Never the Black Girl

Chapter 33

            Lionel pulled up wildly in front of the Safeway, snatching the keys out of the ignition and rushing into the store. He fast walked through the aisles, looking at the directory above each one until he found the one labeled, “Feminine Care and Pregnancy Tests”. He started into the aisle and stopped in front of the lot of tests, all labeled with different names, promises, and pictures.

“Which one am I supposed to get??” He whispered under his breath, reading each one.

“What does it matter, they all mean the same thing! The END of our manhood, and the start of our slavery!” A man next to him said. He seemed to be searching for pregnancy tests also.

“Excuse me?” Lionel asked, confused. When did this man get here? Lionel was sure he had been in this aisle alone.

“You know what comes next! You’ll have to get a steady job and work like a dog to keep the money coming in. Then, when you get home from work, thoroughly exhausted, the wife will ask you to change the baby or feed the baby or watch the baby. When you don’t do those things, a fight begins! She says she’s tired too and that you’re not the only one that works around here.. Then, the next thing you know, you’re sleeping on the couch. By the way, this is an EVERYDAY thing! EVERYTIME you come home, she’ll be in a mood. EVERYTIME you want to have sex, she’ll be too tired. EVERYTIME you want to do ANYTHING that would be REMOTELY fun, she’ll have SOMETHING to say about it. Just you wait.” The man spat bitterly, shaking his head. “Trust me, this is my 3rd kid.”

Lionel gulped quietly, looking at the man in shocking disbelief. He couldn’t see Tabitha acting that way, but what if the man was right? What if all women, no matter how sweet, became that way when a baby came into the picture? “S-so which one do you recommend?” Lionel stuttered, looking over at the man.

“Well, for right now, I’d say those ones,” He said, pointing to the One Step Pregnancy Tests. “But for the future, I recommend this.” The man said, pointing to the Trojan Condoms. “Try to have some sense.”

Lionel laughed nervously, grabbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, thanks.” He said, picking up 3 tests and walking to the checkout counter. He couldn’t imagine the shame he would have to endure if he walked into a regular checkout line, so he found a desolate self-checkout to quietly ring up the tests and escape. Just as he was about to click Finish and Pay, a familiar voice filled the air.

“HEEY, LIII!!” A girl from his school called, running up to him. “Who would have thought I’d see youuu hereee!!”

“H-hey, Brittany.” Lionel said quietly, grabbing the 3 tests and shoving them into a paper bag. He rolled it up and gripped it tightly, hoping it wouldn’t become an object of discussion.

“What are you doing here, silly!” She cooed.

“Oh, you know, just shopping…” He said, hoping this was the end of that topic.

“Well you know, I MUST know what the infamous Lionel is doing in Safeway! What did you come here to buy?” She said, curling her long blonde locks with her finger and swaying from side to side.

“P-Pr-Prego,” He shouted, chuckling nervously. “I love how it tastes with my pasta! The PERFECT spaghetti maker!” He said kissing his fingers like Chef Boyarde for special effect.

“I gotta see what type you got! I looovveee Prego!” She said, snatching his bag away from him quicker than lightning. She opened it with a smile on her face, but that smile slowly disappeared when she realized that the contents in the bag meant the end of Lionel’s jock days.

“O-oh, I-I’m sorry Lionel! I-I’m sure you’ll make a great dad! T-too bad the football team will miss you, so will all the other teams you were on…” She said, feeling awkward. “Hey, but look I’m gonna go! I’ll see you around schoo- Or maybe not…Bye..” She said, walking away quickly.

Lionel sighed deeply and walked out of the store, utterly frustrated and confused.

Back in the aisles, the man that was talking to Lionel, suddenly turned into Amber, who smiled maniacally. “Oh are theeey in for it!” She said, cackling.

“HEY, ma’am! Keep it the fuck down.” A store employee said, walking through the doors to the back of the store as he rolled his eyes.

Amber apologized quietly and finished her laugh in a mini-version.

When Lionel got home, he rushed into the house and up the stairs. He unwrapped one of the tests and handed it to Tabitha. “Wait, how the hell do you take those?!” He said, fumbling for the box, so he could read the directions.

“Babe, all you have to do is pee on the stick. Just check to see what means pregnant and what doesn’t.” She said, walking into the bathroom.

Lionel checked warily. “A plus sign means yes, negative sign means no. So, it’s pretty self-explanatory.” He said, chucking the box into the trash.

Tabitha walked slowly out of the bathroom. “Are you ready to find out?”

“I-i guess I am..as ready as I’ll ever be about this.” He said, slowly.

Tabitha sat on the bed and Lionel sat next to her. They sat in silence until a faint plus mark appeared on the test. Tabitha choked back tears. “W-we’re pregnant.” She said, looking at it unbelievably.

“Well, the line is faint. I bought 3 just in case! We can take it ag-“

“Babe, you know it will just say the same thing. But, don’t worry. Everything will be okay, we’ll be great parents.” She said, squeezing his hand.

“Y-yeah, I’m sure we will be.” He said, gulping like he did back at the store. As he gulped, all the things the people around him were saying was coming back to him.

Nothing will EVER be the same

O-oh. Well, the football team will surely miss you.

Everything really would change, and Lionel wasn’t sure he was ready for all that.

“I’m going to go downstairs and give Aaron the tests.” He said, standing up and fast walking down the stairs.

“So, what’s the news, bro?” Aaron asked, smiling at him.

“Well, you’ll make a great uncle..” Lionel said, smiling weakly. He looked a little sick, all the color had drained from his face.

“Hey, dude. You doing okay?” Aaron asked, placing a worried hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Lionel said, shaking his head quickly. “I just need to go out and clear my head. Will you tell Tabitha I went out for a bit?”

“Yeah, no problem! Hope everything’s okay, bro.” Aaron said, opening the door and smiling hopefully at him.

Lionel smiled back, hoping to comfort his brother, and walked out of the door and towards the car. When he got into the car, he placed his head on the wheel and thought.

Just a quick update~

I wanted to get one out before tomorrow, so I didn’t forget.

I’ve heard that some people can’t read Chapter 32!! Well, this cant be good at all L! If you all refresh the app you’re using or the page youre browsing on, or maybe the phone or device you’re using, it should work. If you don’t see it then, you need to look at Wattpad’s help section. I hope everyone is able to read this update and the last! ENJOY, and don’t forget to check out Hocus Pocus. I only have 1 chapter up for now, so please vote. Your votes let me know you’re reading, and let me know I’ve got updating to do! So do your comments, so please do those things!! Thanks so much for ALL the support!! I didn’t think anyone would be interested in my dumb story, but I was proven wrong!! Thanks to you all, I am truly thankful.

 

BYYYEE!!