A Special Summer(51)

For the first time in days Summer slept peaceful. Her decision to purge Nick from her heart and her soul was finally freeing her.

After waking up from her nap Summer called her mother. Four days had gone by since she’d spoken to her. If she had called any sooner, her mother would’ve sensed something was amiss. Nita had an internal honing device, which alerted her when the tiniest thing was out of sync with her daughter. The last thing Summer wanted was for her mother to notice her troubled spirit.

“Hi mommy, how are you?”

“Hi baby, I’m doing fine, how ‘bout you? Have you had any more contractions?”

“I’m doing well, mommy.” Summer lied. “And no, I haven’t had any more contractions.”

“You call me the minute you go into labor so your daddy and I can get to you as fast as we can.” Her mother wanted to tell her she didn’t know why she hadn’t let her come take care of her instead of staying with that despicable man. Nita didn’t want to upset Summer, so she held her peace…this time.

“You know I will mommy,” Summer assured her mother.

“Mmm, I sure hope my first grandbaby wait until next week sometime. The weatherman said we’re going to get a heavy snowstorm in the next day or two like the one y’all had last month.”

Talking with her mother lifted Summer’s spirits. She’d felt better than she had in days. Lately her mother expressed so much excitement about the prospect of becoming a grandmother. Summer felt horrible in the beginning of her pregnancy. She had let her parents down; she heard it in their voices every time she talked to them.

After four months of being pregnant, she finally got up the courage to tell her parents. They didn’t hide the fact she had disappointed them. Her mother flat out told her that nothing good ever came from a younger woman dating an older man. “The only thing the old fool would want with a girl twelve years younger than him is to manipulate and use her.” Her father said he had expected better from his daughter. “I raised you to know better than to come home unmarried and in family way. Princess, what were you thinking? If you were gonna mess around you should’ve been more careful.”

Summer was devastated to say the least by her parents’ reaction. It was as if she hadn’t done anything right her entire life. The one time she screwed up they hadn’t been shy about letting her know it.

However, as the months went by her parents came around and were thrilled they were going to be first time grandparents.

“Oh, really? Well, I hope this little bumpkin holds out too. But I don’t know mommy, at my appointment last week the baby had dropped into the birthing position.”

“Chile that means you can go anytime. Just try to hold out for mommy, okay?”

Summer laughed. “Mommy, you are a trip. When this baby decides to come I won’t be able to do anything to stop it.”

“You’re right about that baby. My water broke with you while I was in the meat department at the supermarket. You should’ve seen your daddy fussing at me. Talkin’ ‘bout, ‘I told you Nita to keep your hardheaded behind home. If you have my baby in this supermarket …’ Baby your daddy made me so mad at me. But you know I wasn’t having him talk to me like that. I said, ‘What James? What are you going to do? Nothing! Now shut up and get me to the hospital!’ We argued the whole time on the way to the hospital.” Summer’s mother chuckled as she remembered that afternoon some twenty-six years ago.

Summer laughed at her mother. They’ve always fussed, even before I was born. It’s a wonder they haven’t killed each other yet. “Well, thank goodness that won’t be happening to me.”

Mother and daughter talked several more minutes enjoying each other before the call was ended.

“Mommy, I’m gonna go now. I just wanted to check in with you. Tell daddy I asked for him and that I love him. And I love you, too.”

“I love you too, baby.”

♥♥♥

Summer called out, “Come in,” to the knock at the door.

Joan peeked her head in the door. “I was just coming to see if you want to venture out into the dining room for dinner tonight?” “Yes! I’m tired of lying in this bed.”

“Come on precious let me help you get up.” Assisting Summer to a sitting position, Joan took Summer by the hand. Hand in hand, they walked to the dining room.

For a split second Joan envied Summer’s mother. This is how she imagined it would’ve been if she had a daughter. Summer touched her heart earlier in the day when she referred to her as a mother figure. For so many years Joan loathed herself for having that botched abortion when she was barley twenty years old leaving her barren.