I entered my house with two luggage in my hand. My mother looked at me in alarm.
"They seriously kicked her out?" She asked in pure shock.
As unfortunate as it is, I nodded my head 'yes' at her. It was a shock to me too. They're really nice people and I thought they would help us out with our situation. But by the time Melly utter the 'p-word', they suddenly turned their backs unless she decided to kick me out of her life. It's an unfair situation that I would never put my child in. Here's how it all went:
{_}
"Let's go." She said, through clenched teeth as she dragged me up the stairs. I swear I could see fumes coming out of her nostrils.
Whoa, chica! I pulled my hand out of her grip and jumped in front of to block her path. I put my hands on her shoulder to move to the side.
"What?" She asked, calmly with a hint of anger in her voice. I am just as ticked as her, but someone has to be the reasonable one. I am grateful that she choose me over my parents, but I want her to actually think about it. Once we get out here, she can never return. I don't want her to regret anything. I would hate to see her depressed over the decision that she has made.
"Just about think about this, alright? Do you really want to do this? I mean I really hate how they made things complicated for you, but are you sure you're making the right decision here?" I said, looking at her beautiful, dark chocolate eyes. "You've heard them, if you choose me, you cannot see your parents EVER again."
"Well, if they're going to be jerks, then yeah. I'm sure. I'm not going to be with two people who will just drive me and my baby insane. I hoped that they would be supportive when I came out to them, but if this is how things are going to be..then..." Melly said.
I pulled her close to my body. She needs all the love that she can get right now.
"Hey, it's going to be okay, Mel." I said, kissing her forehead. Sometimes, anyone ever needs is a bit of reassurance. "I'm sorry."
"Save it." Melly cut me off. "You didn't do anything wrong. You have parents that will help us out and I'm fine with that. Besides it's not like I ever actually lived here in the first place."
She gave me a sad smile as she said the last line.
Now that I actually think about it, she's telling the truth. Most of our sleepovers has been done at my place, because Melly wants to get away from her parents. They can be a little too strict with her and she needs some place to escape for the evening. Or sometimes, they would be at work a little too late and she would come to me and my family for company. Five years ago, I thought she would be sleeping for a night or two. But nights turned into weeks and weeks turned into years, and she's still sleeping in my bed. I'm not complaining, I love having Melly in my arms during the night, but now that I realized how depressed she has been for years.... It strikes me to the core on how much I didn't see the picture clearly all this time.
I held her closer at that thought, not planning to let her go.
"Derek." Melly told me, "It's fine. We can go."
"No, it's not fine." I said. "You've been this sad this whole time and I didn't help you. I mean I knew what was going on, but I didn't think.."
Melly covered my mouth with her hand.
"You have helped me more than you'll ever know. And I am more than happy to stay with you, because I love you." She reassured me.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. Now let's get my stuff and leave." She said, sounding annoyed before she pushed past me to her room.
She left her door wide open for me. I watch her as she throws all of her clothes out from its place. She threw a luggage out of the top of closet and said, "Mind helping me put everything in them?"
"EVERYTHING?" I repeated what she said into a question.
Melly nods her head and mutter under her breath in sadness, "Might as well. It's not like I am coming back here."
I felt my heart ache for her. Once again, she didn't deserve any of this.
I kneeled on the floor and quickly helped Melly to get everything she owns into luggage after luggage. Every clothes that she owns in one. All of her make-up in another one. Her computer. Her toothbrush. Her shampoo. Her conditioner. EVERYTHING. Once we made sure that nothing is left behind, Melly nodded her head at me to the door. And with that, we left the Martinez's house without ever looking back.
{_}
"Hold on. I've got to talk to Maria and talk some senses into her." My mom said, about to get her cell phone.
"It's fine, Mrs-I mean mom. I'm fine. I don't care." Melly said, coming through the door.
Normally, I would scream bs, but I know that now is an inappropriate time for that. I don't want to give her any more depression, but I am not letting this go forever.
