A Life Unplanned

A LIFE UNPLANNED

Chapter 1 – On Ideas, Good and Bad

I'd had a few ideas for how I wanted my life to go, but I hadn't counted on this. I'd never thought I would be a single mom, but here I was, twenty-four, unmarried, and my son was turning two. One rowdy drunken night at a house party during spring break my last semester of college had been enough to make him. I'd never bothered telling his sperm donor, because there had been no affection between us, just lust. I'd later learned he had a reputation, and the more I learned, the more I knew he wasn't someone I wanted my child around.

It took a while to come to that conclusion. I had nearly called him a hundred times. The one time I did call him, I doubted he'd actually answered on purpose, because the sound of some girl moaning his name made it clear he was busy. In my highly emotional state, I was both hurt and angry. I finally had gone to the campus clinic after fighting with myself for three days about the accuracy of a home pregnancy test. Turned out he had given me more than a baby. Thankfully, the STD was treatable and was caught before it could do any permanent damage. It was also the final deciding factor in not telling him about his impending fatherhood, at least at first.

I was fortunate to still be covered by my parents' insurance, since I was on my own with no job. I graduated college, but I didn't attend the ceremony, because my morning sickness had been particularly wicked that day...who was I kidding, it had been particularly wicked my entire pregnancy. I made it through the rest of my pregnancy alone, and my son came two days after Thanksgiving.

My parents were kind enough to let me stay with them that first year, while I recuperated and got used to motherhood. In that time, they became irrefutably attached to my little boy. I think my father had always wanted a son, but it just wasn't in the cards for my parents. My mother had only been fifteen when I was born, and my complicated birth had badly damaged her reproductive organs. I had been destined to be put up for adoption, but when her and my dad, who had been sixteen at the time, found out that she would never be able to have another baby, they decided to keep me and get married, since they really did love each other.

With lots of help from their parents, my mother obtained her GED. My father finished high school a year early and attended a trade school. My mother loved that my father was a plumber. She made all sorts of mentally-scarring jokes about it. Thankfully, when little Tyler started to talk, they stopped it.

I was able to get a job and an apartment just up the street from my parents. My mother still insisted that she babysit little Tyler, which gave me peace of mind and a break financially.

Actually, what I should have said was that my mother gave me a piece of her mind, and a break financially.

Before she and my father had consummated their relationship at such a young age, they had made plans to marry and attend college together. They had planned on having their first baby soon after graduation, just like I had. It was to be timed so my mother could finish college before I was born. Because I had done this, accidentally mind you, my mother somehow believed that I should take up her plan of having another baby close in age to the first. The problem was, I didn't have a husband with a good job, so that I could stay home and care for my children.

Of course, that didn't stop the facts she would tell me from running around in my head. I did work as a receptionist at a pediatrician's office. I saw all the things kids did when their parents' backs were turned while they checked in. It was true; kids who were older tended to resent the much younger ones, and the younger ones seemed to always be looking for ways to get the older ones in trouble. But the kids who were close in age tended to sit down and play together peacefully. I wanted peace.

Tyler's birthday was bigger than I expected. My parents took the lead on it and invited everyone from his play group. He and his little buddies ran around, while the parents stood to the side watching the chaos unfold. The party was on a Saturday, so a lot of dads were in attendance, chatting with their arms around their wives.

My mother came past me with a big grin on her face. "I love having so many children underfoot. You know, I've always wanted a big family. I couldn't have lots of children, but you can. You should find a nice man and have a few more kids. You know Tyler would be better-rounded with siblings hanging around. You need to put yourself out there to have a chance at expanding your family. There's more to life than just working, honey."

"I know, Mom."

"I just feel like you're not trying. There's a whole city of eligible men out there who'd be happy to date you. Guys like families, too. You'll see, they'll see how sweet little Tyler is and want to make one of their own."

"I really don't have much time to date, Mom."

"Nonsense, you find yourself a man, I'll babysit, and you can baby-make."

I heard my father chuckle, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry about her, kiddo. You do what's right for you. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"Thanks, Dad."

After some great debate, I decided maybe having one more kid wouldn't be so bad. I could get my baby making done young and get it over with. I had all the baby stuff already. I had good health insurance. The problem was I didn't have a man to knock me up. I considered my options, and after a lot of thought, I realized that I would seem like a stupid slut to some people if I had one kid with one man, another with some other guy, and if I ever met Mr. Right, well, we would probably have one more kid. So, I would have three kids with three different fathers. Yeah, I would likely be seen as one of those idiot sluts who needed Jerry Springer to help her find her baby daddies.

