The Maybe Daddy

4. Dylan

‘Hi Mom….Dad’ she greeted.

Her mother inspected her emerald green dress, unimpressed. The scowl she often wore seemed a permanent fixture when her youngest daughter was around.  ‘Hello dear’ her words lacked any emotion and were always one degree short of frosty.

‘Hi. Are you both well?’

Her Dad smiled, ready for his speel about how well he was doing. He was on the board at Mercy Hospital and lectured in various high brow academic institutions across America and Europe. Just like every other Romer, he was self centred and uninterested in the lives of anyone but himself.

After listening to him for over half an hour, she decided to tell them her news. It had been a battle for her to come to terms with the pregnancy, but losing her job had given her ample time to mull it over. An abortion had always been out of the question, and she knew now that it was because she had been so ignored by her parents and on some level desperately wanted a family life. Before she fell pregnant she had been sure she never wanted children, but now she was determined to see it through.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at both her parents, unsure of where her genes came from. Her mother was petite, with dark hair and olive skin. Her father was five ten, and had had black hair in his youth, it was now a dark shade of silver. Mandy had always had bleach blonde hair as a child, and as she went into her twenties it had dulled somewhat, so was enhanced at the salon. She towered over her mother at five foot eight, and though slim, seemed much heavier set than her mother whos wrists were so skinny it looked like lifting a tea cup could break them.

‘Mom, Dad. I’m pregnant’ she declared.

Her mother blinked at her, once then twice, then far more times than she could count. Her father glared, then stood up, grabbing her by the arm and marching her to the centre of the luscious rose garden so they were obscured from view.

‘How could you do this to us’ he hissed. Looking down at her bump he was unable to hide his disgust and Mandy felt her cheeks begin to burn.

‘What happened to the job? To doing it all on your own? Are you back here to beg for money? Your boyfriend not up to the job of looking after you?’

‘I don’t have a boyfriend. And I don't want your money’

‘Oh this is wonderful. Our daughter who we gave everything, turns up at a family barbeque with child! Are we supposed to be thrilled?’

‘I need support that’s all’ she found herself saying, meekly.

Reuben Romer was an intimidating man at the best of times. Right now, he was utterly overbearing, standing over her like a venomous snake about to pounce.

‘Support?’ he spat, a humourless laugh escaping his lips. ‘Darling you got yourself into this mess. Now for your own dignity and for your mothers sake I suggest you keep this little tidbit of information close to your chest. We don’t want people talking, this is your problem and we wont be dragged into your urban fairytale.’