Chapter Two: Failure
"Hey guys," Mary said as she emerged from the bathroom, letting her brown hair down from the ponytail she had quickly pulled it into as she had headed upstairs. "I never thought that there would be a queue to see me hurl. I can hardly wait now until I give birth, there'll be much more to see then."
She felt Carlos wrap his arm around her shoulder as he pulled closer to him. Lucy smiled at her and Ruthie raised her eyebrows, glancing into the bathroom. Despite the slightly unnerving air to having people wait for her outside the bathroom as she threw her guts up, it felt reassuring to have people there giving her support.
"I'm never getting pregnant if that's what you end up looking like." Ruthie said before turning. "No offense, but I've got to go, I hate the smell of sick and the bathroom reeks of it."
Mary let out a small laugh and raised her eyebrows as her youngest sister disappeared, "Cheers Ruthie."
"Well I think you look more beautiful ever single day. Su celestial." Carlos said as he kissed her. "Especially with that wonderful glow on your face."
Mary's grin grew as she glanced at her sister, wrapped her hands tighter in his and squeezed it, "You see that's how you can tell a guy loves you when they kiss you just after you spew."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucy asked, "You look really pale."
"Don't worry about me Luce, I'm fine, honestly. A bit of sickness is not going to kill me, I've coped with far worst; it is just annoy me slightly, it's none stop. Believe me, if they told you about this people would never get pregnant."
"But you saw mom go through it four times. You must have had some idea what it was like."
"I know, but it's completely different when it happens to you. My respect for mom is growing so much in this issue. But saying that, it's also the best feeling in the world to know that I've got this little person inside me, so the constant sickness and peaky coloring is well worth it." Mary replied before turning to her husband. "I guess we really should head back downstairs."
"Okay, let me know if you need anything." Lucy said as she watched her older sister turn around. Carlos was right, she did have a certain glow that surrounded her. "Anything at all."
"Will do." Mary replied as she shot her younger sister a final smile.
She turned and headed down the stairs and slowly made her way to the dinning room. She glanced to the stairs looking for Carlos and holding off going into the room. She had a gut feeling that she was not going to receive that warm welcome from her parents, not if the earlier dinner had been anything to go off.
Mary stood outside the closed dining room door with her hand rested on it, on the verge of pushing it open. She paused as she heard her parents muttering in low voices to each other. A couple of thoughts started to flash through her mind. Her parents only dropped their voices when they were talking about one of their children.
"I sometimes can't believe she's my same little girl, the same girl I was so proud of each time she would run home and show me what she did at school. Now, well, now she's running upstairs at my meals to be sick."
"I know, it's just seems like yesterday she was born and she looked up to me for everything. Things were so easy back then, she'd fall over and you could kiss it better and frighten the monsters under the bed." Eric laughed. "I can remember teaching her, her first lay-up as if it was this morning."
"How did she change so much?"
Mary placed her ear close to the door. For once she was going to hear what they really thought about her and not some edited version of it.
"Mary."
She raised her hands to her lips as she saw Carlos approach her. For once she wanted to listen in to what was being said instead of having to wait to listen to the rumors and feel the tension that was gathering around wherever she went with her family.
Once Carlos had joined her in learning the art of snooping and spying, Camden fashion and had placed his ear next to hers', she placed her own ear back on the door.
"I know," Annie's voice said. "I never thought that one of my kids would screw up so badly with the grades, being arrested, boys, money, being unemployable, drinking, smoking, her marriage and now she's pregnant and she's still just a baby herself. What will the church say? Were we such bad parents?"
"No we weren't bad parents, and we can't make her mistakes for her."
"But maybe there was just something we could have done." Annie offered. "Somewhere we could have stopped her while she was still an honor role student and a star basketball player. Varsity captains should be enjoying their scholarships at twenty-two, not a married pregnant air stewardess."
"At least the other kids are still in school."
"Thank god for small mercies."
Mary felt the anger rise inside her. Was she always going to be seen as such a disappointment and would they ever get over those stupid mistakes from four years ago? Wasn't it the Christian thing to forgive and move on?
She flung open the door it was about time that they saw her as an independent adult. Someone who managed her finances, had her own apartment, a stable job, and someone who loved her.
"Mary," Eric stuttered slightly on seeing his daughter's bright red face. "Are you okay?"
"No, not really."
"Mary," Carlos said in a soft voice.
"No, it's about time they heard this." Mary replied as she wound up all the anger inside her. "I'm no failure, I'm just not perfect."
"Mary..."
Next chapter: Mary answers back.
