Days of Black and Gold
I Feel a Little Brave, I Feel a Little Scared
“Margot,” my mother’s voice sounded through the speaker. “I told you to stay in touch. I haven’t heard from you in months.”
“Things got a bit crazy,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes again. “You’re on speakerphone, by the way.”
“Where are you?”
“Mom,” I sighed, leaning against Sidney. “I’m in Pittsburgh. Will you just calm down? I called for a reason.”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Mother!”
“I didn’t hurt her,” Sidney spoke up.
“Oh, hello, Sidney, right?”
“That’s right, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Jeanine.”
“Jeanine,” I interrupted. “This is important. Can you just sit down and listen?”
“Okay, ma chérie, I’m sitting. Now, what’s going on?”
“Shit, this is hard,” I breathed, squeezing Sidney’s hand. “Uh, Mom? Sid and I are pregnant.”
“I’m sorry,” my mother chuckled. “I thought you just said pregnant.”
“She did,” Sidney confirmed, kissing my temple. “We just found out.”
“How foolish could you be?” My mother erupted. “They’ve come a long way in protection, Margot.”
“We’ve been safe, Mom.”
“Obviously, not safe enough.”
“You’re going to be a grandmother,” I tried, hoping she would let up on how we were being vacuous.
“Have you told your father? He’s not going to be impressed.”
“We are going to call him next,” Sidney told her.
“Do your parents know, young man?”
“Not yet.”
“Margot, you make sure he calls his mother.”
“Yes, Mom,” I gave in. “We’ll be calling his parents once we tell Pappy. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I have a daughter, pregnant with a child, outside of wedlock, with a man she barely knows.”
“You had me outside of wedlock,” I spat, calling her out on her hypocrisy.
“The circumstances were very different, ma chérie, and you know that.”
“Fine,” I breathed. “Sidney and I are going to make this work. We know it’s going to be hard, but I think we can do it.”
“I know I’ve raised you strong, Margot, but you also know that if you run into any problems, I am here for you.”
“Now she’s changed her tune,” I whispered to Sidney, who just smiled in return.
“We appreciate that, Jeanine, and I want you to know, I’m going to treat your daughter right.”
“You better,” she laughed, wickedly. “You don’t want to know what I do to those who break my little girl’s heart.”
“Mother!” I gaped. “Do not threaten Sidney. He has been nothing, but kind and thoughtful.”
“Then he has nothing to worry about, does he?”
“Oh, God,” I groaned. “We are hanging up now. Have a good day, Mom.”
“Your mom is kind of scary,” Sidney chuckled, after I hung up the phone.
“Sometimes I think I should have her sent to the psych ward,” I joked, dialing a new number. “Are you ready for family member number two?”
“I guess I have to be,” he mumbled, as the call went through.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Pappy. How are you?”
“Much better now that you’ve called.”
I could hear the smile in his voice, and exchanged a look with Sidney. “Look, you’re on speakerphone with Sidney and me.”
“Sidney,” he hummed, thoughtfully. “Ah, yes, that boy you’re dating. The Pittsburgh Penguin.”
“That’s the one.”
“Speakerphone, eh? To what do I owe that pleasure?”
“Uh, is Charles around, too?”
“He is.”
“Maybe you can get him on the other line. We have something important we want to discuss with you both.”
“Hold on,” my father said, his voice getting quieter. “Charles, get on the phone. Marg’s going to tell us she’s pregnant.”
“How did he know?” Sidney murmured, earning a shrug from me.
“Hello, Marg.”
“Hey Charles, how are things?”
“Things are good. Greg says you have big news.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I was calling to let you both know that you’re going to be grandfathers.”
“Grandfathers?” Greg feigned a gasp. “You’re having a baby?”
“You already knew,” I giggled. “How did you know?”
“Let’s call it a father’s intuition. Did you tell your mother?”
“She texted you, didn’t she?”
“Busted!” Charles laughed. “But we are very excited for you both. We were thinking, maybe we’d come down and visit in a couple months.”
“That would be nice,” Sidney agreed. “We have a spare room here, please feel free to stay in it.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr Crosby.”
“Please, call me Sid or Sidney. Mr Crosby is much to formal.”
“You got it, Sid.”
After a few more minutes of small talk, we said our goodbyes and were dialing Sidney’s parents.
“Sidney, honey, is everything alright?”
“Hi, Mom,” he said, gripping my hand tightly. “Everything is fine. Are Dad and Taylor around?”
“Your dad is, but Taylor’s back at school. What’s going on? Sidney, you’re scaring me.”
“Calm down, Mom, I’m not in any trouble.”
“Sidney Patrick, I can hear the hesitation in your voice. You better tell me what’s going on.”
“Margot’s pregnant,” Sidney blurted, causing my eyes to widen.
“Excuse me?”
“We just found out,” Sidney told her. “We’re pretty-”
“I knew she was going to pull something like this. I told you she not any good.”
“Mom.”
“No, listen to me, Sidney. That girl is no good. She obviously got pregnant on purpose.”
“Trina,” Troy’s warning voice sounded. “Give the girl the benefit of a doubt. I’m sure they are both just as surprised as we are.”
“Uh, Mom, Dad, you’re on speakerphone, and Margot’s here.”
“Hey, Troy, Trina,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand.
“How are you feeling?” Troy asked, sincerely.
“Bit shocked, but good otherwise. It’s going to be an exhausting day, making phone calls and doctor’s appointments.”
