Karen
Dorinda and I sat on her couch as she continued in her somber emotional state of misery.
"Doe, can you please just calm down and relax and stop crying? Everything is going to be just fine, but you've got to believe that." I said, rubbing her back.
"Y-You don't know that.... I've never felt this pain before. It's up there with mama's. I stayed with a man for sixteen years Karen. He was supposed to had married me by now, but he didn't. Why? Because he was too caught up in trying to help his best friend keep a dumb secret that he forgot what was really important and what was in front of his face. I wanted to marry him. I really did, but now.... I don't know." Dorinda sniffled.
"What are you saying, Doe? You don't want to be with him anymore?"
"What I'm saying is that I don't know if I can trust him anymore. He lied straight to my face for sixteen years. He didn't just lie to me. He lied to you. Why are you not angry?" Dorinda asked, wiping her eyes.
"I'm not going to lie. I was angry at first when I found out, but after he and Dave explained everything to me and helped me understand then that anger began to die down. I understood that he was just trying to protect me. He didn't just protect me, he protected my children, and he protected all of y'all. So, you've got to cut him some slack for that. In your entire length of your relationship he's never lied to you about anything. Not once. So, you've got to look at the bigger picture. If the good outweighs the bad then you know you got a keeper." I said.
Dorinda cried into her hands before wiping her face and mumbling something that caught me off guard.
"What Doe? I don't think I caught what you said."
"I said I'm carrying twins, Karen. I found out the other day. I was going to tell you, but then this shit with Noelle happened and I just.... I don't know. It slipped my mind." Dorinda sniffled.
"Oh my God, Dorinda! I'm so happy for you. This is amazing, but why don't you sound happy?" I asked.
"Because I'm carrying twin boys. I don't want them to grow up in dysfunction."
Grabbing her hands, I looked into her eyes.
"They won't. That's why you and Smoke are going to get through this. You two have to push pass this and works things out because you love each and you have two beautiful blessings on the way. Your happiness, and your babies.... that's all that matters. You love him Doe. I know that you do. So, we're going to work this out and get everything back on track, okay?" I asked.
Nodding her head again, Dorinda sniffled before pulling me into a hug. I held onto her for a moment as I hugged her back tighter. After a few moments we broke apart from our sister embrace.
"We're carrying boys." Dorinda said, placing her hand on my stomach.
I looked at her weird being thrown off by her comment.
"Doe, I- I'm not pregnant. What are you talking about?"
"Karen, you're about as pregnant as I am crazy. I had a dream about three little baby boys laying on a pillow next to each other. They were all the same complexion. They were the same age. I'm not wrong about too many things and you know that. You are.... you're pregnant." Dorinda said.
I put my face in my hands before running my hand through my hair.
"Dorinda, I am NOT pregnant. We all have men. You, me, Jacky, and Twinkie. So, how do you know that baby belonged to me?"
Dorinda looked at me weird for a moment.
"Elbernita has a man?"
"Shit!" I remembered in that moment that Twinkie told me not to tell anyone.
