Miranda ran the rest of the way home. When she finally got there she decided that she was going to tell her parents. She knew they were going to find out eventually anyways. It wasn't as if they wouldn't notice her stomach slowly growing to the size of a overly large watermelon.
"Mama? Papa?" she called as she dropped her bag, walking into her bedroom.
Miranda got no answer to her calls so she called again louder.
"MAMA? PAPA?"
Her cat scurried across the room having been awoken by her yells.
"Oy Miranda! Do you have to scream so loud?" her mother said walking through the front door Miranda hadn't even bothered to close when she came in the house.
"Where's dad?" Miranda asked looking around.
"Oh he had an important meeting up in Sacramento he had to hurry up to. He left while you were out." Miranda's mom explained.
"W-when will he be back?" Miranda asked.
"Maybe tomorrow or the day after." her mom said nonchalantly while putting away bags of groceries.
"Oh….maybe I should wait…" Miranda said quietly to herself
"Wait for what Mija?" Her mother asked not even looking up at her daughter.
"Oh…I just wanted to tell you something but…maybe I should wait till Dad's here." Miranda said worriedly.
"Just tell me Miranda." said her mother who had just ducked out of sight putting a roll of paper towels in the cupboard under the sink.
"Well…I have a problem…" Miranda started then slowly cut off. "Mom could you at least look at me when im talking to you?"
Her mother stood up from her crouching position where she was putting a bunch of carrots in the refrigerator.
"Well?" Her mother said impatiently with hand on her hip.
"I…I…I.." Miranda stuttered. It was harder than she thought. Somehow she couldn't form the words in her mouth. It was as if she believed that if she didn't say the words out loud they wouldn't be true.
"Well spit it out mija! I don't have all day!" Her mother said shaking her head at her.
"Im…pregnant." Miranda said with her head down in shame.
Her mother giggled. "Speak up sweetie it sounded like you said you were pregnant."
Miranda's eyes filled with tears once again. "That IS what I said mom…."
"You cant be serious. Miranda I have no time to play your games right now im busy." Her mother said shaking her head and turning back to place a head of lettuce in the fridge.
"No…Mom…I'm not joking...I…I…wish I was" Miranda tried hard to keep the tears from pouring out of her eyes.
Her mother turned around slowly and looked Miranda straight in the eye.
"You're…you're not…how could you be…."
"I am…" Miranda said avoiding looking into her mother's eyes.
"Are you sure?" her mother asked.
"Pretty sure…I…I…bought one of t-those t-tests at….at the store…" Miranda tried with all her might to keep her voice from quivering.
Mrs. Sanchez walked right past Miranda and made a beeline for the bedroom she and her husband shared. Miranda followed behind her, wondering what she could possibly be doing. Mrs. Sanchez opened a drawer and threw out some clothes without even looking at them. She pulled out a pink box that was under the clothes.
"Mom…I told you I already took one of those tests." Miranda protested.
"DO IT AGAIN…." Mrs. Sanchez demanded.
**********************************AN HOUR LATER******************************
"See, I told you mom…it turned blue." Miranda said.
Her mother looked her, eyes full of disappointment.
"Well? Who's the father?" She asked.
"I…I…I don't know." Miranda lied.
"Don't lie to me!" Mrs. Sanchez said, raising her voice.
"You…you wouldn't know him…" Miranda lied again.
"It was that Gordon boy wasn't it? I knew it! Always around that David…"
"No! Mom I swear! It was…this guy named Larry. You know, the one with the dark hair. The smart one?"
Her mom looked at her peculiarly. "You mean the one you and your friends always talk about? The one that wears the same shirt everyday?"
"Yes…" Miranda said, still avoiding her Mother's eyes.
"Well…I suppose I should call your father…no I'll just wait till he comes home. No need to stress him out at his meeting." Her mother said walking up the stairs of the home.
"Wait…so that's it? That's all your going to say to me?" Miranda asked amazed.
"Well…what am I supposed to say? There's nothing I can say. It's not as if you can undo this-"
"Actually at this point you can." Miranda said interrupting her Mother's sentence.
"Don't even think about that Miranda. It wont help to murder the poor child. It didn't ask for you to create it!" Her mother said harshly.
The tears Miranda had been trying so hard to hold in managed to leak out. As one tear fell, the others came down harder and faster and Miranda began to sob uncontrollably. Mrs. Sanchez looked down the stairs as if she wanted to comfort her daughter but instead went into her bedroom and slammed the door. That night, her mother didn't leave the bedroom at all.
