Young and Pregnant
Support
Cassandra stood in front of the steps that led to the front door, her left hand fitted in Alec's right. She brushed a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear as she turned to look at him. A small smile danced across her lips as she leaned up, pressing her lips to his own. She dropped his hand, lingering for a moment, before she breathed in and walked up the wooden steps.
She turned around just as she was about to open the front door, and whispered. “Goodbye, Alec.” Her words floated through the air, desperately trying to find the person they were meant to go to. Alec sent a grin in Cassandra's direction, before he turned around and walked down the sidewalk to his apartment he shared with Jackson.
Cassandra grasped the brass door knob in her palm, twisting it and pushing the door open. As soon as she walked inside, she discarded her heels by the other pairs of shoes and continued into the kitchen where she heard her parents talking. She stood by the doorway, watching her parents talked, seeming oblivious to her presence.
As her parents continued to talk, she cleared her throat, causing the conversation to stop mid-sentence. Her mother smiled nervously, brushing the wrinkles from her already flat skirt while her father motioned for her to take the chair in between the two. Cassandra slowly made her way to the chair, settling herself, and waited for the questioning to begin.
Right on cue, her mother began to speak, her voice shaky and nervous. “Listen, Cassandra, we know that you are completely aware that you and Alec have made a mistake. That much is quite obvious. But your father and I want you to know that whatever your decision may be, whether it is adoption or for Heaven's sake, abortion, we will support you, even if it is against our relationship with God.”
Cassandra blinked, taking in the words her mother had just spoken. They were willing to support her, no matter what her decision was? They would support her even if she wanted an abortion? She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, before looking between her two parents. A thought flashed through her mind; what if she was a mistake, as she had called the growing baby inside of her? Is that why her parents were suddenly so understanding about the whole situation?
Her father cleared his throat, shaking Cassandra from her thoughts. She licked over her bottom lip before she spoke. “Alec and I have decided we are going to keep the baby, and we are going to raise it like it deserves to be raised. The baby needs to know who it's real parents are.”
“You're going to raise the baby, all by yourself when this boy of yours goes into the military?” her mother said, her voice raising an octave. Ashland had figured her daughter would take the easy way out, and not let anyone know that she had been pregnant. She knew it was a horrible thing to do, but Cassandra was ruining her mother's reputation as a religious woman.
Cassandra sat in her chair, her arms folded across her chest. “Alec is not leaving for another two weeks. That means he has 8 months to be back. He told me he'd raise the baby all by himself, but I couldn't do that. I met this woman named Summer and her baby's father ran out on her, and she's raising the kid all by herself. I can't do that to Alec; I can't make him raise this baby by himself. He's willing to be a father though, and I'm willing to be a mother.”
As her mother stared at her, shocked by her decision making, her father wrapped an arm around her shoulder's, pulling her in for a hug. “Whatever you decide to do, Cass, your mother and I support you one hundred percent. Remember that.”
Cassandra sent her father a grateful smile as she pushed her chair away from the mahogany colored table. She stood up and began walking to her room when she heard her mother begin shouting. She stopped, her hand on the railing to go upstairs, and listened.
“Robert, we can't do this! What will the women at church think? We raised Cassandra to be a Christian! A Christian, Robert! We can't have everyone know that she had sex before she was married!”
Cassandra heard a chair scraping on the tile floor, and then her father began yelling back. “We've talked about this, Ashland! We can't force Cassandra to do what we want her to do. It's her child, and if she's willing to be a mother, and the boy is willing to be a father, then so be it! We can't make her give up this baby because you want her to!”
Her mother laughed loudly. “Do you know that as soon as this baby is born, the father is going to be out of the picture? He's not going to want to take responsibility for a whiny baby. She's going to be all on her own, begging us for money! She's going to become trailer trash, Robert. I can't be a mother to a single mom.”
Tears began to well up in Cassandra's blue eyes. Her mother didn't believe that Alec could be a caring father, or that the baby would have a good family. She practically said she'd disown her if Alec turned his back. She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes, and stormed up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door. As she fell back onto her bed, she knew what she was going to do.
