Page 71 of What I Needed

She slid a picture across the table, and I picked it up to study it. The woman looked familiar, but I still didn’t recall meeting her.

“I won’t lie and say I remember her. If you say she’s Riverlynn’s mother, I believe you. I had a paternity test done, so I know she’s my daughter.”

“This photo album contains pictures of Riverlynn from the time she was born up until she was left with you.”

She reached in her purse and removed a small photo album. I flipped through the first few pages and smiled, marveling at how much Riverlynn had changed.

“What’s your sister’s deal? Why didn’t she reach out to let me know she was carrying my child, instead of leaving her at my door with a note?”

“Chala made a lot of decisions that most would deem questionable, but I’ll tell you what she shared with me, and hopefully you’ll understand.”

“Thank you.”

“The night she hooked up with you, her fiancé had just ended their relationship. She was hurt and wanted to forget, if only for one night. Somehow, she ended up in your VIP section at a club, and by the end of the night, she was in your bed. You gave her the time of her life, and one of those times, the condom broke. By morning, that little slip-up was forgotten, and she went on with her life, even reuniting with her ex.”

“Good for her, I guess.”

“Not really. Not long after she found out she was pregnant, she found out she had stage three breast cancer in both breasts.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. When she found out how far along in the pregnancy she was, the timing didn’t match up for the baby to be her fiancé’s. He told her if she got rid of the baby, he’d stay and support her through the cancer treatment. She didn’t want to abort her baby, and she refused treatment because she was afraid of what it would do to the baby.”

“Wow.”

“As you know, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but by that time, the cancer had progressed to stage four, and it was aggressive. The treatments didn’t work, and she could barely take care of Riverlynn.”

“Fuck. Did she . . . Is she dead?” Marveya nodded. “Why didn’t she come to me? I would’ve made sure she had the best care.”

“She died almost a month ago, and unfortunately, our relationship wasn’t the best. We share the same father and didn’t meet until a few years ago. She was the product of an affair, and I didn’t pursue a relationship with her, because my mother made me feel guilty.”

She shook her head solemnly, and tears filled her eyes. It was clear that she regretted her decision.

“What about her friends?”

“We only talked a few times a year, so I didn’t know much about her personal life except for what she told me when she finally reached out. I think she had a few friends, but my gut tells me her relationship with her ex caused those friendships to end.”

“Damn. Did she die alone?”

“No, thank God. I was with her. She finally called me about two weeks before she died and told me what I’ve shared with you today, and how to get in contact with you. This folder contains Riverlynn’s birth certificate, medical records, and some other important paperwork you might need.”

She slid the folder across the table, but I decided I’d look at it later.

“This is a lot and not what I expected to hear, but thank you for giving me this information. My mother and girlfriend think I hired a private investigator, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m glad I found out what I needed from you instead of a complete stranger with no connection.”

“I failed my sister in so many ways; this was the least I could do. She wanted to be cremated, and I have her urn in the car if you would like to keep it for Riverlynn. The money from the sale of Chala’s house is in a trust for your daughter, and a copy of the life insurance policy for which she is the beneficiary is in the folder. I figured I’d let you take care of that.”

“Thank you. I feel fucked up because I don’t remember her, and I wish she’d gone about this another way. I was angry with her for leaving Riverlynn the way she did, but I’m so grateful she chose not to abort her. Our daughter has changed my life for the better, and in ways I didn’t think were possible. If it weren’t for Chala leaving Riverlynn at my door, I wouldn’t have met the woman I one day hope to marry. Wait! Did I just say that?”

“You absolutely did, and you seem like a man of your word, so don’t mess this up.”

“I won’t. I hired Erissa to be Riverlynn’s nanny, and things have progressed quickly since the moment she accepted the job. She quickly became much more than a nanny. She loves Riverlynn like she gave birth to her, and she even puts up with me.”

“You don’t seem like you’re very hard to put up with, but she sounds like a great woman. Listen, you don’t have to answer this right now, but I was wondering if I could meet Riverlynn. I didn’t take the opportunity to get to know my sister, and I don’t want the same thing to happen with my niece.”

“If you genuinely want to have a relationship with her, I’ll never keep her from you. Let’s exchange numbers, and once I process all this, either Erissa or I will reach out. My basketball season just started, so my schedule might be a little hectic.”

We exchanged phones and added our numbers before standing to leave. After securing my condo, we headed to the elevator, and I broke our silence once we were inside.