“Let us know if we can help in any way,” he offered. “And Sidney, you make sure to call your sister.”
“Things got a bit crazy,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes again. “You’re on speakerphone, by the way.”
“Where are you?”
“Mom,” I sighed, leaning against Sidney. “I’m in Pittsburgh. Will you just calm down? I called for a reason.”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Mother!”
“I didn’t hurt her,” Sidney spoke up.
“Oh, hello, Sidney, right?”
“That’s right, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Jeanine.”
“Jeanine,” I interrupted. “This is important. Can you just sit down and listen?”
“Okay, ma chérie, I’m sitting. Now, what’s going on?”
“Shit, this is hard,” I breathed, squeezing Sidney’s hand. “Uh, Mom? Sid and I are pregnant.”
“I’m sorry,” my mother chuckled. “I thought you just said pregnant.”
“She did,” Sidney confirmed, kissing my temple. “We just found out.”
“How foolish could you be?” My mother erupted. “They’ve come a long way in protection, Margot.”
“We’ve been safe, Mom.”
“Obviously, not safe enough.”
“You’re going to be a grandmother,” I tried, hoping she would let up on how we were being vacuous.
“Have you told your father? He’s not going to be impressed.”
“We are going to call him next,” Sidney told her.
“Do your parents know, young man?”
“Not yet.”
“Margot, you make sure he calls his mother.”
“Yes, Mom,” I gave in. “We’ll be calling his parents once we tell Pappy. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I have a daughter, pregnant with a child, outside of wedlock, with a man she barely knows.”
“You had me outside of wedlock,” I spat, calling her out on her hypocrisy.
“The circumstances were very different, ma chérie, and you know that.”
“Fine,” I breathed. “Sidney and I are going to make this work. We know it’s going to be hard, but I think we can do it.”
“I know I’ve raised you strong, Margot, but you also know that if you run into any problems, I am here for you.”
“Now she’s changed her tune,” I whispered to Sidney, who just smiled in return.
“We appreciate that, Jeanine, and I want you to know, I’m going to treat your daughter right.”
“You better,” she laughed, wickedly. “You don’t want to know what I do to those who break my little girl’s heart.”
“Mother!” I gaped. “Do not threaten Sidney. He has been nothing, but kind and thoughtful.”
“Then he has nothing to worry about, does he?”
“Oh, God,” I groaned. “We are hanging up now. Have a good day, Mom.”
“Your mom is kind of scary,” Sidney chuckled, after I hung up the phone.
“Sometimes I think I should have her sent to the psych ward,” I joked, dialing a new number. “Are you ready for family member number two?”
“I guess I have to be,” he mumbled, as the call went through.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Pappy. How are you?”
“Much better now that you’ve called.”
I could hear the smile in his voice, and exchanged a look with Sidney. “Look, you’re on speakerphone with Sidney and me.”
“Sidney,” he hummed, thoughtfully. “Ah, yes, that boy you’re dating. The Pittsburgh Penguin.”
“That’s the one.”
“Speakerphone, eh? To what do I owe that pleasure?”
“Uh, is Charles around, too?”
“He is.”
“Maybe you can get him on the other line. We have something important we want to discuss with you both.”
“Hold on,” my father said, his voice getting quieter. “Charles, get on the phone. Marg’s going to tell us she’s pregnant.”
“How did he know?” Sidney murmured, earning a shrug from me.
“Hello, Marg.”
“Hey Charles, how are things?”
“Things are good. Greg says you have big news.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I was calling to let you both know that you’re going to be grandfathers.”
“Grandfathers?” Greg feigned a gasp. “You’re having a baby?”
“You already knew,” I giggled. “How did you know?”
“Let’s call it a father’s intuition. Did you tell your mother?”
“She texted you, didn’t she?”
“Busted!” Charles laughed. “But we are very excited for you both. We were thinking, maybe we’d come down and visit in a couple months.”
“That would be nice,” Sidney agreed. “We have a spare room here, please feel free to stay in it.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr Crosby.”
“Please, call me Sid or Sidney. Mr Crosby is much to formal.”
“You got it, Sid.”
After a few more minutes of small talk, we said our goodbyes and were dialing Sidney’s parents.
“Sidney, honey, is everything alright?”
“Hi, Mom,” he said, gripping my hand tightly. “Everything is fine. Are Dad and Taylor around?”
“Your dad is, but Taylor’s back at school. What’s going on? Sidney, you’re scaring me.”
“Calm down, Mom, I’m not in any trouble.”
“Sidney Patrick, I can hear the hesitation in your voice. You better tell me what’s going on.”
“Margot’s pregnant,” Sidney blurted, causing my eyes to widen.
“Excuse me?”
“We just found out,” Sidney told her. “We’re pretty-”
“I knew she was going to pull something like this. I told you she not any good.”
“Mom.”
“No, listen to me, Sidney. That girl is no good. She obviously got pregnant on purpose.”
“Trina,” Troy’s warning voice sounded. “Give the girl the benefit of a doubt. I’m sure they are both just as surprised as we are.”
“Uh, Mom, Dad, you’re on speakerphone, and Margot’s here.”
“Hey, Troy, Trina,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand.
“How are you feeling?” Troy asked, sincerely.
“Bit shocked, but good otherwise. It’s going to be an exhausting day, making phone calls and doctor’s appointments.”
“Let us know if we can help in any way,” he offered. “And Sidney, you make sure to call your sister.”