Just sprinkling a little miscarriage as Susie said.... lmao . NOTE: In the prologue i wrote 3 & a half years ago that's because i didn't want to put 3 years and nine/ten months ago or 'almost 4 years later', okay? but i found a better way to format it so ima go change it.
***
JULY - 2 YEARS AGO -
"Michael get your damn hands off me!" I yelled at him, swatting in his direction aiming for his face do he'd see just how serious I was, but he dodged and laughed at me.
"Michael stop irritating her, will you now?!" Katherine came to my rescue and I squirmed in my bed trying to release some of the pressure and also distract myself from the pain. "She is in no mood to be touched and honestly I don't blame her. So let her be."
"Listen, mother, I'm just tryna help her, okay?" He took a few steps in my direction, but I glared at him daring him to take step closer.
Right as I was about to chastise him another contraction shocked both my body and brain. I cried out in pain as some tears managed to make their way down my face and then I saw his large hands coming for my stomach again and I lost all cool.
"Michael if you touch me I promise I will fuck you up! Now move!" His hands that were coming to massage on my belly snatched back with a quickness and he looked at me in disbelief.
Katherine and my mother who sat by side didn't look fazed. Instead they looked at Michael in a told-you-so manner then went back to talking about something in a magazine that Katherine was looking at.
A few minutes later the door opened and in walked one of the nurses who had been caring for me since I went into labor.
"How are you doing so far mom-to-be?"
"I'm dying. I give up. Just give me the epidural."
"Semaj," Michael interrupted causing me to clench my jaw. "You said you ain't..."
"I know what I said," I gritted, gripping onto the rail of the bed, digging my face into my arms as another contraction claimed my body. I tried to breath through it wanting so badly to kick or hit something.
I repeated myself, lifting my head to look back at him. "I know what I said then. And I know what I'm saying now. So listen to me when I tell them to give me the epidural!"
Michael's eyebrow cocked and he looked over at the nurse. "How soon can we give her this fuc--" he looked over at our mother's who looked up at him. "Freaking epidural?"
The nurse smiled as she came over to check everything. "She has to be still for fifteen minutes. You hear me Semaj? Fifteen minutes sweetheart then we can administer the epidural."
"Fifteen minutes?" I cried, throwing my head back. "Michael..." I reached out for him but he kissed his teeth.
"Now you want me to touch you?"
My jaw clenched and I glared at him with so much hate that I wanted to cry afterwards because I felt bad. He shook his head and came over, climbing in the bed with me.
"I'll come back in about ten minutes and if you still want the epidural then we can try for the fifteen minutes okay?" The nurse said but I had smooshed my face into Michael's shirt.
I nodded my head into Michael's chest as his hands tried its best to massage my back. It would do good until another contraction ripped through my body sending me into a heaving, crying, hot mess.
"Doing good Mama," he coached me in my ear not annoying me this time. "You got this."
1 YEAR LATER (After the flashback)
Semaj's POV
I couldn't believe that I almost missed Michael's call and the fact that my phone was on 4% and I was on the opposite side of campus made it worse. Today was the day I wish I had driven, but since I didn't I was dashing across the yard, through the valley, upstairs and occasionally down some. Finally, I was back on the West Campus where the upperclassmen (everyone except freshman) were housed.
Out of breath, tired, and desperately in need to get my phone connected to it's charger I jogged up the steps to the third floor where my quad was. I roomed with three other girls where we shared two bathrooms, two sinks, and a common room that included a small kitchen.
I pushed open the door and the girls were all sprawled out in the living room watching the television.
"Hi, bye!" I waved quickly, ducking off into my room. I plugged up my phone and turned on my ringer with a few minutes to spare until five o'clock hit. I shed my book bag, jacket, and was just kicking my shoes off when the Michael's FaceTime call came through.
"Hey," I smiled once sliding it over, "give me one second."
