Becoming Mrs. Bryant

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄

Nick

"Nick?" my mom asked, seeming surprised to see me. I had used an old house key that I still had to open the front door. She was sitting on the couch, drinking green tea I assume, and watching a talk show. That was typical of her. When I did nothing but stare for a moment, she eventually turned back around and continued to watch tv. I breathed out.

"Mom."

My mom turned towards me, "what's wrong dear?" she asked, "why are you just standing at the doorway like that?" I licked my lips and swallowed the excess spit that I could feel building up in my mouth, "because I don't wanna beat around the bush anymore," I said, "so I wanna know."

My mom looked around as if she had been genuinely confused, "know what?" I locked the door so that I could lean against it. "What's going on with you and dad? And don't lie." My mom put her drink down.

"Nick, it's nothing you have to worry about," my mom insisted. "We will still be your parents, and we will still love you, regardless of us." I shook my head, "that's not what I'm asking!" I retorted, "I wanna know what's going on. Maddie told me about the whole seating arrangement thing for Matt's funeral."

Before my mom could continue, I went on. "I mean between that and what I witnessed with my own two eyes the other day, it's pretty hard for me to not wanna know what's going on. Just because it's not my marriage doesn't mean it won't affect me mom."

My mom had been looking down and fidgeting with her fingers the whole time, as if she was desperately avoiding making eye contact with me. "If I tell you what started this, and what's going on, you'll probably see me differently."

"I'll see you differently if you continue to dodge and lie," I voiced, "that's the only case in which I'll think something of you. Just tell me mom. Please."

"Very well," my mom said, finally looking up. She patted the couch that she'd been sitting on. "Come."

I made my way to the couch, though I didn't sit right next to my mother. I opted for the edge instead.

"Spill."

"I cheated on your dad," my mom said bluntly, to which my mouth dropped. "Excuse me?"

"How could you do that?" I asked, "what happened?"

"Nick" my mom groaned, "this was years ago. Like, you weren't even born." I shook my head, "that makes no sense," I said. "I'm nineteen, so this happened over two decades ago? Why is it just now being brought up then?"

"Because your dad really wanted to do this ancestry thing with me, to expand our horizons I guess" my mom said, puzzling me. "Okay?" I replied, "a little lost here." My mom nodded, "getting there."

"We wanted to see if we had any local family members that we didn't know about, so we could reach out to them," my mom informed me. "I had totally forgot, and if I had remembered, I wouldn't have gone through with it." I cocked an eyebrow, I understood what my mom was saying, but was very confused at what she was saying.

"Results came in, and a 20 year old boy from Tallahassee, 50% of my DNA, was revealed." Though I now saw that I clearly should've seen where this conversation was going about a minute or two ago, I was still shocked. A gasp quickly escaped my mouth.

"So correct me if I'm wrong," I said, "but you had a baby with somebody else? Is that what you're saying?" my mom nodded. "I guess the boy had previously put his DNA into the ancestry site, and that's why it linked us. I don't think he went through with the whole process however."

"Who's the boy?" I asked, and my mom shook her head. "I don't think it's a good idea that you know," she advised. "He lives in your city, probably attends the same school. I wouldn't want you doing something that you shouldn't Nicholas."