Buttercup stood in front of her bathroom mirror and just stared at her reflection. In the month since learning that she'd become pregnant following how forcibly she'd had her pride and dignity shredded by the actions of her unborn child's father, she knew that she could never be a good enough parent to the son or daughter she'd be bringing into the world seven months from now.
She turned away from the bathroom mirror and strode into her bedroom before sitting down heavily on the bed. She lowered one hand until it rested on her flat stomach and the moment her hand made contact with her stomach, she could sense that the cells deep inside her body were transforming themselves into a baby, a baby that would be a mix of evil and good. As much as she hated the father of her unborn son or daughter, she couldn't bring herself to put an end to her pregnancy.
Instead, she'd endure the pregnancy that had been forced on her and then hand over all parental rights concerning her unborn son or daughter to her dad once she'd given birth. Having made her decision, she dialed her old childhood number and waited for her dad to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey. Dad. It's me. Look, I have some things to discuss with you. It's about your unborn grandson or granddaughter," she said into the phone.
"Like what, honey?"
"Can we meet in person? I'd rather discuss this face to face."
"Sure, honey. Where and when?"
"Say in about a half hour at our favorite pizza parlor?"
"Sure. I'll meet you there."
"Bye, dad," Buttercup replied before ending the call.
She hoped her decision to hand over both her parental rights and the parental rights of her unborn child's father to its grandpa wasn't the wrong one to make.
Line break
Half an hour later, she sat across from her dad.
"Now, why did you want me to meet you here, honey?"
"It concerns your unborn grandson or granddaughter," Buttercup replied.
"Concerns him or her how?"
"I want you to be the sole guardian of my child once he or she is born."
"Me?"
She nodded.
"I trust you to be a good caregiver to my unborn child, dad. I'm not good enough to raise my son or daughter, ever since I became pregnant through harsh means courtesy of this child's father. That single act damaged me more then I realized, dad. My child would be better off with you instead of me or its father."
"Am I to understand that you don't want to be part of your son or daughter's life?"
I want to be in my child's life when he or she turns a year old. Between now and then, I just can't, dad."
"And what about the child's father?"
"What I just told you will also extend to him as well. Neither he or I will be part of this child's life until he or she turns a year old."