He smiled, nodding through the screen and I dug into my bag for my wireless studio headphones. Once they were turned on and on my head I propped my phone up so I wouldn't have to hold it while talking to Michael. It was like clockwork when it came to us.
Every day at 5 o'clock we would talk. Bad day, good day, angry, annoyed... even if it was with each other we still made sure we talked on the phone. Since we didn't get to see each other as often as we wanted we made FaceTime calls less of an option and more of a priority.
"I got somethin'..." Michael said and I realized he was still in his office, reaching onto his desk. He pulled an envelope into view and waved it in front of the camera. "A lil' somethin in the mail."
I squinted. "What is it?"
"A camera light ticket..."
"Another one?!" I exclaimed, obviously annoyed with myself.
He laughed and leaned forward on his desk for he too had his phone propped up. "Same damn light Semaj. This lil $85 is startin' to add up."
"Well I'm not doing it on purpose," I said truthfully. "It's an accident, really. It's just the hellcat purrs so nicely I just..."
He was still laughing, but now he was shaking his head. "Semaj, lift your damn foot."
"You sound like somebodies father," I rolled my eyes and his eyebrow cocked, but before he could say anything smart my door opened and one of my roommates, Shelby, stood there.
I pulled one of the earphones behind my ear. "What's up?"
"The girls and I are going to go out to eat tonight. Olive Garden maybe? We haven't decided and wanted to know if you were in?"
"Um..." I bit down on my lip and glanced at Michael on the screen. "Sure. What time?"
"In like an hour... or two?"
"Okay," Shelby started to leave but stopped when I asked her, "I guess I'm driving?"
"Do you wanna be seen on campus in my old ford?" She laughed, shutting my door as she backed completely up. I shook my head and turned my attention back to Michael, putting the earphone back on.
I put my hands up at the look on his face. "I promise to drive the speed limit... try to drive the speed limit."
"Semaj I seriously ain't tryna get a call from somebody tellin' me my wife wrapped her car around a damn pole. Slow it down," he demanded his demeanor no longer playful.
I saluted him as I replied, "sir yes sir."
It was quiet for a few seconds before Michael sighed his eyes never leaving his phone screen. I smiled and shook my head. "School is great, the car is fine, I am fine, and I have money in my account. Did I get everything on the checklist?"
"How much is in your account?"
"I don't know... a little over two thousand and no Michael I don't need more. At least not right now."
"I'm just trying to make sure you good 'Maj. That's it."
"I'm fine. I'll be happier when I see you tomorrow evening. We haven't seen each other since when? The beginning of September? And it's almost Halloween, Michael."
I leaned my back against my unnecessary amount of pillows and he laughed as if it was funny, but when I grabbed my phone and brought it closer to my face to show him how unfunny I was being he stopped.
During my first semester time got away from us so we only saw one another once a month until our wedding in December. So it was my second semester that we noticed us flying back and forth to one another was both too time consuming and expensive and it only became more of a hassle when Michael started flying back and forth to California where Joseph's company headquarters were.
Even with being pregnant the second half of my sophomore year Michael and I didn't see each other like we wanted (every week) but we did a hell of a lot better than once a month, but after everything that happened with Summer I dug deeper into my school work and Michael was practically running Joseph's company.
That forced us to resort to long, very long, FaceTime calls and drop in visits when I didn't have a break coming up to try and mourn what we lost and patch up the scars that we had from it.
But now that I was in my Senior year of college with a light credit load things were becoming much easier and I felt the strain that our distance put on our relationship slowly lift as my college years were coming to an end. It was a bittersweet moment, but I had fulfilled my destiny for college and before I found myself working in someones company I wanted to travel and enjoy myself as a wife as I didn't really get that chance.
"I know I was 'posed to come this weekend but..."
That 'but' made my heart drop to my stomach. "Michael don't do this to me," I pleaded, "please."
"Maj I'm sorry I really am. But I gotta fly to Cali."
"Michael we had this conversation when..."
He nodded and quickly said, "I know. I know. Semaj I'm tryna make more time. I am, but you gotta be patient with me."
