It's been two weeks since Daisy slept with her supposed "boyfriend", and he told the whole school. Daisy did just like her Aunt Karen said, and called him pathetic, denied everything, and made everyone believe her, not him. Things calmed down, Hunter transferred schools, and Karen still hadn't told Kimberly the real reason Daisy had skipped school, or what she had done with Hunter.
It was Labor Day weekend. Saturday afternoon, Jimi and Elijah went to the park, while Karen stayed home to clean house. Kimberly was filming her show, now in its ninth season, Steven was playing in a golf tournament, and Daisy was home alone. Phillip, Rebecca, and Penelope all took a family trip to the beach for the three day weekend. They all did their own things.
At about two o'clock, Karen's phone rang. Daisy was calling. She answered, "Hey Daisy. What's up?" "Not much. Just doing some homework." Daisy said. "Homework?! On the weekend?" Karen said. "Yeah. I'm at home alone, and have a couple of questions. Can I come over?" Daisy asked. "Of course. When do you want me to come get you?" Karen asked. "Now is fine." Daisy replied. "Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes." Karen said. She hung up. She figured Daisy had "questions" about her homework, but she had no idea what she was really getting herself into.
Karen arrived at Kimberly's house. Daisy came out of the house with her books, in order to make Karen believe she would be answering questions about homework. Daisy got in the car. "Hey." Karen said. "Hey Aunt Karen. Thanks for coming." Daisy said. "Anytime." Karen replied. "Um, are Uncle Jimi and Elijah home?" Daisy asked. "No. Jimi took Elijah to the park to see some of his friends. It's just us girls today." Karen answered. "Okay. Cool." Daisy said.
They got back to Karen's house. Daisy put her books on the coffee table. Karen sat down on the couch. "So. Whatcha need help with? Math? Science? English? History?" Karen asked. "Well, Aunt Karen, I don't actually have any questions about school work. I was kinda hoping I could, maybe, ask you some questions about something else." Daisy said, with slight fear in her voice. "Okay. Yeah. Sure baby, sit down." Karen said with a tender tone. Daisy sat down next to Karen on the couch. "What do you need to know about?" Karen asked.
"Well, um, you remember everything I told you a couple weeks ago?" Daisy asked, unable to look Karen in the eyes. "Yes. Of course I do. Why?" Karen said. "Um, well" Karen interrupted her. "Daisy, baby, look at me." Karen said. Daisy looked up. "Now, what's the matter?" Karen asked. "Aunt Karen, it's that time of the month. Or at least it's supposed to be. For me. But it's not." Daisy said.
"Daisy, sweetheart, you are fourteen years old. A lot of girls your age have got very irregular cycles. Hell, I still have an irregular couple of months every once in a while." Karen said. "I know, but my last period was the last week in July, and it's already the first week of September!" Daisy said. Karen said nothing. "Okay, that's a little longer than usual, but don't jump to conclusions." Karen said, trying to follow those words herself. "Aunt Karen, I usually start about three or three and a half weeks. It's been nearly five!" Daisy said, starting to cry. Karen pulled her close to her. "It's okay. Do you want to take a pregnancy test?" Karen asked.
"I don't know. Does it hurt?" Daisy asked. "NO. Daisy, a pregnancy test is something you can do at home. All you do is pee on a stick." Karen said. "Oh. Okay. Yes!" Daisy said. "Okay then. You can stay here, and I'll go get one. I'll be right back." Karen said. She went to the store and bought an EPT kit. As she was checking out, thoughts were just racing through her head. That poor little girl. She's an angel. If she is pregnant, her life will be changed forever. How the hell do I keep something like this from Kimberly? She is my best friend, practically my sister, and I am buying a pregnancy test for her fourteen year old daughter. Karen got back in her car, and drove home to Daisy.
