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"Pregnant?"
I nodded my head. He removed his seatbelt and reached out to hug me.
I cried and cried on his shirt. He reachedacross the backseat for a box of tissues. He always kept a box of tissues because of my allergies.
"It's going to be ok, Ace. It's going tobe ok," he said, against my hair.
"Please don't tell him, please don't," I begged him.
"You have to. That's his child too. Unless you want to get rid of it?" He tried to keep a straight face but hisvoice was slightly alarmed.
"No, I'm not even thinking of that. Please giveme time. I will tell him."
One more week passed and I still haven't told Zander. Only Kieran, Nalee, and Tanya knew about my pregnancy. Nalee and Tanya were shocked at first. They couldn't believe that I'd be the one who got pregnant first. They wereexcited to be aunts though.
I didn't tell my dad. I wanted to tell him but each time I felt I was ready, I held back.
He wanted to know when I was coming home. I told him after I get my internships taken care of. I received the replies from the hospitals that I applied to. Iwas accepted to all of them.
Having a baby changed things, plans. A lot. Instead of doing internships, I decided to take my board exam early, ina month’s time. It was enough time for the Board of Nursing to receive clearance from CSUF Nursing that I could take the exam.
Kieran was leaving in a week to train in Omaha for the World Championships; so, we spent a lot of time with each other. He said that if I didn’t tell Zander about the baby before he left, he would be the one to tell him.
*****
I was on a deadline.
As the days got closer to when Kieran had to leave, I was getting more and more nervous about the fact that I had to tell Zander. Kieran told me that Zander would want to know and thathe had the right to know.
I reminded Kieran thatZander and I were broken up.
It was a weak excuse. I knew Kieran was right. Even though we were broken up, Zander would still want to know about our baby.He would not hesitate to take on his responsibility.
I heard the bartender turning up the volume of the TV. Majority of the patrons quieted down. At 6 o’clock, the bar was filled for happy hour. Yes, I was pregnant, in a bar, and no, I was not drinking any alcohol. A few days ago, I discovered that my baby liked chicken wings.Just like daddy.It was the one of the few things I could eat without regurgitating it out.
Kieran's eyes widened. My back was facing the TV. I turned my neck to see what the fuss was all about.
It was Zander. On live television.
He was being interviewed by The Sports Channel commentator, Bob Reide. Since Zander was the local sports hero, the bar patrons wanted to watch the interview.
It was the first time I was seeing him since we broke up. I felt sad, happy, and lonely, all at the same time. He was wearing a light green shirt for the interview. His hair was longer and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in days. His eyes looked tired, dull green. The HDTV highlighted the shadows under his eyes.
I turned my whole body around to face the TV. The captions were also on so everyone could read what was being said during the interview.
Bob:Zander, how does it feel to be the number one draft pick?
Zander:Happy, Bob (he smiled, but only the left side of his mouth turned up). Hard work pays off.
Bob:Does it bother you when people say you're in this position because of your dad?
Zander:Nah, it doesn't. My dad has nothing to do with the draft.
The interview went on for 20 more minutes with all the commercials in between. Bob Reide asked Zander about statistics, football strategies, and coaches. It was a 30-minute special The Sports Channel.
Bob:Can you confirm this rumor?
Zander:What rumor?
