“Abso-fucking-lutely not!” I was able to find my voice. The bitterness in it matched that of the taste in my mouth from the vomit.
“But what am I supposed to do? I’ve started my last year of college. I’m on a scholarship; there is no way I can ask for it to be deferred. Opportunities like mine don’t come around often at all. This is it for me. My parents can’t afford a baby; they’re in the process of losing their home. I don’t have a real job, nothing that could help, and what employer is going to hire me only to lose me right away to maternity leave?” she cried into the phone. “Stenton, how am I going to tell my parents that I’ve disappointed them?”
I gave Zoey time to cry. In my wildest dreams, I had things in place for this one thing I wanted just as bad as I needed air to breathe. I wanted Zoey and this baby. I wanted it so fucking bad it hurt. But it also inconvenienced her. In my wild thinking I didn’t intend on that. I hadn’t thought of every grievance she’d named. But one I did.
“I’ll tell them, Zo.”
“W-what?” she stuttered. “What do you mean you’ll tell them? Stenton, my parents don’t know you. My family…they’re different. They don’t tolerate stuff like this. Pregnancy outside of marriage opens up a can of worms that I vowed to avoid. They’ll demand marriage and you know how I feel about that! Stenton, it’s bigger than my family; it’s my church.” She was freaking the fuck out. “They won’t take this well. My life…my future is over. There will be no me to help. With a baby, I’ll be another burden…another mouth to feed—two mouths to feed! Don’t you get it?”
Pain ripped through my chest at the cold and harsh tone of her voice. It was one I’d never heard from her. I wasn’t expecting her anger. I knew she wasn’t ready for marriage, so I’d go with the next best thing. A connection with this incredible young lady forever. I wanted this baby.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Zoey.” I’ve done enough of that for the both of us. “Just hang tight. I’ll take a flight out tonight. Don’t sweat telling your parents. I’ll take care of that.” I didn’t know them well enough to trust they wouldn’t try to advise her to abort the baby. I needed to play this shit right. “Where are you?”
She sniffled, “At school. I can’t keep sitting on this. I have to tell my mom.”
“When did you find out? How do you know?” …what I’ve done to you?
“Yesterday. I went to the clinic here on campus.”
“And you’re just telling me?” My voice was softer than I felt at that moment. “Why didn’t you call me right away?”
She sniffled some more. “Angela ring a bell? I’m not one of those girls, Stent,” she declared through gritted teeth again.
It was sufficient enough of an answer. Angela tried to rope Alton in with a pregnancy she knew he wasn’t responsible for. Zoey was nothing like her cousin.
“I’ll handle it. Just hang tight.”
“Bye, Stenton,” she whispered and ended the call.
And I didn’t know what that meant. Again, a pain ran through my chest as I laid my head against the wall.
~~~~~~~~~~
“You ready to do this, homes?” Barry asked quietly from behind the wheel after we pulled up to Zoey’s two-story home.
As I looked through the window into the morning sky, I nodded my head. I was as ready as I’d ever be. How do you tell a man you knocked up his young daughter, but you plan on taking care of her? You certainly don’t include all the details.