************************************************************************
Miranda woke up the next morning still in the clothes she had worn the night before. She wondered why she had such a horrible feeling in her heart then the memory of the night before flooded into her head. She groaned at the thought of it. She and her mother had always been fairly close and just to have had her mother look at her like that. That look of pure disappointment. Miranda stood up in front of her full length mirror and pulled up her shirt to reveal her stomach. She could see no real difference in the size of it at this point. She inhaled and poked out her stomach as far as she could. She grimaced at the sight of the large bulge.
"And to think it will be like 4 times worse than this." she said quietly to herself.
She changed her clothes and walked downstairs to fix herself some breakfast. She was surprised to see her father sitting there already biting into a piece of toast. He looked up at the sound of her flip flops thwacking against the tile on the kitchen floor.
He smiled brightly at her. "Buenas Dias mi hija bonita."
"Hi Dad…" She said sitting down at the table next to him.
"Que paso my little one? You look upset." He said looking concerned.
"Oh…I guess im just tired." She said lamely.
If her father had believed that her Mother ruined her story by coming down the stairs looking like she fought a mighty battle over the nights time. She had large bags under her eyes and her hair was all over the place as if she had been tossing and turning all night. Her eyes were a bright red and Miranda's heart sank, knowing that she was not the only one who cried herself to sleep.
"What's wrong?" Her father said alarmed looking from Miranda to Mrs. Sanchez. The two women looked between each other and looked back at Mr. Sanchez.
Mrs. Sanchez sighed loudly and said dully, "I think Miranda has something to tell you."
"No…Mom…" Miranda begged. She didn't want to have to go through with it again.
"Miranda don't expect me to feel sorry for you. You put yourself into this situation." Her mother said sternly.
But with one look at her daughter she sighed and said to Mr. Sanchez, "Looks like we're going to be Grandparents."
Mr. Sanchez looked at the tired, puffy eyed face of each woman. Then he looked Miranda right in the eye and gave her that same disappointed look her Mother had the night before. Miranda could feel her eyes well up with tears once again and ran from the kitchen table knocking over a chair
"Miranda wait!" her father called but her mother told him, "Just let her go."
Miranda grabbed her purse from where she had thrown it on the floor the night before and ran out the front door.
"Mama? Papa?" she called as she dropped her bag, walking into her bedroom.
Miranda got no answer to her calls so she called again louder.
"MAMA? PAPA?"
Her cat scurried across the room having been awoken by her yells.
"Oy Miranda! Do you have to scream so loud?" her mother said walking through the front door Miranda hadn't even bothered to close when she came in the house.
"Where's dad?" Miranda asked looking around.
"Oh he had an important meeting up in Sacramento he had to hurry up to. He left while you were out." Miranda's mom explained.
"W-when will he be back?" Miranda asked.
"Maybe tomorrow or the day after." her mom said nonchalantly while putting away bags of groceries.
"Oh….maybe I should wait…" Miranda said quietly to herself
"Wait for what Mija?" Her mother asked not even looking up at her daughter.
"Oh…I just wanted to tell you something but…maybe I should wait till Dad's here." Miranda said worriedly.
"Just tell me Miranda." said her mother who had just ducked out of sight putting a roll of paper towels in the cupboard under the sink.
"Well…I have a problem…" Miranda started then slowly cut off. "Mom could you at least look at me when im talking to you?"
Her mother stood up from her crouching position where she was putting a bunch of carrots in the refrigerator.
"Well?" Her mother said impatiently with hand on her hip.
"I…I…I.." Miranda stuttered. It was harder than she thought. Somehow she couldn't form the words in her mouth. It was as if she believed that if she didn't say the words out loud they wouldn't be true.
"Well spit it out mija! I don't have all day!" Her mother said shaking her head at her.
"Im…pregnant." Miranda said with her head down in shame.
Her mother giggled. "Speak up sweetie it sounded like you said you were pregnant."
Miranda's eyes filled with tears once again. "That IS what I said mom…."
"You cant be serious. Miranda I have no time to play your games right now im busy." Her mother said shaking her head and turning back to place a head of lettuce in the fridge.
"No…Mom…I'm not joking...I…I…wish I was" Miranda tried hard to keep the tears from pouring out of her eyes.
Her mother turned around slowly and looked Miranda straight in the eye.
"You're…you're not…how could you be…."