I did some more deep thinking on the matter and decided that maybe I should look up the asshole who had knocked me up the first time. If he was still single and as much of a manwhore as he had been in college, it would probably be easy to get him into bed again, and then my kids would be full siblings, with the added benefit of having the chance of sharing more physical traits. If I met Mr. Right someday, I could just tell him that their father and I weren't involved anymore. It would seem like I had been in a committed relationship with my supposed "ex" then, because it would have spanned enough time to produce two children, sounding very un-slutty. Yeah, I could totally pull that off. Now I just needed to track down that Carrington douche and get him tested for STDs, because I wasn't doing that again.

Once I got on the Facebook link for our college, I started to get worried. So many of the people I had known had ended up all over the country. I obviously couldn't just up and fly somewhere to get knocked up. Imagine my relief to find he was doing his residency in a small town just southeast of Waco. I put in a friend request and was surprised when instead of receiving an acceptance; I received a note asking who I was.

Great, I was glad I was so memorable…

I replied, telling him that we had gone to college together, and I thought we'd had a biology class together. I was pretty sure it had been a biology class I had almost stopped him in front of. That was when I had still been considering telling him about my pregnancy.

His reply was three words.

"
Did we fuck?"

Classy. I thought about telling him yes, but realized there were probably a slew of bitter and angry women after him. I decided not to answer yes or no, but to play the appalled card.

"
What?!"

His reply was quick.

"
Sorry, what did you need?"

I had to rack my brain to come up with some reason to contact him. I decided to go with something work-related that had to do with our biology class. That would hopefully seem unthreatening enough to allow him to meet with me. I asked him if he still had his notes and drawings of the intestinal tract, saying that the picture I had drawn wasn't all that accurate, and I was looking for a better one to explain an issue to my friend.

It seemed legit.

His response was to tell my friend to see a doctor.

I wanted to virtually flip that bastard off. It took me a few minutes to come up with a reply.

"
She's an herbalist and believes doctors are evil."

My mom actually studied herbs and wasn't fond of doctors, so it was sort of true. I could show her the diagram to make it true.

"
Fine, what's your address? I'll mail it to you."

I was ready for that.

"
I don't give men I barely know my address. Do you mind meeting in a public place?"

It was two days later that I finally got a reply.

"
Fine, I'll be staying overnight in Waco on Friday. I can meet you at the Pincher Bar on First Street at 7:00 p.m."

I had to look it up. I honestly didn't drink anymore after the party, where I had gotten knocked up because of a faulty condom. I was too busy being a mom to party anymore.

I did my best not to look like a slut, but still come off as sexy. I wore my best work clothes, and I had freshened up my makeup and let my hair down. I wasn't unattractive, but being a tiny brunette, I wasn't a blonde bombshell supermodel, either. I figured I'd get him drunk, and then we'd go back to his hotel. I was lucky his request lined up with my ovulation schedule, and according to the tests I'd taken, I was nearing ovulation. He would be a day or two early, but hopefully I would get pregnant, anyway. Sperm could live up to six days inside a woman's body, after all.

I was standing on the sidewalk in front of the address I was supposed to go to, certain I was lost. I had been walking back and forth, looking repeatedly between the buildings and the map pages I had printed out, when I was finally asked if I needed some help by a huge man with dimples. I took two steps back from him. "I have pepper spray."

"Good for you. You look lost, do you need help?" he asked again.

I looked up and down the street that was littered with clubs and bars. "I'm looking for something called the Pincher Bar. I found it on-line, but this map says it's supposed to be here," I pointed to a building that looked condemned. "I'm not familiar with this part of town or these kinds of establishments. Do you know if it relocated?" I was going to be late for my meeting, damn it.

"No, that map is right, it's in there," he nodded with his head toward the shabby building.

"You'd better not be trying something funny," I warned gripping my keys with my pepper spray.

He just let out a chuckle. "Let me get the door for you."

He opened it, the sound of loud music escaped, and when I peeked past him, I could see a long bar with a bartender serving drinks. I let out a relieved breath. I wasn't going to be late. "Thank you," I nodded. He laughed at me and followed me inside.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

"No, thank you. I'm supposed to meet someone here," I smiled, doing my best not to be bitchy. It had been a long time since I had flirted or tried to be charming. It was obvious by my exchange with Dimples that I was rusty. I just hoped Trent Carrington was still a manwhore and easy to seduce.

Chapter 2- The Pick Up

I walked into the bar and scoped out the room. It didn't take long for me to find my target sitting in the far corner, looking as if he was hiding. I walked over and slid into the booth across from him. He eyed me suspiciously. "Are you Clarissa Sharp?" he asked shortly.

I nodded yes, surprised by his temper.

His eyes fell to the map pages in my hands. "What are those? Did you bring me some kind of papers?" he sat forward scowling. I really didn't anticipate him being such an asshole.

