Nathan drove to the airport with Steven to pick Tracy up three days later. He couldn’t believe that she was finally coming back and his mom was also expecting her. Everything still feels like a dream to him, finally, he would have the two women in his life back together again, what more could he want?
“Wow,” Steven said when they parked in front of the airport, “it still sounds strange to me, I can’t believe that after said and done, you ended up with her.” He glanced at his best friend. “I’m happy for you.”
Nathan smiled and they shook their brotherly hand shake, “thanks man, you are a true friend and believe me, I will never forget that.”
“I know, but now that it turns out we won’t be going to the same college anymore, promise not to forget me?”
Nathan rolled his eyes, “damn, you are beginning to sound like you are my girlfriend and she is afraid I’m going to find someone new.” He had received his acceptance later yesterday with scholarship and also as the school’s basketball team Point Guard. He was still thrilled on the fact that he would be attending the same school that Calvin did and when he told the man, he had promised that after his game in California, he would drop by for them to celebrate it. They have gotten pretty close of recent and he had received a bunch of pointers from the older man and he could proudly say that he has become better in the game than he once was.
“Come on, we both know that I am your first ever girlfriend,” Steven rolled his eyes, “being your best friend since you were ten, that is not an easy something you know.”
Nathan rolled his eyes and said nothing. The main reason he had brought Steven with him was because Tracy left with her car and he needed Steven to drive her car back when he picks her up. They listened to the pop music playing in the radio silently as the time flew by and soon, he saw Tracy driving out of her parking space in the airport. He smiled and got out of the car and she came to a halt beside him. He opened the car door and before she could come out, he leaned down and kissed her affectionately.
“Damn, easy dude, we know you love her and that mean you don’t have to show us every single time,” Steven groaned as he climbed out of the car. Nathan let Tracy’s lips go then and helped her out of the car; her tummy was protruding but not too much for a five months pregnant woman. “Hi Tracy.”
“Hi Steven, how are you?” Tracy asked, leaning into Nathan’s arm.
“I’m good, it’s good to have you back.”
Tracy heaved a deep breath, “it’s feels good to be back too but I hope…” she stopped herself, “positive thoughts,” she smiled.
Nathan nodded, “exactly, positive thoughts, nothing but that.”
Tracy chuckled and Steven rolled his eyes before he got into her car and Nathan helped her to his passenger’s seat. “You really sure Lucy wants to see me?”
“Do I need to lie to you?” Nathan asked as he reversed the car and pulled out of the airport.
Tracy shrugged, “it still surprises me, I never expected her to ask for me so soon. I thought it was going to take years.”
“The hell,” Nathan hissed, “I would never have been at peace if it had taken that long.”
“Neither will I,” she sighed, “I just hope…”
“Positive thoughts Trace, positive thoughts,” he interrupted and they continued the drive home in silence.
When they parked in front of his house, Lucy’s car was already in the driveway and Nathan knew she came back earlier because of Tracy’s arrival. Steven pulled over beside them and he got out of the car. “Going somewhere?” he asked seeing as he was glancing at his phone.
“Actually yeah, I have a date,” Steven replied.
Nathan scoffed and threw his car to him, “you better bring it back safe and sound.”
“Get out,” Steven said, walking up to him to get into his car while Nathan walked around and opened the door for Tracy, helping her down.
“You do know that I can move around on my own, right?” Tracy asked with a light chuckle.
“Yep, but I still want to do it,” he kissed her cheek and helped her into the house, not paying mind to Steven pulling out of his driveway. He opened the door and saw Lucy coming out of the kitchen with a glass of milk. “Hi mom,” he greeted while Tracy hid behind him.
“Come have a glass of milk Tracy, you need it,” Lucy said and then smiled at her son.
Tracy walked out from behind Nathan with her head bowed, “hi Lucy.”
“How are you?”
“I’m okay, and you?”
“Good, come now, come have this milk,” she said, walking towards the couch and setting the glass on the coffee table.”
Nathan held onto Tracy’s hand and led her towards his mom. “Give us space will you Nathan,” Lucy said just as Tracy sat down and Nathan sat beside her.
“Mom,” Nathan glanced from his mother to his woman and then back to his mother.
“I won’t bit her Nathan, I asked for her to come, did I not?”
“Yes but…”
“One thing you should remember,” Lucy interrupted, “I have loved Tracy long before you were born,” she raised an eyebrow and her words made the couple to chuckle.
Nathan nodded and stood up, “fine then, I will be outside.”
“You can go anywhere you want to go but be rest assured that you will come back and meet her here safe and sound,” she smiled at her son.
Nathan nodded, “thanks mom,” then glanced at Tracy and winked at her before walking out of the house.
Immediately the door closed, Tracy turned to Lucy, “I’m sorry.”
“Have a glass of milk first, I promise you that I put nothing in it.”
“No not that, God no,” Tracy rushed to defend, “the thing is, I purge at the scent of milk these days.”
Lucy nodded, “just like Naomi. Don’t worry, if you are really like her than you will start craving for milk at your seventh month.”
Tracy smiled with a curt nod, “granny said the same.”
“How is she by the way?”
“She is good. She told me to send her regards to you.”
Lucy smiled, “she shouldn’t have, we talked almost every day.”
“You did?”
“Yes. The thing is, I was the one prescribing the medicines she gets for you. I knew if you go to a hospital, you will still receive the same prescription, but then again, I can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
Tracy was shocked at her words, “you…”
“I never really abandoned you Tracy, yes I was mad, like very mad but it was not enough to hate you. Tracy I nurtured you like a mother, the only thing I didn’t do was carry you in my womb. Come what may, you will always be a daughter to me, always.”
