Jennie
Lisa spots her and lurches forward like a race dog. I rest my hand on her arm. "Let me do the talking." I beg. "Railing against Bambam isn't going to help. Not right now."
Lisa pulls her arm out of my hand but then says, "Fine."
We approach her together. Lisa slips into the seat beside her, closing her escape, and I move into the seat across from her.
Mina's eyes go wide. "How did you find me?" She has a smidgeon of sticky syrup on her lip.
"That doesn't matter." Lisa chastises her sharply. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm just..." Mina wipes her mouth on a paper napkin and cuts a square out of her pancake with her fork. "I got hungry... do you want some? They're actually pretty good."
"What happened to brunch?" I ask.
Mina shrugs and stares at her plate. "Sometimes a girl needs pancakes."
"You packed your bags and left. You're running away from the wedding, aren't you?"
Now Mina's eyes grow wet. She dabs at the corners of her eyes with her napkin, and her voice shakes when she says, "I'm a terrible person... aren't I? I'm so sorry... does he hate me?"
"Bambam doesn't know." I tell her.
"Did he force you into this wedding?" Lisa growls. I wince. You're not helping, I try to tell her telepathically, but she's already going off. "I'll tear him apart, if he forced you into anything."
"No, no, not... exactly." Her lower lip juts out and trembles. She's trying so hard to hold it together, but it's clear that there's something she's holding back.
I reach out and take her hand. Solidarity. "Mina... this is a safe place. You can tell us anything."
"I'm pregnant!" she finally bursts out. The second she says the words, her hand flies to her mouth and her eyes go wide. "Oh God..."
Oh God is right. For a brief second, no one around the table says anything. Lisa and I are stunned speechless.
I squeeze her hand tighter. "Does Bambam know?"
"Yes... we knew... before. That's why we've been rushing to get married. I just wanted to get through the wedding first, you know? And then we'd tell everybody."
She breaks off in a loud wail. I don't let go of her hand. "Mina... it's okay. Okay? We're here for you."
Lisa has been thoughtfully silent. Finally, she speaks up. "I'm going to kill him."
I shoot her a glare. "Lisa." Her eyes meet mine. She's her own worst enemy, a cyclone of anger, and I lift my eyebrows and tilt my head. Forget about Bambam for a second. Think about your sister.
Finally, Lisa gets the memo. She softens the hard edges of her mouth and slips her hand to Mina's back, rubbing in small circles. "Mina..." she says, "... you don't have to go through with this. If you want to leave... you still have family. You have me. We'll figure this out."
"Or..." I say pointedly, "... you still have Bambam. The father of the baby in your tummy."
"That's just it." Mina sniffles. She wraps her fists around the napkin and starts breaking it apart into little, tiny pieces. Her nervous tick. "I don't know what I want."
"Talk it out..." I encourage her. "Do you love Bambam?"
Mina's lips part and she looks at me like I've lost my mind. "Of course! He's... such a good man. And so good to me. He makes me laugh... I'm crazy about him."
The passion of her declaration surprises me. I hesitate and then say, "So... what's the problem?"
