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“Hi Mom.” I force myself to smile as she pulls me into a hug, pretending her reaction doesn’t bother me. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice.” Jesus, I sound like an idiot who’s surrounded by strangers rather than family.
Luckily, Jamie takes over; pushing me into the house and out of the way so he, too, can hug Mom. While they talk, I walk inside, finding Dad in the living room. His eyebrows shoot up high on his forehead as he takes in my dual-colored tresses. “What happened to you? Are you doing a play at school?” he grunts.
Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I mentally contemplate whether I should tell them about Fet and EduSync before or during dinner. They already know about mine and Luce’s business, but they aren’t aware I’m no longer teaching. I should probably tell them that.
“Come, come. Dinner’s ready.” Mom’s eager words make the decision for me.
We gather around the dining table, the familiar clink of cutlery and murmur of conversation wrapping around us like an old blanket. Despite their initial reactions to my hair, there’s no lingering criticism. They’re trying, at least.
“Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you,” I interject, halting the idle chatter. I pause, gathering courage like a gambler collects chips before a high-stakes bet. Inhaling deeply, I cradle my tiny bump that’s hidden by my sweater and the table. “I’m pregnant.”
The words hang in the air, heavy and undeniable. Mom gasps, clasping her hands together, while Dad’s fork pauses mid-air.
“Gail, that’s wonderful!” Mom exclaims, her eyes alight with excitement. “How far along are you?”
“A little over thirteen weeks. It’s a girl,” I explain, my heart swelling with a mixture of fear and fierce love for the little life growing inside me.
Mom leans forward, her eyes glistening with a mixture of joy and surprise. “A baby girl,” she breathes out, her voice laced with wonder. It’s clear she’s already envisioning a pink onesie and the soft coo of an infant in her arms.
“Congratulations, Gail,” Dad says, but his words are measured, careful, like he’s navigating a minefield of potential missteps. He’s not beaming like Mom; instead, there’s a furrow in his brow, a testament to his thoughts that are probably racing a marathon. “Who’s the father?” Of course, he’s cutting to the chase in a way that’s both intrusive and expected.
I straighten my spine, prepared for this question. “That’s not something I’m ready to discuss,” I say firmly, shutting down any further inquiry. Soren and Mickey remain unspoken shadows at the table.
Dammit, I really miss them; my two hockey gods.
They should be here with me, sharing the news about Fet is something we should do together. Just because it was my choice to leave them doesn’t mean I don’t miss them, that I don’t wish things were different. But… they made their bed, and now we all have to lie in it.
Throughout dinner, Mom keeps asking questions, and eagerly sharing her own experience from her two pregnancies. Her excitement shines through every word, and more than once, she places her hand on my stomach, commenting on the fact she can already feel the bump.
“Do you get paid maternity leave from the school?” Dad suddenly asks, unknowingly giving me the opening I’ve been waiting for.
I exchange a nervous glance with Jamie before answering. “Umm… I don’t work for the school anymore.”
“Why not?” he demands harshly. “Don’t tell me you—”
Holding up my hand, I interrupt him. “I got fired before the new year due to budget cuts. Look, Dad, it would be nice if you didn’t immediately assume it was my fault.”
“But that’s so long ago,” Mom interjects. “What have you been doing since then?”
Since we’re here, I might as well come clean about everything—well, as much as possible. “I’ve been working on EduSync with Luce full time while living off my savings. We’re getting ready to launch at the beginning of May.”
Dad’s face twists into a mask of anger and disappointment, and I know he’s about to tell me just how disappointed he is. “For what it’s worth, I’m proud of Gail,” Jamie says, looking straight at Dad. “She’s doing what she thinks is right, and since it’s her life, that seems fair to me.”
My brother has this way of diffusing tension before it arrives, and right now is no different. Dad nods thoughtfully, emptying his beer. “I’m proud of you, too,” he says, surprising me.
“You are?” I gasp.
“Of course I am, Gail. I’m only hard on you because I want you to succeed, but if this is what you want, your mom and I support you completely.”
Tears well up in my eyes, and I’m transported back to when I was a kid and proudly showed him my homework. Although it was wrong, he told me he was proud of me for trying, and that sometimes trying is all we can do.
As I think back on all the times my dad’s been there for me, I realize that maybe he isn’t the problem; it’s me. I’m the one who has created distance through lies and secrets. Even though I’m not about to spill everything, like about Cupid’s Court, I vow I’ll do a better job at keeping my parents close from now on.
By the time we’re done eating the delicious chicken and one of Mom’s pies—spoiler alert; I ate half all by myself—it’s time to leave. Jamie and I also told our parents I’m living with him while looking for my own place, one with a garden. Much to my surprise, Dad thought it was smart to quit my apartment, and insisted he and Mom want to cover the fee for breaking my contract with three months left.
“Thank you for dinner,” I say, pulling on my coat, feeling relieved everything is out in the open.
“Take care of yourself, Gail,” Dad says, hugging me tightly.