"I am…" Miranda said avoiding looking into her mother's eyes.
"Are you sure?" her mother asked.
"Pretty sure…I…I…bought one of t-those t-tests at….at the store…" Miranda tried with all her might to keep her voice from quivering.
Mrs. Sanchez walked right past Miranda and made a beeline for the bedroom she and her husband shared. Miranda followed behind her, wondering what she could possibly be doing. Mrs. Sanchez opened a drawer and threw out some clothes without even looking at them. She pulled out a pink box that was under the clothes.
"Mom…I told you I already took one of those tests." Miranda protested.
"DO IT AGAIN…." Mrs. Sanchez demanded.
**********************************AN HOUR LATER******************************
"See, I told you mom…it turned blue." Miranda said.
Her mother looked her, eyes full of disappointment.
"Well? Who's the father?" She asked.
"I…I…I don't know." Miranda lied.
"Don't lie to me!" Mrs. Sanchez said, raising her voice.
"You…you wouldn't know him…" Miranda lied again.
"It was that Gordon boy wasn't it? I knew it! Always around that David…"
"No! Mom I swear! It was…this guy named Larry. You know, the one with the dark hair. The smart one?"
Her mom looked at her peculiarly. "You mean the one you and your friends always talk about? The one that wears the same shirt everyday?"
"Yes…" Miranda said, still avoiding her Mother's eyes.
"Well…I suppose I should call your father…no I'll just wait till he comes home. No need to stress him out at his meeting." Her mother said walking up the stairs of the home.
"Wait…so that's it? That's all your going to say to me?" Miranda asked amazed.
"Well…what am I supposed to say? There's nothing I can say. It's not as if you can undo this-"
"Actually at this point you can." Miranda said interrupting her Mother's sentence.
"Don't even think about that Miranda. It wont help to murder the poor child. It didn't ask for you to create it!" Her mother said harshly.
The tears Miranda had been trying so hard to hold in managed to leak out. As one tear fell, the others came down harder and faster and Miranda began to sob uncontrollably. Mrs. Sanchez looked down the stairs as if she wanted to comfort her daughter but instead went into her bedroom and slammed the door. That night, her mother didn't leave the bedroom at all.
************************************************************************
Miranda woke up the next morning still in the clothes she had worn the night before. She wondered why she had such a horrible feeling in her heart then the memory of the night before flooded into her head. She groaned at the thought of it. She and her mother had always been fairly close and just to have had her mother look at her like that. That look of pure disappointment. Miranda stood up in front of her full length mirror and pulled up her shirt to reveal her stomach. She could see no real difference in the size of it at this point. She inhaled and poked out her stomach as far as she could. She grimaced at the sight of the large bulge.
"And to think it will be like 4 times worse than this." she said quietly to herself.
She changed her clothes and walked downstairs to fix herself some breakfast. She was surprised to see her father sitting there already biting into a piece of toast. He looked up at the sound of her flip flops thwacking against the tile on the kitchen floor.
He smiled brightly at her. "Buenas Dias mi hija bonita."
"Hi Dad…" She said sitting down at the table next to him.
"Que paso my little one? You look upset." He said looking concerned.
"Oh…I guess im just tired." She said lamely.
If her father had believed that her Mother ruined her story by coming down the stairs looking like she fought a mighty battle over the nights time. She had large bags under her eyes and her hair was all over the place as if she had been tossing and turning all night. Her eyes were a bright red and Miranda's heart sank, knowing that she was not the only one who cried herself to sleep.
"What's wrong?" Her father said alarmed looking from Miranda to Mrs. Sanchez. The two women looked between each other and looked back at Mr. Sanchez.
Mrs. Sanchez sighed loudly and said dully, "I think Miranda has something to tell you."
"No…Mom…" Miranda begged. She didn't want to have to go through with it again.
"Miranda don't expect me to feel sorry for you. You put yourself into this situation." Her mother said sternly.
But with one look at her daughter she sighed and said to Mr. Sanchez, "Looks like we're going to be Grandparents."
Mr. Sanchez looked at the tired, puffy eyed face of each woman. Then he looked Miranda right in the eye and gave her that same disappointed look her Mother had the night before. Miranda could feel her eyes well up with tears once again and ran from the kitchen table knocking over a chair
"Miranda wait!" her father called but her mother told him, "Just let her go."
Miranda grabbed her purse from where she had thrown it on the floor the night before and ran out the front door.