Tip Toes

Chapter twenty

I was in complete denial, and I could tell I wasn’t the only one. Not only did I not want Tammy to be pregnant, I could tell Ronnie didn’t either by her leg twitches and arm spasms. Tammy’s face was scrunched up, trying to prevent herself from crying. I sunk down in my chair and let out a long, loud sigh.

            “We shouldn’t just be sitting here moping about this” Ronnie exclaimed suddenly, rising from her chair and placing both hands on the table. Tammy and I both looked up at her, but I quickly looked over at Tammy to see her reaction. Unsurprisingly, she looked helpless and depressed.

            “She’s right, I hate to sound selfish and all but I really need to find my mother’s body. This is just going to be a setback for us” I looked down, feeling guilty that I could be so selfish at a time like this.

            A gust of wind blew against my neck, creating goose bumps crawling down my body. I looked across the room to see the window slightly cracked open and debated whether I should close it or not.

            “It’s not selfish, well I mean it is, but I get it” Tammy placed her hand on my shoulder and I came back to reality, smiling slightly at her.

            “I get it too, which is why we are going straight to the hospital and figuring out what we’re going to do about this” Ronnie proclaimed, and all three of us stood up at the same time exchanging encouraging looks.

            We all separated into separate rooms, Ronnie and I went into the bedroom and Tammy went into the kitchen to fix up some breakfast. I changed into something more respectful to my body, as did Ronnie. I pulled on a forest green sweater, and paired it with my yoga pants and Ugg boots. I tossed my hair up into a messy bun and skipped the makeup. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone at the hospital. Ronnie took one look and laughed pointing at me.

            “What is this? Prostitute gone soccer mom?” She was laughing so hard she began to tear, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her.

            “You’re not looking too hot yourself, grandma,” I pointed at her outfit, and she frowned at me but we began laughing immediately.

            She was wearing a grey hoodie, with jet-black leggings and comfortable slippers that I was extremely jealous of. She also had her hair pulled up into a ponytail perched right on top of her head.

“Sweetie, you look beautiful,” said my mother, sweeping my hair up into a ponytail on the top of my head. Her hands were so gentle against my head, she knew exactly how to painlessly do my hair, and I loved her for that.

“I’m nervous mommy,” I began to cry, turning around to face my mother and embrace her in a tight hug.

“Kindergarten is going to be so fun, baby girl,” she placed a soft kiss on my right cheek, wiping my tear with her lips.

She turned me back around and tightened my ponytail, pointing at me in the mirror and placing her chin on my shoulder.

“You are such a beautiful little girl, you know that?” She looked at me with those big brown eyes, and I knew how much I loved her at that moment.

“I love you mommy,” I kissed her once more on the cheek, dreading my first day of school.

“I love you too, baby girl. You go show off that beautiful ponytail and have an amazing day,” she kissed me back, grabbed my hand, and began to slowly lead me out of the doorway.

“You ready, Jay?” Ronnie shook my shoulder, and I nodded, following her into the kitchen to meet Tammy.

Tammy looked like complete crap; she was wearing a long gray grandma sweater, and huge baggy sweatpants with a low messy bun almost falling off the back of her head. Her makeup was still smudged on her face from the night before; it was obvious she had been crying.

“You ready?” I asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She took her last bite of toast and wiped her mouth with her hand.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said with her mouth full, following Ronnie and I out the door.

            *    *   *

We entered a small waiting room, with white walls and an ugly grey-carpeted floor. There were chairs lined up against each sides of the room. In the middle of the room was a large reception desk, with pictures of babies hung up on the glass window covering the top of the desk. There was a small middle-aged woman sitting at the desk, spinning her hair around her finger and chewing her gum obnoxiously loud. She had these big bouncy fake-blonde curls, and she really needed to dye her roots. We walked up to the desk and she faced us, sliding on her pointy fire truck red eyeglasses.

“How may I help you young ladies?” She flashed her semi crooked teeth, which had a small smudge of pink lipstick on her front tooth.

Tammy stepped up, deciding to take charge of her own appointment. Ronnie and I looked at each other, nodding, impressed with Tammy.

“I need to get tested, just to confirm, ya know,” she looked embarrassed, but the lady didn’t seem to mind that she was young.

She rummaged around in a pile of papers, pulling out a clipboard and a pen pushing it towards Tammy.

“Fill this out and bring it to me when you’re done,” she went straight back to twirling her hair, and all three of us took a seat across from a youngish lady and her husband.

We waited for almost 20 minutes; Tammy finished the paperwork in 10 minutes and brought it back up to the receptionist. Soon enough the doctor called Tammy’s name, and when I looked up at the doctor I couldn’t believe who I saw.

Oh my god.

The man standing in front of me was Dennis Lively.