“Nancy, this is getting harder than I thought,” Reggie complained as he got home that evening. “Maybe we should end this and just adopt a child.”

“What happened?” Nancy asked.

“She paid me a surprise visit and asked to meet my family because I wasn’t there.”

Nancy shook her head. “You’re not quitting. This is what you wanted, remember?”

“Fine, I’ll just call and end things with her.”

“Absolutely not, not when we’re so close,” Nancy insisted.

Reggie sighed. “What do we do, then?”

“Bring her here. I’ll bring my mom to pretend to be yours, and I’ll act as your sister.”

Reggie raised an eyebrow. “Why would your mom be better for this than mine?”

“She’s just… a better fit,” Nancy replied.

"Okay, fine. Bring your mother tomorrow; Esaaba’s coming over," Reggie said.

“Sure,” Nancy replied with a sly smile.

Reggie spent the whole night trying to soften Esaaba’s resolve, but she stayed firm. Finally, he promised a family visit, which seemed to relax her. The next day arrived, and Nancy had rushed her mother, Florence, over, barely explaining the plan.

"Mama, just act like you’re Reggie’s mother today. I’ll explain everything later," she said hurriedly.

Florence raised a brow. “That makes you siblings?”

“Yes, Mama. Please play along,” Nancy insisted, watching Reggie hurriedly take down personal photos and redecorate to create the charade.

In the afternoon, Reggie sent his location to Esaaba. Eagerly, she made her way to his “family home,” where Florence waited, legs crossed, feigning motherly authority behind a newspaper.

Reggie took a deep breath. “Mama, this is Esaaba,” he introduced, feeling the weight of the lie.

Florence forced a smile, looking Esaaba over. “Nice to meet you. Reggie talks a lot about you.” But inside, she felt deep pity for the young woman, wishing she could warn her. Just then, Nancy entered.

“Looks like you found yourself a good one, Bro!” she teased.

“Nice to meet you, Esaaba,” Nancy greeted, taking her hand. “My brother’s a jerk sometimes, but he’s a good guy,” she whispered, making Esaaba giggle.

Reggie quickly led Esaaba to the guest room, leaving Florence and Nancy alone. Florence frowned at her daughter, concern and frustration evident.

“Why are you doing this to that poor girl?” she asked.

“Mama, it’s just the easiest way to get a baby,” Nancy defended.

“At the cost of lying to an innocent girl?”

“By the time the truth comes out, we’ll be old and gray.”

“Mama Florence sighed. “Listen, Nancy, this is a terrible idea. Stop it now, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Other Chaps: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22