Smoke on the Water

That morning, everyone was extremely anxious at the Hutchinson house. The night before, Natasha persuaded her parents to listen and talk with the Baxter’s about their relationship. She didn’t tell them anything about the pregnancy, that, she decided could wait after everyone was here. Her mother, Meredith, was a bit more willing to talk to the Baxter’s than her father Daniel was. He, from day one of the relationship, was against Natasha and Brody being together. In a way, Natasha understood his worries. Natasha was an only child and most likely the last child for him. He still wanted her to remain his baby girl.

“Momma,” Natasha walked downstairs in a pretty pink and yellow sundress and walked towards the kitchen where her mother was having breakfast. “Brody and his parents will be here in a minute. Is Dad ready?”

Meredith was a pretty woman. She had blond hair and hazel eyes much like her daughter had. And for her forty years of age, her body looked great which she credited to the home gym she had installed a couple years earlier and a nutrition expert to prepare all the meals for the family. Mrs. Hutchinson was also a very religious woman. She always wore a cross around her neck and religiously went to church every Sunday, sometimes even taking Natasha with her.

“Yes, I think he is,” Meredith replied to her daughter as Daniel walked through the kitchen doors. “Here he is.”

Daniel Hutchinson was a big man. He was a husky two-hundred-fifty pound man, and at six foot three inches, he was menacing to the guys that Natasha ever brought home. He was a strict father. That, he credits to being brought up in a military family. He was taught the importance of family, honor, dignity, and respect.

“Hi daddy,” Natasha walked up to him and gave him a hug. She felt like a little girl standing next to him in her little five foot four inch frame.

“Hi darling,” he greeted her back. “So when are they going to be here?”

Just as he said that, the home phone rang with the security guard’s number on it. Meredith picked up the phone and buzzed the Baxter’s in. Daniel, Meredith, and Natasha all proceeded to go into the lavish living room and wait for their arrival.

Not long after, the doorbell rang and everyone rushed to the mud room.

“Hello Jeanine,” Meredith said with a smile that was sure to be fake.

“Hi Meredith,” Jeanine returned curtly. “Daniel,” she nodded in his direction.

The family all shuffled indoors as Meredith ordered them to sit on the couches near the coffee table where tea was prepared for them. Brody and Natasha exchanged heir private hellos before standing up in front of everyone and starting the meeting.

“Hello, everyone,” Natasha started hesitantly. “Uhh… Brody and I all wanted you here to talk to you, together, about what is going to happen in the future, and how our relationship is going to go.” ‘Maybe I should’ve practiced this,’ Natasha thought to herself.

“The future?” Meredith questioned. “There is nothing about the future that we must discuss. You are to go to Columbia University, majoring in Business Law, and that’s the end of it. What is there to discuss?”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about,” Natasha started. “You know that I dislike the idea of going to Columbia. You know that I would much rather wish to go to Temple University in Philadelphia than Columbia.”

“Temple University,” Meredith scoffed. “It was Brody who planted that idea in your head, didn’t he?”

“He didn’t plan any idea into my head, Momma.”

“Of course he did. Why else would you want to throw away your brilliant education on some mediocre school and study some ridiculous major? What was it you wanted to study, Forensic Science? Can you even get a job with such a degree?” Meredith almost laughed.

“Temple University is not a mediocre college,” Brody explained calmly. “It’s a school with many accolades, with a very successful science field, medical technology; it’s a fantastic school….”

“Zip it, Brandon,” Meredith snapped. “When I want to talk to you, I’ll talk to you.”

Jeanine became outraged at the way Meredith talked to her son. “How dare you speak to my son like that? Who do you think you are?”

“Well perhaps if your son knew some proper etiquette he wouldn’t interrupt elders when they are speaking to their daughter,” Meredith explained with venom in her voice.

Jeanine was about to reply something, probably something nasty or sarcastic but Brody cut her off before she had the chance, “Mom, it’s fine. Mrs. Hutchinson, we organized this family meeting to discuss how we are going to deal with Natasha and mine relationship.” Meredith looked at him with poison in her hazel eyes. “And now that Natasha decided that she’ll be moving to Philadelphia with me…”

He was going to say something else but Daniel cut him off. “Moving with you? Over my dead body!”

“Dad, I’m eighteen years old. I’m an adult now which means that I can make my own decisions, and if I wish to live with my boyfriend while I’m at university than that is my right.”

“Your right? Natasha, listen to me clearly?” Daniel started. “If you think that for one second I would let you move in with some sleazy, undeserving boyfriend, then you can think again. Because there is no way in hell that I am letting you move in with him.”

“Who are you calling my son sleazy and undeserving? It’s your daughter that doesn’t deserve my son.”

“You better watch that mouth of yours, Jeanine,” Meredith warned.

“Or what?” she threatened. “It’s you daughter that’s undeserving. Haven’t you heard the awful rumors going around about her? There have been rumors that she slept with every guy on the football team!”

“Shut your mouth, Jeanine,” Daniel said menacingly.

“Why? Because you know it’s true?” Jeanine asked. “Face it, your daughter was the slut of the entire school while Brody and Natasha were there!”

Natasha was now visibly upset, tears threatened to make their presence known; she turned to look away from them. “Mom, shut up!” Brody screamed at her.

“Why?! It’s true!” she retorted to her son. “I don’t know why you even like her. She’s arrogant, selfish, spoiled…. Her parents didn’t do a very good job raising her.”

“Well maybe you should make sure your children are perfect before you start criticizing how I raise my kids!” Meredith yelled at her.

“As long as my son isn’t anything like your daughter, I think I did a well enough job,” Jeanine replied.

Natasha tried assessing the situation to gain control but when the two sets of parents started bickering endlessly with each other, she had enough.

“Everybody shut up!” Natasha couldn’t take this anymore. She wasn’t upset or hurt by anything Jeanine said, she was angry. “You know what; I am so sick and tired of all of this. You four are never going to like each other and I understand that. But let me explain something to you. Whether you like it or not, I’m pregnant with Brody’s child,” everyone gasped in the room.

Natasha took notice of their reactions before continuing, “I’m pregnant with Brody’s child and guess what, we’re going to live together and be together throughout this entire pregnancy. You wanna know why? Because he’s the father of my baby. And sure, it was unexpected, and maybe it was a mistake, but we made a promise to each other that we will always be together for the sake of this baby and there’s nothing that could ever change that.”

It took a couple moments for everything that Natasha had just said to sink in. Meredith was the first to speak.

“You’re pregnant?” Meredith verified. “With Brody’s child?”

Natasha and Brody nodded.

Meredith thought for a second what she was going to say. When she thought of something, she put down her teacup and stood up from the couch. “You are pregnant out of wedlock which means you are not welcome in my home. And unless you get an abortion, you can forget going to Temple, Columbia or any other school, and you can forget about living in this house. Because unless you get an abortion, I never, and I repeat never want to hear or speak to you ever again. You are dead to me. You have three days to make your decision.”

And with that, Meredith walked out of the living room leaving the teenagers with their thoughts.