Aisleland Paradise

Chapter 21

Anna returned to an empty house. Again. The last thing in the whole damn world she would normally need right now was James' smart-ass comments but this one time, she found herself massively disappointed to be without one. She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands. She wanted to break down and cry but she couldn't, she was too scared. She was surrounded on all sides by enemies that had her out maneuvered and outgunned. She couldn't stay still, but she couldn't go forward, couldn't go backwards, and she didn't see any wiggle room on either side.

She took stock of her situation. Both of the offers in front of her took care of her pregnancy now in the short term and her physical well being for the rest of her life, but both offers also cost her any relationship with her child ever, so that sucked. And if she did choose to choose one, she had to decide between sentencing her baby to a childhood of cold detachment or being Craig's best friend, both were an 18-year prison sentence. She needed a third option.

James got home, looking suspiciously and inexplicably sharp in a brand new suit. He looked exhausted.

"What in the world have you been up to?"

"Don't want to talk about it. Been meetings all day. I fucking hate meetings."

"Meetings over what?"

"Stuff. How'd your meeting go?"

She told him about the offers that the lawyer had presented her and the pros and cons thereof.

"That's kinda fucked up."

"Think so?"

"So what's you move?"

"I think I have an idea. I'm in a no-win situation here, but they have way more to lose than I do. I think I might play my one card, the results of the test. I walk in and drop 'em on the table, calling out the father right then and there, in front of a judge and attorneys and everything. Then I let the law play out and I get a public defender to represent my side. Whoever wins the paternity test will get drug through the mud and probably get divorced and lose half his stuff. I'll be famous as the whore that brought down a company. We'll all lose, but he'll lose more and I might get on tv."

"..."

"..."

"What the fuck dude."

"What?"

"Your situation sucks, and both dudes are being dicks about it, obviously, but it doesn't sound like they're trying to stick it to you, it sounds like they're both pitching the best ideas they have. Todd can't provide for someone emotionally so he supports them financially, and Craig is an seven foot tall man-baby who is legitimately excited about a situation he barely understands, just like he would in any other situation. It sounds like these dudes, neither of whom I'm defending, both of whom I openly hate, but it seems like they're just doing their arrogant, shit-headdiest best. So maybe ruining multiple lives, including your own, I dunno, maybe we don't start there?"

"What then? What would you do? Just give up?"

"Why the hell are you still letting these guys in your life anyway? At any point in this fucked up series of events you could have just backed away. And you still can. You don't need either of these dudes complicating your shit, yet you continuously involve them! How about just being with yourself for like a second, and maybe you'll like the feeling of not having your life fucking rocked every couple weeks!"

"It's kind of too late for that, don't you think?!"

"Yes. But whatever! I dunno, just... run. Just take off. You have a couple grand in the bank. I'm sure they'll send people out to find you and you'll have to bust your ass to make a living but at least it'll be your own life, lived by your own rules."