“So, from what I just heard, Winn, this is the year you’ve successfully screwed over not one family but two? And in my case I mean it literally!” Courtney erupts, her shrill scream reaching every corner of the conference room, if not the school. Jaws drop and ears are covered, but no one looks more stunned by Courtney’s accusation than Winn Hawkins. He’s vigorously shaking his head NO, NO, NO at Courtney. Courtney meets his every head shake with an aggressive YES, YES, YES.
“What’s wrong, Winn? Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about you and Geoff? You think you’re that smart? That sneaky? The only reason I’ve feigned interest in your ridiculous sports charade is so I could sniff out what I suspected was your ongoing foul behavior as chair of the board. I always knew you were a slimy cheat, Winn, I did. I could smell it a mile away. I just never in a million years would have guessed my husband was a cheat too. Or had such poor taste.”
I don’t know which I’m more surprised by, the revelation unwinding in my conference room or the fact that Courtney and I actually have something in common—we have both always thought something was rank about Winn Hawkins.
“I knew I saw Winn at the Under Carriage, I knew it!” Roan explodes, dropping his laser pointer, thrilled to be in the know. “Remember, Nina, back in September, I told you I saw him there!” Roan smacks his hands together, giving himself his own congratulatory high five.
To hide the look of shock on my face, I reach over to pick up the dropped laser pointer, and another contraction hits. I keep my head between my knees and start to pant quickly and shallowly. The contractions are definitely closer and more intense. I need to get to the hospital fast but without anyone suspecting what’s going on. I have no idea how I’m going to pull that off without adding to the chaos unfolding in this meeting.
Roan squats down to my eye level. “Nina, what’s going on?” I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze hard, I can’t talk. Roan takes my inflicting hurt on him like a man who cries at a hangnail. “Ouch, Nina, please get your fingernails out of my clavicle, no need for both of us to be in pain,” Roan whimpers, more than whispers. “What should I do? What do you want me to do?”
My breathing slows down as Roan begins to panic. “Give me five minutes to land this plane, then get me to the hospital.”
“Nina, you picked the worst time to have a baby. After a month of wallowing in my broken engagement, today is day two of Roan Redux. I walked to school today, got in seven thousand, four hundred steps by eight a.m.” Roan peels back his shirt cuff to show me his Fitbit. “I met a cute guy at the corner of Lake and Del Mar.” I give Roan as loving of an I DON’T CARE look as I can muster. “I’m going to let that snarl go since you’re in labor. But under normal circumstances, not a pretty look. Anyway, what I’m saying is I don’t have a car. Do you want me to call an Uber?”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital in an UBER!” I bark too loudly. I can feel forty-four eyes bore into my back at my admission of a woman about to have a baby on the heels of Courtney’s scathing accusation.
I sit up, then stand, handing Roan his laser pointer. I give my dress a little tug down on the side and compose myself for my last words of my first year as head of school.
“Jared, you’re most definitely proof that the gamble that Chester Hill and your family made on your future resulted in a positive outcome. As the appointed leader of the Royal-Hawkins School, I am not as comfortable carelessly playing with the lives of promising young men and women. If Marcus and Dontrelle Burns prove themselves to be as hardworking students as they are basketball players their freshman year in high school, then they are absolutely encouraged to reapply, in the fall, following the school’s guidelines.” I move two steps closer to Winn to emphasize the word guidelines. It’s an old teacher trick. Move close to a student when you want them to know that a general statement made to all is directed right at them.
“As for the personal developments between the Dunn and Hawkins families, well, ummm, I’m sure Courtney and Winn would like to continue the conversation, umm in private,” I conclude, uncertain what the proper next steps are for outing a cheat.
“Oh, I’m done having conversations with Winn Hawkins. I only endured talking to him this year to get to the bottom of what I had been suspecting for quite some time!”
“Still, I don’t think a board meeting is the right time to air personal mat . . . OH MOTHER FUCKER!!” The pain is unbearable. I think this baby is trying to walk out of my womb and down the hall to kindergarten. I’m done. Done with this school year. Done with trying to be an infallible head of school. Done with being pregnant. “Can someone please drive me to the hospital? Now!”
“I will, I will!” Courtney demands with no room for argument, grabbing her purse while all the men in the room remain stunned still. Whether their frozen expressions are a result of Courtney’s accusations or the theatrics I’m in the middle of is unclear. Either way, if I were Courtney, I’d want an excuse to flee this conference room too.
“Come with me,” I beg Roan and then lower my voice. “Don’t leave me alone with Courtney.”
“But don’t you want me to release the admissions emails to all the families? It has to be done tonight.”
“Right.” I drop my head and think about the email sitting in my draft box clear across campus.
TWENTY-NINE
Ding.
I’m trying to heave my body up into the front seat of Courtney’s Range Rover and get the door closed before another contraction kicks in and the serene neighborhood surrounding Royal-Hawkins is assaulted with guttural moans I can no longer control.
Leo 7:48 PM
I’m at the airport a bit early to pick up Xandra. Didn’t want to take a chance being late with traffic. Should I bring her straight home?
What should I tell him? I wonder, stretching my thumbs prepping to write Leo the text that says his life is about to change forever. Tonight’s events are the polar opposite of the birth plan I had for myself. This week and next I was supposed to be tying up my year at school and having a last hurrah with Xandra, just the two of us. Then with Xandra tucked back in boarding school, I had planned to get my box braids freshened up, purchase a few pairs of postbaby jeans, and make things right with Leo. Oh, and a facial to be picture ready when Leo and I stroll into the maternity ward, calm, prepared, and back together, on my due date.
Nina 7:49 PM
Check with Xandra where she would rather go—home or to the hospital. That’s my casual attempt at telling you we’re having a baby, tonight. Did it work?
Leo 7:49 PM
NO, NOT AT ALL! Okay, okay, meet you there in an hour. The baby won’t come within the hour will it? Tell it not to come. Wait how are you getting there? And why are we texting?
Ring.
“Don’t have this baby without me, Nina. Please don’t!” Leo pleads over the phone.
Ohhh he sounds so desperate. I squeeze my legs together tight with his request. I feel badly I sent him to go get Xandra, but I didn’t have any other option.
“Really don’t. Xandra and I can’t miss it.”