"No, it's my map and directions. I don't hang out around this part of town." I pushed them in front of him so he could see them, all the while rethinking this whole fuck-and-run idea with him. It suddenly seemed like a bad idea. The dimpled guy had been cute. I would bet he'd make nice babies.

The asshole in front of me sat up a little straighter.

"Do you have the notes?" I asked reminding him of the reason I had come.

He looked left and right and then leaned over the table. "No."

I was confused. "Then why did you meet with me?"

"We didn't have biology together."

"I don't understand."

"What's the real reason you asked me here?" he pushed.

This wasn't going like I'd planned. "I should go." I started to get up to leave, when he grabbed my arm. My eyes shot to Dimples, who had been watching our exchange. He was frowning at the asshole I was with. I tugged my arm, trying to get loose, but he would not relent. I started to dig for my pepper spray, and just as I pulled it out, Dimples grabbed my hand, holding it so I couldn't press the nozzle. "That shouldn't be sprayed indoors." He glared down at Trent. "You need to let the lady go."

Trent looked surprised, but he released me. I quickly rushed to the exit, and I was surprised when Dimples pushed the door open for me. "Would you like me to walk you to your car?" He looked sincerely worried.

I glanced up and down the street, it was getting dark out, and I'd had to park three blocks away. "I hate to put you out."

"You're not."

I nodded. "Thank you, I'd really appreciate it."

"So, the guy you were meeting turned out to be an asshole, huh?"

I laughed blackly. "Yeah, I was stupid for meeting with him. Thank you for stepping in," I smiled up at him. Yeah, I wouldn't mind a kid with his dimples.

"Where do you know him from?"

"We went to school together. He was a bit of an ass then, had a reputation. I should've known better than to contact him."

"Why did you?"

I shook my head, not wanting to answer. "Personal reasons, but it doesn't matter now. Thank you for walking me to my car." My eye caught a group of rowdy drunk guys stumbling down the sidewalk, eyeing me as they passed and it made me shudder. I was glad I had accepted Dimples' offer now.

"Anytime, I'm Trevor, by the way."

"It was very nice to meet you, I'm Clara."

"Clara," he repeated with a dimpled smile, causing me to blush. "Could we maybe exchange phone numbers?"

I was a little shocked, but I nodded yes, pulling out my cell phone. My background was a picture of Tyler covered in mac and cheese. He looked adorable with his hair standing on end. Trevor would see the picture of him. It was probably best he knew I had a kid now, before he called, or didn't call.

I handed him my phone. "Go ahead and enter yours, and then call yourself from my phone."

He did as I suggested, grinning widely when he saw the picture. "Cute kid, is he yours?"

"Yes, he is."

"I can't help but notice he looks an awful lot like the asshole in the bar." My smile dropped. "Is he involved?" he pushed.

"No, he's not, and it's best to keep it that way. I don't want my son to grow up to be an asshole, too." I snatched my phone back. "It was very nice meeting you," I dismissed him, hopping into my car. I nearly ran him over, as I shot out of the parking lot. I guessed Dimples wouldn't be the father of my baby, and I was bummed that I had wasted a perfectly good Friday night.

Saturday afternoon, I received a text from Dimples, or Trevor, asking me to meet him at Pinchers Bar again. I thought he had to be out of his mind, because I definitely came off as crazy, but I agreed. He knew I had a kid and he had been very kind. There was no reason to say no to him.

I texted back okay, and he sent me a happy face. They should have made one with dimples just for him. I hadn't told my mother what I had been doing last night, just that I had something I needed to pick up. It wasn't a lie. I wanted to pick up a load of sperm, with my vagina.

Tonight, though, I told her I was meeting a guy I'd met when I had been out yesterday. She grilled me for details, but I honestly didn't know much about Dimples, just that he seemed like a nice guy and didn't freak out about me having a kid.

I arrived a little early, hoping to find a good parking spot closer to the bar this time. When I walked in, Dimples was there, but he didn't notice me right away. I understood why. There was a large-busted blonde smiling at him. She was gorgeous from what I could make out, dressed up to the nines, her blonde hair sweeping partially across her face in a trendy style. She pulled him down a hallway, and when I peeked around the corner, I saw her losing her shirt, while closing the office door. If he bothered to come out for our date, I would let him know I couldn't stay and promptly block his phone number.

I ordered a soda and sat at the bar. If I leaned to the side, like I was feeling a little lazy, I could see the office door. I figured I'd watch it and let him know he was busted as soon as he stepped out of it. Fifteen minutes after our agreed-upon time, he finally came out, running his fingers through his hair and double-checked his zipper. Yup, there was no questioning what he'd been doing. I gave him my best "I know what you were doing" grin, waving a few fingers at him.

