Always Wrong - Xyla Turner Page 0,9
you.”
“Okay, sir,” Sheryl’s voice perked up. “I’m all ears.”
Knowing full well that I was dealing with a master negotiator, I began to lay it out.
“The first thing is that we need to schedule a time to go to the doctor. Make sure everything is working properly. If you’re on birth control, you’ll need to stop, then we need to set a schedule of when to fuck. Specifically, when you are ovulating is best. We can set our calendars around this time, and I’ll schedule my trips to visit Philadelphia or if you’re doing business in London.
“We’ll need to set up some parameters, doctor appointments, once you’re pregnant, think about leave and what that means for you and me. We will need to discuss housing, raising our son, and schooling, but that is in my two-, five-, and seven-year plan. Right now, I’m giving you the rough draft of the nine-month plan.”
Silence met me over the other line.
“Sheryl?” I called her name.
“I’m here,” she replied. “Just a bit taken aback.”
“Why? What part are you contesting?” I asked, expecting her to fight me about a few of my bullet points.
“No, no. I am not contesting anything. Just trying to digest it all. You’re serious,” she noted.
“Yes, I am,” I assured her. “Are you?”
She cleared her throat and said with a stronger voice, “I am, Jacquez. I want to do this. However, I do think we need to set parameters in addition to yours.”
“Continue,” I urged her.
“You and me. This arrangement. It’s to have a baby, not a relationship, right? I am not looking for that. I understand we will need to have sex for this to happen, but what if we don’t get pregnant right away? Do we keep trying? I did have a miscarriage. What if that happens again? What is the contingency plan? You mentioned something about buying a house. Why? Are you moving to Philadelphia? What does that mean? What are our parenting philosophies? Will you also attend parenting classes? What are our expectations of each other as we co-parent?”
She had definitely given this some thought, which was perfect, because this let me know she was invested.
“I will be a part of every aspect of our child before and after birth. If there are classes, I will work this around my schedule as best as I can. We visit the doctor together. From what I hear, you live in a condominium, so I’d like for our son to be raised in a home and not in the city. I know what school he will attend, as I attended a similar one in New York. In regard to you getting pregnant right away or not, I say we keep trying. If you have a miscarriage, we will investigate and adjust accordingly once we figure out why. I don’t want your body to have to keep dealing with that, so if we cannot have a child, then maybe we can think about a surrogate or adopting.”
“Wow, uh…you’ve really thought this through.”
“Sheryl, I want to do this. I think you do as well.” I stopped talking so she could respond.
“I do,” she confirmed.
“Then let’s do it.”
“You didn’t answer the question about a relationship. Also, this house. Are you planning on living in the house?” she asked.
“You do not want a relationship, so we will act as co-parents. That is fine. I expect exclusivity. The house, yes, that would be an expectation. Do you object?” I asked.
“Wait, Jacquez. You’re talking about living together?” she asked with alarm in her voice. “That’s different than co-parenting. That is much more involved. We’d need to be roommates and learn to communicate and shit.”
“Sheryl, you do get that we’re talking about bringing a whole new life into the world. What the fuck does it mean for us to raise our child together under one roof? I don’t want him feeling torn between two parents. Visiting one on weekends and all that dumb shit.”
“Jacquez, wait a minute. I get that we’re talking about having a child, but living together is something different. What if you meet someone or I do – what do we say? That will hinder us from this idea of raising our child under one roof.”
That was a good point that had really never crossed my mind. In my head, I figured it would be all I needed. My son and his mother.
“Hello, are you there?” she asked.
“Yes. Fine. I’ll buy two houses. Next door to each other. We’ll raise him in one, and if