"Oh. Okay. Well, before you two go upstairs, your father and I have a surprise for you." Mom said, moving to create room for us on the couch.
I looked at Melly, who just shrugged. I sat on the empty space of the couch, while Melly sat on the arm of the chair.
"So your father and I were talking and we've decided to let you stay in our family." Mom started, "But you're not going to live in this house."
My eyes widen in shock. They're kicking me out too?
"What? You're kicking me out? Why? Is it because she's pregnant?" I asked in panic.
Mom put her hands on me, trying to calm me down. "Easy. Easy. I didn't mean it like that. You're not going to live here, because you're going to live in the guest house."
My jaw dropped as I exchanged our secret handshake with Melly. The guest house is just a small blue, one-story house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has a kitchen and a living room. It's not much, but it's all we need for our little family. The fact that it's right behind this house is even better. I just want to know the catch.
"Seriously?" Melly asked, my mom.
Mom just nodded her head. "I figured you guys would need some space to raise your child, so we'll let you use that space. If a guest were to come over, we do have an extra bedroom upstairs that no one uses. But on a few conditions."
"Okay, tell us." I said.
"No funny business; I don't want you guys do anything inappropriate in there. Keep it nice and neat. I will check up on you guys. And pay $100 for rent per month." Mom said.
"We're going to have to pay?" Melly asked.
"While I'm being nice in offering you a house, I want you guys to know the reality of being a teenage parent in the twenty-first century." Mom explained.
"Alright. Deal." I said. I'm willing to take it.
"Derek!" Melly yelled, slapping my arm.
"Ow! What was that for?" I said, rubbing my arm as I looked up at my girlfriend.
"We don't have a hundred dollars." She told me.
"Well, I was thinking that we both could get jobs to get the money that we need and we could split." I said.
"It's not that simple." She said, looking away.
"It's not. But at the moment, we can only be grateful with what we're going to receive. And a hundred is a very low price compare to actually paying for rent anywhere else in Sacramento." I explained to her.
"She's right. It's not that simple, but you've made your nest. You must lay in it. You've made a very adult move to have sex, now you're taking an adult consequence." Mom said. "I'm sorry that's how life is."
She does have a good point. We did do this to ourselves.
I looked at Melly, who seems to be thinking about all this. Come on, Melly. It doesn't seem like we have a choice anyway. Think of the baby. He or she needs this. I watched as Melly's forehead goes from wrinkly to normal again.
"Alright. I'm in." Melly said.
Yes!
"Awesome! Why don't I help you guys settle in the house?" Mom said.
"Okay. Thanks." I said. I turn to Melly. "We'll put in your stuff first and then we'll come back for my stuff?"
"Fair enough." She said.
Mom got a luggage from my hand and we both headed out to the backyard. We stepped over the green grass to the small house. I looked at the house that has blue plyboard sheathing behind a breather paper and vertical furring strips exterior walls with yellow strips. It could be re-painted, but I can work on that later. On the side of the house, there is a garden bed that my mother would plant during the spring and summer. I don't know why she doesn't do them during the fall or winter since it doesn't get too cold in Sacramento, but that's none of my business.
Mom injected the golden key into the key slip and opened the door. First thing you see when you walk into the guest house is a milky coffee-colored living room with a black sofa against the left wall accompanied by a couple blue seats on each side and a brown coffee table in front of them. There's a white side table between the sofa and the blue chair on the sofa's left with a 31-inches bronze table lamp with a fake pink color in a clear vase. There's a tv right across the sofa. In the back wall of the living room is a window with a white, nylon curtain. The floor is covered with Builders Brew's coffee-colored carpet. Behind the right wall is a white kitchen with a round dining table and two laundry machines. On the far right, there is a narrow hallway with two bedrooms on the right and a jacket closet at the end of the hall. Each bedroom has a closet and a bathroom with a shower in it.
