Chapter 31

A/N—I used Alta Vista's Babel Fish translation website to translate from English to Spanish. I don't remember enough Spanish to translate accurately, but these translations seem fairly close. So, I'd appreciate constructive feedback from those who have better facility in Spanish than I have, but no flames, please. I did put the English in parentheses, so if you're not fluent in Spanish...(ME!)

I didn't know my life was going to turn upside down six weeks later. I woke up for school (Your father and I had enrolled in a summer enrichment program); I think it was a Monday, and felt like I was gonna lose my lunch. The only problem was that I hadn't eaten anything yet. I get up and rush to the bathroom before your Aunt Stevie got the chance to hog it. She was ten at the time, but acted more like she was the one who was sixteen. She thought she was hot stuff because she was enrolled in a summer dance program at the Y. Fortunately, I made it on time, but she followed close behind and started pounding on the door.

Flashback Sequence:

Stevie: Knocking on the door. C'mon Miranda, I've gotta get ready for dance camp!

Miranda: Leave me alone!

Stevie: But Miranda!

Miranda: Go away! Gagging. Hears her yell down the hall.

Stevie: Mom! Miranda's sick!

Miranda: No (cough) I'm not (cough)! Hears footsteps, and Daniella approaching.

Daniella: Knocking on the door. Miranda? Mija, are you okay? No answer. She hears gagging noises on the other side of the door. Sweetheart, what's wrong?

Miranda finishes emptying the contents of her stomach, flushes the toilet, brushes her teeth and washes her face. She stands there, looking in the mirror. I look like hell! Then, she sees the calendar on the wall, and notices today's date. Oh shit! NO! I can't be! Oh God! Daniella keeps knocking on the door, and Miranda realizes she can't ignore it anymore, and answers the door.

Miranda: What?

Daniella: Are you okay? You don't look so good.

Miranda: I'm okay.

Daniella: Your sister said you were throwing up.

Miranda: I don't think last night's dinner agreed with me.

Daniella: I can write you a note for school, if you think you need to stay home.

Miranda: I'll be okay. I've got a test today anyway.

(I finish getting ready for school)

At school (sequence continues)

Gordo meets Miranda at their lockers.

Gordo: Hey. Are you okay? You look pale.

Miranda: We need to talk, but let's wait until after class.

Gordo: Concerned. Is everything okay? What's going on? You don't wanna break up or anything, do you?

Miranda: No! It's not that. She regains her composure. Really, let's talk after class.

They go to class, but neither one really pays much attention.

Miranda (deep in thought): I can't believe I'm pregnant. God, it's so hard to even say that word. I can't be having a baby! She looks over at Gordo. Gordo's gonna hate me. If anyone should be having a baby, it should be Lizzie and Gordo, but she's dead! I can't be having my best friend's boyfriend's baby. Maybe it's a false alarm. No, I can't be pregnant. Dinner just didn't agree with me. Yeah. That's it. I'm okay. I'll just buy a test and take it this afternoon. It'll be negative. Yeah, that's it. I'm not pregnant. I'm just late. Oh shit.

After class, they walk over to the nearby park to talk.

Gordo: What's going on? You've been acting weird all day.

Miranda: Tears stream down her eyes. Gordo, I...

Gordo: Miranda? What's wrong? He wipes a tear from her eye.

Miranda: I'm late.

Gordo: What do you mean, late?

Miranda: I was supposed to start, you know, a couple weeks ago. And, this morning, I felt queasy and threw up.

Gordo: Still looking clueless. Which means, uh?

Miranda: I'M PREGNANT, DAMMIT!

Gordo: Jaw dropping. You're, uh, we're, uh gonna have a baby?

Miranda: Yessss! She hisses.

Gordo: Are you sure?

Miranda: If you mean, have I taken a test, no, but you know what we did the day we visited the cemetery.

Gordo: Man! Oh boy. What are we gonna do?

Miranda: The first thing we're gonna do is buy a test, and I'm gonna take it.

Gordo: My folks aren't home, so if you want, you can take it there.

Miranda: Sure. I don't think I'm ready to tell my folks yet. There may be nothing to tell.

En route to Gordo's house, they stop by the drugstore.

Miranda stops at the threshold: Are we ready for this? She inhales.

Gordo: No, but I'm here for you. We'll get through this together.

They walk in the store and find the pregnancy tests.

Miranda: Man, there are so many. Early predictors, digital readouts, steady stream, ugh! She picks up a couple boxes and reads the backs. I think I'll get this one. It looks easy enough. At least it has two tests, just in case. The couple goes to the register to pay for their purchase. She pulls out some cash.

Gordo: I'll get it.

Miranda: Are you sure?

Gordo: Yeah. He pays for the test, and they go to his house.

The couple go to Gordo's room, Miranda takes the test out and reads the directions.

Gordo: Are you ready?

