"This is so exciting!" Prudence piped up before taking a bite of a french fry. Everyone huddled at one table to eat dinner at the old Ma and Pa restaurant a few blocks down from their apartment. "What do you want to have? A boy or a girl?" She shoved the rest of the fry into her mouth as she stared at Lucy, eagerly awaiting her answer.
Lucy laughed and shrugged sheepishly, turning to look at Jude. "I don't know. As long as the baby is healthy I'm happy."
"Now there's a smart girl." Sadie chipped in, pointing towards the young blond with her fork. "That's exactly what she should be concerned about. The health, not the gender."
Max leaned back in the chair and put his arm around Jude, tilting him in his chair to bring him closer. "If this lad right here and my hell-on-wheels sister is having a child what they should really be concerned about is whether we're going to have a Hell Raiser on our hands."
Lucy smirked and picked up a fry, hitting Max directly in the nose. "The baby is your blood to, ya' know. If it acts up in anyway I'm blaming it on you." Max huffed, waving an uninterested hand.
Max let go of Jude and allowed him to sit back straight into his chair. "It may be true that I am louder with my actions and trouble making but Jude is on the same page as I am. Anyways, he's the biological sperm donor. If anyone should be blamed, it should be him." Jude snarled playfully and slugged Max in the arm before returning to his meal.
"On a more serious note," JoJo said as he stared Lucy and Jude down. "How do you plan to support this kid? Do you think you're going to be able to do this with just Jude's artwork?"
Sadie cut her eyes in JoJo's direction, slightly annoyed with his way of being blunt. Jude licked his lips and could only shrugged.
"I'm sure they'll figure it out." Max said to avoid serious talk at the dinner table. "They both have their heads on their shoulders pretty well, right?" Max looked at them both as his eyes seemed to be sending signals to agree. Lucy and Jude nodded as they peered over at the others. JoJo left it alone after the subliminal hint from Max and Sadie and continued to eat.
"So, what did your mom say?" Prudence asked. Her voice was high-pitched and ecstatic like that of a hyper, small child. Lucy's eyes dropped and her lips tightened as she prepared to answer the question Jude had asked earlier but she had managed to avoid.
"Well, my parents don't know yet." She said quietly, hoping to say it quiet enough that Jude nor Max heard but this was impossible considering everyone had their ears open for the answer.
"You haven't told mom?!" Max exclaimed in disbelief.
"If it took me this long to break the news to the father of the child, what makes you think I would have told mom already?"
Jude sighed and covered his face with both hands as a wave of sickness hit him. He knew that the Carrigan family was not going to be too delighted to hear that their soon-to-be college student daughter was pregnant with a poor ship builder from Liverpool who now made his petty cash with a sorry excuse of artwork.
Max couldn't help but grin in the middle of their distress, pointing at Lucy like a small kid about to tattle. "Mom's gonna' kill yoooou."
"This isn't time to joke, Maxwell!" Lucy barked. Max only laughed, still pointing. "For once I am going to be the golden child because I haven't brought mother home a grandchild."
"She may have mistaken the poor thing for a mangy dog anyway!" Lucy was beginning to get annoyed with Max's comments. It was true. She was scared to death as to what her parents were going to say or do. Lucy was suppose to start school in August and after begging her mother to let her stay in New York before college, she ends up pregnant. Great, she thought to herself.
Prudence giggled at the come-back and continued to eat her fries like popcorn during a movie at the cinema. Jude still kept his face buried, the worry not easing from his body.
"It shouldn't be too horrible. You're mother will just have to accept that fact that you are going to have this child. Of course she may be upset at first but then she'll be delighted that she'll have a beautiful grandchild. You two are just as cute as buttons together, this baby is going to be adorable." Sadie comforted. Jude moved his hands from his eyes and looked up at the older woman, a thin smile hiding behind his palms.
The thought of their child was a relief through all of the tension that hung over the table like fog. Visions of their future flooded his mind and could only bring joy to him in that moment. Imagining Lucy beginning to show fully underneath her maternity clothing also strangely brought Jude satisfaction.
"I'll tell mom this week. I just need to work up the courage. It worries me to think about what she's going to say." Lucy said with a sincere tone. Her parents were not exactly the understanding type if it didn't involve academics.
"Just promise me I can be there to hear this reaction." Max added.
"Max!" Jude and Lucy both scolded.
"What?!" Max threw both arms in the air, attempting to defend himself. He stood from his chair and walked behind Lucy, leaning down and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "You know I want to be there to help you out to. I always have done a good job at distracting mom and dad with my trouble when they've attempted to bicker at you."
Lucy sighed and reached up to pat his arm thoughtfully. "That is true, you have."
"I just have to give you a hard time, that's all." Max pecked her cheek before letting her go. "Nature is calling, I will be back." He announced before making his way to the bathroom.
"Jude is going to make a great dad, I just know it!" Prudence said while leaning over to steal a fry from his plate after engulfing all of her own. It lifted Jude's spirits to hear someone say that without any guidance from anyone else.
"Thanks, Prud." Jude said with all sincerity. Lucy smiled and patted Jude's leg. "Yeah, he will."
"Lucy, you'll make a great mom too." Prudence added.
"I hope so." Lucy took a bite of her sandwich.
As they were all exiting the restaurant to make their way back home, JoJo called Jude towards the back of the group, away from everyone.
"Listen man, I'm sorry for bringing that up at the restaurant." JoJo tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat, watching the sidewalk ahead of him.
"It's not a problem. Ye' right. Me artwork isn't enough to take care of a baby." Jude took in a deep breath and held it for some time as he strolled beside JoJo. JoJo sighed and removed a hand to place it on Jude's shoulder, making him stop walking. Jude looked over to JoJo and waited for him to speak.
"We're all had some hard times in our lives as we have learned the hard way to grow up and take care of ourselves. I just don't want your child to go through what we have all had to go through. Not saying it's bad but. ."
"I understand." Jude cut him off, nodding with agreement. "I appreciate your concern. I really do. I worry about the same thing but I know that I'm not going to put my child through what I, or any of us, had to go through. Not my kid." Jude's voice was tight with anger as he mentioned this to JoJo.
"Times are changin', Jude. Hopefully you're child won't have to go through what we all have." With his piece said, JoJo continued his way towards the apartment. Jude followed slowly behind. As much as he would like to leave most of his thoughts tossed on the side of the road, they followed him like a puppy on a leash – resistant but still tagged along.