GUILT

Chapter 24

     Chantelle plucked up the courage to tell her mother the news. 

     "Mom," she asked as her mother picked up the phone. 

     "Hey baby, how are you doing?"

     "Can we talk? I have some news to tell you," Chantelle sighed.

     "Sure baby, what's the matter?"

     "I'd rather tell you in person." Chantelle ended the call with her mother and paced around her apartment, thinking. She knew that it would not be easy telling the news to her mother because of the situation of her telling her mother how Trae was acting in the past. Chantelle did not want her mother to be upset with her because of the decision that she made to stick by Trae's side. The thought of her mother no longer wanting to have the same relationship with her crushed her a little. She knew that she's grown and old enough to make her own decisions but she didn't want to lose the connection of her mother. 

     "Baby," Trae texted her from work.

     "Yes, love?"

     "I miss you, what are you doing?"

     Chantelle blushed, "On my way to see my mom to tell her the news."

     "Right now? How you feeling?"

     "I'm scared Trae," Chantelle sighed.

     "I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Let me be there with you when you tell her."

     Chantelle didn't text him back. She thought about how with Trae being there, that it might make the situation worse. She didn't want the stress that would come with her mother lashing out on him. Trae ended up calling her phone.

     "I'm on my way," Trae said quickly into the phone.

     "I don't think that's a good idea Trae."

     "Why not? If it's because you're scared about how your mama feels towards me, you might as well let that go. Regardless, that's my child you're carrying. She's going to have to be okay with the fact. Hell, she's going to be my mother-in-law someday soon."

    Chantelle remained silent.

    "I know you hear me talking to you," Trae said.

    "Trae, I can't do this right now," she ended the call.

     Chantelle sorta liked how Trae would try to check her but she had to do what she felt was right. Trae never properly met her mother but telling news like that, probably would not be the best place to start; at least she thought. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed towards the car.

    Once she arrived at her mother's house, she sat in the car. Chantelle contemplated on how she planned on telling her mother. She saw one of the blinds in the window move and knew that it was her mother being nosey to see who was outside of her house. Ms. Mayson came to the door and waved for her to come in. 

     "Hey sweetie pie," her mother said greeting her in.

      "Hey mama," Chantelle sat on the sofa.

      "Hold on, let me turn off the oven real quick," her mother hurried into the kitchen.

       The smell of the peach cobbler her mother had baking in the kitchen made Chantelle feel kind of sick. She didn't know why because her mom makes the best peach cobbler, but she assumed with her being pregnant, the smell wasn't working out. Her mother came back into the living room and saw Chantelle stretched out on the sofa.

     "Are you feeling okay baby," her mom asked as she picked up a magazine.

    Chantelle tried to sound convincing as possible, "Yeah, I'm fine."

    "Okay. What did you want to talk about?"

     Chantelle stalled and stalled until she couldn't stall anymore. When she couldn't stall, she rambled.

    "Chantelle, I know you didn't come all the way over here to talk about nonsense."

    "You're right. I'm just..." Chantelle tried to get her focus off the smell.

    "You're just what? Don't tell me, is this about you and JT," her mom asked excitingly.

    "Ma, no. Don't ever bring up that name again please."

    "Why not?! What happen? What did you do?"

    "What did I do?!" Chantelle was getting very angry. "What do you mean what did I do? I didn't do anything to that low life nothing, sorry excuse for a man."

    "Well, excuse me then."

   "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off like that. It's just... I'm just..." Chantelle ran towards the bathroom.

    Her mother followed her. "Chantelle, are you okay? What's the matter?"

    Chantelle sat on the floor next to the toilet seat, crying. She looked at her mom, and uttered, "I'm pregnant."

     Ms. Mayson's eyes widened and she stepped back into the hallway to adjust herself to the news. She saw the tears in her daughter's eyes and rushed over to her hug her. She helped Chantelle clean herself up and they went back into the living room to talk.

    "How did this happen," her mom sat next to her.

    Chantelle gave her mom a blank stare and chuckled.

    "I know how it happened girl. I mean were you not responsible or was this intentional?"

    "I made mistakes now, but I'm trying to make things better."

    "Well, with who?"

    "You know who," Chantelle sighed.

    "Oh Lord," her mother rolled her eyes. "Really Chantelle."

    "Don't do this ma. We worked things out and he's even more there for me now than he was before."

    "I bet he is. Hell, he better be after what all he put you through."

    "I don't want to talk about that right now."

    "Hell, Chantelle. We're going to talk about it. I don't like the fact of knowing what you went through and how he acted. That bothers me because he hurt you. I'm happy that I'm finally a grandma but it's just too many damn emotions right now."

    "Too many emotions?! For who? If anything I should be the one stressing. You don't know what all I been through because I can never come out and tell you things. You begin getting negative about everything and I can't tolerate that. I'm grown, I make my own decisions. Good or bad, Trae is the father of my child and I love him to death. The thought of losing a relationship with you is what mattered to me the most about coming over here. Trae has done so much for me. He opened new doors, saved me from trouble, and has always been there for me. You have to respect that."

    "You really thought you was going to lose a relationship with me?" 

     Chantelle started crying again. 

     Her mother hugged her. "That's one thing you will never have to worry about. There are times when I don't see things how other people see it but I mean no harm. If you really care deeply for him, because he makes you happy and y'all have a family now, I'm willing to work things out and be there for the both of you."

    Chantelle looked up at her mom and smiled. "Thanks mom, that's all I ever wanted to hear."

    "What made you sick in the first place? Are you always nauseous when you go places? How far along are you anyways?"

    "I'm five months. It was the smell of the peach cobbler," Chantelle chuckled.

    "The peach cobbler that won four awards at the family cook-off? Oh no, if the baby doesn't like that we're just going to have to find somebody else to take care of him," her mom joked.