Page 97 of Two Wrongs

Bile rises up in my throat, and I swallow hard to force it back down. “I’m pregnant. The test is just for confirmation. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about it, but now that you forced me to think of it, I just know.”

The timer goes off. I take a deep breath and stand up. Slowly, I make my way into the bathroom and look down at the test. I’m not surprised to see it say, “Pregnant,” clear as can be.

I sit down on the floor of the bathroom and let my new reality sink in. It’s terrifying. I never imagined I’d be doing this alone, but despite the less than ideal circumstances, I’m happy.

A smile spreads across my face, and I put my hands on my still flat stomach. “I’ve wanted you for so long,” I whisper.

“Was it negative?” Hattie asks.

“Why do you think that?” I ask and drop the test in my purse. I don’t know why, but I feel the need to keep it for a while.

She shrugs. “You look happy.”

I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. “I am happy, because I’m pregnant. I’ve wanted a baby for a long time. Even though I’ll be raising him or her alone, I very much wanted a baby.”

Hattie nods. “Well, then I’ll be the best great aunt ever.” She looks away from me and I see her try and sneakily wipe away a single tear. “Much better than I was to you,” she says in a rough whisper.

I hold out my hand, and she takes it. “No more looking back. This is a happy day. Our family is getting bigger again.”

Another tear slips down her face, but she smiles at me. “I really like that.”

She grabs her phone, and pulls up a number. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“It’s time I agreed to go out with Clark, that lawyer friend. If you can be brave and face being a single mom, maybe it’s time I stop protecting myself from being hurt by getting close to someone again.”

* * *

After Hattie madeher phone call to Clark, whom I’ve been calling “Mystery Man” in my head, he, of course, jumped at the chance to spend time with her. I’m thrilled, because from the moment we learned I’m pregnant, she’s been hovering. Honestly, I’m the one about to become a mother, but she definitely wins the title of mother hen.

Without her overbearing hovering, I can breathe and start to think about what I’m going to do. I haven’t figured out how to tell her about Griffin. Before today it didn’t seem like something I had to do. I mean, it’s over, so what if she thinks I’m heartbroken about the end of my marriage. What does it help to tell her I’m actually upset about leaving my father-in-law behind?

The Gatorade helps the dizziness, and my nausea is gone, for now. I decide a walk down to the beach will help me think some things through. The smell of the ocean hits me long before I can see the gulf. It’s only about a half a mile walk from her condo. The white sand looks so pristine. In a couple months this beach will be filled with tourists seeking sun and surf. Right now there’s only a few people lazily strolling down the sugar white beach.

I thought ahead to grab a towel, and I spread it out on a spot further down away from the people out today. Taking my shoes off, I bury my toes in the sand. It’s still winter, and even though spring is showing signs of getting closer, the sand is still cool on my feet.

Watching the surf roll up onto the beach somehow makes my problems feel smaller. It may be hard to figure out right now, but I just need to let some things happen as they’re supposed to.

Before my thoughts can become too philosophical, my phone rings. I pull it out of the tote bag I grabbed to come down here. My phone is tucked next to a packet of crackers and a bottle of water.

“I Kissed a Girl,” by Katie Perry plays, and I roll my eyes. “Bess, did you change my ringtone?”

She cackles in delight. “It’s just a suggestion, Wrenagade.”

“You’re a menace,” I tease.

“Uh,” she starts and my stomach drops. It’s one syllable, and yet it sounds so ominous.

“Why am I scared all of a sudden?”

I hear her breathe in, and now I’m really worried if she needs a calming breath before whatever she needs to tell me. “Bess, did something happen to Dolores?”

“No, oh, no. I’m sorry, I’m being a drama queen. This might be good news, I don’t know.”

I force my jaw to unclench. “If it’s not a big deal how about you spit it out, so I don’t end up prematurely on high blood pressure medication?”

“I’m at work, and Charlie came in,” she begins.

“That’s hardly news, Bess. It’s Wednesday, the college girls are there tonight.”

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