Aileen
I walked over to their side and just greeted normally, “Uh, I’m back.”
Suddenly, their attention was on me now.
Mom looked relieved to see me. But, Dave’s face had gone pale.
“Aileen! You are home!” Mom rushed to my side and held me by the hand. “How was the party? Did you have fun?”
I nodded, “Yeah, kind of. But, what are you two doing right now? I could hear your voices from outside.”
Mom glanced in Dave’s direction hearing my question.
“Uh…” she laughed, “I’ll tell you about it in detail later. You just came back. Take some rest. Then, we can talk.”
“No, I’m fine. You can tell me. You sounded quite excited about it also. Are you two going somewhere?”
Dave facepalmed himself.
“Uh…. not exactly……it’s…. I’ll tell you later. Don’t worry,” Mom assured me.
“Okay…. then I guess? I’m going to get changed. Did you two eat already?”
Mom nodded. “Yeah, a while ago. Get changed now. I’ll go to your room later.”
“Got it.”
I walked past her side and headed toward my room without any questions. But, Dave’s expression looked quite suspicious to me.
What on earth were they discussing that she needed to tell me in secret?
I went to my room and got changed. I waited for Mom to come any minute but she was late.
I scrolled through my phone trying to pass the time. My classmates sent me pictures which we took together at the party.
I was grinning while checking them. I finally have some memories to keep from college.
I made the right decision by going. Skylar wasn’t in the right mood when I left. But, there’s nothing to do about it.
The knock on the door drew my attention, “May I come in?”
Mom’s here.
“Yeah, the door’s open.”
Mom came inside and closed the door behind her. Then walked over to the side of the bed where I was sitting. And sat down beside me.
“Were you planning to go to bed? Are you sleepy?” she asked, caressing my face.
“Uh…. no. Go on with what you had to say. I’m curious,” I kept aside my phone the very minute, turning to her.
She cleared her throat, looking down at her hands, “Well…you see….. I’ve decided something on my own. That’s what I was discussing with Dave downstairs and he was freaking out. Even though I had already told him in the morning. He’s so childish for his age. I’m telling you.”
“You decided something on your own? What did you decide?”
She paused for a second replying, “Well…..” she was hesitating quite a lot trying to get her words across.
“Mom, what’s the matter? Go on!” I urged, placing my hand on top of hers. “I’m listening to every nonsense you have to say to me. Don’t worry.”
“Will you take me seriously?” she stuttered.
“Why won’t I?” I asked.
“Then, I’ll tell you,” she raised her face to look me in the eyes, “Well, I was thinking about planning to have a baby now that we are all settled together. Sounds great, don’t you think?”
My jaw dropped to the floor hearing her statement.
“A baby?” I gasped, “Whose baby?”
“Dave and my baby. Then, you’ll also have a sibling to look after. Aren’t you excited, Aileen?” she asked with a smile.
“Excited? Uh…. well….”
Why didn’t Dave tell me about any of this? She’s planning to have a baby with him? Then, have they already started the process?
Wait, I can’t ask her about it straightly like this. Why didn’t Dave inform me about something so serious? What was he planning by hiding it?
“Your face says you don’t like the news,” Mom inquired, “You don’t want to have a sibling? Didn’t you used to say you wanted to have a sister or brother when you were little? I can make your dream come true now.”
“Uh…..” I composed myself and just tried to ignore the turmoil going on inside of me, “No, it’s not like I don’t like the news. I’m a bit shocked that’s all. And that’s expected, right?”
“But, it seems like you are judging me silently.”
“No, no, you are imagining it!” I assured her, “Yeah, I wanted to have a younger sister or brother to play with when I was little. But that was long ago. So, it’s normal I won’t react the same way as I would if I heard the news a few years ago.”
“That’s…. true…then you are happy with the news?”
I shook my head hesitantly. Who’s gonna tell her my whole world is crumbling down with her single statement?
