"Come again?" I could have sworn, but Mimi didn't just say she was...
"Pregnant Matt. I'm pregnant!" she said again and this time I knew that I had heard it right.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"The test said positive." she whispered, on the verge of tears.
"Well, what did the doctor say?" I prodded.
"Nothing. I have an appointment this afternoon. I couldn't go to the clinic or my parents would know that something was up." she explained.
"What time is the appointment?" I asked.
"During my spare." she replied, no longer able to contain her tears. I pulled her toward me gently and wrapped my arms around her.
"It's going to be okay Mimi. Whatever happens, we'll get through it together. We'll go to the appointment and check things out. Everything will be fine." I assured her.
"You're coming with me?" she asked, surprised.
"Don't you want me to?"
"Of course. I just didn't picture you handling this so well." she admitted.
"Trust me Meems, I'm freaking out, but getting upset about it isn't going to help us. It's happened and there's nothing we can do about it. We just have to live with the consequences." I never thought that I would've been so calm either, but it works for me.
"You're right." she agreed. "I just never thought that I'd be referring to my baby as a 'consequence'."
"I know what you mean, but it doesn't have to be. This is destiny. We we're obviously meant to go through this together." I told her.
"Too bad I don't believe in destiny..." Mimi replied, just before the bell sounded.
"I'll see you in a little while." I said, as I walked out the door. That last comment about Mimi not believing in destiny really upset me. I thought I knew her. I thought that we were almost exactly alike, but something told me that I would learn a lot more about her before this whole thing was over.
"Bye Matt." I called after him, but I don't know if he heard me. I gathered up my books and headed toward homeroom. This was the beginning of what was going to be a long and hard day. I could feel it. I told myself that I would be okay if I tried to avoid-
"Hey Mimi!" Never mind!
"Hi Sora!" I put on my best fake smile and turned to greet my best friend.
"How are you feeling?" she asked. We we're suppose to get together on the weekend, but I called and told her that I wasn't feeling too well. It wasn't a total lie. After everything that had with Matt and my parents, I didn't exactly feel like spending the day with Sora. I hadn't even known that I was pregnant yet, but now I was especially glad that I had called it off.
"I'm still feeling a bit queasy." which also wasn't exactly a lie.
"That's too bad." she said sympathetically.
"Yeah..."
"But at least you were ell enough to come to school!" That was Sora. The eternal optimist. Unfortunately, I didn't feel too optimistic.
"Lucky me!" I replied sarcastically.
"Whoa! You don't have to bite my head off!" she said. She looked hurt.
"I'm sorry Sora. I just don't feel very happy right now." I told her.
"Is anything wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing for you to have to worry about. Don't worry, it'll all work out."
"Are you sure?" she asked, worriedly.
"Positive." I replied.
"Okay, let's go to class." she suggested.
"Lead the way!"
The hours that followed were the longest that I had ever faced. Finally, the clock had given me the answer that I was waiting for. It said, 'yes Matt, it's time to reveal your destiny.' So, I had picked up Mimi, driven to the doctor's office and here we were, waiting.
"You nervous?" I asked.
"Incredibly!" she admitted. "You?"
"Yep." I replied instantly.
"Tachikawa, Mimi?" a nurse called.
"That's me!" Mimi called back.
"Right this way please. The doctor will see you now." the nurse told us in her routine way. Mimi grabbed hold of my hand and together we followed the nurse into an examination room.
"It's only a matter of minutes..." she told me.
"It'll be just fine." I assured her again.
"You keep saying that. How do you know for sure?" she whispered.
"I don't, but it keeps me from going insane!" I whispered back. The doctor appeared in the doorway after that, so our conversation ended.
"Hello doctor." I greeted him.
"Mimi! How nice to see you again! What seems to be the problem?" he asked, completely ignoring Matt.
"Well..." I started.
"Mimi?" the doctor prodded.
"I think I'm pregnant." I managed.
"Why do you think that?" he asked.
"I took a pregnancy test. It said positive, but I wanted to make sure..." I told him, once again on the verge of tears.
"Okay, well, we can run some tests to make sure." he agreed. So, they ran the tests and had Matt and I wait another eternity for the results.
"What are you thinking?" Matt asked as we waited.
"I'm thinking that I actually do want to be a mother." I admitted.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yeah, really." I told him
"That's great, because I kind of like the idea of being a father." he squeezed my hand as he said this.
"How much longer do we have to wait." I whined.
"Not long!" the doctor replied as he appeared back in the doorway.
"You're the father?" he asked Matt.
"I am the... Does that mean we... the baby?" I stuttered.
