Aurora Gayle - The Pregnancy

“Thank you”, I say humbly.

“So Aria, what brings you here today?

I burst into tears as I tell her what has happened to me and how I looked her up because I think hypnosis will be my only solution.

“Dr. Mc Daniel, I’m wondering if I’m losing my mind. How could this be?” I cry.

Dr. Mc Daniel maintains a poker face but I wonder if she is laughing at me inside.

She squints at me in the way a math enthusiast would squint at a difficult problem, “so you have absolutely no recollection of having sexual relations with anyone but you are with child.

I nod.

“Ok I’ll admit, I’ve had all kinds of interesting clients with even more interesting matters but your situation is rather peculiar and a first for me. With that being said, I am confident that I will be able to help you remember what happened. There are a couple of things I’d like you to understand about hypnosis. First of all; it isn’t mind control. Some people seem to think that we’re out here doing mind control and all kinds of crazy stuff. Your session will be very comfortable, relaxing and you will be fully awake. Don’t worry about perfection with each session; the goal is to make progress in finding out what happened to you. With that being said, we may need to have a couple sessions before we get the answers that you are searching for. At this point I can’t say how many; every person is different. Some people make progress gradually and some people get right to it in one or two sessions. One thing you will need to do is to try and figure out the date you conceived. I know it will be difficult to get a precise date but if you can narrow it down to a specific period that will help.

Dr. Mc Daniel scribbles something in a notepad and we agree to meet on Wednesday of the following week.

I leave her office feeling lighter and hopeful but deep down inside I know that something is not right with me and that something sinister lies ahead.

Monique, Mischka and I cramped ourselves into the backseat of an uber headed to Sammy’s; a local bar in downtown Atlanta. Sadie sat in the front.

“Oh we bout to get turnt up tonight!” Monique sang as she did a dance rolling her wrists back and forth.

“Uh, can you stop Monique? Your elbows are rubbing against my boobs”. Mischka said as she blinked her eyes in disdain.

Monique rolled her eyes at Mischka, “Bitch dem titties too big, that’s your fucking problem. Ain’t nothing to do with my elbows.”

“Arggggh! Aria should have sat in the middle, and then you could dance your fat ass as much as you want.”

I decided to put an end to their friendly banter, “Guys stop it! I swear you guys bicker like little kids every time we go out.”

Sadie laughed, “true that!”

“By the way Aria, how did your doctors’ appointment today go?” Sadie asked.

I was puzzled, “Today? You mean yesterday with my psychiatrist?”

“No today. Remember we talked about scheduling an appointment with an OBGYN? We made the appointment on Thursday for today. I was right there in your office, I hope you didn’t forget.”

I shook my head in confusion, “Sadie I have absolutely no recollection of this, you must be mistaken”.

“Girl no! I was right there in your office when you made the appointment. You even joked about going to the Popeyes down the street after your appointment because you’ve been craving fried chicken a lot lately. You must remember that!”

“Sadie, I’m not crazy! I would definitely remember making an appointment!” I screamed.

She kept her demeanour calm as she replied, “okay”.

“Wow I still can’t believe you are pregnant”, Mischka said. Sadie and Monique sought my permission before telling her. What they didn’t tell her was that I was mysteriously pregnant and unaware of whom my baby’s daddy was. They also didn’t tell her why I was seeing a psychiatrist.

“Are you gonna try and find out the baby’s sex? Oh my gosh, I would love to plan your baby shower and gender reveal party!”

I held up my hand to stop her from talking, “No thank you Mischka. I’d like to keep things low key and private.”

“Oh, ummm…. Okay if that’s what you want.”

I knew Mischka was disappointed but this pregnancy was the last thing I wanted to celebrate. The uber driver pulled up in front of Sammy’s and we all piled out. As we walk into the bar, I regret my decision to come out tonight. It was Sadie’s idea coupled with Monique’s persuasion which made me agree to this.

Mischka started talking about the latest police killing of an unarmed black teen in Detroit. “We need more white people like you to be woke; try and recruit some please.” Monique said.

“Hey wait a minute”, I could hear the excitement in Monique’s voice. “I think that chocolate drop over there is looking at you Aria”. She moved her head in the direction of a tall dark Maurice Chestnut lookalike standing by the bar.

“Me? Nah I don’t think so.” As I looked at him our eyes met and I could tell that there was a slight hint of recognition on his face. He started walking over to our table.

“Shit, shit! He’s coming over here”, I whispered. “I think he knows me or something”.

“Hey Aria, I never thought I’d see you again. You never returned any of my calls or texts”.

“Shit he actually does know me but who the fuck is he?” I thought to myself.

“You know I’ve been really sick I’m so sorry I never got back to you”, I lied. “Can you refresh my memory a bit?”

He bent down to whisper in my ear, “we did the nasty and it was great! I really liked you and I wanted more than great sex with you. We exchanged numbers and I called you numerous times and you ignored me.”

I tried to hide my shock; I figured this had to be during my whore phase when my life was out of control. “This had to be a long time ago though; surely you’re not mad at me for something that happened years ago”.

“Years? Girl that was about a month ago! Shit I dodged a bullet with your crazy ass”. The guy walked off shaking his head.

Tears started to well up in my eyes. I really had no memory of this guy. Perhaps he was right; I was truly crazy. I picked up my purse and stood up, “guys I’m not feeling well, I’m leaving”.

“Aria wait! Please don’t go!” Sadie pleaded.

I continued to walk away from them ignoring their cries and pleas for me to stay. I needed to get away from everyone so I could cry in peace. I pulled out my phone to fetch an uber and cried on the curb until it pulled up.

When I got home I threw myself onto the bed and cried some more. All this time I swore that I didn’t know how I got pregnant. I’ve been celibate or so I thought but that guy tonight; he was so sure and he even knew my name. Then there was the appointment that Sadie said I booked for today with the OBGYN. Clearly something is wrong with me. I should be the laughingstock of the entire town. Thank God I never went to the police; they would have considered me a nutcase. Why can’t I remember any of it though? I must have slept with that guy from Sammy’s and whoever my baby daddy is? It dawns on me then that I should check my phone; read through my messages and see what I could find. I open my text messages but my inbox and all other folders are empty. I check my whatsapp but I only have chats with my work colleagues and family. Finally I decide to check my phone records but likewise I can find nothing out of the ordinary.

As a last resort I decide to check my facebook and Instagram messages. While scrolling through facebook I notice a friend request from the guy from Sammy’s. His name is Devin Winchester and I notice that he also sent a message request. I accept it and begin reading right away.