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“I, I-I don't know what to say,” his voice is low and trembling, just like mine is. “Are you sure? I mean, how do you know you’re pregnant? Have you taken a test?”
“Yes, I've taken a test,” I scoff. “I’m in the bathroom at CVs right now with the stick in my hand.”
We're both silent again. Neither of us know what to say, how to feel, how to comfort each other. I can’t read Marc’s mind to get a feel for his emotions, so I don’t want to assume where he stands, but he doesn't sound too thrilled.
“We have to tell Jeppie.”
He speaks with such conviction, such ownership and accountability. This is the first time I've ever heard him sound so sure about something other than sex, I almost don’t know how to accept it. But he’s right. He's absolutely right. We have to tell my father.
“I’ll come to your place, and we can all sit down and talk. I know he’s going to be pissed, but we can’t let this go any further without him knowing. Fuck!”
I can’t tell if he’s angry about the pregnancy, or because we have to come clean to my father. I'm sure it’s both, but what about the baby? He hasn’t given me any inclination of how he feels about it. He hasn’t even said whether or not he wants me to keep it or end things now, before I'm too far along.
My ride home is silent. No radio, no phone calls. Just thoughts of how my dad will react once we tell him the news. I hate to bombard him with this out of nowhere. I should have told him a long time ago, when I actually wanted to, instead of going along with what Marc thought was best. I should have never even slept with Marc in the first place, but we’re here now. So.
“Dad?” I call out to him as I enter the house. “Dad? Are you home?”
“Yeah, honey!” he calls out. “I’m in the kitchen getting dinner started.”
I was hoping I would beat him here, but I'm minutes too late. Marc is pulling in just as I think about rushing back to my car to run away, so I'm late for my escape too. Today has proved that I'm late for everything. My period. My dad. And Marc.
“Is he here?” Marc asks with worry plastered all over his face.
“Yeah,” I speak lightly. “He’s making dinner.”
“Hey guys.”
My dad comes to the door with a wide smile on his face. He has no idea there’s anything wrong, until he sees the worried looks on our faces. Now he looks just as worried as we do. We're all worried. A worried trio, but only two of us know why.
“Is everything alright?” Dad asks.
Marc lets out a heavy sigh but doesn't speak right away. I figure he’s waiting for me to take the lead, but the cat has my tongue caught between its toes and refuses to release my words.
“Okay?” Dad says. “What's going on? Did something happen at work with Kyle?”
“No.” Marc says. “Nothing like that. Can we all just go inside and have a talk?”
My dad steps aside to let him in, but the look of worry hasn’t left his face. He looks more annoyed now than anything. I can’t blame him. Knowing something is wrong but not exactly what would annoy me to no end too.
We huddle into the kitchen. The tension is so hot that I start to sweat. My dad turns off the stove and comes over to us again for some clarity. Neither Marc nor I are speaking up, and in my dad’s eyes, I see that he’s losing his patience with the silence.
“What the hell is going on here?” he says. “One of you needs to spit it out already.”
Marc looks at me, but I don’t budge. So, he finally takes the reins and speaks on behalf of both of us.
“Jep,” he starts. “What I'm about to say is not easy for me at all. I can’t even believe I have to stand in front of you and tell you this right now. If you never want to speak to me again, I fully understand. I'd be upset if I were in your shoes too. I don’t want to drag this out for too long and keep you on edge, I'd just like to say that you’re like a brother to me and I love you to death. That's why I have to come clean about all of this.”
“Get to the point, Marc,” my dad says, sounding like he already knows what needs to be said.
“Felicia and I have been seeing each other for months now. Today, she found out she’s pregnant.”
The room starts to spin. My dad’s hands grip the hand towel draped over his shoulder and squeezes so hard they turn red. His face is as pale as a ghost and his eyes are as empty as the devil's heart.
He looks at me in disbelief. Then back to Marc. He looks at me again and I can see tears of rage and disappointment in his eyes. I can’t utter a word because my voice is too shaky. My heart is breaking at the sight of my dad’s pain. I can’t believe I've done this. I can’t believe I'm pregnant by his best friend.
“Get out.” is all my dad says to me. “Get your things and get out! And Marc, I never want to see your face again. If I do, so help me God.”
Chapter Twenty - Marc
