Ethereal Love

Difficult Decisions

They got back to Nini's house quite late, and found Dana watching Property Brothers in the living room. She looked up as they walked past and smiled.

"Have a nice day?" She asked. Nini blushed wildly and spluttered something about needing to use the bathroom before scurrying down the hall. Ricky grinned in amusement as he watched her go, and then toned the smile down before nodding at Dana.

"Yeah, thanks. We've been at the lake all day."

"Oh, really? Doing what?" her mom asked, looking a little puzzled by Nini's behaviour. Ricky shrugged.

"Just chilling out, really. We swam for a while, then got some icecream for lunch. Healthy, I know. We watched the sunset too, and I think Nini fell asleep for a bit. She's needed the toilet since she woke up, though, so she was pretty desperate when we came in." he offered as an explanation for his girlfriend's odd behaviour, and Dana seemed okay with it. "She wouldn't use the ones at the beach; said they were gross."

"Oh, okay then. That does sound like Nini." She laughed. Ricky nodded. They drifted into silence and Dana's eyes went back to the TV, expecting Ricky to leave. When he didn't, the older woman looked back at the teenager, about to ask if he was okay, but Ricky spoke first.

"Are you, um... I'm sorry, Mrs. Salazar." Ricky sighed, looking suddenly serious. Dana frowned in confusion.

"What for?"

"For um... for getting your daughter pregnant. It was stupid, and irresponsible, and it never should have happened." He said dejectedly. Dana got to her feet to look Ricky  in the eye.

"You're right about that. And I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm not angry. Nina is my little girl, and the thought that you took away her innocence and now possibly even her dreams, too... it makes me want to hate you. But I'm not unreasonable enough to blame you entirely. It takes two to tango, as they say, and I'd say Nina is at fault just as much as you are. And to be honest with you, a lesser man would have bolted by now. You've really stepped up, and I think that shows a maturity beyond your years. And besides, I can't spend my entire life hating my future son-in-law." Dana sighed loudly, smiling a little. Ricky gasped, surprised.

"Y-your what?"

"Well, I'm assuming that you are going to marry her. You love her; I can see that in your eyes. Why wouldn't you?" Dana's eyes narrowed a little, and Ricky coughed awkwardly.

"Um... well, yeah. Yeah, of course I'm planning to marry her. I just... I wasn't planning to ask her just yet, not while she's still getting used to the idea of being pregnant. And, well, we're both still seventeen. And whereas I know I'll never change my mind, she still can and I don't want her to be tied down before she's even old enough to know herself."

"Oh, Ricky, I didn't mean soon! Of course, I don't expect you to marry her anytime in the near future! I just meant that one day, the two of you will get married. But not for a long time." Dana assured him, and Ricky breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. I thought maybe you were going to be one of those mothers that thought 'Well, the two of you are having a child, so you're going to have to get married"." Ricky chuckled, and Dana smiled, shaking her head.

"No, I would never expect the two of you to get married until you're ready. Besides, it's not like you're keeping the child, right?"

Ricky froze, wide-eyed.

"Um... what?"

"Oh. Oh, well... I assumed you knew."

"Knew what?" Ricky was getting angry now. Dana frowned, realizing that she'd put her foot in it.

"I don't want you to think I'm being nosy, or snooping, but..."

"But what?"

"I needed a pen yesterday to write something down and I was looking on Nini's desk because that's the only place there usually are any and, well... I happened to come across some adoption leaflets." Dana informed him. Ricky nodded, tight-lipped, and then immediately whirled around to march upstairs.

When he reached Nini's bedroom he threw the door open, surprising Nini. She looked up and smiled at him, but her face fell when she noticed the look on his face and the weird way he was walking.

"Ricky? Ricky what's wrong?"

He ignored her, marching straight over to her desk and angrily shoving aside papers and textbooks until he found what he was looking for.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, voice soft but harsh, holding up the leaflets. She paled at the sight, knowing instantly that she had messed up. Regardless, she defended herself.

"Tell you what?" she rebuffed, voice equally hard. He seemed put out by her response, obviously not expecting this.

"That you were looking into adoption." He said, as if it was obvious. Nini rolled her eyes.

"Ricky, it's just a couple of pamphlets. I'm not, like, making any decisions or anything. Just researching."

"Well, why didn't you tell me you were researching?" his voice rose in volume a little.

"Because I didn't think it mattered!"

"Of course it matters! Nini, this is our child, not just yours!"

"I never said it wasn't!" she shouted, standing up. He scoffed.

"Well then, why did you think it didn't matter?"

"Because... it's just a few pamphlets Ricky!"

"To you, maybe. But to me it's a few pamphlets that could have already convinced you that adoption is the best way to go!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ricky."

"Is it ridiculous? Nini, can you look me in the eyes and tell me that after reading those pamphlets, you aren't swaying towards putting the baby up for adoption?" he asked, not shouting anymore, but just as serious. She hesitated, opening and closing her mouth, and that was all he needed. "Right. You know what? If you're going to start cutting me out of things, I'd like a warning."

"I wasn't cutting you out. I don't know why you're so upset." She was crying now, but they were tears of anger as much as sadness. He glared at her.

"So, what, if you found out that I had been looking into adoption without telling you, you wouldn't be angry?"

"That's different." She rebuffed instantly. His jaw clenched.

"Look, Nini, I know that you're the one carrying this baby. You're the one dealing with the crazy hormones, you're the one who'll be going through the agony of giving birth. And if I could change that, I swear I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I can't."

"What does any of that have to do with this argument?" she looked bewildered. He sighed.

"You'd know if you let me finish."

"Right, sorry."

"I can't change the fact that it's you who is having the baby. But that doesn't make this child any more yours. We both made this baby, together. I have just as much right to the baby as you do."

"I know, but still..."

"Okay. So, are you saying that if our situations were reversed, you wouldn't be mad at me?"

"No, of course not, but-"

"Then I'm done here." He said, voice flat and hard, and then he turned and walked out. Nini stood, frozen, and listened intently to the sound of his footsteps down the stairs and through the hall, then the door opening and closing and, finally, his car starting up.

It was only when the sound of the engine had become too quiet to hear anymore that she allowed herself to dissolve into tears.
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Sorry for the wait 😬