A Life Unplanned (2 page)

 
Chapter 3 – On Timing, Good and Bad

I knew I had planned to get pregnant, but when the test came back positive, I freaked out a little. At least I didn't catch an STD this time. I was contemplating on how to break the news to my parents, as I went to pick up Tyler. When I opened the door, my mother was chatting on the phone. I was about to sneak out, ready to use it as an excuse to put it off for another day, but she stopped me.

"You know, honey, I just got off the phone with my friend, Maylene…"

"Who's Maylene?"

"I met her at a yoga retreat last month."

"When did you go to a yoga retreat?"

"It was just for the weekend, honey. You're getting off topic. She has two boys…"

"No!" I said firmly.

"I wasn't..."

"I'm pregnant, Mom. I'm not going to get involved with anyone while I'm pregnant."

"You're…?" she looked confused. "How did that happen?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "Wait! Was it that guy…Dimples?"

Sure, we could go with that. "You said I should have another baby, and well, I'm having one." I didn't confirm or deny anything. I picked up Tyler, slipping out of the door.

"I meant you should date and find a man to marry, so you could have another one! We're not done discussing this, young lady!" she hollered after me.

"Talking won't change it, Mom."

"Bye-bye!" Tyler called to her.

If I didn't have to use her for babysitting, I would've avoided her like the plague. Instead, I just ran late, that way I wouldn't have time to talk, and she knew it.

Eventually, it became a moot point. I was very pregnant, and there was no stopping it. She told my father, and he was worried about me, but he was happy for the new addition as well. I was four months pregnant and showing a lot more than I thought I should have been. The doctor confirmed there was only one baby in there, a little girl to be more precise. I was really starting to worry. I had planned on using all of Tyler's old baby things, as most were fine, but I really didn't want to dress my little girl in boy clothes.

"It has to be the stress causing you to put on the extra weight," my mother fussed. "There's this weekly yoga retreat, it'd be good for you."

"What about Tyler?"

"Your dad was talking about taking him fishing this weekend. It'd be perfect."

I agreed reluctantly and joined my mother for a yoga class. I set my mat up in the back of the room. The yoga clothes did nothing to hide my sizeable baby bump. At least I looked pregnant and not fat, since it was all out in front.

"Maylene, it's so good to see you again! I brought my daughter with me this time."

An older woman, who looked oddly familiar, pulled me into a hug. "It's so nice to meet you, Clarissa."

I was going to kill my mother. She was the only one who got away with calling me by my full name and only when I was in trouble. If Maylene hadn't been so nice, I would have ripped her head off. Instead, I let it slide.

"I brought my daughter-in-law, Meredith, with me today. She's seven months pregnant with her first baby. Your mom told me you might come along. I thought you'd like someone to commiserate with over being pregnant."

Meredith also looked vaguely familiar. Her hair was pulled back into a high, tight bun, and she had on no makeup. Her baby bump was the same size as mine. That kind of pissed me off. She just gave me a stiff nod and settled onto a mat next to mine. Yoga wasn't really a chatty exercise, and I was honestly glad for that. I didn't want to talk about me looking like a whale next to her.

When we were done with the class, Meredith told Maylene her husband was coming to pick her up, and that she was sorry she couldn't stay longer. I couldn't blame her. I wished I could slip out, but I had come with my mother.

I heard a familiar voice behind me calling to someone. "Hey, baby."

I turned around, and my jaw dropped in shock. "Dimples?"

My mother heard what I had said and followed my line of sight. Her jaw dropped as well, but I wasn't sure why.

"He's your baby's father?" she nearly shouted.

"What?" I think me and three other voices asked.

"Isn't that the man you went out with four months ago?"

"I didn't know he was married, just that he was a sleaze ball!" I shouted back at my furious mother. "I'd never date a married man!"

"Trevor, what's going on here?" Maylene asked.

Meredith just punched him in the face. "How could you fuck her while I was pregnant?"

"Holy shit!" I shouted, so much for relaxing yoga. "Fuck me? No way, I didn't even let him buy me a drink. I saw him following some blonde, most likely you," I pointed to her hair, "into a back room on the night we were supposed to meet. Then I was out of there."

"I thought you said Dimples was the father?" my mother asked confused.

"I didn't say that. I never answered that question. You just assumed it was Dimples."

"You call me Dimples?" Trevor asked amused, rubbing his jaw.

I just rolled my eyes.

"Then who's the father, Clarissa?"

"I don't want to talk about this here."

"You don't want to talk about it ever!" my mother snapped.

We heard the door to the yoga room close and looked up. Everyone else had left, so it was just the five of us.

"I'm sorry, Meredith. I didn't mean to upset you. My mother just likes to fill in blanks, and not always correctly."

"Don't blame this on me, Clarissa. You're the one who leaves them. Just tell me who the father is. If it wasn't him, who was it, an alien?"

I laughed blackly. "Close."

"Clarissa."

"It was Trent Carrington, alright. I met up with him again. He was drunk, and I wouldn't let him drive back to his hotel. He got handsy." Sort of, I had helped him get handsy, but they didn't need to know that part.

"Trent? Tyler's father, Trent Carrington?" my mother gasped.

"Yes, Mom, can we drop it now? You have nothing to worry about. No one is going to come looking for your grandbabies."

"Trevor!" Maylene shrieked.

He looked just as freaked out as his mom. "What, Mom?"

"Get Trent on the phone this instant!" she shouted at him.

