Scarlet's Whisper

Chapter 3-

Chapter Three-

Just as we got home from Nathan’s, Scarlet pounced on me with her high pitched shriek, “Oh, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy. You got to tell me! You promised. Now!!!!” I found this high unusual, because her appeal to my story was the typical shriek she made for any child’s day-time television show.

I laughed, slightly more amused with her behavior than usual. Scarlet had been excited for stories before, when it came to Dr. Seuss and Patricia Polacco, her favorite authors; however, she usually groaned at the start of any story I started telling her of my days growing up, actually as I believe, she referred to it as a ‘snooze-fest’.

Yet, now she was enthusiastic over my past relationships. She was so allured by the thought of guessing which man mommy dated, is her dad. I could understand the appeal, to a point. I would have never, on the other hand, asked my mother.

Truthfully, I didn’t want to know my parents even created kids, I was much happier believing that I came from a stork, but Scarlet, she was different. She was enthusiastic at the idea and couldn’t wait for me to start telling her.

I looked at her with a smile. “Alright, alright. I know I promised, and I will tell you after dinner. Okay?”

Scarlet’s face pouted. She hated my cooking and she never finished in a reasonable time-length. I was just hoping that if I told her the story after dinner that she would attempt to finish faster. It seemed like a win-win situation for me. But she cooperated with me.

She willingly on her own, put up her coat on the rack in the corner closet by the kitchen hall, and then went to her bedroom to put away her backpack and clean up her room.

As I was making a simple dinner of ham and mashed potatoes, Scarlet’s least favorite meal, she skipped on in with her perky smile, showered and dressed in her pajamas. “Mommy, I took a shower early, so I didn’t waste any time for the stories.”

I giggled and plopped a heap of food on her plate. Scarlet sat down across from me at the table shoveling bite after bite into her tiny little mouth. By time I had finished my own dinner; she had already warmed up popcorn and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

I, pleased with the new behavior change, slowly took my time and started the dishwasher. As I turned around from finishing up some minor kitchen details, Scarlet stood cross armed, hip cocked to the side and frowning. “Mom, I have been waiting to hear the story for like a bazillion years, can we please start the story now? Please!”

Scarlet tugged at my arm and dragged me to the couch. I sat down and wrapped a blanket around my legs. Scarlet climbed on top of me and nuzzled into my chest with a bag of popcorn next to her. “Okay, I’m ready,” she spoke “you can start now.”

*** Flashback***

I sat in a small room with cream-colored walls with posters about 'Starting a Family' and 'Having Kids" and 'Adoption Pamphlets' covering any available square inch. I was nervous and shaking. "Oh God, what did I get myself into?"

"Oh come on! It's probably a false-alarm and if not, Derek will be by your side every step of the way" said my much-too-calm friend, Morgynn.

"You know she is right. Having a baby isn't this big of a deal. You are 17, and by time you pop this sucker out you will be almost 18. And then you get the future you've always wanted.

I mean come on 40 weeks of unprotected sex, food cravings and mister daddy coming to your every beck and call, baby names, baby shopping, baby showers, all those sonograms. Come on, exciting" said my other friend, Destinee. "And if not, it's all the better. Don't sweat it."