"Patient? I've been patient for almost three years. Those people in California have seen you more than your own wife has. And I miss you. And I deserve more than a quick fly in a kiss-fuck-and half ass goodbye."
He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Is this what this convo finna turn into? You gettin' angry at me for shit that's outta my control?"
I nodded. "Everything's out of your control. Isn't it?"
Michael cussed under his breath and part of me felt bad because I knew how hard he was working. With Joseph's condition worsening and him and Katherine away trying to live the best life they could together with the time they had left it left Michael with a company to run. And even though at first he lacked experience he rose to the occasion and took over and he was doing a damn good job at it. But in the process of securing our financial future and making his mother and father happy he was neglecting his wife.
I know he knew that I felt a little hurt about it which is why he tried to make sure I was good with expensive things, but Michael knew me. And he knew that materialistic things didn't mean a thing to me.
"Is it because of Summer?" I questioned and Michael unshielded his eyes.
"What? Semaj I told you then and I mean it now I do not blame you for Summer. Okay?"
The line between us was quiet for a few seconds but then I nodded my head. Always felt myself throwing that in there to make sure he didn't blame me for our baby girls death. To make sure he wasn't slowly pulling himself away from me like I thought for so many months after she died.
"We will see each other soon, a'ight? I promise."
I sighed and nodded my head. "I'm going to hold you to that."
He smiled, "you do that."
Michael and I talked all the way up until I was getting ready to leave. So that was through me picking up my room, taking a shower, and getting dressed to go out to dinner. I didn't wear anything spectacular just jeans and a nice shirt. And since my hair was short, not even touching my shoulders anymore, I didn't have to worry about doing something to that.
"Damn!" My other roommate, Sierra, said coming out of her room, draping her purse over her shoulder. "You still on the phone?!"
"Why are you acting like this is something new SiSi?" I asked, sitting on the couch with my headphones on, my phone plugged into the wall, and Michael on the screen. "It's been this way since I've known you."
Shelby had been my freshman year roommate and since we clicked we stayed together. I didn't meet Sierra until a couple months into my sophomore year, but her and Shelby knew each other since they were from the same city and had went to the same high school. And my last roommate, Alicia, and I met in a math class freshman year. We all just stuck around each other forming friendships that we'd always say would last a lifetime. The only thing that annoyed them with me was the fact that they'd never met Michael even Shelby.
"Seriously 'Maj when are we going to meet the guy? First you come to college all married and stuff which is cool, then you get pregnant and I'm rootin for you, then you have beautiful-beautiful baby girl, but not once do I ever see your husband."
By then Shelby and Alicia had come out of their rooms listening to SiSi going on and on. "I'm starting to thing he's ugly and she don't want us to judge her for getting trapped by a man that's hideous."
"Sorry, but I agree with SiSi," Alicia said jumping in. "We've never met this man 'Maj. Even when you were pregnant."
"Well if you think about it you all were a-wall last school year. Shelby did a co-op, Alicia you went abroad one semester then did a co-op the next, and SiSi you were having problems with Fox so you were barely around. Michael was here spring semester of sophomore year and the beginning of junior year... you guys weren't."
Alicia put her hands on her hips, but Shelby was the one to talk. "Okay, what about freshman and fall of sophomore year? Every time he flew in y'all were at hotels. What y'all don't want us to hear what y'all be talking about? We don't eavesdrop."
Michael laughed in my ear. He'd been cracking up the entire time. "It ain't got shit to do with what we be talkin' about it. If they knew how fuckin loud you were they'd be thankin' me for gettin a hotel room."
I snarled at Michael. "Shut up."
Shelby's brows rose and I quickly shook my head, "not you Shelby. I'm talking to my husband who is sounding like a freaking hyena in my ear right now!" I'd turned my attention back to my phone screen to Michael who was cracking up.