"How do you know Trent?" I asked confused.

"He's my goddamned troublemaking son!" she nearly growled.

She snatched the phone right out of Trevor's hand and stormed out of the room. She paced back and forth in front of the windows, flailing her arms as she screamed at Trent. She was really pissed.

"She's not telling him, is she?" my eyes widened in panic.

"Of course she is!" Meredith snapped.

"No, no, no! We want nothing to do with him," I said backing away from them.

"Clara…" Trevor started walking forward.

"NO! Just leave me alone, leave us alone! You tell him to stay away. Better yet, tell him I'm a lying whore, and the babies aren't his."

"He saw the pictures of Tyler on Facebook," Trevor confessed. "He thought you were going to try and pin your son's paternity on him, but when you ran out, not saying anything..."

I shook my head no, trying to control my panic.

"You admitted to me, a complete stranger, that he was Tyler's dad. You can't say he's not. We can do a paternity test and prove he is."

"Damn it!" I screamed at my mom. "This is all your fault, you and your damn yoga can go to hell!" I turned to Trevor, "You tell that bastard to stay the hell away from me and my son!"

I ran out of the room and flagged down a cab, hopping in before it fully stopped. I made it back to my apartment, locking myself inside and praying they would leave me and my son alone.

It was no use, though.

I had just finished dressing, when the doorbell rang. I had ordered some food, and I was sure that was who it was. I had my money ready and asked, "How much do I owe you?" before looking up.

"Just an explanation, thanks," Trent snapped.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

Maylene stepped into view and shoved him through the doorway.

"What kind of shit are you trying to pull? You yank people around, fuck with their families?" he shouted at me.

"Trent!" his mother scolded. He stepped back, taking a deep breath.

"Is your son home?" Maylene asked smiling.

"No, he's fishing with his grandpa. He'll be back in the morning," I answered her, not taking my eyes off Trent. He just scoffed.

"Well, I suppose it's for the best right now," she nodded.

"How do we know this kid even exists, that she didn't Photoshop him?"

"Trent!"

He picked up a picture of Tyler, scowling. "Did you get my baby pictures and fuck with them?"

"Enough!" Maylene shouted and snatched the picture from his hand. "Sit down now!" she bit through gritted teeth.

He plopped on the couch like a petulant child.

The doorbell rang again, and I quickly answered it. I grabbed my food and brought it to the coffee table. "Please excuse me. I'm starving, and I get sick if I don't eat."

"Go ahead, dear, I understand," Maylene smiled kindly. "Do you need me to get you a drink to wash it down?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, could you grab a water bottle out of the fridge? The doctor is always getting on my case about staying hydrated."

"Of course, dear." As she passed Trent, she slapped the back of his head. "Keep your mouth shut."

I focused on my food, avoiding his stare. I could feel his eyes on me. He was obviously pissed. "What do you want from me?" he snarled at me, when he was sure his mother was out of earshot.

"Nothing, I want you to stay out of mine and my children's lives and leave us the hell alone."

"Then why did you contact me?"

"I obviously was acting like an idiot. Please, forget I exist, just like you did before."

His mother walked in, glaring at him hotly. She had to move a couple of little pink dresses off the couch so she could sit. "Do you know if you're having a girl, or are these wishful thinking?" she asked as she moved them.

"She's a girl. I think I'm rather lucky to be getting one of each," I shifted in my seat and took a drink.

"What Trent and I were hoping to hear is why you believe he's the father of your son and possibly this child as well."

"Yeah, do you always walk around with half-empty packets of birth control pills, or do you actually take them?" he spat.

"Trent, so help me, boy..." she glared hard at him, and he actually shrank back into the couch a little.

"Let's start with your son. The resemblance is uncanny, but just to be sure; we'd like to have him tested."

"No, that won't be necessary. I don't want anything from your family, so you don't have to worry about feeling obligated."

"Clara…"

"I didn't mean for him to find out about Tyler."

"Of course not," he scoffed. I would swear he was acting like a teenage girl. "Did you ever plan on telling me I had a supposed kid, or were you just waiting to spring it on me when you were tight on money?"

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I was never going to tell you."

"Did you ever consider telling him, dear?" his mother asked sounding worried.

I laughed and shook my head. "Oh, I was going to tell him, but I decided it was best if I didn't."

"Well, why not?" he grouched.

"You really don't want me telling you in front of your mother."

"What, you want to put it off so you can come up with some bogus excuse?"

"I know my son, dear, go ahead."

"It wasn't that we weren't safe. The condom broke."

Trent folded his arms and looked the other way. His mother smiled and nodded, like I hadn't just said the word condom to her in reference to her son's dick.

"When I was late, I took a home test. Trent didn't know me very well, but I knew a few girls who knew him. I was just getting up the courage to ask him to come to the clinic with me, when he came out of the science building and bumped into me, knocking my books out of my hands. He said, 'Hey, watch it, bitch,' and moved along, obviously not recognizing me."

"I probably had a hangover."

"That's no excuse for..." Maylene started.

"That wasn't the deciding factor," I cut into their argument. "Anyway, I spent the next day trying to get up the courage to call him. My friend, Casey, was dating his buddy, Blake, and was able to get the number for me."

"Did Casey know you were pregnant?" Trent snapped.

"No."

"And she just gave it to you?" he asked with disbelief.

"Yes, she did. I told her that I'd lost one of my favorite earrings in your room, and she gave me your number, so I could ask you to look for it."

"So you lied."