His eyes widened, and he quickly turned back to the door, but the blonde was already walking out. I just slipped off the stool after that and headed for the exit. I was shocked by his audacity, when he grabbed my shoulder, trying to stop me from leaving. "I know you said I shouldn't spray my pepper spray indoors, but I'm not above doing it," I warned.

"Hold on," he let go, raising his hands up like I had him at gunpoint. "Let me explain what's going on."

I shook my head no. "I really don't have time for this, Trevor. Thank you for, well…nothing." I turned and started for the door again. I saw him reach for me, but I lifted my pepper spray container, causing him to take a step back.

I wasn't three steps out the door, when another man grabbed me. I was ready to fight back, but then I realized it was Trent. "You want money from me! You want to ruin me," he slurred.

"No, I don't. I don't want anything from you," I pulled away from him.

"You do, they all do! They all want to ruin me, those crazy bitches. They're getting nothing!" he slurred as he swayed.

I just shook my head at him. He was obviously drunk. I hurried away to the parking lot and had just reached my car, when I saw Trent pull out some keys, ready to open a car door. "Oh, HELL no!" I shouted at him. He turned around, looking confused. He finally spotted me, as I stormed toward him. "You are 
not
 driving! You're drunk!"

"I'm just buzzed."

I shoved him, and he stumbled into his car. He would have fallen on his butt if it hadn't been there. "You shouldn't be falling over when I push on you."

"You hit me!"

"I did not. Go on, give me a little shove and see if I'm sober."

He went to shove me, but I stepped out of the way. He nearly fell on his face. "Hey!" he pointed at me.

I snatched the keys from his hand. "Get in the damn car, and tell me where you're going." He folded his arms and looked just like his son on the verge of a tantrum. "I'm not giving in on this one. You get in this car right now, young man!" I ordered in my sternest mommy voice.

I was amazed when he actually conceded and climbed into the passenger side of the car, pouting pitifully.

"Where are we going?" I asked him. He dug around in his pockets and then handed me a hotel key to The Victor’s Inn.

I pulled next to the entrance, where he hopped out of the car and staggered in, leaving me in his car, with his keys and his hotel room card. I parked and hurried in, hoping to find him before he got too far. Of course, this wasn't an issue, as he was fighting with hotel security about the elevator. You had to use your key card, and it would only let you off on the floor your room was on. I showed his key to the guard. "I've got him. Sorry, he got away from me."

The guard left in a huff, as I started the elevator.

"I like your boobs," Trent suddenly blurted out. His bloodshot eyes were focused on them.

I chuckled, causing them to jiggle, making him smile. Maybe I could still get what I wanted from this guy.

"Do you want to touch them?" I asked.

His eyes snapped to mine. I was sure he was wondering if he'd heard me right. I stepped closer and moved his hand from his side to my breast, where he gave it a tender squeeze, then ran his thumb over my nipple.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. I looked at the card for the room number and then led him down the hall. His other hand was on my ass, rubbing then squeezing every few steps. This was a huge change from his woman-hating ways back at the bar.

I pulled him into the room, and once the door was shut, all bets were off. Well, at least our clothes were. He donned a condom, and we got busy. His fucking was lackluster, but I figured it was because he was drunk. He woke me up around two o'clock in the morning with some odd unsatisfying foreplay that felt more like a vaginal exam and then fucked me again with much more vigor, without a condom. It was pretty early in the morning when he went for round three. My back was to him, so I wondered if he even remembered who I was when he slipped in. He bit my shoulder when he came and fell back panting. He didn't lay their long, before he slipped out of the bed to shower.

I lay there, letting his baby-making juice simmer and kept my head turned away from the bathroom door. I listened to him for a while, but after a good fifteen minutes of just waiting, I decided to sneak out. I found my purse on the floor by the bathroom door kicked over, with the contents spilled out next to it. My old birth control pills were lying amongst the mess. I had stopped taking them a couple of months ago, hoping to find this asshole and make another kid. He must have seen the pills and assumed I was still taking them, because he hadn't bothered to use a condom after the first time. I was definitely getting tested for STDs again, though.

I dug out a little pack of wipes that I usually kept on hand and cleaned myself up. I had just opened the door to leave, when he stepped out of the bathroom.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but I wasn't going to stick around to find out what it was. I quickly walked out the door without a word, pulling it shut behind me. I'd gotten what I wanted, and hopefully, it would be enough to do the job.

I immediately un-friended him and blocked him on Facebook. I didn't need to hear any more of his random acidic ranting. He was an even bigger asshole than I remembered. I only received one text from Trevor, before I remembered to block his number, too. I didn't need another sleazy man in my life.