Anything but Normal - Melody Carlson [69]
“Mom!” Dylan turned and glared at his mother.
“Some girls are like that,” she said coolly.
“My daughter is not like that.” Mom’s voice was controlled but laced with anger. “My daughter is intelligent and motivated and not the kind of girl who would trap any boy into marrying her.”
“I concur,” Pastor Vincent said. “That was uncalled for, Lynn.”
Sophie’s mom reached over and took her hand. “If that’s all you two have to say, I think Sophie and I will be on our way.” She turned and smiled at Pastor Vincent. “Thank you for arranging this meeting.”
As they drove home, Sophie’s dad seemed in surprisingly good spirits. “You know, Mr. Morris is a stand-up kind of guy. Too bad his son isn’t more like him.”
“I think Dylan takes after his mom,” Mom said a bit harshly. “Well, Mr. Morris assured me that he will cover all of Sophie’s pregnancy expenses, and he even recommended an adoption attorney.”
“But Sophie hasn’t made that decision yet,” Mom protested. Naturally this resulted in another argument. Dad felt certain the baby would be better off in a “good home with two mature parents,” and Mom wasn’t sure she wanted to see her grandchild “given away.” Thankfully their disagreement wasn’t quite as heated as others had been.
Sophie couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of her parents as Dad drove home. Sure, they were a little rough around the edges, but they were good people. And they had stood up for her.
21
When school regrouped in January, Sophie went directly to the pregnancy center, where Mrs. Manchester seemed ready for her. “Leah told us your secret, Sophie.”
“So I heard.”
Mrs. Manchester smiled. “But isn’t it better having it out in the open?”
Sophie shrugged. “In some ways. But it’s hard being around my friends. The way they look at me and treat me.”
“Believe it or not, they’ll get used to it. Oh, things will never go back to normal, but before long, they’ll have other things to distract them from you.”
“So what are my options here?”
“That depends on you, Sophie. What do you want?”
“To hide out until the baby comes.”
“That surprises me.”
“Huh?”
“You seem like such a strong person. I had thought you might like to continue with your regular classes and activities. You were doing an excellent job on the school paper.”
“But I’m not sure that I can . . . I mean, in my condition.” “You’re pregnant, Sophie, not terminal.”
“I know, but . . . like, Mr. Young—I know he’s disappointed in me.”
“That’s life. Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes our mistakes make us bigger people.”
Sophie patted her belly. “You can say that again.”
Mrs. Manchester laughed. “Well, you’ll have to decide what’s best for you. But I hope you won’t just assume it’s to hide out, as you say. I’ll admit that’s best for some girls. But some are strong enough to continue with their lives. Of course, we’ll offer you counseling and childbirth classes, and if you’re considering keeping your baby, we offer child development classes and child care.” She peered at Sophie. “Have you made that decision yet?”
Sophie shook her head. “Not completely. But I think adoption is the best option for me.”
“You’re the only one who can make that decision.”
“So many decisions.” Sophie sighed. “Do you think it would be okay if I hung out at the pregnancy center today, just for the day? To see how it feels, you know?”
“That’s an excellent idea.”
So Sophie was “one of the pregnant girls.” At first there was some disbelief that she was actually pregnant. Some had assumed Leah was lying. But Sophie let them know it was the real deal, and she put them at ease using humor. Even Natasha seemed pleased to have Sophie in their group.
Sophie explained the reason behind her overly personal questions last month. “I never even wrote that follow-up article,” she confessed. Although a part of her was ready to write it now. She knew just the angle she would take too. A personal experience story—true confessions of a pregnant honor student.
By afternoon, Sophie was bored with