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“Yeah, Eric said she’s more than made amends and the town seems to have let it go. Finally. Did Eric know her before?”
Amber nodded. “They lived next door, but he was gawky and awkward, and they too ran in completely different circles. Took a while to grow into himself.”
“Sheesh. I always feel so left out. You all would’ve been fun to be around.”
“Oh, it was fun for sure. But we all did something wild in our pasts. I’m sure you weren’t all squeaky clean on the commune.”
“I was.” Sad but true.
Living in the commune was even tighter than living in a small town. I couldn’t sneeze without someone knowing. And if I was in a bad mood, there were too many people suddenly available to help me cheer up, usually with somethingnaturalbut I never went for it, choosing instead to pour my thoughts into poetry and hiding my journal so the words would never be read aloud in nightly group.
When I moved away at seventeen – and shunned, neverable to return – I learned my lifestyle wasn’t common and most of my friends had a different upbringing. It was a huge shock to the system when I found Cheshire Bay, a town full of people and private buildings and items that belonged to individuals and not the group as a whole, but I embraced the lifestyle. It was still laid back, but I learned new skills thanks to the patient people of the garden center and thankfully I was a quick study when it came to computers.
“You never smoked weed?” She tipped her head to the side and studied me while I shook out a no. “Want to now?” Amber rose and went to her kitchen, returning a heartbeat later with her smoke. Lighter in hand, she went to flick it on. “This’ll be fun.”
I put my hand out to stop her. “I can’t.”
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s very relaxing.”
Relaxing was an understatement. I remember how the elders would zone out. “Yeah, it’s not that.”
The lighter hung out beneath the smoke. “What’s the problem? You’ll be safe – I won’t let you jump out a window or anything.”
Even I knew weed didn’t cause that kind of a reaction. “Amber…” I held my breath because Mitch was supposed to be the one who found out first. “I’m pregnant.”
Her whole face lit up and her eyes grew wide as they scanned down my body. “You’re pregnant?”
I nodded, a slight smile building. It felt good to finally share the news with someone. “Justpregnant. I found out on Tuesday.”
“Yay!” Amber jumped up and down, and then her smile slid off as she fell back beside me. “Oh, shit. Mitch and Jasmine and Jackson.”
“Yeah.”
“That does put a damper on things, doesn’t it? He doesn’tknow yet either, am I right?”
“I was going to tell him that night. It was our five-year anniversary, but she decided to show up and kibosh my plans.” I sighed and my head hit the back of the couch. “That’s not fair. She’d didn’t plan to ruin my happiness. Hell, she probably didn’t even know I existed.”
“Wow.” Amber tossed the smoke and lighter onto the coffee table. “You’re a nicer person than I am.”
“No.”
“Yeah. I’d torch the bitch, not literally of course, but I’d roast her.”
“She doesn’t know anything about me. This is all on Mitch. This is all his fault.”
“You’re damn right it is, but I’m still going to blame her, and hate on her. And kick his ass nine ways to Sunday if I ever see him again.”
I picked at a scab on my knee, picking the edges of it until it hurt and bled. “The only fault I have with Jasmine is her not telling Mitch sooner. That’s what I don’t understand.”
“You said it was because she’s moving to the US?”
“Yeah. I guess she needs his signature on the documentation stating Mitch gives approval for his kid to live there. It’s all messed up and weird.”
“Just curious, and don’t answer if you don’t want to, but…” Amber took a deep breath. “Would you have rather found out now that he fathered a child, found out years later, or would you rather you never knew?”
“Isn’t there an option ofI wish he hadn’t knocked her up?”
“That’s already happened.”
