Life was moving at break-neck speed. The months sped past before Mina could catch her breath. Her world was morphing into this thing that seemed bigger than her and impossible to control.
During the three months after she and Bryan decided to keep the baby, something incredible happened. Bryan matured. He finished school and got his diploma, he stopped smoking and dealing and got a job working second shift at the shoe-lace factory on the South side of town. The work was tedious and boring, but the money was good, mainly because no one wanted to do it.
Seeing Bryan's dedication, Mina decided to go to Adams University so they could stay near their families while trying to raise their own. She had been incredibly stressed and so, so tired those first few months. When she wasn't on her knees praying to the porcelain gods, she was sleeping, or getting everything situated so she could start school in the Fall.
Her mother had come around after she realized that Mina wasn't going to bend to her will this time. She hadn't wanted her daughter to grow up that fast, but she also didn't want her to be alone in the world the way she had been. Life was hard enough without having to face it without the help of at least one parent who wanted the best. As an apology, she gave Mina the money to decorate the apartment she and Bryan had settled in. It was a small two bedroom, just off campus but after Mina had put color and furniture in it, Diana finally saw a home that she was proud belonged to her daughter.
Linda was such a hummingbird throughout the entire pregnancy. Never mind the fact that she was raising a toddler, and had another newborn grandchild to lavish with attention; her primary focus was Mina. The two talked at least once a day for those nine months. She bought bags and bags of clothes, toys, and nursery décor. She would have been in the delivery room too if Mina hadn't begged Linda to step aside for her own mother. Linda conceded, but didn't look too happy about it. She was not and would never be considered the "B" grandmother. As if to solidify her "A" status, Linda paid to have the apartment scrubbed, sanitized, and baby proofed before Mina and baby Ava got out of the hospital.
Ava was amazing. She made her mother smile and her father cry. She had Bryan's bright green eyes, only they were round and observant like her mother's. She had her father's dimples and her mother's lips, plump with the top one just a bit plumper than the bottom and flushed red. Her hair was soft as silk and black as night and her skin was beige, just shy of the tanned complexion Bryan got in the summer...that unmistakable Sicilian brown. Not only was she beautiful, Ava had impeccable timing. As if she knew that her mommy needed to be back at school in two weeks, she was born the first day of Spring Break.
By the time she was two months old, her parents had the routine down. Mina's scholarship allowed her to use her mother's monthly checks to keep Ava in the college daycare. Mommy and baby would leave the apartment at seven thirty; Mina would drop Ava off by seven forty five. After two morning classes, she would return to the daycare center to breastfeed her and leave again for two more afternoon classes. At three pm she would pick her up and they would return to the apartment just before Bryan had to leave for work. He would sit with his girls as Mina fed their daughter and talk to both of them before he went to work. By the time he got home at midnight, the first late night feeding would be over and his daughter was back to sleep soundly in her crib. Mina would finish any assignments while he ate and they would go to bed together, asleep by one-thirty am.
Mina seemingly had no idea the toll their scheduled existence was taking on Bryan. He'd had girlfriends before Mina and every time he felt trapped, he'd dump the girl and move on to the next. Things were different now, though. He felt like he was losing himself in this life. He still loved Mina, but he hardly got to see her. He adored Ava, but she was on the same schedule as her mother so he only spent weekends being her daddy. Mina's school work was a huge problem. She'd missed countless Sunday dinners at his parents' house to finish term papers and wouldn't let him take Ava either because she had to be close enough to breastfeed her when either of them needed it.
He hadn't gone into it thinking that it would be easy, but he was completely unprepared for just how difficult life would become. He wanted to go to the Pepper Pot and hang out with his boys but that wouldn't be fair to Mina. He wanted to quit his job inspecting the ends of a zillion shoelaces a night and go back to making money the easy way. He wanted something different. He was beyond feeling trapped, he was suffocating.
Everything came to a head in May when Mina told him she would be taking two classes throughout the summer term. Bryan had just nodded, choosing to remain silent, but inside he fumed. He'd been looking forward to three months without Mina chained to the computer desk, studying or clacking away at writing assignments. Summer was supposed to be fun, it was bad enough that he had to go to that soul-crushing factory every night, but to face her tired eyes every night when he got back home was just going to be too much. He wanted her to relax. He wanted to be able to have sex with her on a day that didn't fall on the weekend.
"I know it sucks," Mina said as if reading his mind. The two were standing in their small kitchenette washing dishes. It was Friday night...well, one o'clock Saturday morning and Mina was visibly relaxed after taking her last Final. "I just want to get my degree as fast as I can so I can start working and get Ava out of this place."
Bryan shrugged. "This place" was just fine ten months ago when they'd signed the lease. She acted like he was busting his ass to keep them in a slum village.
"Are you mad?" Mina asked with that innocence in her voice that made Bryan check his attitude.
"No," he lied. "If you want to do it, go ahead. If anybody can handle year-round school, it's you."
Mina smiled and pulled the plug in the sink. She dried her hands, gave Bryan a kiss on the cheek, and left to get ready for bed. Bryan watched the dirty dishwater spiral downward out of the sink before drying his own hands to follow his girlfriend to bed.
"Hey," Bryan said the next night. Mina had just put Ava down and was headed through the living area to their bedroom to get ready for bed herself. "Jerrod called and asked if I wanted to hang out tonight."
Mina rolled her eyes and frowned. Why had Bryan taken that call? He'd been successfully avoiding Jerrod's calls for months now. "That's cool," she muttered. "Are you going?"
"I actually think I am," Bryan said turning off the boxing match he'd been watching. "I haven't seen him in a while."
Mina wanted to tell him not to go. She hated Jerrod and didn't want Bryan going back to smoking weed. If he got caught with that shit her daughter would have a dad with a record. Then again, she was more aware of Bryan's anxiety than he knew. She could see that wild animal trapped in a cage look in his eye from time-to-time.
"You should go," she said forcing a smile. "You should go have some fun."
"What about you and Ava? I don't really want to leave you stuck here."
Mina widened the smile. "I'm not stuck. I'd be here anyway. She's started sleeping through the night finally so we'll be just fine."
Bryan nodded. "Cool. I'll give Jerrod a call then."
"Cool," Mina said letting the smile melt away as she continued back to her room.
***
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" Jerrod said to Bryan. They were sitting at a table in the Pepper Pot, both with bloodshot eyes and heavy lids from the blunt they'd smoked back at Jerrod's apartment...well, the loft over his parents' garage.
