnant before and already, the whole thing is already kicking my ass and I’m not even halfway through yet. I need all the help and support that I can get, and I’m sure Aunt Reese and her family would be more than happy to give me just that.”
“So, you’re just going to uproot your life here in New York and fly to Atlanta, just like that? What about your dance classes with the kids? What about your content creation for YouTube? You know that’s your main source of income right now, don’t you? Are you going to give all of that up just because you’re pregnant?”
“I understand what you’re saying, Rob, and believe me when I tell you that I don’t have it all figured out yet. I’m just going to take this new phase of my life one day at a time.”
“Don’t listen to Mom. I’ll take care of you here. Taylor and I will take turns cleaning your apartment, getting you groceries, taking you to the hospital for your appointments, and doing whatever you need. You don’t have to go all the way to Atlanta, Rachel. That’s not necessary.”
Rachel held Rob’s hands and squeezed them gently in a gesture of reassurance. “I am not deserting you, Rob. You know you can always visit me whenever you want, but I need to do this. Mom is right this time. I have to go to Atlanta.”
Rob clenched his jaw to prevent his lips from quivering. He wished his little sister didn’t have to go away from him but he was sad to admit that the decision was not his to make.
********
*One year later…*
Derek stretched his long legs and reclined in his seat as his private jet gunned through the clouds, on its way back to the United States. He’d spent the last four days in Santorini, Greece, celebrating his 32nd birthday with his friends and a bunch of exotic girls. It was supposed to be a seven-day holiday, but by the third day which was the day after his birthday, he had begun to grow restless. He missed his job and just eating, drinking, and having sex with random girls was beginning to bore him.
His friends had begged him to complete the one-week holiday with them, but he had refused. One more day of playing would totally drive him crazy and he couldn’t stand it anymore. The entire holiday and the trip back home had all been paid for, so he told his friends to have fun on his behalf while he returned to his base to regain his sanity.
Now on his way back home, he felt relieved and excited at the same time. There was a small tech start-up that was pitching for seed funding from his company and he had promised to review their portfolio before his trip but he never got around to doing that. He picked up his iPad from the table in front of him and powered it on.
Diane had informed him that the startup had an introductory video on their YouTube channel which he could watch to give him some perspective about the company.
Derek searched for the channel name on his YouTube app and it popped up immediately. The two-minute video gave him firsthand insight into what the business was about and he was now more than ever before eager to get them on board. As he was about to leave the app, a video suggestion caught his eye and when he took a closer look, his breath seemed to cease. He was staring at a picture of Rachel, her face looking radiant like sunshine. Without the slightest hesitation, he clicked on the video and it began to play.
“Hi, guys. Welcome back to my channel! Today, I will be reviewing my latest Amazon haul with the help of my little partner here, Zoe.”
The camera panned to the left to show a giggling toddler. When she looked at the camera, Derek’s heart froze. It was as if he was looking at a miniature version of himself and his jaw dropped. The little girl in the video had shoulder-length blond curls and her bright blue eyes dazzled with delight as she grinned at the camera and waved one small hand. Rachel’s face filled the screen again and she was soliciting likes and subscriptions from her viewers as was the norm for YouTubers, then a brief montage played before the main video began playing.
Derek was so transfixed by the sight of her and the child, that he barely heard anything she was saying. Everything around him seemed to fade as he kept his eyes glued to the iPad screen, drinking in the sight of his one-time lover and the child they had created that night. There was no doubt in his heart that this little girl he was watching in this video was his daughter – she was his spitting image! It was as if his features were copied and pasted on the child.
When the video ended, he searched for Rachel’s channel and began to binge-watch all of her previous videos. There were tons of videos on her channel and some of the most recent ones featured his child.
“Zoe,” he said softly, liking the sound of it. “Zoe Fraser.”
Oh my God! He thought in a moment of panic. I am a father!
The thought scared him and excited him in equal measure. This was one thing he had thought he would never be – a father. What was he going to do about it now?
How would he approach Rachel to claim his child? How was he even going to face her after how he insulted her the day she showed up at his office to break the news of her pregnancy to him? Would she ever forgive him for treating her that way?
He picked up his mobile phone and dialed his best friend’s number. “I’m in trouble, Jonah,” he said as soon as his friend answered the call. “I messed up big time.”
“Wait, slow down. What are you talking about?” Jonah asked, sounding confused. “Has something happened at the hotel?”
“No, I’m no longer in Santorini. I’m on my way back home.”
“Why?”
“Why not? Look, that’s not why I called. I’m in some deep shit, man. I don’t even know what to do right now.”
“All right, take a deep breath and start from the beginning,” said Jonah, calmly. “What happened?”
“So, I was on YouTube checking out a video by a new business prospect when I came across Rachel’s channel.”
“Who’s Rachel?”
“The lady I met at The Black Hat last year.”
“Which one?”
Derek groaned. He knew his friend wasn’t trying to be shady because he indeed had a habit of picking up ladies at his favorite night spots when he felt like it, so he would have to narrow down the description to jug Jonah’s memory.
“The one that showed up at my office to tell me that she was pregnant.”
“Oh, that one. What about her? Did she contact you again?”
“No, I haven’t heard from her since that day but I have just come across her YouTube channel today.”
“And?”
“And she has a child. She wasn’t lying, Jonah. She was truly pregnant.”
“Oh, wow. Is she still pregnant? Shouldn’t she have had the baby by now?”
“She has, and it’s mine.”