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The thought of leaving home, of raising a child on my own, scares the shit out of me. I’m not ready to be a parent. I’m not ready for the responsibility.
Ready or not… this isn’t a choice.
My knees start to bounce, the need to run becoming overwhelming.
As I push my chair back from the table, I hear my parent’s words echo through my head.
“It’s for the best, Chloe.” My father’s stern voice says more than his words ever could. I’m not being given the option, this is the final decision.
“He can’t give you the life you deserve.”
My mother is less charismatic when it comes to things. She says what she thinks, no matter how it comes across.
Looking over my shoulder at them, I see the disappointment in their eyes and all rational thoughts float away.
“You don’t know him. You have no idea what kind of life he could provide for us. All you care about is how this will make you look. Your darling daughter, unwed and pregnant. How dare I scar the family name, right? Well, I’m sorry, but this is not your decision to make. This is between me and Wyatt. He doesn’t even know about the baby and you haven’t even given him a chance.”
“He doesn’t need to know, Chloe. If you want our help, if you want to go to college and have a chance at a better life, you won’t tell him. You’ll go in your room, pack your belongings and forget about this boy.” Standing from the table, my father walks to where I am and grips my arm as he speaks. “This isn’t up for discussion.”
Pulling my arms from his grasp, I run to my room and slam the door. Opening the window, I slide onto the roof of the porch and jump down, running across the open field and toward the pond as fast as my legs will carry me.
There’s no sign of Wyatt when I finally arrive gasping for breath after sprinting the last mile. What I do find is a note and pen sitting on the bench he made for me.
Chloe,
I don’t know what’s wrong, but I waited as long as I could. Please call me.
I love you,
Wyatt
Flipping the note over, I poise the pen to tell him everything. My parents’ plans. The fact that I have to leave. How to find me. But most importantly, that we’re pregnant.
That’s not the kind of thing you leave in a note. A note that anyone might find if they wander along the right trail. My parents own this property, but that doesn’t keep people from coming down here to swim or hang out. The last thing I want is for someone else to tell him.
My parents have already confiscated my phone. I don’t have the ability to call him later and explain things, so I write the only thing I can, knowing the two words may end up breaking him.
Wyatt,
I’m sorry.
Chloe
The little townof Fairview hasn’t changed as much as I thought it would. There’s a new hotel, a few bed and breakfasts along the main strip, and the McDonald’s looks like it’s been remodeled. Other than that, the same sad and worn building pass by as I slowly wind my way through the barren streets.
This time of day, people are either at work or taking refuge indoors. The heat of summer is at its peak, and unless you enjoy sweating from places that shouldn’t be talked about, you seek an air-conditioned location to hang out at.
As I pull up to the stoplight at the center of town, movement out of the corner of my eye grabs my attention. While I wait for the light to change, I watch as the banner for the annual Independence Day celebration is lifted high in the air and spread across the street. There’s a man in a suit, fanning himself with a stack of papers, directing the two men raising the banner.
It takes the men a few minutes to level the banner before they tie it off. As they begin to descend their respective ladders, a horn blares behind me.
Waving my apologies, I move forward, passing Heavenly Bakery and Fairview Tavern. As the town disappears behind me, I focus on the road ahead. Memories of summer nights spent wandering the streets, sneaking into R-rated movies with my friends and dancing in the middle of the park assault me.
Good memories.
An amazing time in my life that I won’t soon forget.
What lies ahead of me is the only memory I’d like to forget. The last time I was in my parents’ house was the day they found out I was pregnant. Within hours of our little chat, I was on my way to Denver and told never to return. Never to bring my daughter here.
