It’s 2 in the morning when I’m awakened by an intense pain throughout my mid-section and lower back. At first, I thought it was just a hard kick from the baby, but when it doesn’t let up…I realize that I’m in labor. I climb out of bed…
Alida: Ahhhhhhh! *deep breaths* Oh Q…it hurts.
Q wakes up immediately after hearing his name.
Alida: The baby’s coming Q. *another contraction* It hurts so bad…is it supposed to feel like this?
It’s a rhetorical question, but Q answers anyway…
Quincy: I don’t know…*panicked* I’ve never had a baby before! Uh…breathe – I think you’re supposed to breathe.
Alida: *annoyed* I am breathing! If I wasn’t breathing, I’d be dead!
Q manages to calm himself down enough to offer me some comfort. He gives me a hug, then rubs my back and shoulders.
Quincy: Does that feel any better?
Suddenly, I feel warm water pouring down my legs.
Alida: Yeah…but I think my water just broke.
We decide that it’s probably best that we go to the hospital. I go into the bathroom to clean myself up and put on some clothes. Q stands in the front room in a panic once again…
Quincy: Where did I put my keys!?
By some miracle, Q finds his keys and we leave for the hospital. Once we get there, I get out the car while Q parks it. By the time he makes it inside…they already have me checked in. They take me to a hospital room.
Q walks up to the receptionist; ignoring the fact that she’s on the phone.
Quincy: My girl…she just came in here. She’s having a baby!
Receptionist: One second, sir!
She finishes up her call and hangs up.
Quincy: I need to get back there! I need to be with her!
Receptionist: Okay… I just need your name, please.
Quincy: My name? Yeah…it’s uh – oh shit! I can’t remember!
The receptionist is used to dealing with panicked fathers. She calmly asks Q to take a deep breath and count backward from 10. Once he’s calm…he’s able to give her his name and other information. Then she sends him back to where I’m being prepped for surgery.
Q bursts into the delivery room…
Quincy: Is the baby here yet? Did I miss it?
Dr. Akana: No…you’re right on time daddy. Ready to meet your baby?
The surgical machine finishes its job and our baby is delivered.
Dr. Akana: Congrats…you’re the parents of a baby girl!
Once I’ve had a chance to change out of my hospital gown…I walk over to meet our baby. She’s smaller than I expected, but she’s absolutely beautiful.
Quincy: What should we name her?
Up until now…I’ve been unsure of what to name the baby. I’ve played with a few names in my head, but never really said them out loud or committed to them. Suddenly…one enters my head and stands out above the rest. I decide to go for it…
Alida: I want to name her… *pause and take a deep breath* Prosperity Wade-Banks!
Quincy: That’s a lot of name for a little baby.
Alida: Yeah, but she won’t always be a baby.
If names are important, then maybe giving my daughter a name that means success will ensure that she won’t ever have to know what it’s like to be poor and struggle.
I’m not so sold on the name by the time we make it back home. We place Prosperity in a bassinet by the side of our bed. I sit there, practically in a panic…
Alida: Q! Why did you let me name her Prosperity? You know I was high on that epidural! Oh Gawd…she’s going to hate me for the rest of her life. Prosperity! What the hell was I thinking? I’m already a shitty parent.
Q walks over and picks Prosperity up.
Quincy: Don’t worry…it’ll grow on her. And we can call her Peri.
Q always knows how to make me feel better. Peri…I like that. Maybe she won’t hate me so much after all.
I get up and leave the room to allow Q a moment to bond with his daughter.
Bubbles…I need my bubbles. I pull them out and begin to blow as many as I can. I’m a mother now, but what kind of mother will I be? What if I end up like my own mother? I’d love to be like Mama Nadine…calm, caring, wise and always knowing the right thing to say. But what if being f*&ked up runs in my genes…and I pass it down to Peri? There are not enough bubbles in the world to get that thought out of my head.
Q gives Peri a bottle, then lays her back down. He pulls out his phone and chooses a contact. The phone rings a few times before he hears his mother’s drowsy voice.
Alice: Hello?
Quincy: Hey ma! It’s Q. The baby is here. We had a girl…
My little panic attack has worn me out. I re-enter the bedroom ready to strip down and climb in bed. I do so immediately. Q sits there for a while staring at Peri. Eventually, he also falls asleep.
(Generation 1a Chapter Summaries)
