Typically Me [BxB]

Chapter Seventeen [Part Two]

 I held Tanya’s hand as we stood on the doorstep to her house. She was close to breaking down, practically shaking, and staring at the door with the key in her hand.

 “You can do this, Tanya. We can do this, it’s time now.” I told her. She looked at me, her eyes filled with horror. She closed her eyes and I put my hand over hers, directing the key towards the lock and turning it.

 The door swung open slowly and still she didn’t move. I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her to face me. She opened her eyes.

 “It’s going to be okay.”

 One deep breath. Then another. Slowly she turned back to face the door and stepped inside.

 “Is that you, Tanya? I thought I heard a key-”

 Tanya’s mother stopped in the kitchen doorway, halfway through drying her hands on a tea towel. She stared at me and it was then that I saw just how much she and Tanya looked alike. She looked from Tanya to me and back again before her eyes finally settled on our entwined hands.

 “Mum, I-”

 “Tanya, sweetheart, why don’t we have a little chat in the kitchen?” she said, shooing me into the living room and holding her hand out to Tanya. With the kitchen door shut behind them I could just about hear her mother complaining about my presence but agreeing to come into the living room to talk with us.

 Her mother sat down on the armchair opposite me with a frown on her face. I was sat on the comfortable sofa, and Tanya stood in front of the seat next to me.

 For the first time in three months, Tanya took off her baggy hoodie.

 Her mother’s expression was dazed as she stared incredulously at the small bump on Tanya’s stomach. I stared at it too; it stood out so profoundly on her skinny figure.

 “I’m sorry, mum.” she said simply.

 Then her mother’s eyes locked on me.

 “You!” she hissed, and stood up, pointing at me accusingly.

 “Please, just listen-” I started.

 “Don’t you dare speak to me! How dare you! You think you can impregnate my daughter and then try and reason your way out of it?” she shouted and I closed my mouth, out of things to say.

 “Mum, please-”

 “And you!” she hissed, turning to Tanya. “You know what I think about this boy! He’s all wrong for you! And then you go and have sex with him and look where you’ve ended up, you little slut!” Tanya started crying. “Get out of my house…”

 “Please, just… calm down-”

 “Get out of my house!”

 Before I knew it, the deranged lady had grabbed me by the collar and was pulling me out of the living room whilst Tanya cried and pleaded. She opened the front door and threw me outside, and I just about turned round in time to catch Tanya in my open arms as her mother shoved her from the house.

 “Mum, please, I’m sorry!”

“Too little, too late. You are not my daughter.”

 The door slammed shut and it seemed that with the crash Tanya’s heart smashed into a thousand pieces. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I held her close as she cried. I knew we couldn’t stay here, near the house. I picked her up like a baby and cradled her close as I started to walk home.

 When we arrived at my house I had difficulty opening the door what with carrying Tanya and all, and hearing this my mother ran to help me. Together we took Tanya into the living room and laid her down gently on the sofa, pulling a blanket over her.

 “Can she stay here, mum? Please?” I asked her. She nodded and mum started to speak soothingly to Tanya. Slowly the tears faded.

 Ah, sweet complexity, why must you ruin things?