Karen go home. She walked inside to see that Daisy had fallen asleep on the couch. Karen put a blanket over her, kissed her forehead, and went into her bedroom. She was overwhelmed with guilt, knowing she had been keeping everything from Kimberly. She picked up her phone to call Jimi. "Hey honey." Jimi answered. "Jimi, I need you to come home, now." Karen said quietly. "Why are you whispering? What's going on?" Jimi asked. "I just need you to come home. Please. Just come home ASAP." Karen said quietly. "Yeah. Okay. We'll be home in a few minutes." Jimi said.
I was now about three-thirty. Jimi and Elijah got home. Daisy was still asleep on the couch. Jimi told Elijah to go play in his room. Karen grabbed Jimi's wrist. "Come with me." Karen said, pulling Jimi to the kitchen. "Karen, what's Daisy doing here?" Jimi asked. "Jimi, I'm about to tell you something in confidence that you will not tell ANYONE! Do you understand me?" Karen said. "What is wrong with you?" Jimi asked again. "Jimi please, just promise me." Karen said, almost in tears. Yes. I promise. Now what the hell is wrong with you?" Jimi said.
Karen took a deep breath. "Do you remember when Daisy skipped school a couple of weeks ago, and I told Kim it was because she started her period?" Karen asked. "Yeah." Jimi replied. "Well, that wasn't true. The real reason was because the night before, she had sex with that boy, Hunter. The next day he went and told the whole school about it, along with other stuff, that didn't go on!" She said, speaking very quickly. "WHAT?!" Jimi exclaimed. "Yeah and she called me today, saying it's been five weeks since her last period. I JUST BOUGHT A PREGNANCY TEST FOR MY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD NIECE!" Karen exclaimed. "Uhhh. Karen." Jimi said. "What?!" Karen said. Jimi pointed behind her. She turned around to see Daisy standing in the doorway.
"Daisy." Karen said. Daisy ran to the spare bedroom next to Karen and Jimi's. Karen followed. Karen went to the room and knocked on the door. "Daisy. Sweetheart. Please let me explain." Karen said. "GO AWAY!" Daisy yelled. "I can't do that." Karen said. She opened the door. Daisy was curled up into a ball, her face buried in the pillows, and she was crying. "Go away." Daisy said. "Please talk to me." Karen said. "No. You lied to me. Why should I trust you now?" Daisy said. "Baby, please let me explain." Karen said. "There's nothing to explain. You told me if I had a problem, I could talk to you about it. You said you'd be there for me. You said you'd keep secrets for me if I need you to. You lied to me! End of story!" Daisy yelled.
"DAISY PEARL SCHLAPMAN! IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE!" Karen yelled. This got Daisy's attention. "YOU'RE RIGHT. I DID SAY YOU COULD COME TO ME! I WOULD HELP YOU IF YOU HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING, OR IF THERE WAS A BOY YOU LIKED. BUT DAISY, YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND, THAT IT'S HARD FOR ME TO KEEP SMALL LITTLE SECRETS FROM YOUR MOM. YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU HAD SEX, AND NOW YOU THINK YOU ARE PREGNANT IS STRESSFUL. IT WAS KILLING ME NOT BEING ABLE TO TELL YOUR MOM, MY BEST FRIEND." Karen said, starting to tear up. "I told my HUSBAND to take a little bit of the pressure off! He WON'T say anything! But Daisy, I never intended on hurting you, by telling him! You have GOT to know I'm still here for you! And I will NOT tell your mother unless it is COMPLETELY NECESSARY, no matter how much it kills me. I'm still here for you NO MATTER WHAT it is! Okay?" Karen exclaimed. She started crying.
"Karen lied down on the side of the bed she was sitting on, tears rolling down her face. Daisy crawled over to her. They stared at each other for a moment. Karen lifted her arm. Daisy got right next to Karen, putting her back against Karen's chest. Karen wrapped her arms back around Daisy, and Daisy grabbed Karen's hand.
