Kristel

 

The place is almost a disaster. There are moving boxes everywhere, and the entire place smells like cleaner. More than once I asked my parents if they want to go somewhere else to talk, but they insist on staying at home. I step over a few smaller boxes in order to reach the table so that I can sit down in one of the few chairs left. My parents sit down across from me, and while my mother looks concerned, my father looks unimpressed. I am going to have to lie to them, and I am going to have to lie well.

 

“Were you serious about what you said on the phone? Are you sure?” My mom sounds nervous. She’s biting her nails.

 

I draw in a deep breath. “Yes. I was serious. I am pregnant. I… made a mistake last month and spent the night with someone. He was young, handsome, convincing. And… I don’t know, you guys don’t really need all the details.”

 

“It doesn’t sound like you even know the details.” My father has his arms folded across his chest. “Who is this guy? What if he’s got some kind of STD? What if he’s a criminal? You don’t know anything about him so why would you take off with him in the first place? Your mother and I taught you much better than that, young lady.”

 

I swallow and sit up as my father speaks. My nostrils flared, and I breathe deeply. I need to stay calm. “I’m 23, dad, so I’m not a teenager. And I’m not your little girl anymore. You need to let me grow up and make mistakes. Otherwise how will I know what’s wrong or right?”

 

He purses his lips at me. “This should have been an easy one, Kristel.”

 

“Dad!” I clench my fingers into fists. “Didn’t you ever do anything stupid when you were younger? What about the time you told me about smoking weed behind school just to get the attention of that Daisy girl you liked?”

 

“This is different.”

 

“Okay…” I fold my arms across my chest and stare intently at him. “How? Last I remember, you did have sex with her.”

 

“Robert!” My mother sounds shocked.

 

My father holds his hands up in a defensive position and lowers his head. “Okay… okay. So maybe I did, but it was only once. It never happened again.”

 

“I thought I was your high school sweetheart.”

 

“You were, honey. But that was after Daisy.”

 

I look between my parents and fight hard not to laugh. It’s like they’re back in eighth grade again.

 

“How come I’ve never heard of this Daisy girl? Who was she? What grade was she in?”

 

My father gives me a narrow-eyed glare before he looks back to my mother. “She was in twelfth grade when I was in eighth. One year before I met you. Now can we please get back to the issue of Kristel’s one-night stand and the fact that she’s pregnant?”

 

“Fine.” My mother arcs an eyebrow. “But we’re going to talk about this later.”

 

“Thank you.” He hefts an audible sigh and sits down again. “Now. Kristel. I understand that the story you told removes a lot of my credibility, but I’m still your father.”

 

A frown tugs the corners of my mouth downward. “Mom…are you hearing this? Am I 12 years old again? This is one of the reasons why I went to college! You two are always on my ass no matter what I’m doing. And if I do something well, it’s great, but anytime I mess up it’s like a giant fucking disaster! I’m an adult now. You guys need to understand that, okay? And I want to keep this baby, but I can’t do that without your help.”

 

I hold my breath after the last word leaves my lips. The whole room is quiet except for the sound of my parents breathing across from me. They both look hurt.

 

“You really feel that way?” My mother speaks first. She reaches out and takes one of my hands. “We just want you safe.” She looks down toward the table. “Maybe we take things too far sometimes, but parenting doesn’t come with a manual.”

 

When my father doesn’t say anything, I keep my eyes on my mom. “I know. Neither does being a kid. But I do know that I messed up. I’m fully aware of that. What Idon’t know is whether I have your guys’ support. Are we going to just keep taking this in circles or can we move past the whole ‘Kristel had a one night stand and got pregnant’ stage?”

 

My father finally speaks. “I think Kristel’s right. We need to move past what we know and get to a solution.”

 

I look at my father as though he’s completely lost his mind. “Wait. You’re actually agreeing with me?” This has happened maybe three times in my entire life. He’s always been the know-it-all sort of man who hates to lose.

 

“Yes, I am. No gain ever came from lingering on the problem.”

 

My mother nods and continues to hold onto my hand. “Okay. Now that that’s over with… the baby. You said you want to keep it, right? How are you going to do that, sweetie? You’re just starting college and you don’t have a job. You live in dorms.”

 

Okay, I think. Now we’re actually getting somewhere.

 

“I know. Which is why I came here to ask for your help. I was hoping you would agree to help me with the baby, at least until I graduate. You’re moving into a house that isn’t that far from the college dorms, so I could visit all the time. And my student loans are actually more than I need. I could contribute financially, at least a little bit.” I hold my breath and look at the two of them. My teeth bite into my lower lip and hold it.

