Safe Zone

{Katy’s Point of View}

All morning my mind was racing with what would happen during lunch. What would we talk about? The thing that bothered me the most was would we bring up the abortion.

Slowly, I got up as the clock read 10:56AM, grabbing my purse and my phone from my desk, “Going on lunch Brenda.”

Brenda nodded her head as I pressed the automatic door button leaving the station. My mind already having conversations in my head of what we might talk about.

My phone vibrated as soon as I got in the hallway to the elevator, Matt. I took a deep breath and answered, “Hey!”

“Hey, what do you think about that little Mexican place on the corner?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in about five minutes. Walking out to my car now.” The small ounce of me wanting to cancel quickly vanished when I realized that this meeting was happening…



It was extremely awkward at first, but once we were handed our drinks and the chips with dip. We became a little more relaxed.

“So how has you’re past, what, ten years been?” He smiled, both of his elbows on the table one relaxed on the table and the other reaching into the chips.

“It’s been sixteen years,” I chuckled, “Seems like it was just yesterday, huh?”

“Sixteen years? Wow,” He leaned back and pushed his hand through his hair.

“Yeah, but not to avoid your question. I’ve been good,” I smiled and looked at Matt, but he was looking down at his drink, staring.

“Can I ask you something personal? Well not really personal, but it’s forward,” He leaned up and clasped his hands on the table.

“Sure,” I had an idea of what was coming.

“So remember when you were pregnant? Well I mean I’m sure you do. Anyways, I’m going to cut to the chase. Would we have a sixteen-year-old right now?” He wouldn’t look me in the eye, until the last sentence.

“I was pregnant?” I laughed, but he looked at me rolling his eyes and grinning, “they would’ve been turning sixteen this year.”

Matt put his head down and rubbed the back of his neck then looked back up at me, “You ever think what if?”

“All the time,” Usually tears begin filling my eyes, but for some reason I was smiling. Maybe this was the closure I needed.

“Man,” Matt’s soft side was trying to peek through as his eyes began to tear up, but he quickly wiped the two single tears away.



“Kate, please don’t do this. I’m begging you!” Matt shouted over the phone as tears streamed down my face while standing at the pay phone in front of the clinic.

“We can’t raise a child, Matt. My parents are going to kill me. They’ll kill you! This is the best option for us. One day you’ll thank me. I love you, Matt.” Rather this was what we wanted or not. It had to happen.

“If you do this Katheryn. Kiss ‘us’ goodbye. I will want nothing to do with you.”

“I’m sorry, Matt.” Was the last words I said to him before I hung up the phone. It took me a moment to compose myself and dry the tears, but once I did I made my final decision then walked into the clinic.



“I’m sorry, Matt. I really am,” I placed my hand on his, tears now in my eyes.

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t say you did a ‘good’ thing, but you did what your seventeen-year-old self thought was necessary. It’s just rough to think about, because I have two kids now and I couldn’t imagine my life without them. But I know if we would have had our child then I would’ve never experienced the things I have now,” He had a genuine smile, showing both of his dimples. I smiled back even though tears were streaming down my face.

“Yeah, I think I’m getting punished for it though. Since Brett and I haven’t been able to have any kids,” It was now normal to say, because Matt knew what I knew.

“Surely, you don’t think that?” Matt raised his eyebrow, “And if you do maybe us talking will clear your conscience.”

“Possibly, so tell me about your life now. Mr. Shadows,” That subject was sore, so I steered away the another awkward topic.



The time during my lunch hour came and went quicker than ever and now I was on my home from my second part of the day. Brett wouldn’t be there tonight because he was covering a night shift for a friend. So I conjured all the exciting things I would do tonight while I sat home alone.

But when I pulled up Brett’s blue truck was sitting in the drive way of our small condo, along with a small white mini cooper.

“I can’t do this tonight,” I said to my self-aloud.

But I pulled up on the curb and made my way inside. The door was locked, of course. So I pulled out my keys and shuffled while my phone began to ring. Matt.

“Hello?” I answered with my phone between my ear and shoulder.

“What’re you doing tonight?” It was a weird question seeing as how he just saw me three hours ago.

“Cleaning and hanging around my house. Why what’s up?” There were some differences, but it definitely felt more like old times than naught.

“Well I found some old pictures at my mom’s today and I wanted to bring them by and show you. If that’s okay?”

“Sure, but Brett won’t be here. Is that okay with Val? I mean you can bring her if you want,” I looked at the door to see a light turn on inside my home. Surely they heard me talking, since our bed room was right next to the wall I was leaning on.

“She understands that we were good friends in school. I told her an hour tops. These pictures are crazy,” He laughed as if he was looking at them as we spoke.

“Okay, give me about thirty minutes. I’ll send you my address,” I tried ending as I inserted my key into the hole.

“Alright, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Bye.” I hung up opening the door to a girl running from our bedroom to the kitchen where our back door is located.

“Hey, I thought you were working a double shift today?” Brett stuttered walking from our bedroom door, buttoning up his uniform.

“I thought you were covering a shift,” I didn’t even look at him. I just walked past him and sat my things on the couch, “You should’ve let her park down the road. It’s really obvious with a car in the driveway. Just saying.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” This was our life. We had lived this way now for a couple months. I didn’t sleep with him anyway, so I figured he had to get it somewhere. And it was always the same girl, Cheyenne. She owned the mini cooper that took up my parking space.

Brett and I could mend it, but I wouldn’t let things go from our past. And it was slowly decaying our marriage.