"Are you the father?" he asked again.
"Yes sir." I replied.
"Does that mean that I am going to have a baby doctor?" Mimi asked.
"Yes Mimi, but let me tell you, I'm not too happy about that." he told her.
"I know." she whispered.
"Mimi, you are way too young to be having a child. I deal with this sort of thing all of the time, but not usually with sweet girls like you. I usually don't condone this, but there are options..."
"Are you suggesting that Mimi abort the baby?" I asked, outraged by the thought.
"It is an option. One that I really think that Mimi should consider." the doctor replied.
"Matt is the father..." Mimi started.
"I don't care. I don't like him!" he said openly.
"But you don't even know me!" I blurted out.
"I don't care about that either. Anyone who could do this to a sweet young lady like Mimi is scum!"
"Excuse me doctor, but I love this scum and I don't need you to tell me my options because there isn't any but one! Matt and I are going to keep our child and there is nothing that you can do to change that." Mimi yelled.
"Mimi, I-" the doctor started, but Mimi wasn't finished.
"And another thing! Matt and I really do appreciate you help today, but that is the last of it that we will ever require. I'm sure that another physician would be much more supportive of this matter. Thank you very much doctor. Good day!" she concluded, then took my hand and lead me out of the office.
"I'm impressed Mimi!" Matt exclaimed as we headed toward his car.
"Why thank you!" she blushed.
"That means that one problem is solved at least." he said, as he climbed into the driver's seat.
"Yeah, now for the big one." I said, knowing exactly what Matt was getting at.
"That, plus finding another doctor!" Matt laughed. I however, was still set on the first problem.
"How do you want to do this?" I asked.
"We'll take them out for dinner, feed them, booze them and them tell them." Matt joked. In case you haven't caught on yet, we were talking about our parents.
"I like the dinner part. That way they can't make a scene, but as for the alcohol..."
"I was just kidding!" he assured me.
"Really?" I asked, sarcastically.
"I don't feel like going back to school though..." Matt said.
"It's not like we can." I said, pointing to the clock.
"Wow! We were in there for a while." he replied.
"So, dinner then?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Dinner!" Matt agreed, as he pulled out of the parking lot, set on picking up our parents.
We decided to splurge and take our parents to a really fancy restaurant. This would ensure that our families would both be polite as we released our news. They couldn't exactly explode at a five star restaurant. It would be uncivilized. Anyway, we were sitting around the table, eating when Mimi and I decided to shift the dinner conversation are way.
"We're so glad that you agreed to come out with us tonight!" Mimi started off.
"I just can't believe that you both wanted to go on a date with your parents." my dad replied.
"Yeah, there must be some ulterior motive." Mr. Tachikawa joked. That comment was the one that had me sweating. Mimi squeezed my hand for confidence, and that made me decide on the direct approach.
"Actually sir, there is sort of an ulterior motive." I told him. That had all of the adults in stitches, but when they realized that Mimi and I weren't exactly laughing, they became serious.
"And that would be?" my mom prodded.
"Matt and I have some news." Mimi replied, squeezing my hand a little harder.
"Good news or bad?" Mrs. Tachikawa asked.
"That depends on how you take it." I answered.
"C'mon, it can't be all that bad." her dad said.
"I'm pregnant!" Mimi near whispered.
"What?" my mom asked. We were a lot alike. The look on her face was the same as mine when I found out.
"Mimi and I are having a baby!" I announced, more confidently.
"Like hell you are!" my dad replied, a little loud. My mom calmed him down, but heads were already turning.
"Mimi! You're way too young to have a baby." her mom cried.
"Well, it's too late now!" Mimi replied sharply.
"There are options..." her dad started.
"Adoption."
"Abortion." They began rattling all of our choices off as if we weren't aware.
"Mimi and I have decided that we are going to keep the baby." I broke in.
"You're crazy!" her dad yelled.
"This is terrible!" my mom cried.
"No! You are all terrible! All we wanted was your congratulations and maybe your support, though we weren't counting on it. Matt and I are having this baby whether you want to be a part of this experience or not and there is nothing any of you can do to change that fact!" Mimi yelled and then stormed out of the restaurant bawling her eyes out. I stood frozen for a minute, then I reached in my pocket, threw some money at my dad for dinner and walked out after Mimi. So much for not causing a scene.
So much for an ending to a story, but that's really all that there is. Our experience under erotic rains had forced us to grow considerably in a matter of days. Our parents didn't fully understand, but that's okay, we didn't exactly expect them to. I on the other hand, began to believe in Destiny...
THE END
~MPF