"Are you mad at me?" Rhoda finally muttered after her and Mary had a good cry.
"Now why would I be mad at you?"
"For not telling you about this sooner…" Rhoda said looking down. She was so disappointed in herself, and Mary knew it, she could just look at her and tell. That's one thing she was really good at, telling when her friend was upset or disappointed, I mean, it's not like Rhoda did a very good job at hiding it, but Mary always knew.
"You know what?" Mary said as Rhoda looked up at her. "I'm proud of you." Rhoda was sort of relieved when Mary said that, she really wasn't expecting it. She didn't say a thing, so Mary continued, "I'm proud of you for having the guts to tell me, I know it wasn't easy for you. And to be honest, if a thing like that would have happened to me, I don't think I would've told anyone either… Not even you."
"It was really hard." Rhoda said looking down trying not to let another tear from her eye.
"I know it was, sweetie."
"I just figured if I kept it all in and never told anyone, it'd just vanish. Like it had never happened and I would just forget, but it's harder than it seems. Just bottling it up inside, I was bound to explode sometime and I guess I just blew up all over you."
Mary let out a little sigh, trying not to smile, but it was hard not to. Even in a moment like this, Rhoda could still be witty. It was a gift. "I know, and that's okay, I'm always here for you and I always will be. I just hope you know that."
"I do, Kid."
"So, are you ready to talk about what you are going to do about this child and who the father is?" Mary asked. "I mean, if you don't want to talk about it, I-"
Rhoda cut her off, "No, no, Kid, I do. I'm gonna have to do it sooner or later and I might as well get it over with now. Uh," Rhoda started saying, thinking about what she was going to say. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do, Mair. I mean, I don't even know who the damn father of my child is!" Rhoda shouted standing up, angry at herself. "What the hell am I gonna do?" As if she expected Mary to answer her, but she continued. "I'm just a window dresser at a department store, I'm not capable enough to take care of a baby alone. I don't even like children, I'm not a sane enough person to take care one."
"Rhoda! You're not alone in this, I'm right here. I will help you take care of this child. It won't be that bad. And you'll be a great mother, you know how good you are with Bess! She loves you!"
"Yeah, Mair, but Bess isn't my daughter. I don't have to discipline her or take care of her, that's not my job. I just get to hangout with her and be her 'great Aunt Rhoda'. I feel like my kid is just going to hate me, I'm not that great of a person, I have my days. They're gonna hate me, I just know it." Rhoda said, as she sat down again, tears started rushing down her face. And, like always, Mary was there to comfort her. Putting her arms around her and patting her head gently, Rhoda loved being comforted, especially by her best friend. That was about the only person she had that was always there for her and it helped that they lived only a staircase away, but still they loved each other. Maybe it was more than a friendship love, maybe it was because she was vulnerable, but Rhoda was feeling something stronger and more powerful towards Mary, that she'd never felt before. But she had felt something like it, oh yeah, she thought, from a man.