"You're just mad mysterious girl," SiSi chuckled, shaking her head. "You come in here married which is cool I've heard it done before. But first you were driving a Mercedes, now you got a hellcat, and let's not start on the big ass rock on your ring finger..."
"Your man doesn't deal does he?" Alicia asked, cocking her head to the side. "I messed with a guy who dabbled in drugs before... too much of a hassle."
I stood up from the couch, unplugging my phone before I did. "Michael isn't a drug dealer..." I started and then stopped to add on (with Michael simultaneously) "anymore."
***
I didn't have class on Friday so after dinner I looked forward to my three day weekend, but now that Michael wasn't going to be visiting I had three days to do absolutely nothing and I was bored already thinking about it. I caught up on some studying, but when eleven rolled around i called it a night.
I turned on my TV after changing into my pajamas and FaceTime'd Michael one last time. He was up in his room packing for his trip. I tried not to pout though it wouldn't matter anyway because my back was to the TV and my room was dark.
"All night or just until you fall asleep?" He asked as he folded a shirt.
I nuzzled my face into my pillow with my hands underneath it as my phone was propped up against the wall. "Until I fall asleep."
Michael nodded and I smiled at him. "Summer looked just like you."
"She did," he agreed. "But that mouth was all you."
"No way. She was all daddy. Nothing of me. Such a traitor that little girl. I carried her for almost nine months and she came out looking like you.
Michael had stopped his folding to smile at me through the phone. But he didn't say anything and neither did I. This was how all of our nights ended. Reminiscing about the three days we had with our daughter before she was taken from this world. At first it was sad, but now we found some positivity in it. It was better having a little time with her than none at all.
I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up Michael was no longer on the phone and the sun was slowly rising, daylight coming through the blinds. When I checked the clock it was only a little after seven so I went back to sleep for a couple more hours before finally getting up a little before ten.
Michael had texted me good morning, so I responded the same and then asked him did he make it to California safely. I heard the girls outside my bedroom door laughing as pot and pans clanked together and decided to go and take a shower. Since I had nothing better to do then I was going to see if anyone wanted to go to the mall with me to just pass the time.
I walked out of room to join the girls in the kitchen. SiSi was standing over a pan of hot eggs scrambling them while a pan of sizzling bacon cooked next to her. I grabbed a cup from the cabinet and then the orange juice out of the refrigerator.
"Okay, so is he like a secret government agent?" SiSi asked, turning to me.
I poured my orange juice slowly, filling the glass half-way. "Is who a secret government agent?"
She reached over and tapped my ring. "Your husband."
"He is not. He runs a construction company..."
"A construction company?" Alicia asked dryly, blowing on the wet nails she'd just painted at the counter.
"He's the acting CEO right now. Soon, he'll own it completely."
"But owning a construction company... like you'd have to be doing major building constructions to get this type of bank," SiSi grabbed my hand lifting it up.
I put my glass up to my lips and mumbled, "it's Jackson-BDC."
"Did she just... this girl just say Jackson-BDC?"
I knew that Shelby would know what it was considering she was an architect major, but the others didn't know so of course Alicia asked. "What's J-BDC?"
"Jackson- BDC is what they call Jackson Blueprint Designs and Construction. In your world it's nothing. In my world it's everything. Started by Joseph Jackson almost 35 years ago. Talk about a black man who ended up on the rise turning his business into a multimillion dollar one. BDC is everywhere. The new library going downtown? They're building that."
Shelby then turned to me and squinted. "You're married to the new CEO?"
I nodded, "mhm."
"If I didn't love you," she said and then sighed. "I'd kill you."
"I don't know about all that construction shit, but what I did hear was that your man is a millionaire. Which makes you a millionaire and that makes me wonder what the hell you're doing in college," SiSi frowned, dumping her eggs from the pan onto a plate.
"I wanted my own degree. That money is not for me to call mine or for me to spend as if I work to help put it there because I don't."
"Explains the Mercedes," Alicia shrugged. "And the ring. And the hellcat."