 

“That’s a huge commitment, Kristel.” Robert rubs a hand along his jaw. “What about the father of this baby? Are you going to try and track him down?”

 

“Yes. And maybe you could help me with that, too. I know it’s a personal matter, but…”

 

He rumbles softly, and his brow furrows. “It’s possible.” With a heavy sigh, he turns to my mother. “Sherri? What do you think?”

 

“I think it would be absolutely wonderful to have a baby in the house again.” She finally lets go of my hand and turns to her husband. Her hand closes around his arm, and she smiles at him. “Don’t you remember how wonderful it was? And all the photo albums we have of us together? We could make a new one for Kristel and her baby. We’ll be grandparents!”

 

“Please, Dad?” I give him my most hopeful smile and hold my breath.

 

“All right. But on one condition.” He looks right at me.

 

“Thank you! And no problem, name it.”

 

“You find out who the father is or, barring that, find a nice young man to help raise the baby when you finish college. That gives you four years.” He holds up his hands. “I know you don’t think you need a man in your life, but raising a child is a lot of work. Two people are definitely better than just one, and hiring a nanny is just one more thing to add to the cost of the child.”

 

I wrinkle my nose, but nod. “All right. Deal!” Suddenly finding myself with a grin on my face, I get up to hug both my parents. They squeeze me back in return, and my mother kisses my cheek.

 

“Oh, this is so exciting! And there’s so much work to do! Have you set up any appointments yet? When do you get an ultrasound of the baby? Have you bought your vitamins yet? What about blood tests? Have you –”

 

“Mom!” I laugh and cover my face with my hands. “Mom, calm down.” My hands slide down my face, and I hug her again. I’m so relieved that I can barely think straight, let alone figure out what needs to be done next. Andre pops into my mind, and my whole being feels full of relief. He will be safe, and so will the rest of the club. More than that, I might actually still have a chance with him. “There’s still a ton to do, I know, but can we just hold off on all the details for now?”

 

“Sure, hon.” My father kisses the top of my head and squeezes my shoulder. It’s the most affectionate and agreeable he has been in a very long time, and I almost wonder if he knows something. He should be arguing with us both about keeping the baby and yelling at me for being so careless.

 

“Dad? Is something going on?”

 

“A lot is going on.” He raises both eyebrows. “But aside from this, it’s just been a very long day. I had to shoot someone.”

 

My mother gasps and grips his arm. “Robert… I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

I stare at him in disbelief, my jaw slack. With a swallow, I hug him as tight as I can. My parents are overbearing and protective, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them most of the time. “What happened, Dad?”

 

His arms are around the both of us as he sits again. We pull up chairs so we can sit on either side of him. He pulls his arms away and clasps his hands on the table, all of his weight on them. With a deep breath, his gaze on his hands, he doesn’t say anything for a long time. When he does, his voice is quiet.

 

“I can’t really say a lot. But there was an incident at one of the local grocery stores where a woman pulled a gun on a little boy. I didn’t have a lot of time to think when I saw what was happening, so I just pulled my gun and fired.”

 

The silence is palpable, and I grip his arm tightly. “Is…”

 

“No. She’s not okay. I shouldn’t even be saying anything, but… no. She passed away on the way to the hospital.”

 

“And the boy? Is he okay?”

 

Robert nodded. “He’s okay. Thank God.”

 

I have a million questions, but I don’t ask them. Instead, I lean against my father and look across at my mother. She gives me a weak smile and nods, and I return the nod. I have no idea how, but this visit has turned out to be one of the best in my memory. It’s like we’re actually a real family. I don’t feel the need to run or hide from them. And I definitely don’t feel the need to rebel against them.

 

“In light of that story…” My mother sits up and looks at us both. “I really think you should just move in with us, Kristel. You can still walk to college and you can be here for the baby all the time when you aren’t at class. If anything happens during your pregnancy, someone will be here to help you. There’s a lot of room at the new place, too. We’ll set you up with your own room.”

 

Before I can say a word, my father nods. “I think that’s a good idea actually. It’s not exactly safe out there.”

 

“But… no. You guys, I’ll be fine at the college dorms.” There goes that great family moment.

 

“I’m sure you would be. But think of all the money you’d save living with us, too? It costs a lot to live in the dorms, doesn’t it? That money could be used for other things, or you could start a savings account.”

 

I fight the groan of frustration that wants to leave my throat. As I look between my parents, I recognize the determined looks on their faces; they aren’t going to take no for an answer. I am officially doomed. “I really don’t think it’s necessary, but fine. Not forever though. Just for a little while.”

 

“Just until you can get on your feet.” My mother gives me a bright smile and kisses my cheek.

 

This is an absolute disaster. What am I going to tell Andre?