INSTA-Daddy

3

The silence was deafening.

Gray and Gustin traded glances before they focused their eyes back on me.

Finally, Mom broke the quietness with a reluctant chuckle.

"Great joke honey," she cackled.

Another silence. I remained my head bowed down to the floor. I bit my lower lip, not wanting to say anything else to add up the tension.

It was Gustin who spoke next. "Mom," he held Mom's wrist gently. "I-i don't think she's joking."

Another silence. Gray's pretend cough gave a bit of sound to overlay the quietness for a quick second.

Mom gawked at Dad who was still silent in his seat. Her forehead flooded with sweat.

Apparently, my father went back to his senses and began to move again. He stood up without saying any word. Instead, he marched to the staircase, up to their bedroom. We trailed at him until he got out from the same room.

But, when we saw what he was holding in his hand, that was the time we jumped off from the kitchen table and dashed forward at the end of the staircase. It was Mom who walked over to him.

"Put the gun down Greg," Mom shivered. I gulped in terror. Of course he would have a gun. He is a town policeman. Darn it.

"I'm going to kill that bastard who ruined our daughter's future!!" Dad raged. My brothers did their best to grab hold of Dad before he could even get out of the house.

I stood by the door to block it but Dad pushed me off. Mom was doing her best as well to snap my father out back to sanity but his anger overlaps it.

We got out of the house and into the frontyard. Dad still had the gun in his hand.

"Where is he?," He kept shouting.

"Dad. Find your happy place," I pleaded.

"There is no happy place until I know who that guy is!!!!"

Shittake mushrooms.

My mind became clouded. My stomach began to drop and it's not because of the baby.

"Who is the father of that child Gabby!?" My father asked, his eyes furiously striking mine.

I gulped hard as though something was stuck inside my throat. My eyes rolled side to side, my inner self waiting an opportunity for me to escape from this type of confrontation. At this moment, a huge comet falling from the sky would do just fine. It would be perfect.

Then, I heard a whisper from nearby. I looked behind and a snowy-gray haired guy (who seemed like he forgot to comb his hair), coincidentally passed by. The face was familiar. Very familiar. But, my mind's too clouded to even remember why, how, and what.

I glimpsed at my mom, my brothers , then at Dad. He was saying something but the heat on my ears was making my hearing weak. I couldn't hear him.

I was sweating so hard, it made me look like I had played under the rain. My face was so red that it felt like I was staying under the sun for a whole day without any sunblock on.

The whistling drew louder. With one swift motion, I pointed at a specific direction. I didn't even realized I did so until the guy I was pointing at gave a shocked expression.

"I-it was him!" I blurted. Damn. Did I just say that? What the! Why did I say that?!

The guy I was pointing out stopped whistling and turned around halfway facing me, with a really confused look.