"Hey guys," Mary said as she emerged from the bathroom, letting her brown hair down from the ponytail she had quickly pulled it into as she had headed upstairs. "I never thought that there would be a queue to see me hurl. I can hardly wait now until I give birth, there'll be much more to see then."
She felt Carlos wrap his arm around her shoulder as he pulled closer to him. Lucy smiled at her and Ruthie raised her eyebrows, glancing into the bathroom. Despite the slightly unnerving air to having people wait for her outside the bathroom as she threw her guts up, it felt reassuring to have people there giving her support.
"I'm never getting pregnant if that's what you end up looking like." Ruthie said before turning. "No offense, but I've got to go, I hate the smell of sick and the bathroom reeks of it."
Mary let out a small laugh and raised her eyebrows as her youngest sister disappeared, "Cheers Ruthie."
"Well I think you look more beautiful ever single day. Su celestial." Carlos said as he kissed her. "Especially with that wonderful glow on your face."
Mary's grin grew as she glanced at her sister, wrapped her hands tighter in his and squeezed it, "You see that's how you can tell a guy loves you when they kiss you just after you spew."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucy asked, "You look really pale."
"Don't worry about me Luce, I'm fine, honestly. A bit of sickness is not going to kill me, I've coped with far worst; it is just annoy me slightly, it's none stop. Believe me, if they told you about this people would never get pregnant."
"But you saw mom go through it four times. You must have had some idea what it was like."
"I know, but it's completely different when it happens to you. My respect for mom is growing so much in this issue. But saying that, it's also the best feeling in the world to know that I've got this little person inside me, so the constant sickness and peaky coloring is well worth it." Mary replied before turning to her husband. "I guess we really should head back downstairs."
"Okay, let me know if you need anything." Lucy said as she watched her older sister turn around. Carlos was right, she did have a certain glow that surrounded her. "Anything at all."
"Will do." Mary replied as she shot her younger sister a final smile.
She turned and headed down the stairs and slowly made her way to the dinning room. She glanced to the stairs looking for Carlos and holding off going into the room. She had a gut feeling that she was not going to receive that warm welcome from her parents, not if the earlier dinner had been anything to go off.
Mary stood outside the closed dining room door with her hand rested on it, on the verge of pushing it open. She paused as she heard her parents muttering in low voices to each other. A couple of thoughts started to flash through her mind. Her parents only dropped their voices when they were talking about one of their children.
"I sometimes can't believe she's my same little girl, the same girl I was so proud of each time she would run home and show me what she did at school. Now, well, now she's running upstairs at my meals to be sick."
"I know, it's just seems like yesterday she was born and she looked up to me for everything. Things were so easy back then, she'd fall over and you could kiss it better and frighten the monsters under the bed." Eric laughed. "I can remember teaching her, her first lay-up as if it was this morning."
"How did she change so much?"
Mary placed her ear close to the door. For once she was going to hear what they really thought about her and not some edited version of it.
"Mary."
She raised her hands to her lips as she saw Carlos approach her. For once she wanted to listen in to what was being said instead of having to wait to listen to the rumors and feel the tension that was gathering around wherever she went with her family.
Once Carlos had joined her in learning the art of snooping and spying, Camden fashion and had placed his ear next to hers', she placed her own ear back on the door.
"I know," Annie's voice said. "I never thought that one of my kids would screw up so badly with the grades, being arrested, boys, money, being unemployable, drinking, smoking, her marriage and now she's pregnant and she's still just a baby herself. What will the church say? Were we such bad parents?"
"No we weren't bad parents, and we can't make her mistakes for her."
"But maybe there was just something we could have done." Annie offered. "Somewhere we could have stopped her while she was still an honor role student and a star basketball player. Varsity captains should be enjoying their scholarships at twenty-two, not a married pregnant air stewardess."
"At least the other kids are still in school."
"Thank god for small mercies."
Mary felt the anger rise inside her. Was she always going to be seen as such a disappointment and would they ever get over those stupid mistakes from four years ago? Wasn't it the Christian thing to forgive and move on?
She flung open the door it was about time that they saw her as an independent adult. Someone who managed her finances, had her own apartment, a stable job, and someone who loved her.
"Mary," Eric stuttered slightly on seeing his daughter's bright red face. "Are you okay?"
"No, not really."
"Mary," Carlos said in a soft voice.
"No, it's about time they heard this." Mary replied as she wound up all the anger inside her. "I'm no failure, I'm just not perfect."
"Mary..."
Next chapter: Mary answers back.