AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Crap.
“Hey, Dad,” I say while turning away from my girlfriends. “Long time no talk. How are you?”
“Were these last twenty-three years wasted? Did she ever love me?”
I grimace. Poor Dad. He must have just found out. It must be such a blow. He loved Mom for all these years, and then she went and cheated on him. Now, she’s getting married at most a year after the divorce. He must be complete gutted.
“You know what, Dad, why don’t we talk about this when I get out of class?”
“You know, I had my chances,” Dad continues as if he hasn’t heard a word. “There were loads of women throwing themselves at me.”
Great. Just what I want to hear at 8:30 in the morning.
“But I never succumbed to temptation! Because I loved your mother.” Dad sniffs. Is he crying? I wish I could be with him right now. I wish I could give him a hug and tell him everything will be okay.
“And now, I hear through mutual friends, that she’s getting married to that Bryan. She hardly knows him!”
He has a point.
“Who told you?”
Dad scoffs. “Nancy Bateman.”
Nancy is Mom’s friend from college. She used to come over for Friday game nights. I never really liked her. She was always in competition with Mom over everything—games, art, family, it didn’t matter what.
“How kind of her,” I say sarcastically. If I ever see Nancy Bateman, I’m going to tell her to keep her stupid snobby nose out of my family’s business.
Dad sniffs again. “Yeah, I ran into her at the subway. She asked me if I was invited.”
“What?” I shout. “Why the Hell would she ask you that? That makes no sense whatsoever.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Dad says shakily. “I’m going to die alone.”
I sigh and shake my head. “You’re not going to die alone.”
“No, I am. I might as well get that in my pathetic brain now.”
“There is someone out there for you, Dad,” I say. “You’ll see.”
The door opens and I see the professor walk in, carrying a huge bag under her arm while pushing her spectacles up her nose.
“I don’t know, Rachey. I just don’t know.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I rush out. “The professor walked in. I’ll call you after class, okay?”
There’s a long pause followed by a disgruntled, “Okay.”
I hang up quickly and shove my phone into my purse. Charlie and Lauren give me a look as if to ask if I’m okay, but I shake my head. I’m not okay. My family is a mess right now. Dad is in shambles about Mom moving on, and Mom doesn’t seem to care about anything other than her upcoming wedding to Bryan. How am I supposed to tell them that I’m pregnant? Would they even be happy for me?
I stroke my belly while trying to pay attention to the professor clicking through slides on the board. It’s impossible to focus on my studies now. I need to tell Mom and Dad soon, but when? Dad could be happy about the news. I can imagine him playing with my child, pushing them on the swing set or running with them through the park.
But Mom?
I have my doubts. Either she’s irritated by the news because it takes away from her wedding, or she gets upset about becoming a grandmother. Or, she may get stressed thinking that I will need her help in raising the child despite having four boyfriends… well, perhaps three know.
I blink away the tears welling in my eyes. Don’t think about Seth now. Focus on your work. You need to graduate this year, Rachel, I tell myself. I just feel like I’m adding unneeded stress to everyone’s lives.
Chapter 19