Again, it's not much. It's a freakin' guest house for crying out loud. It would be a lot better looking, if I gave it makeover. But that's not my main focus right now. My main focus is helping Melly through her pregnancy.
"Wow, this is so generous, Mrs-mom. Thank you." Melly said, hugging her.
"You're welcome." Mom responded. while return the embrace.
It's so nice to see them get along.
They broke their embrace.
"Now you guys can get Derek's stuff in." Mom said.
Fair enough.
I nodded my head as we headed out the guest house to go to my house to retrieve my crap. Mom stayed in the living room as Melly and I headed up the stairs to my room. We walked to our left to the end of the hallway to the room that I used to share with John. I opened the door wide enough for Melly and I to walk in. John was into the video games that he's playing on his computer.
"Get the heck out of here, you twelve year old jerk!" John shouted to his laptop.
I looked at Melly to see her response to this. She just shrugged as she sat on my bed.
"John!" I called out to him as he was still bopping his head to whatever he's listening to on his black earphones. I tapped him and said his name again. I heard my girlfriend giggle behind me, making me turn around and glare at her. She gave me an eye roll and came up besides me to help me out. At the count of three, we both yanked an earbud from his ear and yelled out his name. He looked up at us, looking a bit scared that we're here.
"Derek! Melly! Please don't ever scare me like that." John said, looking as if he might have a heart attack.
"You didn't answer when we were trying to call you." I responded.
"But we're sorry." Melly said, looking from John to me.
I nodded my head in agreement. John shut down his laptop and took his earbuds off his head.
"Well, you've got my attention. What do you want?" He asked, clearly annoyed that we removed him from the game that he's playing.
I rolled my eyes at his attitude. "Look Melly and I are going to live in the guest house, for now. Would you like to help us move in?"
"Wait, why the guest house?" John asked.
"Mom wants us to learn about responsibilities and what not." I explained.
"Uh huh." John said, thinking. "Okay. I'll help."
John got up and headed over to our closet. We talked and cracked jokes as we put my stuff into a box. Eventually we got my clothes, hair products, school supplies, guitar, songbook, and a lot of other stuff into a box. We headed downstairs and into the guest house. We put my stuff down as John looked around the place.
"It doesn't look like too bad." He commented. "Well, for a first house when you have a baby on the way."
"Yeah. I will fix this up. Eventually." I said, looking at my younger brother.
"Do you need anymore help or are you okay?" John said.
"No, I can take it from here. Thanks." I said, patting his back.
"It was really nice sharing a room with you all these years." John said, looking a bit sad.
"Will you stop? You're acting as I'm moving to another country. I'm right across the lawn. I'll come back. Maybe we can do a sleepover or something. So don't think this is a goodbye." I said.
"I know, but it's not the same." He said.
"At least you get to have the room all by yourself. I still have to share." I said. "Well, I don't have to, I want to. Point is, you'll be fine."
"Haha. Thanks bro." John said, "I'll be heading out. See you later."
"Alright. See you." I said.
"Bye John." Melly waved.
He smiled as the door closed. Once I saw him walking to the main house, I turned to my girlfriend.
"What now?" I said, lacing my fingers with hers. She just shrugged before she began to stretch and yawn. She's so freakin' adorable when she yawns like that.
"You can do whatever you want. I'm going to take a nap." She said, pointing her thumb to our room.
"Yeah, that's a good call. I'll go with you." I said, yawning. Yawning is contagious.
"Sweet!" Melly said, before turning around and heading to our room.
I followed her and watched as she laid down on our new full size bed. She had a really long day. She deserves a nap more than anybody right now.
"Well, are you going to join me or are you just going to hang there, watching me sleep like Edward Cullen?" She asked as she closed her eyes. She's good like that.
I smiled as I laid down next to her. I wrapped my arms around her small waist and pulled her closer to me. My breath stops as she wraps her arms around my body and lays her head on my chest. She adjusts herself before finally drifting off into her head peacefully. I smiled before I close my eyes for a nap too.