Tested by Fire by Kathy Herman

Author:Kathy Herman [Herman, Kathy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-56514-3
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2012-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FIVE

Jennifer Wilson sat with her elbows on the kitchen table, her chin resting on her hands. A half-eaten plate of fruit was pushed aside, and Tuesday’s edition of the Denver Post still rolled up with a rubber band. A calico cat jumped on the table and sniffed the plate.

“You won’t like that,” she said. “Come here.”

The cat rubbed against her arm, leaving a trail of fur on the sleeve of her navy bathrobe. Jennifer laid her head on the cat’s back, her golden brown curls draped over its side. She listened to the peaceful sound of its purring. The phone rang, and she instantly grabbed it.

“Hello, Mark?”

“Yeah, sorry it’s so late. The big shots were in from Charlotte and I got tied up in meetings. I just got your message. Sounds serious. What’s up?”

“Uh, a new development.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

“Brace yourself.… I’m pregnant.”

“Whoa! Have you told Mom and Dad?”

“I called Mom yesterday when I stayed home from work. She wasn’t mad, but she didn’t handle it well either. I knew she wouldn’t.”

“What was your first clue? Mom and Dad have never dealt with having to get married. They act like we’re too dumb to do the math. It’s weird, but they never talk about it at all—like if they don’t talk about it, it didn’t happen.”

Jennifer sighed. “I know.”

“I hope you’re not gonna let this wreck your life like they did.”

“Is that what you think Mom’s getting pregnant with me did—wreck their lives? Thanks a lot, Mark. That adds meaning to my existence.”

“Don’t get all huffy. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Besides, a child can’t single-handedly wreck someone’s life. They must’ve had other problems we don’t know about.”

“Come on, why do you think they’ve been so uptight all these years? They had to get married, and they never got over it. It’s obvious. I mean, they never talk about their wedding even though they have pictures. They got married and you were born six months later.… Hello?”

“I think we shouldn’t be so quick to judge, little brother. Like, we have no idea what really happened back then.”

“Duh. That’s my point, Jen—we have no idea. Why? What’s the big deal? It’s like this big secret that’s always in the way No one talks about it. Everyone pretends it’s not there. Kinda sick, if you ask me.”

“Well, for your information, I don’t plan to let this ruin my life.”

“So you’re getting an abortion?”

“I didn’t say that. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”

“Does Dennis know? Or does the creep even care?”

“Look, Mark, I know you can’t stand him, but you don’t know him. You’ve never even met him.”

“Why would I want to?”

Jennifer sighed. “No reason, I guess, other than your sister is, like, carrying his child. What a time to find out I’m pregnant. I broke up with him a couple of weeks ago. Dennis certainly isn’t the fatherly type. He’s too full of himself. I’m not sure I’m going to tell him. I already know what his reaction will be, so why bother?”

“Jen, you never answered me about Dad’s reaction.

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.