“She’s pregnant. She told me last night.”
She told him, Jamie told Ben, that she was pregnant, but didn’t tell me, her best friend on the face of the earth?
“She told you? You?” I repeated, still looking for that clue that this was a dream and couldn’t be actually happening.
“Yeah.”
“Why? How?” Why had she told him? How was she pregnant? Jamie? Last time I had checked she was a virgin, the two of us in a tiny minority.
I could see the tension in his shoulders. The stress etched on his blood-drained face. His eyes were wide and upward looking. This was as upsetting to him, as it was for me to hear it. Had he asked her these questions? Did he even know the answers? Who was the father of the child?
“We…we slept together. Just once. It wasn’t planned. We just…we…it happened. When it was over we swore we’d never tell and things would stay the same. But now, now, it’s different. Everything will change because it has to.”
My legs felt weak. I wasn’t sure I could stand. I was no longer living in reality. “When?” I asked, still not sure, I’d heard him correctly when he said it.
“Last month. The night we were going to Cullman to see a movie and get something to eat. You had to stay home and keep Henry.”
I remembered that night. Henry had fever. Momma had to go into the bakery to do a special order for a wedding. Milly was on a date, such a normal night, nothing strange or life changing at the moment.
But two young lives had been altered. Forever changed, eternally coursed.
“Sammy Jo!” Momma’s voice called out. I jerked my head around to see something nearer to a reality where I wasn’t uncomfortable. My mother. My angry mother. I had to get back to work.
“I…I have to go,” I stuttered and instead of trying to figure out the right thing to say at the moment, turned and left him there. “Congratulations” seemed an odd sentiment. Yet they had created a life. One that would blossom in Moulton and know this place as its own. A life that was their responsibility. Something they couldn’t take back.
Chapter Eight
Time crawled by the rest of the day and my head was so full of questions and concerns I couldn’t even eat the strawberries or cupcakes that Mr. Expensive had left me. My appetite was gone and in its place something that could only be described as fear for my friends had taken over.
I stepped into the evening summer sunshine after work. Momma had agreed I could go visit Jamie. I told her something was wrong and she needed a friend. Momma said to be home by dinnertime. Not much got by her so I figured she knew I was bothered by the interaction she’d interrupted earlier today with Ben. She didn’t question me or pause when she agreed.
I took my box of cupcakes and strawberries with me. Maybe Jamie would need a treat. Not that strawberries and cupcakes could fix this. She was eighteen and pregnant with a guy’s baby she was just friends with. Dear God, how had I not known they’d been intimate? Had she tried to tell me over the past month and I’d been so wrapped up in my life and dreams that I hadn’t been listening? If so, I was a terrible friend. I should have known this. Been there with her when she took the pregnancy test. She’d done that alone and where was I? Not there. That was where.
I hurried to her house hoping I wouldn’t need to track her down. Getting through the past few hours after talking to Ben had been hard. All I’d wanted to do was run to Jamie. Check on her. Talk to her. Make a thing okay that had already happened and would have to be lovingly dealt with.
And also, not to be selfish, but I wanted to stop feeling as if I was going to vomit.
I walked up the front steps of her light blue house that reminded me of a photograph. It wasn’t big, but it was cute, the shutters and doors perfectly matching and the woodwork and flowers were immaculate. It was so perfect you knew it wasn’t. Something had to be wrong inside. Stopping at the door I stared at the peephole. What was I going to say? Would my words comfort my friend? Was she going to be happy about this? Should I pretend that I didn’t know?
I didn’t have any answers or suggestions. I reached up and rang the doorbell. Jamie’s my best friend, that’s always been so. Like family, even closer. She needed me and I was here.
The door opened and there she stood. As if she’d waited behind it. Her face was paler than normal and her eyes seemed larger, sad and sleepless and teary. She was lost inside herself, down in the rabbit hole. Her expression told the truth.
“You talked to Ben?”
I nodded. I wasn’t going to lie. I never have and I wouldn’t start now.
“And?” she asked.
And? What did she mean by “and?” How did I feel? How was Ben? What? What was she asking? She was scared and hurting. I knew it. I sat the bag holding the box of treats down and then I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around her. That was all I knew to do. She needed comfort. That I could give.
Her stiff body didn’t last. Within seconds her shoulders sagged. Jamie embraced me, brought me into her and buried her face in my neck. She twisted her head like a helpless child and we stood like that for a while. Not worried about who saw us.
“He hasn’t called since I told him,” she said. “Nothing. Not a word.”
If I’d known that I might have shook him and yelled when I saw him earlier. Jamie was eighteen and pregnant in Moulton, Alabama. Did he not see how terrified and frightened Jamie was?
“He’ll call. He just needs a little space to adjust. And if he doesn’t I’ll kick his ass.” I said it and pulled her tighter.