Chapter 14

For Emily

Point Place, WI

April 30, 2007 – May 1, 2007

did research on the net and there are some cases of 10-month pregnancies.

told in first person by Jacen Eric Forman, who had to keep a journal entry for

composition class.

It is Monday, April 30, 2007. It's a beautiful spring day. We don't have school today

because of a water main problem. So, I just took a piece of coffee cake and a

glass of milk to my room. Dad is a bundle of high-octane energy because the

baby should've been born already. I'm glad the baby isn't born yet. Because Paige

came this close to suffering a miscarriage, the fact that the baby is still in it's

natural house gives me hope that everything will be okay now. The doctor's said

they'd have to induce labor soon if her water doesn't break naturally. I have a

learner's permit, but with all of this baby stuff happening, my "career" at Pricemart,

school, and most importantly my relationship with Mindy. I haven't been able to

drive much.

Jackie and Michael are supposed to come and see the new baby. There's talk

about making a franchise of his sports bar. I know Jackie and Paige despise each

other and I don't know why. They are both great ladies. And quite frankly Jackie

should be extending an Olive branch to Paige, because although she doesn't

know many specifics and the stuff that I do know is not the school's business for

me to write for a journal assignment, but Paige hasn't had an easy time in her life

and Jackie should learn to let the hatred go.

Mindy said something to me at the beginning of yesterday's unofficial date when I

was at her house watching a movie. She reminded me of something I said a few

months ago when I mentioned Paige's pregnancy. Something that is very difficult

for me to write on paper especially if Mr. Monroe makes us read our entries out

loud.

It's just been very difficult. My life hasn't been easy either. I have to go my Dad is

calling me.

More later. J.F. 9:03AM

Why did my father feel the need to go out for paper clips? I'd put a nice word in

front of "paper clips", but I don't think Mr. Monroe would appreciate that. My dad is

so nervous you'd think he'd never went through this before. Wait! I just realized

something. I'll share it with you later. I really don't want to jinx things. I made Paige

a packet of chicken broth for lunch with a glass of flat ginger ale. That's all she

could keep down. I'll break out the Trivial Pursuit. She needs to keep her mind

occupied. So this is it for now.

J.F. 11:50AM

I am now officially a big brother! Ellis Bell Allen Forman or ( aka "Sissy" –from my

mouth only!) was born at four in the morning on May 1st, 2007. I'm too excited that

I write that upfront. She's very tiny. She's four pounds and five ounces. She's the

cutest little thing. She's got Dad's green eyes and the blonde hair (well it's just

blonde colored fuzz now) of—my mother.

They are so happy. I've never seen Mom & Dad so happy. Dad was passing out

pink "it's a girl" bubble gum cigars to everyone!

Jackie and Michael are here. Jackie's gushing over the baby, as everybody falls

head over heels in love with a brand new life. Mindy is supposed to meet me here

in five minutes so I can present to her my "Sissy". There was no school today

either. What luck!

I'll forgive everyone that they "forgot" today's date. Besides, if I know my Dad

somewhere between using "Jedi Mind Tricks" on a newborn baby and kissing his

wife, he'll remember that today is my birthday too, yeah.

The Forman family is now complete. I did the required word count and now I just

want to enjoy my—oops scratch that OUR birthday. I'm going to take care of my

"Sissy". Today was one of the best days ever.

note to Mr. Monroe—It's not the school's business. It wasn't something that

happened overnight and that's all you need to know.

J.F. 8:00AM

A private entry typed in MS Word and saved on a yellow floppy disk with

a rainbow sticker on it.

Mindy Swanson is an amazing woman. My engagement ring fund is growing quite

nicely. She deserves the best. I wish I could afford to get her a "big rock", but

Mindy likes delicate jewelry. However, it is the principle for the man to want to buy

his love the biggest and best of everything. What Mr. Monroe and the Point Place

High School staff does not need to know was that Mindy reminded me on 4/29/07

(yeah I lied about the movie in my school journal) when we were cuddling in her

bed. (BTW, I love the psuedo emergencies of the upper middle class; anything it

takes to get her parents out of the house is fine by me.). Awhile back when I told

her about the pregnancy when we had our dinner "date" in the kitchen, with her

parents in the dining room, I said, "My parents are pregnant."

Then she made me look inside myself. Really look. It really hurts to think about

my birth mother. And Mindy wasn't going to preach to me she just pointed out that

I referred to them in that one instance as "my parents".

I fell asleep in her arms until she heard her parents come home and then I had to

get dressed in a record twenty seconds while she went downstairs to greet them at

the door. She told me to go in her parents room because the only lie she could

think to come up with was I admired one of her dad's ties.

I'll come back to Mindy. Speaking of Dad's, of course Eric Forman remembered

my birthday so while Mom was resting, Jackie and Kelso gone back to the hotel,

we went out for pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of root beer. You should've seen the

look on his face when he heard me refer to Paige as Mom for the first time; I really

made the 'old man' happy. Mom and I had our moment in private. (otherwise

shutterbug Eric might have wanted to make a pictorial of the moment.) I'll never

forget her embrace. It was like she could've walked on air. She was concerned that

I was "caught up in the moment" (much like Mindy during our first time which

caused her to backtrack), but I assured her I wasn't. That other woman is dead to

me. Dad apologized for "forgetting" my birthday, I told him it was okay, of course

the baby had to come first. Does he think sixteen years is old is too young to not

realize when a miracle is happening? Infact, Dad almost choked on his pepperoni

when I told him what I wanted for my birthday present. The fact that I was almost a

legal adult didn't matter; again it was a matter of principle. I still wanted the

paperwork done. Paige Allen Forman was my mother in the truest sense of the

word and I wanted it recognized. Mom was surprised and stunned that I requested

such a thing and said the thought was enough. I said, "It's more than a thought. It's

a reality."

Back to Mindy Swanson is an amazing woman, when she came to the hospital to

see "Sissy"; she had brought a stuffed white teddy bear with a pink bow around its

neck. She whispered that she had my birthday present but we needed to go back

to my house because she couldn't do it. My father always taught me to be

respectful to a woman and I would never force Mindy to do anything she didn't want

to—so imagine my surprise and I had no trouble respecting her decision to give

me my first blow job. (and I thought her hand jobs were fantastic!) And so no one

thinks I'm a skive pig, she made me a card with her new computer software and got

me a white button down shirt with orange stripes. And a packet of Hostess

chocolate cupcakes that were crushed in her purse, but they were still the best

tasting happy birthday after getting oral pleasure cupcakes ever.

Mindy is in the shower because she's afraid that Mom and Dad will know what we

did when we go back to the hospital. I'm thinking I should be in the shower with

m'lady instead of writing in this private "journal" entry. But then we'd never leave.

Life is good. My girlfriend is wonderful; I don't know why most guys run away from

marriage I can't wait to be married to her. My parents are great. I have to end this

now, because I have to find my favorite teddy bear to put in the cradle that Dad

and I are going to assemble later on tonight. It's a worn brown bear whose right ear

is ripped and his tiny black ball nose is missing, but I want "Sissy" to have it. I'm

her protector. I will always be there for her.

My long-standing wish was finally fulfilled on May 1, 2007; I have a loving family

unit.

If you keep on believing in dreams long enough they will always come true.

Jacen Eric Forman

May 1, 2007

1:40PM