BITTERSWEET MEMORIES

CHAPTER TEN

One week later on a weekend, I was woken by continuous ringing of the front door. I did not expect anyone and I had given my nanny some time off. The only people I thought were at the door would be my parents. I threw on some sweatpants and headed downstairs grumpily. I opened the door with a bored look on my face wondering who was disturbing my peace.

Upon opening the door, I saw Melisa with a distraught look on her face. Her make-up was smudged with strips of black mascara running down her face. I looked at her with a slightly worried expression wondering what to do. I was the worst in comforting girls especially crying ones. The only thing I was good at was lying to them just to bed them. She had not said a word since I opened the door. I opened it wider for her to come in and calm down. Maybe then she would tell me what was wrong with her.

I however did not expect the reaction I got next from her. She wrapped her arms around me and began sobbing loudly. This made me even more uncomfortable considering that she was now bawling her eyes out. I placed a comforting hand around her and soothed her back slowly. I felt her shaking even more and I got more worried about what could have happened to her. My only thought was that maybe her parent finally got the divorce finalized or had one big fight. After a while, she quieted down and what was left was the sound of her sniffles.

We had stayed like that for a while now wallowing in silent thoughts that I didn't realize that the front door was still open. I snapped out of my thoughts and lead Melisa to the living room. I then closed the front door and headed to the kitchen to get her some water to drink. She gobbled it down her throat that I was afraid she would choke.

I waited for Melisa to open up and tell me on her own timing. I sat in the opposite couch and looked at her without saying a word. After a few minutes, she let out a sigh and opened her mouth but no words came out. I did not want her to feel pressured but I was getting impatient. I needed to know what had happened.

"What happened Melisa, did your parents fight again? Has the divorce been finalized?" I ask impatiently.

"I Uumh... I'm ... I," she says avoiding eye contact.

"What is it, say it already. You come to my house this early in the morning to say nothing," I ask slightly angry.

"I'm pregnant," she answers.

"Okay, so what has that got to do with me, I mean why tell me?" I ask her confusedly.

"Uumh it's yours," she says.

As soon as those words left her mouth, it was like my world had been turned upside down in one day. If I was holding something in my hands, I was sure I would have dropped it already. My ears were ringing and my head started spinning. I was thankful that I had been seated when hearing this or I would have fainted from the news. I looked at her and asked her to repeat what she had said. Maybe I had heard wrong the first time.

When she confirmed that she was pregnant and that I was the father, I knew there and then that this would change things. I tried thinking back to the when we had slept together and then I remembered the night of the party a few weeks ago. I asked her how far along she was just to make sure. She said that she was four weeks and that would amount to about a month ago. That was when we had slept together without protection. I for one had promised myself that I would never abandon my kids. I would never turn out like my parents, but the news was life changing and I didn't know what to do. Melisa's parents were not rich so I know they would have a difficult time helping raising the baby.

Melisa was known for sleeping around even when she was my girlfriend. I knew she was never loyal so I myself had my doubts about the baby. I calmed myself down and looked at her. Her eyes looked hopeful of something which I didn't know. I finally let out a deep sigh and told her that I needed a paternity test done to know for sure if the baby was mine. If it was, then I would step up and raise it taking full responsibility, but I needed to be sure. I knew that my parents were going to go ballistic if they heard about this but that was the least of my concerns.

Melisa seemed a bit hesitant about taking the paternity test but finally agreed to it. I asked her if she had told her parents and she told me that she was going to tell them after she left here. She said that she had just taken the pregnancy test that morning and came to my house as soon as she found out that she was pregnant. Melisa did not stay long after we agreed on going to the doctor to take the test. After she left, I immediately went to the kitchen and got a beer and headed to my room.

My main worry about this whole situation was that I would never go to college like all my friends. My parents had money and they definitely could pay for my online studies but I always wanted to experience college life. I wanted to get away from this town and live in a new environment and meet new people. My life had always been planned out for me by my parents. It was never about what I wanted. It was always what they wanted. Whatever I did had to be beneficial to them in some way. They always said that I had to uphold the family's image.