They were still lying on the bed. "You know how much you mean to me, right?" Karen asked. "Yeah." Daisy answered. "And I just want what's best for you." Karen added. "I know. I'm sorry Aunt Karen." Daisy replied. "I promise your Uncle Jimi won't say a word to anyone. Can you trust me?" Karen said. "Yeah. I trust you." Daisy said. "Good. I love you very, very much, and don't you ever forget that!" Karen said. She hugged Daisy tightly. "I won't. I love you too Aunt Karen!" Daisy said. "So, do you still want to take that test?" Karen asked. Daisy nodded. "Okay, it's in the dining room. I'll go get it. You wait right here. I'll be right back." Karen said. Karen went and got the test and came back to the room. She handed the bag to Daisy, and closed the door.
"Do you think you can do it by yourself?" Karen asked. "Yeah. I think so." Daisy replied. "Tell me when you're done, and I'll come in and wait with you." Karen said. "Okay." Daisy said. She went into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, Daisy said, "Aunt Karen." Karen went into the bathroom. "It says to wait five minutes." Daisy said. "Okay. Then I will wait five minutes with you. I'm not going anywhere." Karen said.
While they were waiting on the results, Karen said, "Daisy, I'm not judging, but I hope you've learned from this. Sex is a very adult activity, and as you know, can come with very adult consequences." Daisy looked at Karen. Karen could see the tears in her eyes. "Aunt Karen, I'm so scared." Daisy said. "I know you are, and I'm right here, no matter what the test says. Okay?" Karen said. "But what if it's positive?" Daisy asked. "Then it's positive. But, if it is, you realize you will have to tell your mom, right?" Karen said. "WHAT?! WHY?!" Daisy exclaimed. "Because, baby, your mom will notice if you have a baby bump." Karen said.
"Are you going to say anything if it's negative?" Daisy asked. "Well, sweetie, no. I guess I won't if you don't want me to." Karen said. "Well I don't" Daisy said. "Okay." Karen replied. "Aunt Karen. How did you tell your mom when you got pregnant?" Daisy asked. "Well, Jimi and I called them on video chat, and we just told them." Karen said. "Were you excited?" Daisy asked. "Well, not at first, because I didn't think Jimi wanted kids at the time. But as soon as I knew he did, we were both ecstatic!" Karen replied. "Aunt Karen, will you do me a huge favor?" Daisy asked. "Sure." Karen said. "If it is positive, will you tell my mom?" Daisy asked.
"I'll come with you. I'll talk to her with you. But I think this something you need to tell her. It's one thing if you've been talking to me about it, but it's another for her to find out about it from me. That will make her feel like you can't talk to her about anything, and no mother wants that feeling." Karen said. "It's not that I don't want to talk to her, it's just that I don't think my mom could listen and not judge. Also, I just feel kind of awkward talking to her." Daisy said. "I know, but baby girl, you've got to believe that talking to her is what is best for you." Karen said. The timer went off. "Do you want to look? Or do you want me to?" Karen asked. "I will." Daisy picked up the test, looked at it, and dropped to her knees. She started crying. Karen knelt beside her, took the test from her, and she saw that it was positive.
"Oh my God. " Daisy said frantically. Karen pulled her close. "Shhh. It's gonna be okay." Karen said. "OKAY?! I'm FOURTEEN! HOW IS THIS GOING TO BE OKAY?!" Daisy screamed. "I don't know!" Karen said, grabbing Daisy shoulders. "But it's happening and you're going to have to figure out how to deal with it." Karen exclaimed. "I don't know how." Daisy said. "I know. I'm going to help." Karen said. Daisy put her head on Karen's shoulder. "What's going on?" They heard. They looked up to see Kimberly standing in the doorway.
"Karen? What's going on?" Kimberly asked. Karen and Daisy looked at each other, then at Kimberly. "Is someone going to answer me?" Kimberly asked. No one said anything. "Why are you two sitting on your guest bathroom floor, and crying? DAMMIT SOMEONE ANSWER ME!" Kimberly shouted. Daisy looked at Karen, and buried her face in her shoulder. "Karen?!" Kimberly yelled. "Kim, we all need to talk, and I mean now." Karen said. "Um. Okay." Kimberly said. They all walked to Karen's bedroom, for privacy. They all sat down on the bed. Daisy sat on one side and Kimberly sat on the other. Karen sat in the center of the bed facing them.
