Chapter Two
Hours later Lily lies on her side on her bed, her back to her door, she'd just finished telling her parents she was pregnant and they had treated her with a stony silence and she had retreated to her room after telling them she had every intention of giving her baby up for adoption. She and Travis had always been so careful when they had sex, but mistakes happen and they had both known that when they'd gotten into a physical relationship. Travis had always told Lily that if Lily did get pregnant he would be there for her through everything, no matter what she chose. Not loving Travis had nothing to do with the decision not to tell him, it was the opposite. Lily's mother had given up her dream for her father and Lily didn't want that for Travis.
"Lily?" Rose Randal's voice is soft and Lily know's she's been crying. "Can I come in?"
Lily sits up wiping her own tears away. "Yeah Mom, come in."
"How are you?" Rose sits on the edge of Lily's bed.
Lily shrugs, "okay I guess."
"Have you talked to Travis?" Rose asks. "Does he support the adoption?"
"I'm going to be honest because I don't want to lie about any of this, but you can't try to talk me out of it either."
"Okay Lily, go on." Rose urges gently.
"I told Travis the baby isn't his, it is, but I told him it's not."
"Why Lily?" Rose asks, her question isn't accusatory but gentle and soft just like her voice always had been.
"Travis got accepted to Oxford and he leaves the day after graduation. I'm not due until December, he'd insist on staying until the baby was born to be supportive. That would mean he would miss two semesters at Oxford and that's assuming he'd even go back. I don't want this baby to be his Europe."
"Lillian Virginia Randal what in heavens name are you talking about?"
"How you gave up studying art in Europe to be with daddy."
Rose sighs sadly, "Lily, I love my life. I loved staying at home and raising you and your brothers. I love being bale to be a grandmother, and involved in PTA for the last 25 years. I prayed for that chance to go to Europe, and I prayed for your father to change his mind about not wanting to move but now I thank God that my life turned out the way it has."
"You can honestly say that there aren't times when you regret not going to study in Europe?"
"Of course I can't honestly say that," Rose responds. "But I'm happy with the life I have, I could have gone to Rome and Paris without your father, he would have waited for me and he would have been loyal to me but I chose not to go. My point is, that maybe you should give Travis that same choice."
"Ray told Travis he was the father," Lily confesses, "I didn't ask him to, he just did. I thought Travis was going to hit him, I don't want to hurt Travis but I won't let him give up Oxford for me."
"I'm not going to try to sway what you believe is the right thing and I'm going to be right here for you just as long as you need me."
"I'm so sorry Mom," Lily sighs.
"You made a mistake, that happens. I know you have a lot to think about, a lot on your mind. So I'll let yo get some rest, do you think you're up to going to school tomorrow?"
Lily nods, "I can't hide from this, and it's not like it'll be all over school. Ray and Travis won't say anything."
"That's my brave daughter. I love you Lily."
"Love you too Mom."
"Ms. Randal," Mr. Archer, Lily's home room teacher, addresses her after roll. "Any idea where your buddies, Mr. Brennan, Mr. McGrath and Mr. Strong are this morning?"
Lily quickly glances at the three empty desks around her, "I don't know, sir." Lily responds.
Just as she utters the words Robbie comes into the class room handing Mr. Archer a pass, "I had a dentist appointment."
"A dentist appointment?" Lily ask Robbie when they leave home room, "you had a dentists appointment last week."
"I had some things to take care of at the station." Robbie responds and then comments, "so no Travis or Ray today?"
"Robbie, we need to talk." Lily states.
"I was there last night too Lil," Robbie responds sheepishly.
Lily quickly bites her lower lip, "you shouldn't lurk in shadows Robbie, it's rude." Lily states softly.
"I'm sorry Lily, but that wasn't really a fight I wanted walk in the middle of."
"Yeah," Lily shuffles her feet, "if you could, you know, not say anything..."
Robbie quickly silences Lily, "of course I won't say anything."
"I know you wouldn't, its just this last month of school's already going to be hell without the whole school talking about me, or us."
Robbie nods, "I get that. So I'll see you at lunch?"
Lily nods, "yeah. See you at lunch."
Robbie wraps an arm around Lily's shoulder and gives it a gently squeeze, "it'll work out Lily."
"Listen Robbie I don't know if I can do the show again, I know not for sure today, or for awhile..."
Robbie holds up his hand, "I've got it covered."
"Robbie it's impossible to run the show by yourself."
"I've got it covered," Robbie insists. "Don't worry about the show, just worry about you, okay?"
Lily nods, "thanks Robbie."
"Hey Lily," Audrey stops Lily in the hallway seconds after Robbie walks away. "Is Travis okay?"
"What?" Lily asks quickly, "why do you ask?"
"I saw him walking home yesterday, he looked a mess." Audrey's concern for her ex-boyfriend is obvious. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"
"Yeah," Lily nods honestly. "We did."
"Oh, do you want to talk about it or something?"
Lily shakes her head, "thanks for the offer Audrey, but I can't."
Audrey shrugs, "okay well if you need to talk, give me a call my numbers in the school directory."
