Unwed 💍

Chapter Two: The Great Pretender

Her father smiled when he spotted her, his favorite coffee cup in his hand. "Hey Izzy, you're just in time. Your brothers and I were debating whether or not extraterrestrials exist."

"Oh, Patrick." Her mother slapped him playfully with a kitchen towel before setting down a plate of steaming pancakes on the table. "It's all a bunch of nonsense. Don't fill their heads with it."

"Oh, but it's real!" He father jiggled his thick eyebrows, his coffee cup swinging around dramatically. "They drive around in these doodads called flying saucers, and when they come out, they're green with big eyes, like huge caterpillars."

"It's true," little Sam said enthusiastically, pointing to the morning newspaper. "Says here, the government knows all about it."

Izzy smiled and tousled his thick brown hair. Sam was eight years old, and she had a particular affection for him. She pulled out a wooden chair and eased herself into it, her stomach still unsteady.

"I agree with mom." Ricky reached a long freckled arm across the table to grab a stack of pancakes, earning a disapproving look from their mother. "It's total nonsense. Just sells papers." He pushed his thick glasses up on his nose. Like Maria, he had a shock of red curly hair that he attempted to keep hidden under a baseball cap at all times.

Ricky was going to college to be an accountant. He was a whiz at math and graduated high school the year before at the top of his class. He'd always been serious, a no nonsense type of guy.   

"So what about you, sweetheart?" Her father struggled to hold his cup steady enough for her mother to refill it. "Do you believe there are such things as extraterrestrials?"

The existence of extraterrestrials was the furthest from Izzy's mind. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, changing the subject. "Donny's coming over at ten o'clock."

"Oh, well now," Her father's eyebrows fell, his expression instantly serious. "What's the occasion?"

Her mother set down the coffee pot, and walked over, hands on her hips.

Izzy turned an empty glass in her hands, the nasty bile threatening to erupt back into her throat. "We'd like to talk to—both of you," she said in a suddenly small voice.

"Oh," her mother said, then, "Oh!" Her hands flew up to her face.

Her father set the coffee cup down on the table with a thud, his eyes darkening. "If it's about getting married, you're too young."

Izzy swallowed hard, staring down at the flowered table cloth. "We're in love, Daddy, and I'm finished with school."

Her father's mustache twitched. "Just how much does he make at that garage anyway? Not enough to take care of you, I'm willing to bet. You don't jump into these kinds of things, Isadora. Give it time! You're much too young right now."

Izzy forced herself to look her father in the eyes, her body overheating, bringing with it a wave of nausea. "I'm not jumping, Daddy. Donny and I have dated for a year."

A long, painful silence followed. Izzy shifted her gaze to her hands, biting her lip. Her brothers eyed both her and their father, waiting.

"We'll discuss it at ten," her father said with finality.

***

Ten-fifteen.

Izzy chewed on a nail nervously, trying to keep herself from staring at the front door. She'd finished all of her chores, and was pretending to watch television with her little brother and sister.

Ten-thirty.

He was running late. Maybe, he'd misunderstood the time. She needed to call him.

She shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed the receiver off of the stand, taking steady breaths as each digit spun on the rotary dial. It took three painstaking rings before Donny answered.

"Donny?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Donny, it's Izzy. I—I was waiting for you to come over. You—or I for that matter, must have had the time wrong. It's alright, of course. You could come over now, that would be just fine."

There was a long pause behind the receiver.

"Donny?" Her voice faltered.

"I'm not coming over, Izzy." His voice had a hardness she'd never heard before.

Her hand trembled on the receiver. "What?"

She pressed the phone tightly to her ear. Something was wrong. Dread crept through her veins, her chest tightened.

Silence. She could barely breath.

There was a sigh on the other end. "It's over Izzy."

Her legs gave way forcing her to lean against the wall, slowly dropping to the floor, the receiver still frozen to her ear. She pushed herself as far into the corner as the cord would reach, curling her knees up against her chest.

"Why would you say that?" she whispered, raw with emotion.

"Oh, come on Izzy, you know why."

She cringed at the anger in his voice.

"Nobody gets pregnant after just one time, I'd be a fool to believe that baby is mine."

His words cut deep into her soul, breaking her completely.

"You told me you were going to marry me," she cried helplessly, gripping her hair with her other hand.

"I wasn't in my right mind," he clipped.

"The baby is yours," she sputtered between sobs. "How could you say it's not yours? You're the only one I've ever been with. Please Donny. Please believe me! I love you!"

"It's over Izzy."

There was a click on the other end and the dial tone flooded Izzy's ears. She held tightly to the phone for several seconds, shock rendering her motionless. Tears streamed down her face, splattering onto the kitchen tile.

She hurt so badly, she thought she would die right there on the floor. She wanted to die. There was nothing left to live for.

A movement caught her eye in the doorway. With swollen eyes she glanced up. Maria stood, her face as white as a sheet—mouth wide open with shock.

Hello again! Thanks so much for reading! Are you hating Donny right now? I am! Please vote if you enjoy it, and let me know what you think too! :)