Women Blossoming

by elizabethdios

  "Yes only three people; you, Adam and the coach, I found out last week."

  "Is that what you and Adam were doing at cheerleading practice?"

  "Yes, we were telling the coach that I won't be on the team anymore. And no, I did not tell my mother yet. You know she will freak!"

  "What if the coach tells?"

  "She won't! I told her my mother already knew," she said with a smirk.

  "What are you going to do?"

  "I have no clue, me and Adam will raise the baby together."

  Rebekah decided to keep her thoughts to herself, though she promised not to tell anyone, she knew she would tell her grandmother. She didn't know what to do, and this information was

  Rebekah now wondered how she would tell her mother of her friends' demise even though she felt it was the absolute betrayal. She figured the best time would be at dinner when they sat down to eat. When she was picked up from school she dreaded the conversation and was sweating even in the winter cold.

  "Mom do you remember Claire from school" she said as she set the table for the tacos they were about to have.

  "I think I do" she replied as she recalled at a parent teacher conference. She noticed her mother came in late and smelled of alcohol. Rachel was extremely saddened by this, and let Claire know she could come over whenever she wanted. She did not understand how her mother could be uninterested in her daughters' life.

  "Well Claire is pregnant ....but coach already knows about it" Rebekah blurted out.

  "What? What about her mother?"

  Rebekah shook her head.

  All of a sudden there was a mixture of emotions and she didn't know what to do next. Rachel was also relieved that this was about Rebekah's friend and not her own daughter. Sometimes she didn't know what her daughter was thinking. She thought about contacting Claire's mother or the school but she reasoned it would be better to contact her mother Ruth. She figured she would go to Ruth's home where she dropped Claire off one day after practice. She was pretty sure she would be there since she always was. Her disability that enabled her to stay home and get drunk day after day. Wednesday was her day off so she reckoned that would be the best time to pay her a visit.

  Chapter 6-The Visit

  Claire's plan backfired, after Ruth heard the news from the coach. She could not drink but sat in disbelief wondering how and when all this happened. This time, she was not going to check out of life, she had to get to the bottom of it, so she texted "COME HOME RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL.”

  "Ugh oh," Claire thought, she knew something was wrong, and most likely what it concerned she didn't know how to handle. She drove home after meeting with Rebekah in the hall and saying bye.

  The drive home seemed longer than usual and she hesitated before she got out of her Saturn and turned off the engine. She looked into the back mirror, at her curly long hair, and big brown eyes. She was mixed, a mixture of black and white, and many people envied her beauty. She wore a large cream sweater to hide the baby and blue jeans with her snow boots.

  Claire walked up to the little red house and opened the entrance door. She seen her mother approach from the sofa, where she always sat. Tears ran down her face when her mother confronted her "can you explain why you have missed cheer practice" Ruth said. Claire wondered how she even knew this information as she could usually come and go freely and did not have to answer to anyone.

  A lump was caught in her throat when her mother got up and moved closer. She stood there nervously.

  "Can you explain why you have missed cheer practice?" Ruth asked.

  "Umm, I haven't wanted to go" she replied.

  "What do you mean, I'm paying for it, you continually complain that you need a life outside of this house, so what do you mean?"

  Tears ran down her face, "I'm pregnant" she wasn't prepared for what happened next. Her mother reached out slapped her clear across her face. Claire felt the sting and let the tears fall freely. She felt the worse since she knew it wouldn't turn out good, and she had no one. In her mother’s eyes was hatred, rage and anger, she knew she could not stay. She ran out the house, her face bright red. And texted Rebekah, "WHERE ARE YOU? MY MOM KNOWS?"

  Chapter 7-Claire Running

  Rebekah was reading on her purple bed when she got the text. She looked at the text in disbelief, afraid for Claire and wondered what her own mother would think. She immediately got up, and walked to her mother's room. She felt she had to help. Rebekah had a big heart and a bigger conscience. Rachel was watching tv in her big brown recliner, when Rebekah knocked on her door. "Mom, can Claire come over tonight, her and her mom got into a fight" Rachel knew what this was about and felt the blame for it.