"Okay, will someone please tell me something?" Kimberly asked. "Daisy." Karen said. "Please don't make me say it." Daisy exclaimed. "Say what?" Kimberly said. Daisy looked deep into Karen's eyes. Karen sighed. She took Kimberly's hand, looked her in the face, and said, "Kimberly….. Daisy is pregnant." There was a few seconds of silence. "What?" Kimberly said with a black expression on her face. "Your daughter is going to have a baby." Karen said. "No she's not." Kimberly quickly replied. "No, you've got to have sex in order to get pregnant." Kimberly added. "She had sex. " Karen said. "Mommy, I'm so sorry." Daisy said. "Go get in the car. I need to talk to Aunt Karen." Kimberly demanded. "But why?" Daisy asked. "I SAID GO GET IN THE CAR. NOW!" Kimberly shouted.
"Karen, how could you not tell me about something like this?! She's my daughter!" Kimberly exclaimed. "Kim, I wanted to, but I promised Daisy that she could always come to me without fear of judgment, and in secret, before she told me all of this. It was killing me, but I PROMISED that little girl I wouldn't say anything. I told Jimi ONLY because it was eating me alive! She heard, we yelled, and we're past it." Karen said. "I. I just. I can't believe this is happening. She's only fourteen." Kimberly said, almost in tears. "I know." Karen said. They were now sitting facing each other. "I just don't understand how this could've happened. We talked to her. You got her birth control pills!" Kimberly said. Karen grabbed both of Kimberly's hands and looked her directly in the face.
"Kimberly, I know you are angry. I know you're worried, and scared, and disappointed. You are allowed to feel like this, but she needs you right now. She is scared out of her mind. Pregnancy is a hard thing for any woman. You know that. And at fourteen, I can't even imagine the stress her body is going to go through. This is going to be extremely difficult. You need to know, as well as Daisy, that my door is always open. I'm a phone call away." Karen said. "I know Karen. I'm scared for her." Kimberly said. "I know. I am too." Karen said. "I hope you're not mad at me." She added. "Of course not. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even know about any of this. I'm a little upset that she didn't come to me." Kimberly said. "Kim, you are an incredible mother. Do not take this personally. Look, when yall get home, you take her somewhere in the house, where it is just the two of yall, you sit her down, and you two need to have a heart-to-heart, mother-daughter, intimate conversation. You've got to keep your emotions in check though." Karen said. Kimberly moved beside Karen and they leaned their heads together.
"I know." Kimberly said. "I want yall to have a long talk." Karen added. "We will." Kimberly said. "Okay. And I want you to call me afterwards, and tell me how it went. Okay?" Karen said. "Okay. Karen I honest to God, don't know what I would do without you. You've been there for me through a lot." Kimberly said. "And you've been there for me through a lot. That's what sisters are for." Karen said. "Yes it is. And that is exactly how I see you. Not as a best friend, but as a sister!" Kimberly said. "DITTO!" Karen said. They both laughed. "Okay. Well, I'm going to take her home now, and we're going to talk." Kimberly said. "Good." Karen said.
Kimberly and Daisy got home. Daisy went in the house, and immediately ran to her room, and closed and locked the door. Kimberly went into the kitchen. She was thinking about everything she wanted to say to Daisy. Steven walked in. "Hey hun." He said. He gave her a peck on the lips. "Hey." Kimberly said. She decided not tell Steven about the pregnancy just yet. "Hey, I invited some of the guys over, they followed me from the course. That okay?" He said. "Uh. Yeah." She replied. All of the guys came in the house. They all went into Steven's office. This was also a place where he and his buddies played Poker. It was right across the hall from Daisy's room.
