No More Sad Goodbyes by Marilyn Reynolds

Author:Marilyn Reynolds
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adoption; Abortion; Open adoption;
Publisher: New Wind Publishing
Published: 2017-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

14

The luxury of a long, hot, private shower—no one yelling to hurry up, no one casting sideways looks at my naked belly—I’ve missed privacy! I sit on the edge of the tub rubbing cocoa butter across my midsection, thinking about Nikki’s reaction to my offer of a baby. I expected her to be really happy about it, but all she’d said was, “We’re both tired. Let’s talk in the morning.”

In the pink room, the crib is folded flat against the wall. The bare mattress leaning next to it. No teddy bears. No baby monitor. No framed Disney characters looking down on me from the walls. It is quiet here, no sweet snoring sounds or outbursts of motherfucker-cocksucker. I take the heart-shaped stone from the back pocket of my notebook for a bedtime talk with my dad.

“Hey, Dad. I’m at Nikki’s. I figured out how I can be part of the solution.”

“You’re awesome. I know you’ll . . .”

His voice is getting harder and harder to hear. I hold the stone against my chest, hoping the beat of my heart brings new life.

“Dad? . . . Daddy?”

In the morning on the patio, while we’re eating cereal and toast and watching Elvis stalk a sparrow, Nikki tells me she’s got to call the county home and let them know where I am.

“By law, I should have called them last night. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. You were so tired, and there was so much to talk about.”

“But . . . I’ve been reading about adoptions and . . . can’t I just stay here with you and Penny until the baby is born? And then you can have the baby?”

“Maybe we’ll work something out further down the road, but for right now . . . I don’t want to lose my job over this.”

“But lots of people who adopt let birthmoms stay with them while they’re pregnant,” I say.

“It’s not about that. You’re a minor, someone who’s been in my program at Hamilton for four years, you’re here illegally and I’m harboring you. That’s definitely grounds for dismissal. And even though I’m a popular coach with winning teams, there are some people who’re just waiting for a chance to get rid of me.”

“That’s ridiculous! You’re the best coach in the whole league. Who’d want to get rid of you?”

“Well . . . some of the people from Danni’s church. And some others from that big church just off the freeway . . . You know, they think people like Penny and me are trying to corrupt the youth. Like we’re trying to influence you all to become lesbians.”

“That’s crazy!”

“I know that, but they don’t. Things can get pretty nasty some­times.”

Nikki picks up the cereal bowls and carries them inside. I pick up the butter dish and jar of jam and follow. Watching Nikki put the bowls in the dishwasher, wipe down the counter top—take care of the everyday things that people everywhere take care of, I don’t understand the whole “bad influence” idea.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.