  When Claire arrived, Rachel allowed her to stay since she had a pretty good idea what had happened from the hand print on her face. She told Claire she could stay the night and that they would figure it out the next day, as the day was already almost over. Though Rebekah was sad for what her friend was experiencing, it was exciting to have a friend over for the night. Rachel treated Claire like family, giving her clothing to wear for the night, and fresh towels and face clothes. Rachel made dinner and they all ate together, her famous chili with beans and various spices. For a moment Claire forgot about all of her problems. She took a hot shower and ate until she was full.

  Despite all the hardship, Claire was happy to have someone she related to. She loved Rebekah like a sister and wished her mother was like hers. She felt she really needed to be away from the house. She wanted to be with Adam even more since she felt like her life was truly over. She hadn't decided on what she was going to do with the baby, there were still a couple of options including adoption or keeping the baby to raise. She thought of the regrets she might have and if her and Adam stayed together, if the adoption would put a stop or deterioration on their relationship down the line. She felt scared of what would happen after graduation and she weighed the pros and cons. They stayed up late talking of their hopes and dreams forgetting about the current problems that night. Before they went to bed Claire checked her metro-pcs phone shocked that her mother had not called or even tried to make amends as the night was approaching.

  Rachel however could not sleep, but wondered how to handle this new situation, and knew the only option was to try and contact Ruth to work something out. She searched Ruth's name in her phone and heard the phone ring.

  "Hello, Ruth said.

  "Hi Ruth its Rachel I wanted to let you know Claire is spending the night with us and I wanted to ask if it was okay?"

  "I would appreciate it if you stayed out of our business, and did not try to be her parent!"

  "I never meant to get in the way, she is very scared right now"....

  "She should be," she said cutting her off "got what she deserved, and now she's ruining her life with some boy!"

  She seriously didn't know what to say after that, she felt like a girl again, felt that this is the time Claire needed her mother the most. As when she herself was pregnant in college. She didn't even understand how Ruth could be this cold.

  "You know I have held off as long as I could but you’re a horrible mother. You drink all day and have multiple boyfriends coming and going, and you are some hypocrite to even speak a word against your own flesh and blood. You didn't even notice your daughter was not at cheerleading practice, or that she had gained some weight, and now you want to act like you care". She was immediately angry, and got off the phone abruptly with Ruth.

  Ruth was in shock, no one ever talked to her this way. She was angrier at herself than at Rachel or even her daughter because she knew Rachel was right but she would never let her know.

  Chapter 8-The Talk

  "Mom I'm eighteen years old!" Rebekah said "I would like to know who my father is. I am going to college soon, and I need to know about the other part of me."

  Rachel grew quiet, she knew this day would come.

  "Why have you refused to tell me anything"

  "It’s complicated, your father,” her voi
ce trailed off...thinking of how could she tell Rebekah her father did not want her, and she would have been looked upon as a burden?

  Instead she went to her room and brought out the pictures she had of him. The fireplace was lit and they sat in the living room. The room was decorated with brown and velvet colored walls and furniture. It was a spacious room, with plush carpet, and large windows covered by dark curtains, it was warm from the fire, and the burning of fresh wood filled the room. Rachel set the photos on the glass coffee table and watched her open the blue book, her hair was bright orange in the fire light. She saw her mother with a Caucasian man; he was tall and thin with hazel eyes and dark hair. The picture struck her since she too had the same hazel eyes, and dark hair. They were both at a University and there was a residence hall behind them. They both wore sweats with a university logo on them. They were hugging and smiling together, she noticed her mother looked the happiest she had ever been. Her mother’s black hair clung around her face, and her brown eyes were bright and big.

