The Baby

two

kalani depradine

I was avoiding Grayson at all costs. I rarely answered his phone calls or responded to his text messages. Speaking to him meant coming to terms with my pregnancy. I wanted to shove this to the back of my mind for as long as possible. Things were becoming too real. A baby was growing inside of me and I couldn't keep ignoring it. My clothes were becoming too small and I became more irritable.

So I swallowed my pride and agreed to meet this man's parents. I knew what they would think of me. A stupid young girl who purposely hooked up with their son for his wealth and status. Their family bleeds money. Their veins are filled with gold and generational wealth.

The home they resided in was a showcase of their opulence. It rested at the top of a hill in a gated community filled with other people who shared similar riches. I have never been on this side of New York City and had no intentions of ever coming up. The air was musty and completely suffocated me. I did not belong there and the idea of my baby sharing a portion of all this in its blood made me sick.

"This is Kalani. The woman I told you about," Grayson introduced me after we walked into their kitchen. It was beautiful and the size of a large bedroom. Light beamed off the white marble surfaces. The gold details were a nice accent.

His mother was middle aged. Younger than I expected, so I assume she had him at a young age. Her dark hair was nicely tied back into a low ponytail. It was long and thick. The skin on her face was free of wrinkles, keeping her age a mystery from those unfamiliar with her. She was poised and put together. Her blue eyes ran along my body, taking in all my imperfections.

His father was a tall, slender man compared to Grayson. Face just as beautiful as his son. Elegance clearly ran in the family. His eyes were dark and did not at all give away what was going on inside his head. They gave away nothing to help me go about the rest of this dinner.

They both stood there, sucking up all the air in the entire, enormous house.

"Right. The one carrying your child. You know this is truth because?" That was the first thing his father had to say. My eyes widened. I opened my mouth to speak and figured it was not a good idea. Grayson knows his parents better than anyone and I know he would be able to say something proper. The words I had for them were not going to be polite.

Anyone other than me would have taken this as an opportunity to take as much money as they can from this family. They clearly have enough to share. But I had no interest in their money. My life was already going to change because of this baby, and I didn't want it to change even more because of this family.

"You claim this is my son's baby. The product of a 'one night stand'. How can I not also assume you've had more with other men that could actually be the father of this child?" He was accusing me of sleeping with several different men. Despite how this might have appeared, I am not into hook up culture. This was a lapse in judgement I will never be able to live down.

"Father..." Grayson said realizing how uncomfortable I was feeling. I was biting my tongue. I have never been one to bite my tongue and always stand up for myself. But here I was feeling like a little girl with her mouth zip tied shut.

"I'm just being rational. How do we know she's not trying to steal money when the child isn't even yours?" His father continued to get upset and make disgusting accusations about my character.

"I don't want money or any of that. If you don't wanna be around in my baby's life then that's okay with me. I'm fully capable of taking care of a child on my own. I just found it fair for him to know he is going to have a child in this world." I'm staring and speaking to a brick wall.

"What happens with Bria? What about her?" His father tilted his head, expecting an answer from Grayson. Grayson flinched like the name is of importance to him. Bria. Who is Bria? "You guys had a good thing going!" He was now raising his voice, showing his disappointment.

"I don't think I actually told you my name. I'm Elena," his mother finally spoke up. She took my hand to bring me to one of their living rooms. Her hard exterior was a facade because everything on the inside seemed sweet and soft. Her voice alone soothed me and took away how uneasy I was. She shared a bright, comforting smile with me. "I'm sorry about Blake. I don't know what's gotten into him. I promise, he's not normally like that." My smile was delayed but soon made a show.

"It's okay."

"How far along are you?" She questioned, having genuine interest in matters relating to the baby. A baby seems like something she's excited about and something she has looked forward to.

"16 weeks," I let out a breath of air, releasing all my tensions. All I've done is try not to think about this baby, but now I'm forced to answer these endless questions about it. This is really real and really happening.

"That's nice. Must've been scary though to find out you're pregnant then having to tell Grayson," she tried being empathetic for me but I didn't need or want her pity.

The scary part was coming to terms with having a baby that shared my genes. My parents raised amazing children, but their methods of getting things through to us were not always correct. And it scared me, that although I love my parents dearly, I might end up just like them. Growing up, they were often emotionally unavailable and rarely showed affection. What if I'm unable to grow an attachment to my child because my parents were never really attached to me? I was more attached to my siblings than my parents which is hard to admit since I love them so much. Our house was always warm and filled with love, but something was missing.

That's why I never wanted kids. Never wanted to risk me turning into my parents. So my fear had nothing to do with telling Grayson. It had everything to do with being afraid of the parent I would become.

"Does your family know?"

"Yeah. They're not happy it's with a guy I don't know. But they know what's done is done," I brought hair behind my ear. My parents hate these being the circumstances for their first grandchild. With that being said, they're happy.

"Well have you considered an abortion?" Elena kindly suggested. I was taken back. How could she ask such an invasive question like it's any of her business?

I really hadn't put much thought into the idea of an abortion. I've always been for people having the choice on whether a decision like that is for them, but have always told myself it wasn't an option for me. I just could never do it.

"Mother, she's not having an abortion. Kalani let's go," Grayson called out and the sound of his voice gave away how upset he was. I was happy to have him pull me away because I wasn't ready to have a pro choice vs pro life conversation.

We didn't even get to eat dinner before there was family drama. Grayson was fuming. His chest went up and down heavily. He was breathing heavy from how angry he was. I wanted to question how his conversation with his father ended. But it was clear it was a terrible conversation and this dinner with his parents went the exact opposite of what he expected.