“A pregnant prom date?” Catherine asked, somewhere between laughter and disbelief.
“Yeah, and a dumped one at that. Besides, the pregnant nun is so overdone, you know?” Amy replied. She hadn’t broken the news to her best friend yet; the news that she was now over four months pregnant. “I’m even thinking of wearing it on the flight. What do you think?”
“I think you’ll get the pat down for sure. And even if you do only go through the scanner, how are you going to explain the fake belly? Don’t you think that will raise some suspicions?”
“I suppose you’re right.” Amy couldn’t tell if she was serious or not, but she could definitely tell that Catherine wasn’t buying it. Why hadn’t she already told her about the pregnancy. Just because she knew about the baby didn’t mean she would have to know about the father. Catherine was her best friend, she really would understand. She might even understand if she knew it was Chris.
The silence must have dragged on for a little too long because Amy’s thoughts were interrupted with, “Are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Amy replied with a sigh. “Listen, I have to tell you something. It’s something I would never normally tell you over the phone, but I don’t see a way around it.”
“Did Tim come to his senses, crawl back to you and finally propose?” Catherine interrupted.
“Uh, no,” Amy said with a bit of a sarcastic laugh. “Actually it has nothing to do with Tim. And it’s something I should have told you a long time ago, but I just didn’t know how. I… ”
“Well spit it out already, you’re starting to make me nervous!”
“I’m pregnant.”
Now it was Catherine’s turn to be silent. After a short pause though, she asked the most logical question – and the one that Amy was dreading. “Who’s the father?”
Of course Catherine knew that Tim was no longer able to father children. Having four from his previous marriage and believing he was done, he had gotten a vasectomy before he and Amy met. “I can’t tell you that.” Amy replied. “I haven’t told the father, and I don’t think it would be right if I told you first.”
But Catherine didn’t let it go. “Well is it someone new you’re seeing? Do I know him?”
“No, it’s no one new I’m seeing. I would have told you that!” She instantly winced. She’d kept this secret from Catherine, would she trust her not to keep others? “I’m sorry. I know I should have told you about this when I found out. Please believe me when I say it’s complicated, and I just haven’t felt like telling much of anyone.”
“Does Tim know? Is that why you guys broke it off?”
“Yes, he knows. But it was my decision to leave, remember?”
“Wait, you said you should have told me a long time ago. How long have you known? How long have you been pregnant?”
“Slow down there,” Amy said, reeling her friend in. “I’ve known for a couple of months. And as for your second question; I got pregnant shortly after your wedding.”
“Oh my gosh! You’re almost 5 months pregnant?” Amy could tell Catherine was trying to sound indignant, but her excitement was showing. “Seriously, when were you going to tell me?”
“I suppose I was waiting until I told the father.” Which means she would have found out the day after never Amy thought. “And before you ask, let me tell you again: it’s complicated. I was still dating Tim at the time. Last I knew, he was involved with someone too. It was a one time thing, and it just happened to be the right time. I haven’t even decided whether or not to tell him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me”
……………. (Why did I start this far back in the scene!?!?!!)…………………….
It had been a long time since Amy had felt this miserable. Obviously it was too early to be feeling that pregnancy glow everyone was always raving about. Instead it was the middle of her second trimester, when she was too big for regular clothes, but too small to look anything but frumpy in maternity wear. Her feet had suddenly ballooned to a half size more than their normal one and she was so tired. Now here she was standing at the “bar” mixing drinks (because she might have been the only one sober enough to do so by that point). She’d tried dancing with the rest of the Halloween party goers but she could barely find the energy to get through one tune. Now not only was she a pregnant girl dumped on prom, but her costume had grown to include “wallflower” in the title as well.
She really wasn’t that miserable. Or at least she hadn’t been that miserable until Catherine had told her what Chris was about to do. He and his date, Carrie, had arrived an hour earlier. At first, she wasn’t sure he recognized her. Then she wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to her. After all, it had been almost 5 months since the two had spoken. It wasn’t for a lack of him trying, though. Oh, he’d called, he’d emailed. He’d even had their friends mention his name to her. Finally, after a few weeks, Amy had sent him an email letting him know their time together had been a mistake. That even though she had enjoyed the week they spent together, and admittedly they had a wonderful time together, they were neither in the right place to pursue anything more.
Now here he was, with his dark haired, petite girlfriend named Carrie. They had arrived dressed as a pair of snow-bunnies, in both senses of the word. Chris was the animal kingdom variety with a white bunny costume that looked like it belonged in the middle of a grassy field with colored eggs and a giant basket. He was wearing a scarf, goggles and boots though to indicate the “snow” portion of the idea. Somehow even in that ridiculous get up, Chris seemed more ready for the slopes than Carrie did. Who could believe anyone would go skiing in a short, white mini dress and 3 inch wedge heeled boots? Jealousy is a mean monster and apparently it bites harder on pregnant women.
According to Catherine, this wasn’t the only costume he’d be wearing tonight. Right now, Chris was upstairs changing into something else. When he got downstairs (with Tom’s help) he would be dressed in a box. A big box with an even bigger blue bow. Inside, Chris would be surrounded by a big gold ring. More importantly he would be holding a small gold ring. That small ring would have a diamond on it. All of this would be directed, of course, to Carrie. It wasn’t as if Amy wanted Chris to be proposing to her, but she wasn’t sure she wanted him to be marrying someone else either. Especially while she was carrying his baby. Of course, since she hadn’t told him that yet, she could only blame herself.
Just then she heard, before she saw, a telltale thump coming down the stairs.
…(this started out as the story in which Carrie turns down Chris’s proposal, but I didn’t have time to make it that far)
