Chapter 5:
Miguel looked at me, disappointed. He knew that by no means was I going to
let Charity be his wife. I had even promised him that by once having said, "I just can't
accept you marrying Charity." He knew me all too well.
Charity stared at me, confused.
"Why can't Miguel and I get married?" she asked me, tears in her eyes, her
hair disheveled.
"Because, Charity," I began crisply, "I recently found out something that
changes everything."
The blonde airhead in the bridal gown looked even more bewildered than
before.
"Kathleen Elizabeth Bennett!" Mother shouted again.
I turned around to look at the woman I despised. How could she have been my
mother? I still ask myself that everyday.
"Mother," I replied, angrily. "You have been trying for the longest time to
make stay away from Miguel. But no more. The truth has to come out now."
"And what is the truth you're talking about, Kay?" Charity asked, impatient.
"Well, Charity," I said. "The truth is that just two months ago, Miguel and I
made love...."
Gasps arose inside the church. I could see Jessica and Reese looking at me
disapprovingly. Not just about having sex with Miguel, but also because I ruined
Charity's and Miguel's day. Their stares felt like physical pain. My friends never used
to look at me like that. Never. Look what my friendships had become just because of
my love for Miguel. Even though it hurt to see them look at me that way, I would not
stop telling everyone the truth.
I looked at Charity, who was staring at Miguel with pain and distrust in her
eyes. She already had had so many premonitions that Miguel would one day leave her
for me and now it seemed to be coming true. In her eyes I mean. I hoped her
premonitions were a glimpse into the real future.
Miguel looked away, ashamed. He couldn't even look at his fiancée. He knew
he should have told her, but he didn't want any problems between the two. But now he
had more than his share of it.
"That's not all," I continued.
Miguel's head jerked up. He looked alarmed as he stared at me, waiting to see
what I had to say.
"Kay?!" Miguel asked, breathing heavily. I knew instantly from his tone, and
his body language that he knew what the next words would be out of my mouth. He
knew me well enough after 18 years to figure out my secret.
I nodded my head to him.
He groaned loudly. "Oh no, NO!"he yelled.
"Miguel, what is going on?" Charity looked at us, waiting for answers.
"I can tell you, Charity," I said. "You see, about a week after Miguel and I
made love, he proposed to you. From the very beginning I was opposed to this
marriage, but now I have another reason as to why I want this marriage stopped."
Every pair of eyes in the church was locked on me. Everyone listened intently
to hear what I had to say.
Here goes a wrecked marriage, I thought to myself.
"I'm pregnant," I said simply.
There were a lot of expressions on the faces of the people there that day. But
now I only remember Miguel's, Charity's and my Mother's features.
Miguel turned his back to Charity and the audience. He couldn't stand to hurt
his beloved like that. Charity fell to the floor, crying and screaming "no, no, you're
lying. How can you two do this to me!?" And Mother stood up, walked over to where I
was standing and slapped me so hard that I fell over, bumping into the pews.
"You bitch!" she yelled out. She didn't care that her wonderful, innocent little
image of motherly perfection was being spoiled that day; all that mattered was Charity.
As usual.
I looked at her and laughed.
"You can slap me all you want, you can send me off to Siberia for all I care! But
I am carrying Miguel's baby and you can't change that." I spit out at her.
She raised a hand at me again but my father stopped her.
"Don't you dare touch Kay!" he bellowed out.
I walked away from them, as they argued. The peaceful church was in such
pandemonium.
"Kay," Miguel said, a bit angry, a bit surprised. "I need to talk to you outside!"
I nodded. We walked outside to the front of the church.
"I don't believe this, Kay!" Miguel exploded.
"I know, Miguel," I said, comfortingly. "But I am pregnant."
"Kay, I'm not going to ask you to have an abortion. But couldn't you have put
the love you have for me aside? Couldn't you let me be happy with Charity? If you
really loved me, Kay, then you would have let me be happy with her."
I looked at him in disbelief. How could he possibly think that I would put aside
the love I felt for him? Especially when I was pregnant!
Tears came to my eyes. "And what about my happiness?" I asked. "Doesn't
that matter at all?"
"Ohh, Kay," he said, seeing my point of view. He tried to hug me but I rejected
it.
"You know, Miguel," I said. "For a few years now I have seen Charity take
everything and everyone from my life. She took my mother's and Jessica's love away
from me, she stole my room, my car, and most importantly, you. Do you know how
unhappy I have been? Can you just imagine?"
Miguel gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Kay," he said. "I see where
you are coming from."
This time, I let him envelop me in a hug. I cried and cried on his shoulder,
mascara streaking my face.
Daddy, Noah, Gwen and Hank came outside then.
"Is everything ok?" Hank asked.
We nodded.
They all held me and said comforting words, as we walked back inside.
"Miguel what are you gonna do?" Noah whispered to him.
"I don't know," Miguel answered, scratching his head. "But I know I can't
marry Charity right now. Not with everything that has happened."
Noah nodded understandingly.