Tracy’s eyes clouded over as she sniffled and soon, the tears were cascading down her cheeks, “I’m sorry.”
“My only annoyance Tracy is that you didn’t tell me and I had to find out in the presence of the whole town. Do you know what that did to me? I started thinking of all the time I left him with you, what had happened?”
“No,” Tracy shook her head, “no, I swear to you that I did nothing to Nathan till he became an adult. To be honest, I never had such thought about him. Only thing I know was that when he was younger, I often wondered if they would ever be a guy like him. The time I took notice of him, or should I say that I started having such thoughts about him was just two months to his eighteenth birthday. He had fought Gary for my sake.”
“Fought Gary?” Lucy was shocked.
“Yes, Gary had followed me home and was harassing me in front of my house. Nathan showed up and without a word threw a punch at him. If I had left him to fight with Gary, he would have lost knowing what Gary does for a living but then, is the thought that matters right? No man has done that for me. My own father didn’t even fight for me as he abandoned me on just hearing of my existence. But Nathan, he didn’t think twice, he didn’t think about himself, he saw me getting hurt and just jumped in without a question. That was the day I took notice of him and nothing happened between us till in Hawaii.”
Lucy nodded and wiped away the tear that trailed down her cheek, “he is just like his father. The thing is Tracy, I saw the two of you as my children and hearing that Nathan got you pregnant sounded like hearing my son got his sister pregnant, if you can understand what I mean. But then Ruth helped me remember that you are not siblings, that you are not even related. I was just in so much pain that I forgot no one tells the heart what to do and no one knows where love could develop. You see, Brian was a lot of years older than I am and a lot of people said he was too old for me, that I can’t be with him. But I refused to listen, I followed my heart and it landed me such a good man. The only regret is that death took him away from me so soon,” she sniffled, “and I am not saying this to praise him or because he is my son but Nathan is just like his father, he is a good boy and he would grow up to be such an amazing man.”
“I know,” Tracy nodded, “everybody back home is talking about him, asking about when he would visit again.”
Lucy nodded and sniffled, “but, I can still remember what I told you on what would have been your wedding day. I have known about your wish from when you were just fifteen, you didn’t want to end up pregnant and unmarried just like Naomi or Ruth and it was why I talked to you that day, telling you to remember the happiness your mother felt having you around. Now I still don’t want you to make the same mistake. If you are together with Nathan just because of the pregnancy, you don’t have to tie yourself down where your heart doesn’t lie. Don’t think you don’t have an option Tracy, you will always have an option and I promise you that it won’t change anything…”
Tracy was shaking her head and the woman was forced to stop her speech, “I love Nathan Lucy, I may have been blind before but I noticed my love for him even before I accepted to marry Gary. All along, I was just afraid of you and what the town would say. Along the line, I didn’t care about the town anymore, but just you. What would you think of me, what would you think of us? What if you never forgive me, that is the only reason I was willingly to carry on with the wedding, because I was afraid of you,” she heaved a sigh and sniffled, “but if it is about my love for Nathan, there is no doubt about it. I love him and with all my heart.”
Lucy smiled while nodding, “to be honest, when I talked to you that day, I was expecting you to defend Gary like this, but you didn’t,” she shook her head while still smiling. “Do you want to hear something funny? When I was pregnant with Nathan, Naomi and I used to wish he was born earlier than you so that both of you would end up together to straighten our bond. It feels strange that somehow, our wish had come to pass and with you being born earlier. It surprises me how nature works.”
“I can still remember how both of you would laugh when he calls me ‘Mine’ back then when he was just eight.” Tracy chuckled at the memory.
Lucy laughed softly, “yes,” she nodded, “I guess since both of you are already sure about each other and you already have Natalie on the way, then who am I to put asunder?” she smiled seeing the shock on Tracy’s face when she mentioned her daughter’s name. “I told you I talked a lot with Ruth.”
“Can I come in now?” Nathan asked from the doorway and the two women glanced at him.
“Why do I have the feeling that you never actually left?” Lucy asked.
“Well if I did, I wouldn’t hear what you girls are saying about me,” he smiled.
“Girls?” Lucy repeated.
“How disrespectful,” Tracy said.
“I’m telling you,” Lucy concurred.
Nathan grinned and walked up to Tracy, sitting beside her as he kissed her hair, “I’m the man of the house aren’t I?”
“Hmm,” Lucy and Tracy both glared at him.
“Wow, now I am wondering how dad felt being in the midst of you two and Aunt Naomi.”
“Don’t worry, when Natalie is born then you will know how he felt being in the midst of three women,” Lucy said and Tracy laughed while Nathan sulked. But the good thing was, they ended up chatting happily like one family.
***
On Nathan’s graduation day, right after he collected his diploma and was taking pictures with friends and family, his phone rang and he checked the caller ID to see that Calvin was the one calling him. He excused himself to take the call and when he did, Calvin’s urgent voice drifted into his ear, “Nathan I need your help.”
“Whoa, calm down, what is it?” he asked.
“You remember the game in California that I told you about?”
“Yes definitely.”
“Good, this morning while training with the guys,” he sighed, “I hurt my ankle and I definitely can’t play today if I still want to walk again and we really can’t afford to miss this game. Listen, I know today is your graduation and you will really want to celebrate with your family and friends but I really need you to grant me this favor by coming to California and taking my place.”