Hours later Lily lies on her side on her bed, her back to her door, she'd just finished telling her parents she was pregnant and they had treated her with a stony silence and she had retreated to her room after telling them she had every intention of giving her baby up for adoption. She and Travis had always been so careful when they had sex, but mistakes happen and they had both known that when they'd gotten into a physical relationship. Travis had always told Lily that if Lily did get pregnant he would be there for her through everything, no matter what she chose. Not loving Travis had nothing to do with the decision not to tell him, it was the opposite. Lily's mother had given up her dream for her father and Lily didn't want that for Travis.
"Lily?" Rose Randal's voice is soft and Lily know's she's been crying. "Can I come in?"
Lily sits up wiping her own tears away. "Yeah Mom, come in."
"How are you?" Rose sits on the edge of Lily's bed.
Lily shrugs, "okay I guess."
"Have you talked to Travis?" Rose asks. "Does he support the adoption?"
"I'm going to be honest because I don't want to lie about any of this, but you can't try to talk me out of it either."
"Okay Lily, go on." Rose urges gently.
"I told Travis the baby isn't his, it is, but I told him it's not."
"Why Lily?" Rose asks, her question isn't accusatory but gentle and soft just like her voice always had been.
"Travis got accepted to Oxford and he leaves the day after graduation. I'm not due until December, he'd insist on staying until the baby was born to be supportive. That would mean he would miss two semesters at Oxford and that's assuming he'd even go back. I don't want this baby to be his Europe."
"Lillian Virginia Randal what in heavens name are you talking about?"
"How you gave up studying art in Europe to be with daddy."
Rose sighs sadly, "Lily, I love my life. I loved staying at home and raising you and your brothers. I love being bale to be a grandmother, and involved in PTA for the last 25 years. I prayed for that chance to go to Europe, and I prayed for your father to change his mind about not wanting to move but now I thank God that my life turned out the way it has."
"You can honestly say that there aren't times when you regret not going to study in Europe?"
"Of course I can't honestly say that," Rose responds. "But I'm happy with the life I have, I could have gone to Rome and Paris without your father, he would have waited for me and he would have been loyal to me but I chose not to go. My point is, that maybe you should give Travis that same choice."
"Ray told Travis he was the father," Lily confesses, "I didn't ask him to, he just did. I thought Travis was going to hit him, I don't want to hurt Travis but I won't let him give up Oxford for me."
"I'm not going to try to sway what you believe is the right thing and I'm going to be right here for you just as long as you need me."
"I'm so sorry Mom," Lily sighs.
"You made a mistake, that happens. I know you have a lot to think about, a lot on your mind. So I'll let yo get some rest, do you think you're up to going to school tomorrow?"
Lily nods, "I can't hide from this, and it's not like it'll be all over school. Ray and Travis won't say anything."
"That's my brave daughter. I love you Lily."
"Love you too Mom."
"Ms. Randal," Mr. Archer, Lily's home room teacher, addresses her after roll. "Any idea where your buddies, Mr. Brennan, Mr. McGrath and Mr. Strong are this morning?"
Lily quickly glances at the three empty desks around her, "I don't know, sir." Lily responds.
Just as she utters the words Robbie comes into the class room handing Mr. Archer a pass, "I had a dentist appointment."
"A dentist appointment?" Lily ask Robbie when they leave home room, "you had a dentists appointment last week."
"I had some things to take care of at the station." Robbie responds and then comments, "so no Travis or Ray today?"
"Robbie, we need to talk." Lily states.
"I was there last night too Lil," Robbie responds sheepishly.
Lily quickly bites her lower lip, "you shouldn't lurk in shadows Robbie, it's rude." Lily states softly.
"I'm sorry Lily, but that wasn't really a fight I wanted walk in the middle of."
"Yeah," Lily shuffles her feet, "if you could, you know, not say anything..."
Robbie quickly silences Lily, "of course I won't say anything."
"I know you wouldn't, its just this last month of school's already going to be hell without the whole school talking about me, or us."
Robbie nods, "I get that. So I'll see you at lunch?"
Lily nods, "yeah. See you at lunch."
Robbie wraps an arm around Lily's shoulder and gives it a gently squeeze, "it'll work out Lily."
"Listen Robbie I don't know if I can do the show again, I know not for sure today, or for awhile..."
Robbie holds up his hand, "I've got it covered."
"Robbie it's impossible to run the show by yourself."
"I've got it covered," Robbie insists. "Don't worry about the show, just worry about you, okay?"
Lily nods, "thanks Robbie."
"Hey Lily," Audrey stops Lily in the hallway seconds after Robbie walks away. "Is Travis okay?"
"What?" Lily asks quickly, "why do you ask?"
"I saw him walking home yesterday, he looked a mess." Audrey's concern for her ex-boyfriend is obvious. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"
"Yeah," Lily nods honestly. "We did."
"Oh, do you want to talk about it or something?"
Lily shakes her head, "thanks for the offer Audrey, but I can't."
Audrey shrugs, "okay well if you need to talk, give me a call my numbers in the school directory."