february 11th, 2024
3:41 pm
"FIREFLY! FIREFLY!" Ayoluwa exclaimed.
She was in the backyard of her brownstone with her new puppy, wearing her usual heavy long black coat.
Firefly was running around the average sized grassy area, avoiding Ayoluwa and the new periwinkle collar, etched with the name of her pet on the front, that she was holding in her left hand.
"Come on, Firefly!," Ayoluwa let out a sharp whistle that finally made the dog stop in her tracks.
Ayoluwa patted her thigh like the reruns of Cesar Milan had taught her to and Firefly walked over to her.
"Yes," Ayoluwa hissed as she slid the blue collar around the neck of her pet.
The doorbell ringing sounded from the other side of the house and caused Firefly to start barking.
Ayoluwa gently scooped the puppy into her arms and then went to open the door.
When she saw who was standing on the porch, she let out a shriek of happiness.
Imani was standing on the stoop, a smile on her face, "Ayo!"
"Mani! Oh my god, come in!" Ayoluwa grinned then stepped aside to let her sister into the house, "What are you doing here?"
"My job has a conference in Newark this week. I was too close not to come and see you!" Imani fixed her eyes on Firefly, "Well, what's his name?"
"Her and this is Firefly," Ayoluwa let the dog loose onto the ground.
"This place is nice," Imani commented as she walked further in, peering around at the furnished living room and kitchen before opening the stainless silver refrigerator, "What do you have to-?"
Imani frowned and pulled out some leftover boneless wings, "I thought you were still on your vegan kick?"
"I kinda am, but I was really, really, really craving some hot wings so I got them from the bodega a few blocks down. I was about to walk Firefly down there now so I can get mozzarella sticks. And maybe a bacon, egg and cheese because I still haven't one." Ayoluwa said as she hooked the glittery matching periwinkle leash harness onto the animal.
Imani gave her a look then shook her head, "You don't do por-. Okay. I wanna come, I've never been to New York before."
Ayoluwa locked her front door and then sisters locked arms before making it down the stairs onto the quiet Brooklyn street.
"For the city that never sleeps..." Imani trailed off, looking around at the nearly empty street.
Ayoluwa laughed, her eyes on the dog strutting before the two sisters, "You're thinking of Manhattan. Every other borough isn't like that."
Imani tucked her bottom lip as the two turned the corner, "Are you okay? I know the last time we spoke a couple of days ago, you said you were feeling nauseous from food poisoning."
"Yeah, it goes away more and more."
"And the breakup?"
Ayoluwa sighed, "I mean... I'm not gonna lie. It's been hard. I was... I am really in love with him, still but I can't let that make me stay in the toxic situation I was in."
Imani wrapped one arm around Ayoluwa's shoulders and squeezed, "I'm proud of you little sis. You deserve everything you have right now."
"Remember when we hated each other?" Ayoluwa giggled as they approached the local bodega on the corner.
"I was a big bitch back then, huh?"
Ayoluwa opened the door to the bodega, "I can't go in with her so can you... Oh."
A sharp wave of mixed dizziness and nausea overcame her.
"'Oh.' Are you okay?" Imani asked, her face full of concern.
Ayoluwa gripped her sister's shoulder, "I don't..."
The dizziness hit harder this time and Ayoluwa went down, only having conscious long enough to hear Imani exclaim, "Ayo!" and Firefly's almost as loud yelp.
When Ayoluwa woke up, she stared at some bright, white, fluorescent lights.
"Ugh," Ayoluwa rose from the hospital bed.
"Not too fast," Imani's voice sounded on the side of the bed.
Ayoluwa rubbed her eye, "What happened? Where's Firefly?"
Imani approached the bed, "You fainted and I called Gloria. She has her."
"Oh," Ayoluwa responded.
"Oh good, you're up." An Indian woman with her long, wavy, black hair braided, came into the hospital room, "How are you, Miss Palmer?"
"Uh," Ayoluwa could faintly hear a crowd outside the closed hospital door, "Who saw me faint?"
"A couple of people. One of them must've tweeted or something because some fans have been outside the entire time we've been here." Imani replied.
"Oh, shit. That's the last thing I need. I can see it now, 'AP faints on dirty street'. Speaking of," Ayoluwa turned to the doctor who was examining a clipboard, "Why did I faint?"
The doctor continued to check the clipboard, "Oh, I see," She muttered than looked up at Ayoluwa and Imani, "You're pregnant."
Ayoluwa and Imani burst out laughing at the statement, clutching at each other to keep their center of gravity.
"You think...? You think that Ayo is...? Jah in heaven!" Imani cackled.
"Ooh. Ooh, shit. Nice one doctor. That's really funny, but what's the real reason?" Ayoluwa giggled.
"That is the real reason," The doctor blinked, "You're about to be three months in a couple of weeks."
"That isn't right. It can't be right!" Ayoluwa replied, then turned to her sister, "Right?"
Imani's face had turned pale, "I mean... You have been feeling nauseous and all the junk food you've been craving... I don't know, Ayo."
"It's not right." Ayoluwa repeated.
"I assure you that it is right. We can test again for more proof." The doctor replied in a casual tone.
"Then test again."
The doctor sighed as she filled a plastic cup full of water from the sink and gave it to Ayoluwa, "Drink all of this so we can test your urine."
Ayoluwa chugged the water, waited ten minutes for it to pass through her system, peed in a new cup in the bathroom and then bought it back to the doctor.
She fished a test strip from the pockets of her lab coat, "Pink is for pregnant."
The doctor dipped the strip into the cup and to Ayoluwa's horror, the end turned a bright pink.
Ayoluwa dropped her mouth open in a gape, "I don't.. I..."
"I'll leave you two alone." The doctor said in a quiet tone, before letting herself out.
"What am I gonna do? Me and Josh just broke up, my career is the best it's ever been, I don't have time for a baby, right now Imani!" Ayoluwa could feel her eyes tear up with fear.
"What am I gonna do?" Ayoluwa cried into her sister's shirt while Imani comfortingly brushed her hands over Ayoluwa's locs.
NOTE FROM KY
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