"The Mercedes was Michael's before we met. When I left for college he gave me the Mercedes and got himself a new car. Then he took his Mercedes back and gave it to his little brother once I got the... the other car."
SiSi came over and nudged shoulders with me. "It's okay to say the hellcat around us Maj. We're not that poor where we cower when we ear an expensive car. It's just nice to know a little bit more about your personal life than just knowing you're married."
"So you guys are not mad that I didn't say anything about being..."
"Rich?" Alicia asked, her eyebrows lifting. "You know us 'Maj. You didn't have to keep it from us. It makes everything make sense. I don't know how you kept it a secret though. If my man was a millionaire I wouldn't be able to keep quiet about it."
I looked at Shelby and took a sip of my orange juice. "What about you Shel?"
"I'm just mad that you made me go all the way to Wisconsin, where I cried to you about how much I hated it for a month and a half, for a damn Co-op when you have the biggest link to one of the greatest construction companies. They're about to build a damn hospital... a hospital!"
"Okay you bob-the-builder junkie," SiSi said, rolling her eyes. "Shush."
"I'll make it up to you Shel," I laughed and went to take a seat next to her at the counter. "I promise."
***
We were all chilling in the lounge room eating on whatever snacks we had and trying to think of some sort of plans for tonight when there was a knock on the door. We all glanced at the time and then everyone looked at me.
"It's probably ya best friend Jay," Alicia laughed, her feet propped up on the couch. "You know he always come around this time."
I rolled my eyes and got up from my chair and went over to answer the door, but I wasn't met with Jay. Instead I was met with the face of my husband and a big bouquet of flowers. He smiled a wide smile and I smelled his sweet-smelling cologne even with the distance between us. I was stunned and lost for words, but I heard SiSi behind me.
"That ain't no damn Jay. Who is that?!"
I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I stood there in front of the door. "What are you doing here?"
"You made me feel bad yesterday," he admitted and then his smile slowly faded, but I could still see the happiness in his brown eyes. "And I missed you too."
I reached for Michael's free hand and pulled him into the room, the door shutting behind him. "Michael this is Shelby, Alicia, and Sierra. Guys this is Michael. My husband."
Alicia was the only to speak as they all looked at us. "Now I see why she never told us about him. Not ugly at all," she smiled, blowing on the nails that she was still painting. "Good job Semaj."
I rolled my eyes and Michael laughed, pushing the door shut behind him. "It's nice to meet y'all."
"You too," they all mumbled, waving, as I pulled Michael toward my bedroom that was a direct shot from the front door.
I closed us off from the girls and locked my door before taking the vase of red roses from Michael's hand. I sat it on my desk before turning around and pouncing on him like I wanted to do when I opened the front door. He grunted in surprise his voice a lot more high pitched and breathless than usually as I squeezed him tight, my arms around his neck and legs around his waist.
"Baby..." He chocked out and I quickly loosened my hold, pulling back to look at his smiling face.
"I'm sorry," I kissed all over his face. "I just can't believe you're here. Like physically here. It's..." I cut my own words off as my lips made a connection with his. He accepted my kiss filling my heart with so much joy that if I died right now then I'd be content with the way my life was in this moment.
Michael broke from me and pushed my hair behind my ears. "I missed you too."
"No, Michael," I sighed and laid my head down on his shoulder. "You don't know how much I've really missed you. Those FaceTime calls were getting old for me."
He smiled as I dropped down and let my feet touch the floor. "Nah trust me," he chuckled. "They was gettin old for me too."
"I really can't believe you're here. Like... I'm... I can't even talk."
His hand reached up and pulled at my shirt, "I mean we ain't gotta talk."
I laughed and smacked his hand away. "Not with my roommates in the next room. C'mon let's go get lunch or something."
He groaned childishly, but agreed. "And I got something to show you."
I walked over to my closet to grab my purse and turned to him, squinting. "What?"
He kissed his teeth and wrapped his arm around my neck once I came back near him. "It's a surprise."