19. Help
nineteen
Help
Dylan
A nxiously waiting, I pace back and forth by the front door. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Finding out you're going to be a father has that effect on a man.
I’m glad that Leah agreed to move in, but now, I’m freaking out about making sure she’s as comfortable as possible. After all, the woman is carrying my baby.
That’s weird as fuck to think about.
After Leah left last night, I realized I may be a little out of my element, so I called in reinforcements.
A knock on the door signals that they’ve arrived. I open to see my mom and my sister, Michelle, standing there.
Michelle stares daggers through me. “Dylan, it’s seven AM. I can’t fathom what would possibly be this important.”
Mom sets her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Your sister just needs some coffee.”
“Come on in,” I tell them. “I just made a big pot. ”
They walk past me to come inside, and Michelle heads straight for the kitchen.
“Aren’t you having any?” Mom asks me.
“I will. I want to talk first.”
“Wow. Must be important,” she says.
Michelle chimes in. “I could have told you that when he called us at the ass crack of dawn.”
“Michelle, you have a kid,” I say. “Aren’t you used to getting up early?”
“My kid is a teenager. When she doesn’t have school, I’m lucky if she gets out of bed before ten.”
Moments later, she comes over to join my mom and me in the living room.
Once we are all seated, Mom says, “Alright, Dylan. We’re here. What’s going on?”
“I need you to set your coffee on the table.”
“Why?” Michelle questions as they both do as I asked.
“Because I got a girl pregnant.”
“What?” They cry in unison while waving their arms in the air.
“That’s why,” I say.
“You got a girl pregnant?” Michelle asks.
Mom rubs her temples. “Will any of my children get married before they have kids?”
I say, “Liz is practically married. She doesn’t count. I guess Michelle and I are the degenerates.”
“Hey!” Michelle cries.
Our mom looks at her. “You made me a grandma when you were seventeen. Remind me what leg you have to stand on. ”
“Knock it off, you two,” I tell them. “I need your help.”
“With that?” Michelle asks. “How to use a condom?”
I roll my eyes. “I sort of asked her to move in with me.”
Michelle cuts me off. “You did what?”
“I’m starting to regret inviting you,” I say, looking at Michelle.
That gets her to calm down some. “Okay, I’m sorry. Why don’t you tell us the whole story? Okay, not the whole story. None of the dirty details.”
I explain everything, starting with how we met and were just having fun, and ending with how I asked Leah to move in with me.
My mom and sister sip their coffee while hanging on every word.
I finish by saying, “I want to make her feel at home here and make sure she has everything she needs. From the sound of it, she doesn’t have much more than clothes. I need some help figuring out what to get her since I’ve never been pregnant.”
They exchange a look between them before Mom says, “I think that’s really sweet of you.”
Michelle adds, “Yeah, I wish Brock would have been that nice when I got pregnant.”
Mom pats her knee. “To be fair, he was worried about his biology final.”
“Oh, hush.” Michelle stands up and excuses herself to the bathroom.
Turning toward me, Mom asks, “So, how are you doing?”
“I’m alright. I mean, I’m not the one who has to carry a baby for the next nine months. ”
“True,” she says. “But you are about to be a dad for the rest of your life, so I’m asking how you’re doing with that.”
“Honestly?”
She nods. “Do I ever want anything else?”
“Part of me is freaking out wondering if I’m really ready for this. But part of me is happy. I’ve been wanting to move forward in my life and take the next steps.”
She thinks for a moment. “Can I say something that maybe you don’t want to hear?”
I smile. “Don’t you always?”
“I can understand you stepping up and doing the right thing for both your baby and for Leah. I’m forever proud of you. That’s the man that your dad and I raised—”
I cut her off, “But?”
“But it isn’t like you got a woman pregnant, and suddenly, you’re going to have the perfect white picket fence life. It’s not all going to be sunshine and rainbows. It’s going to be hard—all of it is going to be hard. And just because you have a baby with this woman doesn’t mean that everything is going to work out, and you guys will be together forever. Life doesn’t always play out the way you want it to.”
“I know,” I tell her.
“I know you’re anxious for the life you want, but you can’t exactly skip to the end.”
Her words resonate in my head, and I know that she’s right. But I think she needs to give me a little more credit. “I understand everything you’re saying. I’m not trying to jump to the end. But this baby is now my number one concern. Since Leah is attached to said baby, I’m concerned about her too. ”
She pats the back of my hand. “You really are a good man.”
I smile at her. “And this will be grandbaby number three for you. How do you feel about that?”
She practically beams. “Oh, I’m thrilled. And with your baby and Liz’s, I feel like I get to be more of a grandma than I was with Michelle. When she had Eve, I still had three kids living at home. Well, four if you count Michelle. I didn’t get to be a typical grandma.”
Michelle comes walking out of the bathroom. “Are we talking about how much of a colossal disappointment I am?”
“Oh, stop.” Mom laughs.
Michelle asks, “What did Ronnie have to say about all this?”
My face scrunches up. “I haven’t told her yet.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Michelle throws her hand over her heart. “You told me before you told your twin BFF?”
“Last time I talked to Ronnie, she went on and on about how much she doesn’t like kids. I’m not in any hurry to hear her lecture me on how I somehow betrayed her.”
“Okay,” Mom interjects. “Let’s get this place ready for a pregnant lady.”
“What all does a pregnant lady want or need?” I ask.
They look between the two of them. Mom asks, “How much do you know about pregnant women?”
“Uhm. Not a lot. Practically nothing.”
Michelle sighs. “We have a lot to do.”