The Other One

Dilemma

Minnie

*Two weeks later*

"Yes, ms Caliente. You are in fact pregnant. Ten weeks now," Dr. Robertsen said as she showed Minnie the pregnancy test Minnie had just taken in the bathroom near the office. "Do you know who the father is?"

"Of course I know who the father is! Who do you think I am?" Minnie spat.

The doctor raised her hands and tried to calm Minnie down. "I'm sorry, ms Caliente. Routine questions."

Minnie apologized too and in a calmer tone she said. "I know who the father is. He's engaged to another woman and I don't know if I should tell him. I never expected this to happen. We used to be a couple when we were both younger, and then we broke up and we met again for the first time ten weeks ago. I didn't know he was engaged the first time we had sex, though I did the second... It just felt so right, you know, seeing him again and kissing him and...you know." Minnie suddenly registered that she was blabbering and apologized for that too.

"It's okay," Dr. Robertsen said. "In my opinion, but it's only my opinion, I think you should tell him. Imagine if it was the other way around, wouldn't you want to know?"

"I guess," Minnie sighted. 

"Do you have anyone you can tell in the mean time? A family member? A friend? For support"

Minnie thought about that. She couldn't tell her parents, nor April. At least not that she was pregnant. They all knew Christopher was engaged. She couldn't tell Tiffany nor Jake either, not without telling them that it was Christopher that was in her apartment when they came by, and also not without telling them that Christopher was engaged.

"Not without sounding like a...you know, the S  word," Minnie sighed.

"It takes two to tango," Dr. Robertsen said. "And even if you didn't know that he was engaged, he did."

Minnie realized that Dr. Robertsen was right. It was Christopher's fault just as much as it was her own. 

"But, I don't want to be 'the other one' who just happened to get pregnant."

"Do you want this baby?" Dr. Robertsen asked.

"Yes," Minnie replied without hesitation and earned a genuine smile from Dr. Robersen. Minnie had always wanted to be a mother. Preferably getting married before, but you can't always get what you want. "But I don't think I want him to know."

"If you were in his shoes, would you want, in eighteen years or so, to have a stranger knock on your door, telling you they're your child, or would you want to know from the start?"

Minnie sighted. "You're right."

Minnie left the doctor's office. She felt nauseous and had to sit down on a bench to rest. She realized that she had no contact information to Christopher, so she had no way of contacting him, even thought Dr. Robertsen had been right. He deserved to know. It was his baby too. 

She grabbed her phone from her purse and noticed that she had a missed call from April. She returned the call.

"Hey sis. What are you up to?" April answered the phone.

"Nothing much. Just got out of an appointment," Minnie replied.

"You wanna meet up for coffee?" April asked.

Minnie sighted. She had to tell someone, right?

"Sure," she replied.

Twenty minutes later, Minnie walked up to the table where April was sat.

"Hey girl," April greeted her with a huge smile.

"Hi," Minnie said as she sat down.

April studied her.

"You seem low. Has something happened?"

I guess now is as good as ever, Minnie thought.

"You wouldn't judge me, right?" she asked April.

"Only if you've killed someone. Other than that, no." April was starting to look worried. Especially since a few tears left Minnie's eyes.

"I'm pregnant," Minnie whispered.