Kimberly paced around the house, still thinking of what she'd say to Daisy. My fourteen year old daughter is pregnant. Were girls even having sex at fourteen when I was that age? How are we supposed to take care of another baby on the bus? What the hell are we in for? She finally 'ripped off the band aid' and went to Daisy's door. She told Daisy to get up and come unlock the door. Daisy did just that. When she opened the door, Kimberly saw her makeup running down her face.
"Oh Daisy." Kimberly said. "What do you want?" She asked. "I want to talk to you." Kimberly said. "I don't feel like talking." Daisy said. The guys were across the hall and were being very loud. "Baby girl, come with me." Kimberly said. "Why?" Daisy asked. "Because I said to. Come with me to my room. I want to talk to you. This is not a request. Come on." Kimberly demanded, but in a calm voice. They walked to Kimberly's room. "Now. We need to have a heart-to-heart conversation." Kimberly insisted.
"Why?" Daisy asked. "Because Daisy. I am you're mother and it really hurts me to know that you don't want to talk to me about anything. I want to be here for you. EVERYTHING that your Aunt Karen has told you, the same goes for me. I know it is hard to talk to your mom about some things. You have got to know how much I understand. You also have to know that I know you are terrified. Your body is going to go through a lot of changes in your teen years. I know that at about thirteen or fourteen you sexual curiosity really gets to you. I just want you to talk to me. Please." Kimberly said.
"Mom, I know that you want to be here for me, it just makes me feel so awkward talking to my mom about this kind of stuff. I don't know why! I wish I could talk to you about things. I wish I didn't feel like every time I had a problem, I have to call Aunt Karen." Daisy said. "I know baby. I really do. I didn't like to talk to my mom either, but I HAD to. I didn't have someone like Karen that I could ask about birth control, or boys, or sex, or a tampon if I didn't have one. I had to go to my mom, and then, I did start getting used to it." Kimberly replied.
"Mom, I told Aunt Karen all of the big stuff. I don't need anyone for simple little boy problems okay? Now can I please just go back to my room?" Daisy said as she began to cry. "I don't know what else I can do. I want to help you so bad. What is wrong with you right now? Why have you been acting so strange?" Kimberly asked. All of a sudden, Daisy yelled, "DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHY I HAVE BEEN ACTING LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT THERE IS A BABY GROWING INSIDE OF ME?! WELL, IT'S BECAUSE I'VE GOT A FAMOUS MOM! THAT'S WHY! HUNTER TOLD THE WHOLD SCHOOL THAT THE ONLY REASON HE SCREWED ME WAS TO GET SOME MONEY. HE FIGURED SINCE I HAD A FAMOUS MOM, HE'D GET REALLY COOL GIFTS. MAYBE EVEN GET TO MEET SOME CELEBRITIES! YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT ELSE HE TOLD ME? HE SAID I WAS THE UGLIEST GIRL HE HAS EVER DONE. THEN, HE TOLD ME THAT MAYBE HE WOULD ENJOY IT IF I LOOKED LIKE THAT HOT CHICK IN MY MOM'S BAND! THEN HE SAID, HE'D SCREW HER ANY DAY OF THE WEEK! I'M UGLY. I'M PREGNANT. AND HUNTER WOULD RATHER SCREW MY AUNT BEFORE ME!" Daisy yelled.
Kimberly was in shock. "Why couldn't I look like Aunt Karen?" Daisy said. Daisy dropped to the floor and was crying harder that Kimberly had ever seen her baby cry. "Oh baby." Kimberly said. She got beside Daisy, and gave her a shoulder to cry on. Daisy accepted. "Baby girl don't ever let me hear you say that. You're Aunt Karen is a very beautiful woman, but you are a very beautiful girl." Kimberly said. "No I'm not. Aunt Karen is just naturally pretty. I work hard in the mornings to get ready, and I'm still ugly." Daisy said. "No you are not!" Kimberly said. "You are my beautiful baby girl! And from now on, I want you to not think of me as your mom. Think of me just like you think of Aunt Karen. You can come talk to me about absolutely anything!" Kimberly said. "Okay." Daisy said.