  "Let me explain. His name is Alex Wild. We met in college. I was going to school for nursing and he for engineering. We fell in love but he was three years older than I was. He was finishing college while I was just beginning. He told me he was from Texas and that his father would disown him if they found out I was pregnant. His parents were very affluent in the southern region. He broke up with me when I told him I was pregnant, and left. I felt abandoned and I couldn't live on the campus while I was pregnant. There was no family housing in those days, so I went back home to raise you and finish my education. Me and Mabel didn't get along for a long time, but we have gotten closer.

  "Why is that?"

  "Before your grandmother got into church she used to drink a lot. She wasn't fully present while I was a teenager and we argued a lot. But she changed when she got into her religion.

  Rebekah was surprised with all the knowledge she heard and overwhelmed. She was also relieved her mother finally let her guard down. She had secretly resented her mother for not knowing her father but the pieces started to fall in line. She felt her mother’s pain and how awful it must have been. She now understood the distance between her mother and grandmother and this made her both angry and sad. Rachel looked bewildered she was sweating, and tears welled in her eyes. She was afraid of how Rebekah might respond. She didn't know if she was strong enough to hear this next part…

  Rachel opened the laptop that was beside her and showed Rebekah what she found. Alex Wild's profile picture and his Facebook account. Rachel thought Alex looked older but still very handsome, his hair was receding, and he was smiling and with a petite blond on his arm which she assumed was now his wife. In his other photos there were pictures of the them with two children as well.

  "I've already messaged him and I'm waiting for a response" she said watching Rebekah.

  That night, as Rebekah lied on her king sized bed that night she pulled up the pictures on her phone and held them close to her heart. She studied his name Alex Wild, and looked through all the photos until she drifted to sleep.

  Chapter 9...Meanwhile in Texas

  Alex woke up to Facebook notifications from various people. He wasn't surprised since he was a business man, he had offers from many companies contact him for engineering projects. It was a lucrative business since people were always offering contracts and he had to decide what was worth his time. The computer science and technology field was definitely trending. Alex glanced at the notifications briefly before the dog Pete jumped into the bed and greeted him. He smiled rubbing Pete and heard his wife Carol in the kitchen cooking and singing to the local radio station. The three French windows adjacent to the bed brought in the Texas sunshine. Alex sat up the in the bed and put on his house shoes, the dog following him into the master bathroom. He turned on the shower and let the water heat up while getting his clothing ready for the day. One name seemed almost familiar to him, out of all of the messages, was it "Rachel J." he thought. For some reason he could not get the name out of his head, and it bugged him. He went back to check his phone after the shower and was surprised at what he read and the picture attached. Alex left the house immediately not wanting to start a conversation with his wife Carol.

  Carol had never experienced Alex leave without saying goodbye. She was beyond worried. Alex went to work in his office, drinking his coffee and not being sociable with anyone. He was ashamed of the situation and himself. He tried to create a life for himself and he figured that Rachel had done the same. He thought that the child was not his or perhaps Rachel had aborted the child all those years ago like she promised. Alex was perplexed from the message on Facebook, and wondered how he would tell Carol that he, possibly had another child. He wanted to hide, how could he look into her eyes and tell her this. He could not imagine what this would do to her and his two daughters, Ashley and Brittany. He was sure that they wouldn't understand and this would dramatically change everyone’s' life. He didn't know what to do, but avoid and deny it for now. Every time he went to start writing the message back, he took each letter back because he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Carol called multiple times and left messages, but he texted her that they would talk when he was home. Carol was anxious the entire day wondering what this could be about, and if it was something the kids had done. The day at the office passed slowly and he dreaded the minute he was off work. After work Alex sped through traffic thinking about his college years with Rachel and realizing it could be indeed. When he finally came in the house, Carol noticed the stress lines in his face, his suit was disheveled and his hair was standing up on all sides from his wreck less driving.

