Carl Weber - Baby Momma Drama

“Me, too.” He took my hand gently. “I’ve wanted this moment for months, but I can’t describe how nervous I was, walking out of that police station with my baby. I kept expecting someone to come tell me it was a mistake. Tell me to give him back.”

“What about Monica? Did you see her there?”

“Yeah. They let me talk to her for a few. She looked real bad.”

“Where’d they pick her up?”

Dylan explained to me the little bit that he knew. Monica had gone to Richmond with the baby right after she left the hospital. The guy who’d picked her up at the hospital was some old guy she’d been with a few times before. He took her back to his place in Richmond. They had an arrangement. She could stay there with her baby, and he’d supply her with enough crack to keep her flying high, as long as she was willing to give him some ass every day. That lasted for a few months, until Monica was so cracked out she lost her figure and her beauty. The guy drove her back to Petersburg in a hurry and dropped her in some rundown neighborhood where he knew Monica would find her way to the nearest crack house.

That’s where the police found her and the baby. Shed only been there a day or two when they picked her up.

“What about your son, Dylan? Is he all right?”

“Yeah, thank God,” he sighed. they had him checked out. Said other than a little dehydration, he seems to be okay. She managed to take care of him the best she could. I’m gonna take him over to the hospital tomorrow just to be sure everything’s all right.”

We looked over at the women, who were still cooing at the tiny baby. They all burst out in excited laughter when he gave them a tiny smile.

“Ooh, Dylan. This one’s gonna be a heartbreaker,” Stephanie said from across the room.

Dylan smiled as they headed outside to the porch with the baby. He looked back at me.

“It was so sad seeing Monica like that. I can’t believe it’s the same woman I used to love.”

I gave him a halfhearted smile. Sure, I felt bad for her. No one uses crack because they want to end up like that. She couldn’t help herself. But I hated her for doing this to her baby, and for getting in the way of Dylan’s and my happiness.

“So what’s gonna happen to her?” I asked.

“They said she’ll be going before the judge tomorrow. Chances are, she’ll be locked up for a while this time, since it’s not her first arrest for drugs.”

There was a strange relief, knowing she wouldn’t be around for a while. But I knew there were no guarantees.

“And the baby can stay with you? What about after she gets out? Aren’t you scared of getting too attached to him? She’ll probably come out and wanna take him right back.”

“I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible that she could want him back. But for now, she knows she fucked up. She knows that baby is better off without her.”

“She does?” I was surprised. I know it must’ve been hard for a woman to admit her child didn’t need her.

“She never wanted to hurt him, Jasmine. That crack just had a hold of her senses. She actually told me she’s glad they arrested her. At least now our son has a chance.”

“So she’s okay with you keeping him?”

“Yeah. She told me to get a lawyer to draw up papers giving me full custody.”

My mood was starting to brighten just a little. Maybe things could work out. It wasn’t gonna be easy, but at least I could now see that it might be possible. Someday down the road, we might have to deal with Monica. But Dylan had shown me over and over that he was a good man. A strong man, who wouldn’t let his baby’s mother put me through the shit that Wendy did.

“Jasmine?” He put his hand under my chin and turned my face toward his. “I love you.”

My eyes filled with tears. He’d never said those words to me before.

“And I love you, Dylan”

“I love my son, but I love you, too. I want both of you in my life. I know it’s not gonna be easy, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this situation all right for you. Can you bear with me, give this a try?”

It was time. Time to let go of my fears and trust what my heart was telling me. I took Dylan s hand and led him out to the porch. When we got outside, I made my way through the circle of women surrounding the baby.

“Momma, gimme my turn to hold that beautiful little baby,” I said Everyone turned to look at me. Big Momma had a huge, satisfied smile on her face. They handed me the baby, and I held his tiny body close against my chest. My heart was pounding, but it felt good. I was so full of love and so full of hope. The baby looked up at my face and smiled at me.

“Well, little Davon. It looks like it’s gonna be you and me and your daddy from now on.”

CARL WEBER is the Publisher and Editorial Director of Urban Books. He graduated from Virginia State University with a BS in accounting and has an MBA in marketing from the University of Virginia. He is the bestselling author of Player Haters, Lookin’ for Luv, Married Men. Baby Momma Drama, The Preacher’s Son and the upcoming So You Call Yourself a Man, and is a major contributor to the novella, A Dollur and a Drenm. He lives in Long Island, New York with his family. Readers can visit Carl’s website, www.carlweber.net, and e-mail him at urbanbooks@hotmail.com.