A Rich Man's Baby Read Online Free Page A

up and congratulated me too. As soon as they let me go, Terrance whispered how he was proud of me and grabbed my hand. We walked toward the cars; we were all meeting at a steak house to celebrate my graduation. Once in the car, Terrance gave me a kiss and hug, and told me how proud he was again. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be graduating. He put up with a lot of studying and crying and bitching. I thanked him for standing by my side. I was truly blessed with a good man. Terrance was a business consultant for Artec, a business consulting firm in Wilmington, Delaware. His job required two weeks out of the month traveling. My Terrance was handsome, not that tall but handsome. He was five eight with cardboard-brown clear skin and jet-black low-cut hair. His mustache and beard were trimmed down, and his round glasses rested perfectly on his face.
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    We met up for dinner at the crowded steak house. I saw other people from my graduation still in their caps and gowns. I took mine off after seeing how silly they looked in theirs. We all sat down at a big round table set for our party of five and began looking over our menus.
    â€œWhy did you cut your hair?” my dad asked.
    â€œI think my hair makes me look professional. You don’t like it, Daddy?”
    â€œNo, women need hair. It looks short, like a boy’s.”
    â€œI think it looks good. She is going to have to be taken seriously at work,” my mother said. She patted her silver and black wavy hair. She had an asymmetrical bob with a part to the side. It looked beautiful up against her midnight skin. I looked just like her, a few shades lighter, petite, with bright brown eyes.
    â€œRetirement is two years away, huh, Mrs. Matthews?” Terrance asked, changing the subject from my hair.
    â€œYeah, Mom, what are you going to do?” I asked.
    She had been in the education field for thirty-plus years. She was a principal at the Rosemont Elementary School.
    â€œI don’t know yet. But the first year I’m going to rest; then I don’t know. I may even go play golf with your father.”
    â€œWho picked a steak house?” Camille asked as she scooted up closer to the table and looked over the menu in disgust.
    â€œYour father did.”
    â€œDaddy, you know I’m a vegetarian,” she exclaimed.
    â€œThis is not about you, Camille. This dinner is for your sister,” my father said sternly. Camille was twenty-eight and acted like she was sixteen at times.
    â€œRight, I forgot, nobody cares about me,” she said as she closed the menu.
    â€œAre you staying over?” I asked my mother.
    â€œNo, we’re riding back to Philly tonight. Your daddy is still being cheap. He doesn’t want to waste the money on a hotel room.”
    â€œI’m not being cheap. It is only a two-hour ride, and I have patients in the morning.”
    My mother gave us a look like “don’t believe him.” We ordered our dinner and the waiter brought us our food promptly. I wasn’t really hungry, but I ordered a steak to eat in Camille’s face as she munched on a garden salad. We were silly like that. We annoyed each other at times but still had sisterly love. She was older and always complained because I was the baby and got whatever I wanted.
    â€œWhen do you start working, Dionne?” my father asked halfway through our meal.
    â€œI take review classes for the next few weeks, then the bar at the end of July, and I start working in September. I already accepted a position in the public defender’s office at home.”
    â€œWhere are you going to live?”
    â€œI’m moving in with Terrance.”
    My parents looked at each other, and Camille smirked at me like “ha-ha.”
    â€œDaddy, it makes sense. He is not there half the month, and it is close to my job.”
    â€œI don’t know about that whole living together stuff,” my father said, wiping his mouth and