Miranda: Yeah. She goes into the bathroom and takes the test. She comes back into the bedroom. Gordo is sitting on his bed. It says we have to wait 10 minutes before it's ready. In 10 minutes, our lives may be changed forever.

Gordo: Yeah. Whatever happens, I'll be here for you. Whatever you decide, I'll support you.

Miranda: A bit annoyed. What do you mean whatever I decide? It's your baby too?

Gordo: Well, if you decide to have an abortion or put it up for adoption, or keep it, I'll be behind you all the way.

Miranda: Abortion? How can you even? I'd never!

Gordo: Breathes a sigh of relief. Good. I was hoping you'd say that.

Miranda: The timer goes off. I guess we find out if our lives have changed. They both go into the bathroom. Miranda picks up the stick and looks. Positive. She looks at Gordo, and a tear escapes her eye. I knew it. I'm pregnant. She shows him the stick.

Gordo: Takes the stick and looks at it. He picks up the directions and looks at the key. He sighs. A baby. We're having a baby. Aw, man. He puts the test and directions back on the counter and hugs Miranda. We'll get through this, okay?

Miranda: Sniffs and nods. Yeah.

Sequence Ends

Miranda looks at the picture of Lizzie taken the day she was born. "Oh, mija, we were so scared!" She resumes writing...

Your father and I went back to his bedroom and held each other for an eternity, it seemed. We knew our lives were going to be changed forever. We also knew we couldn't keep this a secret for long. I was already six weeks pregnant with you, and knew that things would be obvious in a few short weeks. Even though telling your grandparents was going to be hard, telling Sam and Jo McGuire was going to be extremely difficult. We had betrayed Lizzie. We decided to take things one at a time.

Your father's parents got home a couple hours later, and we called my parents to meet us at Gordo's house. We asked if they could get someone to babysit Stevie, and they agreed. We really didn't want to explain this in front of your aunt. Our folks didn't know we were dating, and we weren't ready to tell the McGuires either. We were afraid that Stevie would blab; she has a knack for divulging secrets.

As predicted, they went ballistic. Your father's parents thought we were making a mistake deciding we wanted to keep the baby, but your father insisted. My parents were so mad, they started yelling in Spanish...

FLASHBACK SEQUENCE BEGINS

Daniella: ¿Miranda cómo podría usted hacer esto? ¡Le confiábamos en! (Miranda how could you do this? We trusted you!)

Miranda: ¡Estoy apesadumbrado, mamá! (I'm sorry, mom!)

Eduardo: ¿Así pues, usted va a guardar al bebé, o a ponerlo para arriba para la adopción? (So, are you going to keep the baby, or put it up for adoption?)

Daniella: No firmaremos el consentimiento para un aborto. Está contra la enseñanza de la iglesia. (We will not sign consent for an abortion. It's against Church teaching.)

Miranda: ¡Sé, yo sé, mamá! No deseo un aborto; Deseo guardar a este bebé. (I know, I know, mom! I don't want an abortion; I want to keep this baby.)

Eduardo: ¿Gordo va a ayudarle a educar a este bebé, o él le dejará para levantarlo de se? (Is Gordo going to help you raise this baby, or will he leave you to raise it by yourself?)

Miranda: Él estará allí para mí, para nosotros. Él nunca camina hacia fuera en su cabrito. ¿Cómo puede usted incluso acusarlo de abandonar a su niño? (He'll be there for me, for us. He'd never walk out on his kid. How can you even accuse him of abandoning his child?)

Eduardo: Hemos tenido ya todos los niños que deseamos; no deseamos ser forzados en criar a nuestro nieto. (We've already had all the children we want; we don't want to be forced into raising our grandchild.)

Daniella: Ayudaremos, pero no deseamos levantarlo. Es su niño, mija. (We'll help, but we don't want to raise it. It's your child, daughter.)

Roberta Gordon: Could we have this conversation in English, please?

Eduardo: I'm sorry.

Howard Gordon: You know, parenthood is difficult.

Gordo: Dad, I can handle it.

Miranda: So can I.

Daniella: If you're committed to raising this child together, or if you decide to give the child up for adoption, we'll support you.

Roberta: We will too, David.

Gordo and Miranda: Thanks.

Howard: One of your first responsibilities or duties as parents is to tell Sam and Jo McGuire.

The young couple looks stunned.

Daniella: That's right. Lizzie was your best friend.

Roberta: And David, she was your girlfriend.

Gordo: You don't have to remind me, mom!

Miranda: I know she was our best friend.

Daniella: You'd best tell them sooner than later. You won't be able to hide this forever.

SEQUENCE ENDS

We knew they were right. Your father and I already felt guilty, like we had betrayed Lizzie. Now, we had to face her parents. It hadn't even been a year since her suicide, and their grief was still raw. Telling Sam and Jo McGuire was one of the hardest things we have done.