Page 83 of Mountain Daddies

Guys, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” she says, her voice laced with vulnerability.

“Yes?” I coax her to speak, but at the same time, I don’t want to pressure her either.

“I…I found out something today,” Susan begins. She’s cut off by Ed’s loud thumping steps as he descends down the stairs. I look up to see him scowling.

“Susan, what is this? Why did I find a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom?”

I freeze at the sight of the pregnancy test in Ed’s hand, wondering how he found it. Susan’s face pales, and she looks like she wants to disappear into thin air. Ed is staring at her, demanding an explanation, and I can feel the tension in the room rising.

“What the hell is this, Susan?” Ed says, his voice rising. He’s holding the test so tightly that he ends up breaking it. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I-I wanted to make sure,” Susan stammers, tears welling up in her eyes. “I wasn’t sure yet.”

“Sure of what?” Ed asks, looking angry and confused.

“That I was pregnant,” Susan whispers, barely audible.

There’s a moment of stunned silence as Ed processes the news, and then he turns to look at us. “She’s pregnant,” he says, his voice flat.

My mind whirls with emotion. “Is this what you wanted to tell us?”

Ed’s face contorts with anger.

He looks directly at Susan and raises his voice, his frustration evident.

“You told us you were on birth control, Susan!” Ed’s voice is filled with accusation. “You made it clear that we didn’t have to worry about this!”

Susan’s eyes well up with tears, and she takes a step back, her voice barely a whisper. “I…I don’t know what happened.

Ed clenches his fists, visibly struggling to contain his anger. “This is serious, Susan. I made it clear that I don’t want to be a father.”

Ollie, meanwhile, is pacing the room. “I can’t be a father. I can’t be a father.”

“Shut up, Ollie,” I say, turning to Susan.

“How the fuck did this happen?” Ed says. “Contraceptives are supposed to be effective.”

“Not one hundred percent,” I remind him. “Besides, it’s not like we’ve been wearing any kind of protection either.” Ed looks up and glares at me.

“I don’t know, Ed!” Susan cries. “I’ve been taking it every day, I swear.”

I step forward, trying to keep my voice firm but calm. “Ed, let’s not jump to conclusions. Accidents can happen even with the pill. We need to support Susan right now.”

Ed’s anger seems to intensify, his hands clenching into fists. “Support her? How can we support her when she didn’t even tell us about this? We should have been involved in the decision!”

“Ed, calm down,” I say, my voice steady. “We’re all shocked by this news, but getting angry won’t solve anything. We need to talk calmly and figure out the best way to support Susan.”

“Fine,” he says, his voice strained. “But we need to have a serious discussion about this.”

Susan nods, wiping away her tears. “I understand,” she says, her voice shaky. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just needed time to process it myself.”

“Our choice is clear, right in front of us,” Ed says. He turns to Susan. “You’ll get an abortion. We’ll go down tomorrow and do it.”

“Wait, what?” I say.

Susan’s eyes widen, her hand instinctively moving to her belly, as if protecting the life growing within.

“You heard what I said,” Ed says, his voice eerily calm. “You must not be past two weeks. It’s a good time to get rid of this…thing.”

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