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“It’s not Louis, Mom.”
“So, someone else?” She threw her hands in the air. “That’s great! Just great! And who is our mystery man?”
“Someone I met,” I replied. “He’s not in my life. It was a one-night stand.”
My mother’s jaw dropped, and she stared at me like I was some strange creature.
“A one-night stand!” she screamed. “How could you? We raised you better than this. I am so disappointed in you, Martha.”
Before I could say anything, she got up and stormed out of the dining room, leaving me alone with my father.
My life was over.
It was the only thought racing through my head.
I couldn’t go back to school, not like this. I wouldn’t be able to handle the stares, the snickering, the pointing. Not to mention I’d be labeled the campus whore after word about this got out. I could already see what attending lectures would be like or walking around the college grounds being judged for my mistakes.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and when I was finally able to look at my father, I saw the tears in his eyes, too.
“We raised you better,” he finally said, and his words broke my heart.
“I’m so sorry,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper. “I tried to get an abortion, but…”
“My God, Martha,” my father sighed and buried his face in his hands.
“They said I couldn’t get one. My body’s too weak, probably from all the work I’ve been doing, I don’t know.”
My father shook his head and looked at me, eyes red.
“What do I do?” I asked.
“You have the baby,” he replied.
“Dad, I can’t have a baby.”
“That’s not up to you anymore,” he said. “You made a mistake, and you have to take responsibility for that.”
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
My father sighed. “Neither do I, but you’re going to have to.”
I wiped a tear from my face.
“But you can’t stay here.”
His words were like a stab in my heart. The shock just added to the overwhelming emotions coursing through me.
“Dad…”
“Your mother won’t be able to handle it,” he went on. “And honestly, neither will I. This is your struggle and yours alone. We did everything we could for you, and honestly, this feels like a betrayal of our efforts and trust.”
“Dad, it’s not like that.”
But I could see he had made up his mind. His face was bright red now, and the shock he had first experienced had been quickly replaced with anger. If there was an ounce of fatherhood inside him, it was being pushed far back. He was a proud man, and I could only imagine what this was doing to him.
He stood up, unable to look me in the eye, his hands balled up into fists that shook. “Tomorrow,” he said. “I want to come back from work and find you gone, Martha.”
He started to walk away, then stopped. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, leaving me alone.
