Based on the song 'She Didn't Have Time' by Terri Clark.
"What am I going to do?" questioned sixteen year old, Claire Littleton.
She was holding in her right hand, by far, the most important test she had ever taken, and the results showed a single pink line. Positive.
"No. I can't be pregnant. I'm not ready to have a baby."
'You thought that you were ready to have sex' her mind told her. 'If you're going to have sex, you have to be ready for the consequences.'
Claire was a quiet girl in high school. She was a loner, an outcast and dating a brooding artist. This was his child as well and she was dreading telling him about it.
"What will Thomas think?" she asked herself.
"What will I think about what?" Thomas, Claire's boyfriend asked, walking into her room.
Claire just held out the test to him.
"What is this Claire?" Thomas asked, taking the test.
"It is a pregnancy test. And it's positive."
"WHAT? I can't believe you would do this to me! I can't have a kid! I'm graduating at the end of this year and a kid will ruin all of my plans!" Thomas yelled.
"Do you think I wanted this?" Claire questioned. "I'm only sixteen. Do you think I'm ready for a baby? I didn't mean for this to happen, but it did. Are you going to help me with the baby or not?"
"I don't have time for this." And with that, he walked out. Out of her room, out of her heart, and out of her life for good.
SIX YEARS LATER
Claire had the baby, a healthy baby boy she named Aaron. Claire had to drop out of school and work two jobs to support them both, but they were making it.
Claire walked into her home after she got off work, finding Aaron in the living room playing with the babysitter.
"Hey baby," she said to Aaron, upon entering the room.
"Mommy!" Aaron cried. He leapt into his mothers arms to welcome her home
"Hi Shannon," Claire said to the sitter. "How was the little one today?"
"Great as always, Claire," the eighteen year old girl replied.
"Good. Well, here's your money. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure thing Claire. Bye"
"Bye Shannon."
"Hey, Claire?"
"Yes Shannon?"
"Are you okay? You seem a little down."
"Aaron, why don't you go to your room for a minute."
"Okay mommy," Aaron replied, before running down the hall to his room.
"So what's wrong?" Shannon asked once again.
"It's just that... all of the girls at work keep telling me that I need to get back out there and start dating, but I just can't. I have to spend some time with Aaron. With two jobs, I hardly ever get to see him as it is."
"Well I'd like to help you out Claire, but the best I can do is just tell you, I agree with them. You deserve to be happy. And, you know, I know that my American History teacher is single, and extremely attractive."
"Thanks for the insight Shannon," she replied sarcastically. "But I just don't have the time."
THE NEXT DAY: AT THE MARKET
"Oh no," Claire sighed. She had just finished her grocery shopping, after deciding to do it because she had Shannon sitting. She had walked out to her car to find one of her tires flat. "I so don't have time for this."
"S'everything okay?" she heard a masculine southern accent behind her ask.
She turned around to see a man, a little older than her, with shoulder length blonde hair and deep blue eyes.
"No," she replied, "I've got a flat tire."
"Ya need some help?" he asked.
"That would be great," she replied thankfully.
"Okay. Just let me put this stuff up and grab my toolbox. I'll be right back." He walked back to his car, but returned less than a minute later with his toolbox.
"I really appreciate this," she told him.
"It's no problem," he assured her. "Bye the way, my name is James Ford, but you can call me Sawyer."
"Thank you, Sawyer. I'm Claire Littleton."
"It's nice to meet you Darlin," he responded.
About ten minutes later Sawyer stood up and said, "All fixed."
"Thank you so much," Claire replied. "I don't know how to thank you."
"Well," Sawyer said, "you could let me buy you a cup of coffee."
"Um..."
'Come on. He's cute. And besides, it's just coffee.' her mind scolded.
"Sure, okay," she agreed.
"Great. Come on." he led her to the coffee shop right across the street.
"So," she started, "what do you do for a living?"
"Actually," he said, "I just graduated with a doctorate in psychology."
"So you're a psychologist?"
"No. I'm working at a law firm in town. What about you?"
"Oh, I'm a secretary at a doctor's office, and a clerk at a local mini-mart," Claire replied finally.
"Sounds great."
"It pays the bills."
"Yeah."
They sat there and talked for a couple more minutes about this and that, and she kept thinking, 'he sure is cute.' Then he asked a question that she didn't want to answer.
"So, do you have kids?"
She could have lied, but, like she told Shannon, she didn't have time.
All she said was, "He's five."
He said, "I saw the car seat when I was changing your tire. I love kids. Are his eyes as blue as yours?"
She just smiled. They sat and talked for hours, until she decided to go back home.
"When can I see you again?" he asked.
"Why don't you meet me and my son, Aaron, tomorrow at the park in town?"
"That sounds great," he said and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll see you and Aaron tomorrow, Mamacita."
'Wow,' she thought. She told herself, 'And to think, I could have lied. It's a good thing I didn't have time.'