Tomorrow, she'd go and see Summer. She'd have to have some kind of story about her parents when they found out she was pregnant. She'd have to have some type of advice on how to make her mother appreciate her decision. She was sure of it.
She turned around just as she was about to open the front door, and whispered. “Goodbye, Alec.” Her words floated through the air, desperately trying to find the person they were meant to go to. Alec sent a grin in Cassandra's direction, before he turned around and walked down the sidewalk to his apartment he shared with Jackson.
Cassandra grasped the brass door knob in her palm, twisting it and pushing the door open. As soon as she walked inside, she discarded her heels by the other pairs of shoes and continued into the kitchen where she heard her parents talking. She stood by the doorway, watching her parents talked, seeming oblivious to her presence.
As her parents continued to talk, she cleared her throat, causing the conversation to stop mid-sentence. Her mother smiled nervously, brushing the wrinkles from her already flat skirt while her father motioned for her to take the chair in between the two. Cassandra slowly made her way to the chair, settling herself, and waited for the questioning to begin.
Right on cue, her mother began to speak, her voice shaky and nervous. “Listen, Cassandra, we know that you are completely aware that you and Alec have made a mistake. That much is quite obvious. But your father and I want you to know that whatever your decision may be, whether it is adoption or for Heaven's sake, abortion, we will support you, even if it is against our relationship with God.”
Cassandra blinked, taking in the words her mother had just spoken. They were willing to support her, no matter what her decision was? They would support her even if she wanted an abortion? She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, before looking between her two parents. A thought flashed through her mind; what if she was a mistake, as she had called the growing baby inside of her? Is that why her parents were suddenly so understanding about the whole situation?
Her father cleared his throat, shaking Cassandra from her thoughts. She licked over her bottom lip before she spoke. “Alec and I have decided we are going to keep the baby, and we are going to raise it like it deserves to be raised. The baby needs to know who it's real parents are.”
“You're going to raise the baby, all by yourself when this boy of yours goes into the military?” her mother said, her voice raising an octave. Ashland had figured her daughter would take the easy way out, and not let anyone know that she had been pregnant. She knew it was a horrible thing to do, but Cassandra was ruining her mother's reputation as a religious woman.
Cassandra sat in her chair, her arms folded across her chest. “Alec is not leaving for another two weeks. That means he has 8 months to be back. He told me he'd raise the baby all by himself, but I couldn't do that. I met this woman named Summer and her baby's father ran out on her, and she's raising the kid all by herself. I can't do that to Alec; I can't make him raise this baby by himself. He's willing to be a father though, and I'm willing to be a mother.”
As her mother stared at her, shocked by her decision making, her father wrapped an arm around her shoulder's, pulling her in for a hug. “Whatever you decide to do, Cass, your mother and I support you one hundred percent. Remember that.”
Cassandra sent her father a grateful smile as she pushed her chair away from the mahogany colored table. She stood up and began walking to her room when she heard her mother begin shouting. She stopped, her hand on the railing to go upstairs, and listened.
“Robert, we can't do this! What will the women at church think? We raised Cassandra to be a Christian! A Christian, Robert! We can't have everyone know that she had sex before she was married!”
Cassandra heard a chair scraping on the tile floor, and then her father began yelling back. “We've talked about this, Ashland! We can't force Cassandra to do what we want her to do. It's her child, and if she's willing to be a mother, and the boy is willing to be a father, then so be it! We can't make her give up this baby because you want her to!”
Her mother laughed loudly. “Do you know that as soon as this baby is born, the father is going to be out of the picture? He's not going to want to take responsibility for a whiny baby. She's going to be all on her own, begging us for money! She's going to become trailer trash, Robert. I can't be a mother to a single mom.”
Tears began to well up in Cassandra's blue eyes. Her mother didn't believe that Alec could be a caring father, or that the baby would have a good family. She practically said she'd disown her if Alec turned his back. She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes, and stormed up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door. As she fell back onto her bed, she knew what she was going to do.
Tomorrow, she'd go and see Summer. She'd have to have some kind of story about her parents when they found out she was pregnant. She'd have to have some type of advice on how to make her mother appreciate her decision. She was sure of it.