Faint

Roberto and LuAnne sat in front of the fireplace in LuAnne’s house, cuddled up in a blanket with mugs of hot chocolate beside them. Roberto’s arm was wrapped around her waist in a comforting grip as LuAnne breathed slowly with her head on his chest.

“Robby… I have to tell you something,” LuAnne whispered, picking her up off his chest, and shifting herself to look at him.

Roberto focused his eyes on the beautiful girl in front of him and pressed his lips onto her plump, pink ones.

LuAnne shakily breathed in as she gripped his sweater with her right hand, “Do you remember a few months ago when we… y’know, had…sex?”

Roberto swallowed but nodded, memories of that night surfacing in his mind, “Of course I remember.”

Nodding, LuAnne spit the rest out, “I’m pregnant.”

Gia looked at her mother wide-eyed as she turned in the passenger seat to look at LuAnne in the drivers seat, “That’s how you told Roberto that you were pregnant?”

LuAnne nodded as she pulled into a parking spot at Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, “Yep. I just straight out told him.”

Gia looked on interested as she helped her mother grab her bags from the trunk, “So what did he do? Freak out?”

Laughing, LuAnne nodded as she closed the trunk and started to pull the suitcase along the ground, “Pretty much. He was surprised to say the least.”

Roberto scrunched his eyes together as he stared into his girlfriend’s green eyes, going over her confession. His lungs felt heavy in his chest and his heart felt like it was about to burst from beating so fast.

“You…you’re pregnant? Are you sure? Did you check? Did you, I don’t know, go to the doctor?” He asked, sitting up as LuAnne moved away from him.

She nodded as she sat cross legged, her large sweatshirt swimming over her body, “I went last week with my sister. The doctor said that I’m two and a half months pregnant.”

Covering his eyes with his right hand, Roberto thought he was going to faint. His girlfriend was pregnant, and they were seventeen years old.

Gia giggled as her mother described the wide eyed look her father had when she explained to him that she was really pregnant. They walked at a leisurely pace through the airport, searching around for the right gate.

“Well, what did he do? Was he excited or mad?” She asked, slowing down as they reached the correct gate.

LuAnne shrugged, “He seemed confused at first, but after a few minutes he asked to see my belly and it was like he fell in love with you at that moment.”

“So you’re positive that you’re pregnant,” Roberto stated, looking at LuAnne just to make sure.

Rolling her eyes, LuAnne nodded, “Yes, Rob. I’m positive.”

Roberto sat back and began to chew on his, already short, nails. He stared at LuAnne as millions of thoughts began to run through his mind; thoughts of what the baby would like and act like seemed to take over everything.

“Can I… can I see?” Rob asked, his eyes moving down to her belly.

LuAnne shyly nodded and lifted up her baggy sweater to show Roberto her very small baby bump. Rob breathed in a shallow breath as he stared at his belly where his child was growing, his child.

He carefully placed his hand and against her belly and immediately a smile flitted onto his face.

“He’s always loved me?” Gia asked, taking her bags from her mother.

“Ever since he placed his hand on my stomach,” LuAnne agreed, folding her hands in front of her.

Gia bit her lip as she looked at the security line, the line in which she was supposed to be in by now. LuAnne opened her arms wide and Gia stepped into them, wrapping her arms around her.

“You be good for your Dad, alright? And try and call him Dad instead of Roberto; he’d like that. Just remember, he’s always trying,” LuAnne explained, holding her at arms length to talk to her.

Nodding, Gia leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder and breathed in deeply, “I’ll remember, and I’ll call you every couple of days.”

LuAnne smiled and patted her daughter’s cheek lovingly, “I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

Gia picked grabbed her suitcase handle and her carryon and walked to the security line. She got through quickly, simply doing what they told her to, and walked towards a television with the different gate numbers.

She looked for her flight to Vancouver, nodding when she saw it, and began to walk towards that gate. She had roughly forty-five minutes before she could board the plane, so she sat down on one of the plastic blue chairs, pulled her book out of her carryon and started to read.

---

Roberto hoisted his daughter up higher on his hip as he walked side-by-side with his wife into the Vancouver International Airport. He had his hat pulled down over his black curly hair and his hand in his wife’s hand.

They walked to the correct gate and waited until it was announced over the intercom that the plane had landed.

“Here Bobby, give me Gabbi. I’ll hold her,” Gina told Roberto, opening her arms and placing Gabriella on her waist.

Roberto stuck his hands in his pockets and breathed deeply as people began to come off the plane. He chewed lightly on his lip as he squinted through the throngs of people, looking for the little, dark-haired girl he remembered.

He began to shake nervously as he didn’t see her coming off the plane, and Gina bumped his hip and gave him an encouraging smile, “Calm down, Bobby. She’s coming, just hold your horses.”

Suddenly, Roberto spotted a young girl with long brown hair and a carryon on her shoulder. She walked with a purpose and made her way over to Roberto and his family, her long dark hair flowing lightly behind him.

She cautiously stood in front of Roberto as he stared at her, his mouth gaping wide. He could see Gina out of the corner of his eye, looking at the young girl with a confused expression.

“Uhm, Roberto? It’s me, Gia.”