Tia packed her things back up, leaving the water for Diane to drink while she pulled herself together and headed for home….Texas. She had a long drive ahead of her and a sister waiting on the other end to start registering for nursery furniture and baby clothes.

“TIA. Damn it you hear me talking to you. You’ve put me off for dinner; now tell me who the hell David is.”

Tia shook her head and she came out of her flashback. She could not admit to her sister the mess that she managed to create for herself or the beat down she gave Diane. Hell knowing her sister she’d want to fly up to Chicago and finish the job.

“I made a mistake sis. I had a one night stand with David…a guy I met at a NABA convention. I was living wild for one night and I was scared to tell you. You know how I am about using condoms. Fear of disease freezes me cold. I’m just so ashamed of myself.” tears rolled down Tia’s face and she spoon fed her sister with this last minute concocted story.

“Awww lil sis. Don’t cry. Baby you are a strong person and your work with Youth AIDS has been outstanding. Everyone knows where your heart is. The fact that your activism in sexually transmitted diseases has helped hundred, thousands maybe, is all that matters. Anyway, we have a precious baby on the way now. No time for thinking about what happened in the past. So what did this David character want? Does he know about the baby? Don’t tell me he wants to play daddy now.”

“I don’t know sissy. I didn’t listen to the message. It just threw me.”

“Fine. Delete it and let’s go to dinner. I bet you he won’t show up on your door step.” The two of them laughed together as they hung up. Tia’s sister was right. No one would show up on her front porch wanting anything. She left her metal bat by the door just in case and checked to make sure that the .9 millimeter in her purse was fully loaded. No need to be unprepared.

The first call that Tia made was to her sister back in Fort Worth to let her know that there is a baby on the way and due to that and the expansion she was making, she would be moving back home. Tia led her sister to believe that she had been impregnated at a sperm bank using an anonymous donor like they discussed at the beginning of the year and that she was simply following through with a very well thought and laid out plan. The next call she made was to her senior staff to tell them that they were going through with the plans to open an office in Texas and to pull out all the paperwork they had been working on. The third call was to her neighbor across the street who just happened to be a realtor. Her house would go on the market the next day and the search for a home in Fort Worth would begin. Her neighbor was kind enough to offer to set up the movers and any relocation needed within 2 weeks once she found out about the baby…no questions asked. Tia’s last phone call went Diane’s administrative assistant. She explained to her that she wanted to surprise Diane with big news next week and needed to know what her schedule looked like. more…