  Alex sent the girls to their rooms to do their homework while he and Carol went down into the kitchen and sat at the white marble island. "Carol I need to tell you something.... now I have never told you this because I thought it was behind me. I'm quite ashamed, that's why I left the way I did this morning...I had a girlfriend in college. Rachel, was her name. We were really in love in college, but it was over 18 years ago so I forgot all about her. We broke up before my graduation. She told me she was pregnant. I wasn't ready to be a father and she was so much younger than me. I knew my family wouldn't approve. I left her and gave her money for an abortion, she said she would get one but this morning before work I got a message on Facebook from her. She's claiming that we have a daughter together, her name is Rebekah and there was a picture included. She looks just like me and I didn't know all this time. "

  "Let me see the picture." she said.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Oh my God, she does look like you! How could you have not known about this all this time?"

  "I made a new life and built my career; we were just kids at the time... I'm so sorry" he started to cry.

  He felt so shamed, as if he was reduced to a small creature, though he tried to make so much of himself in life, in this instance he had no control. Carol hugged and reassured him but inside she was afraid, she had created her life around making a home and being a proper housewife and mother. The fact that this was in her husband's past made her feel rejected and hurt, she immediately felt insecure of the future. There was no way that she could fix this, inside she wanted to ignore it and pretend that everything was fine and go back to normal but she couldn't.

  To be sure they decided to mail a DNA kit to Michigan and Alex would also turn in his to see if there was a match. "We should send a message back," she said, but he could do nothing that night. Instead he and Carol laid on the bed holding each other and looking at the night sky from the French windows. The next day Alex woke up his two girls and took them to school as he mentally prepared for what to reply to the message. He rehearsed while was driving to his office and thought about it between interviewing clients. While on his office lunch he contacted Rachel from the number attached to her Facebook account.

  Rachel received a phone call from an unknown area code. The iPhone confirmed the call was from a Texas area code. She answered on the second ring.
r />   "Hi this is Alex Wild; I'm calling for Rachel".

  "This is Rachel" she said. All of a sudden her palms were hot and her heart pounded, she could swear he heard it through the phone. She tried to regain composure, and took control of the situation.

  "Hello, I contacted you because my daughter needs to know who her father is".

  " Wait a minute! I though you got an abortion? How old is she?"

  "Eighteen."

  "I can't believe you never told me about her. Or even told her about me. How could you do this? You said you would abort her?"

  " How could I do this? You made it clear how you did not want her or me. I didn't want to get rid of her. That would have hurt me more, I couldn't" Just then she realized the extent of her hurt. Every time someone from work or anyone asked her out she refused. She felt she should just be a mother and raise her child. She wondered if she put her life on hold because of all the hurt she experienced all those years ago. That because she loved once she got hurt and stopped trying. Was this why she was alone, she asked herself.

  “I'm sending a DNA kit to make sure she is mine. I mean it's almost 20 years later!"

  “You are unbelievable; she is yours you can tell. Just look at her photo!”

  “What's your address?"

  “123 Hewitt St.” she said holding back tears. She burned with anger and she would not give him the joy hurting her again.

  “Okay so you should receive the kit within the next week, I will be in touch."

  Since Rebekah now knew where she came from she all of a sudden had a need to be loved from her father. She held his pictures close to her heart and compared her appearance to his. Emotionally she was scared of being hurt, she felt her self-esteem diminish when she compared her to her father. The Facebook pictures of Alex's family looked like the presidential family with pictures of their nice home, cars, and pets. While she and her mother lived in a three-bedroom home, with one car, and there was no father or male presence. She didn't think she would be accepted because of her dark hair and blended skin while the Wilds were all blond haired. She tried to concentrate on graduating with honors and on cheerleading practice. She dreamed that her father would come to her graduation, though she knew it was unlikely. The car rides to school became more intense and quiet. Rebekah did not know how to express all the crazy emotions she felt, and she did not know what they meant. She internalized every feeling searching for the answers. Rachel felt that she was the blame of it all, and that she should have told Rebekah much sooner. She wondered if there was ever a perfect time to say such things. Claire was really the only person Rebekah could talk to, they became like sisters going through difficult situations together. They listened to each other though they did not know the answer or outcome.