Miguel looked at me, disappointed. He knew that by no means was I going to
let Charity be his wife. I had even promised him that by once having said, "I just can't
accept you marrying Charity." He knew me all too well.
Charity stared at me, confused.
"Why can't Miguel and I get married?" she asked me, tears in her eyes, her
hair disheveled.
"Because, Charity," I began crisply, "I recently found out something that
changes everything."
The blonde airhead in the bridal gown looked even more bewildered than
before.
"Kathleen Elizabeth Bennett!" Mother shouted again.
I turned around to look at the woman I despised. How could she have been my
mother? I still ask myself that everyday.
"Mother," I replied, angrily. "You have been trying for the longest time to
make stay away from Miguel. But no more. The truth has to come out now."
"And what is the truth you're talking about, Kay?" Charity asked, impatient.
"Well, Charity," I said. "The truth is that just two months ago, Miguel and I
made love...."
Gasps arose inside the church. I could see Jessica and Reese looking at me
disapprovingly. Not just about having sex with Miguel, but also because I ruined
Charity's and Miguel's day. Their stares felt like physical pain. My friends never used
to look at me like that. Never. Look what my friendships had become just because of
my love for Miguel. Even though it hurt to see them look at me that way, I would not
stop telling everyone the truth.
I looked at Charity, who was staring at Miguel with pain and distrust in her
eyes. She already had had so many premonitions that Miguel would one day leave her
for me and now it seemed to be coming true. In her eyes I mean. I hoped her
premonitions were a glimpse into the real future.
Miguel looked away, ashamed. He couldn't even look at his fiancée. He knew
he should have told her, but he didn't want any problems between the two. But now he
had more than his share of it.
"That's not all," I continued.
Miguel's head jerked up. He looked alarmed as he stared at me, waiting to see
what I had to say.
"Kay?!" Miguel asked, breathing heavily. I knew instantly from his tone, and
his body language that he knew what the next words would be out of my mouth. He
knew me well enough after 18 years to figure out my secret.
I nodded my head to him.
He groaned loudly. "Oh no, NO!"he yelled.
"Miguel, what is going on?" Charity looked at us, waiting for answers.
"I can tell you, Charity," I said. "You see, about a week after Miguel and I
made love, he proposed to you. From the very beginning I was opposed to this
marriage, but now I have another reason as to why I want this marriage stopped."
Every pair of eyes in the church was locked on me. Everyone listened intently
to hear what I had to say.
Here goes a wrecked marriage, I thought to myself.
"I'm pregnant," I said simply.
There were a lot of expressions on the faces of the people there that day. But
now I only remember Miguel's, Charity's and my Mother's features.
Miguel turned his back to Charity and the audience. He couldn't stand to hurt
his beloved like that. Charity fell to the floor, crying and screaming "no, no, you're
lying. How can you two do this to me!?" And Mother stood up, walked over to where I
was standing and slapped me so hard that I fell over, bumping into the pews.
"You bitch!" she yelled out. She didn't care that her wonderful, innocent little
image of motherly perfection was being spoiled that day; all that mattered was Charity.
As usual.
I looked at her and laughed.
"You can slap me all you want, you can send me off to Siberia for all I care! But
I am carrying Miguel's baby and you can't change that." I spit out at her.
She raised a hand at me again but my father stopped her.
"Don't you dare touch Kay!" he bellowed out.
I walked away from them, as they argued. The peaceful church was in such
pandemonium.
"Kay," Miguel said, a bit angry, a bit surprised. "I need to talk to you outside!"
I nodded. We walked outside to the front of the church.
"I don't believe this, Kay!" Miguel exploded.
"I know, Miguel," I said, comfortingly. "But I am pregnant."
"Kay, I'm not going to ask you to have an abortion. But couldn't you have put
the love you have for me aside? Couldn't you let me be happy with Charity? If you
really loved me, Kay, then you would have let me be happy with her."
I looked at him in disbelief. How could he possibly think that I would put aside
the love I felt for him? Especially when I was pregnant!
Tears came to my eyes. "And what about my happiness?" I asked. "Doesn't
that matter at all?"
"Ohh, Kay," he said, seeing my point of view. He tried to hug me but I rejected
it.
"You know, Miguel," I said. "For a few years now I have seen Charity take
everything and everyone from my life. She took my mother's and Jessica's love away
from me, she stole my room, my car, and most importantly, you. Do you know how
unhappy I have been? Can you just imagine?"
Miguel gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Kay," he said. "I see where
you are coming from."
This time, I let him envelop me in a hug. I cried and cried on his shoulder,
mascara streaking my face.
Daddy, Noah, Gwen and Hank came outside then.
"Is everything ok?" Hank asked.
We nodded.
They all held me and said comforting words, as we walked back inside.
"Miguel what are you gonna do?" Noah whispered to him.
"I don't know," Miguel answered, scratching his head. "But I know I can't
marry Charity right now. Not with everything that has happened."
Noah nodded understandingly.