The smile on her face returned again, “I see…. thank you, Aileen. I knew you would understand my feelings. Dave kept complaining that you won’t like it as you are already grown up. So, having a sibling would only cause a nuisance.”
“Hm…it’s not wrong. But, can I ask you something if you don’t mind answering?”
She nodded, “Sure, what is it?”
“Why did you suddenly feel like having a baby? I mean, if you wanted to have a second baby, you could plan it right away after the marriage, right? There would’ve been a greater chance of success at that age. Then, why now?”
The smile on her face faded right away with my question.
Did I ask something I wasn’t supposed to? I know my questions are abrupt. But, I can’t help it. My thoughts are a mess. I can’t make out between what I want to say or not.
“Mom, you know what? You don’t have to answer that question,” I stuttered, “I was just curious, that’s all. Don’t take me seriously.”
“No, it’s okay,” she replied looking a bit pissed, “It’s because….. I always wanted to have a second child. But, circumstances weren’t so great with your dad. And I didn’t want to take care of another child when we were struggling as well. That’s why I tried to avoid that situation. But, after you moved in, I realized that he’s going to be a great dad after seeing how he’s protective over you. So, I didn’t want to delay the situation anymore and told him about my wishes today.”
“I…see…”
Dave, you brought this upon yourself. Don’t blame me for anything.
“And if you consider my age, I don’t have that much time to wait and plan about it. If we have to do it, we need to act fast. That’s what I was telling him, but he kept telling me not to risk my health for a baby. But, what about my wishes then? I’m a nurse myself. I realize what’s going on with my body better than anyone. And I’m sure, I can handle childbirth like I did when I had you. But, who has the power to convince him?”
How am I even supposed to react to it? She’s trying to have a baby with my mate, the one I love. Yeah, she might be my mom, but she’s going too far now.
Things wouldn’t have come to this if we told her about our relationship in the first place.
“Aileen, are you listening to me?” she asked, jerking me by the shoulder.
“Oh, uh…. I’m listening. So, did he decline you straight away? Or tried to convince you or something?”
She heaved a sigh, “He told me to think over my decision very carefully. Cause there’s no turning back. Said I’m hasty also. I should take some more time to be prepared emotionally and whatnot. I’m like, are you being serious? How much late do you want me to be?”
He’s so bad at lying. And I don’t think his convincing had any effect on her. But, at least he tried to buy us time.
I need to step up on this matter or else things will get out of my hands. How can I save you, Dave?
“What should I do now? He’s not serious at all about having a baby. Or rather he’s scared and trying to avoid the matter. But, I want him to listen and think about it together with me. How can I make that happen? Do you have any idea, sweetie?”
I thought over it carefully before replying, “Uh, I can try to convince him. But, this is a matter between the two of you. And it’s something very private. Still, I can say, if he’s not up to it not ready to face responsibilities then there’s no need to force it on a man. I mean, you want the child to be accepted when he’s born into the world. Not under a whim or forced circumstances, right?”
She was a bit startled by my words, “That’s…. yeah. I want it to be accepted by everyone in the family. Not because of my whims. You are right about it.”
“See, you have the answers to your questions right here,” I explained, “Next time, only if he brings up this matter then you should bring it up again. For now, don’t bring it up and make him worry for nothing.”
She listened to me carefully and nodded, “Yeah, you are right. I shouldn’t force him. But, before he turns me down for one last time, I’m going to try to convince him. I can do that right?”
“Uh, but” Wait, I’m being too forceful on her. It’s not supposed to be like this.
“Yeah, you can do that. Who knows, you might get lucky, right?”
She nodded, smiling, “Thank you, Aileen. I feel better all because of you. Thanks for listening to me, you are the best daughter ever.”
I hugged her tightly, “You are the best Mom as well. Thank you all the time for everything.”
And…. I’m sorry for lying to you, I can’t tell you the truth yet. Cause, there’s no way in the world, Dave is going to have a baby with you.
That’s because…. he loves me. You can’t replace me in his heart, ever.