The next morning, Jimmy treated me like I never learned how to walk. He helped me get out of bed, and he had his arm snaked around my waist as I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth. He was trying to help me out as much as he could now that I was pregnant. I could not imagine how he would treat me as I got bigger.
Jimmy kept his arm around me as we walked down the stairs to breakfast. Charles was sitting at the end of the table with a book in his hands. Tommy was leaning back relaxed in his chair. He was cleaning his fingernails with his pocket knife. An empty bowl sat in front of him. I was relieved that he did not look up at me.
I went to walk over to the cupboard to get us some bowls and cereal. Jimmy put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back toward him. He forced me to sit down in the chair across from Tommy.
"Sit down," he said. "I'll get it."
Charles chuckled and looked over the top of his book at me.
"Oh, I remember when Marilyn was first pregnant with James," he said. "For the first few days, I wouldn't let her do anything. The first baby is always the scariest."
"Wait." Tommy flipped the blade of his knife back in. He sat straight and his eyes widened. "Julie's pregnant?"
His voice was filled with venom. He was gnawing on the corner of his lip. My stomach twisted and I could feel the tension build in his body.
"Yeah," Jimmy said, setting the food down in front of me. He lightly ran his fingers through my hair. "I'll have a son soon."
"Unless it's a girl," Tommy said.
"It won't be."
Tommy's nostrils flared. He opened the blade of his knife. He held it against the edge of the table. He made deep slashes into the wood as he stared between Jimmy and me.
"Thomas!" Charles yelled. "Stop that right now. Go outside. I'll meet you out there in a few minutes."
Tommy let out a deep breath and flipped the blade back in. He pushed his chair away from the table and stormed outside. Charles leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes.
"What am I going to do with that boy?" he muttered.
Jimmy sat and we began eating our breakfast. I watched Charles as he got up from the table and slipped his arms through his jacket.
"Juliet," he said. "I don't want you cooking any meat tonight."
"Dad, Julie should definitely be eating right now," Jimmy said.
Charles scowled. I have never heard Jimmy so boldly disagree with his father. I pulled at the sleeves of my sweater and began picking at the ends.
"Do as I say," Charles said. "You are living in my house. Somebody else will come onto our property soon. One day without meat is not going to hurt Juliet or your baby."
"Okay," Jimmy said.
I could tell from Jimmy's voice that he was disappointed. Jimmy was raised to respect and never question his elders. Charles gave us a quick nod before heading out the door.
Jimmy picked the bowls up from the table, and I stood. Jimmy put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down into the seat. He dropped the bowls into the sink. I went to stand again, and Jimmy put his hand back on my shoulder and forced me down.
"Jimmy, I need to clean up," I said.
"Julie, sit down," he said.
"No, I am okay," I said. "I was pregnant a couple of days ago and neither of us knew. There is no reason to treat me differently now."
YOU ARE READING
Family Comes First
HorrorJuliet's parents died when she was young and she never got to experience having a family. She lived a miserable and lonely life. One night at work, she meets a strange man that says he's a reporter and he asks her a few questions. Later that night...
