"Pregnant! What do you mean by you're pregnant!!."
Ember screamed so loud I felt my ears go deaf for a couple of seconds. Of course I did shout like that if the situation was reversed.
"I am. okay, I just don't_"
"Oh don't you even complete that, once Annie, you went at it just once and you got pregnant!! Jesus!."
"Stop shouting like I'm deaf or something, it was an accident okay. I just_"
"You just what Annie?."
I sighed exhausted with Ember's yelling. It felt like I had been talking to the wall for the past 10 minutes. I know it's unbelievable even I couldn't believe the pregnancy test myself, it showed the two visible lines, I was a month and half gone. And all I could do was stare at it bewildered with an open mouth. I didn't have the time nor luxury to cry at the moment.
"I have been at it for years, and you don't see me pregnant, Annie you just lost your virginity at 24 and you're already pregnant? What happened to my two hours lecture, never go on a battle without protection. And if he's short and poor, girl you gat some witch curse on you."
I couldn't even say anything, Ember was right to scold me, for the first time in my life I wanted to experience something different and look where it got me. I hate all those teenage girls' gossips, I blame it all on them for making me curious.
"How did it happen Annie?." Ember's soft voice snapped me out of my thinking.
"I don't know Emmy, it just happened, he was super handsome and freaking tall and I got carried away, I just don't know what got into me." I sighed as I pinched the tip of my nose, feeling this situation was already giving me a lot of migraines.
"Well look at the bright side, he was handsome and tall, it seems my two hour lecture didn't entirely go to waste and now we are rest assured knowing that the baby won't be ugly."
"Ember!." I smacked her on the head lightly.
"Ouch that hurt, I'm just saying girl and I'm being positive till you decide to abort it."
"That's the problem, Ember." I sighed. Which is something I have been doing lately.
"I don't want to abort it, this child did nothing wrong, I got myself into this mess, I have to find a way out of it."
Ember looked at me with empathy, I know she's thinking I'm insane to want to keep this baby, but I really don't care, I wasn't aborted so why should I do that to an innocent child.
"I just_ I'm worried Annie, college is still there, and your step-mom is gonna kill you. The thing is I support you with whatever decision you take, of course that baby needs to know how damn awesome I am, being an aunt and all."
I couldn't hide my smiles even if I was paid to, Ember was the best kind friend this world didn't deserve, and here she is being supportive of the situation.
"And since I know you don't want your stepmom knowing about this, well you can come live with me, pending when you deliver, we could even share the rent when you're able to work." Ember said.
If only she knew what her words did to me right now.
"No_ Emmy I can't take-"
"No one is telling you to take nothing, I'm just fulfilling my aunty responsibilities."
I couldn't hold it together any more as the tears came rushing like an ocean down my face, I sob for the kindness my friend offered that I didn't deserve, I sob for my unborn baby and most especially I sob for the future that was unknown. I knew my baby wouldn't get the chance to experience their Dad's love and protection and even if by luck I see him again, what if he refuses to take responsibility.
Ember shushed me as she pulled me to a hug, caressing my back. I knew she was crying on her own because I felt the tears dripping on my hair.
"It's gonna be okay. Look at me." She raised my face so I could look her in the eyes. I was already a sobbing mess as the tears made it blurry to see.
"We are gonna have this baby and raise them like family okay. I won't abandon you like your mom did or your dad, we would work things together okay." Her hands wiping my tears but it wasn't working because more kept falling down my eyes. Her words were comforting.
Well things have been going well for me and Ember though, I'm four months away and already showing like I was eight months already. Currently I'm living with Ember, she does most of the work though, feeding me and also working. I feel really terrible so I make up for it by doing her assignments and projects. And yeah, I'm a dropout, funny how my dreams went from a million to a zero. But I couldn't dwell on regretting at least not now.
Ember and I were supposed to go to the hospital to check the gender of the baby, she kept teasing me saying I was looking like a cute cat with the world on my tummy; that's how big I was. Something in my guts just knew this wasn't going to be just one kid. But I went with whatever. Currently, I and Emmy are out looking for something to eat because of my overly obsessed craving for rice cake and chocolate with a hot dog. Weird right, I know; it's even better today than other days where I crave burned eggs with butter or spaghetti and lemon.
I sighed as we waited for our meal. I was getting impatient with how long they were taking, but all that changed when I saw him. He walked into the restaurant like he owned the damn place, tall as ever, and oh my god, did I mention that he was handsome—too handsome to be walking on the filth called earth?
Just in that moment that I thought it couldn't get worse, our eyes locked on each other. Yes, that's man, the father of this little rascal I'm battling with in my tummy, looking all handsome while I sit here with a big belly trying to figure out what to eat and whatnot too. It's like his eyes were drawn to mine until he looked down and saw my tummy. His eyes widened slightly.
I think Ember noticed because she stopped talking just to stare at the direction my full attention was on.
"Hold on a second."
She stares at me then back at him a couple of times.
Don't tell me that's the b*stard who got you pregnant?" Ember asked.
I just nodded, lost in my own head, to respond.
"Men! He is freaking tall, and with that face, he would be sweeping all the girls in Atlanta with ease."
I think he was here to buy lunch or something because he was still at the counter trying to make an order.
"Now watch; watch me create the best movie scene this world has the privilege to see." Ember chuckled crazily, and I just knew things were about to go south.
His blue eyes were still on me. It was like he was contemplating whether to stop by my table or not, and that's until Ember graced him with her present. And the worst thing happened: Ember gave him a resounding slap. I'd felt the impact from where I was sitting, my mouth open like a fish while I stared in awe. If my face was in shock, imagine the handsome gentleman's face; it was unbelievable, and the fact that he was standing with bodyguards just made me even more terrified for Ember.
"How dare you! How dare you get my friend pregnant, and you stand here about to order lunch when she's there dying of hunger?."
Okay, maybe this scene was going too far because everyone was looking in awe, some shocked, mostly the handsome gentleman. You must find me crazy for not even knowing his name, but that's just what it is. I was struggling to get up so I could save my friend's life because heaven knows that she could be the stupidest idiot sometimes.
"You're pregnant?" His deep voice was plainly out of the world; that voice still did things to me, heaven knows.
"Of course she's pregnant; are you blind as well as dumb?" Ember fired back.
Okay, now the scene ended, and I had a lot of explaining to do. It turns out the father of my baby is a multi-billionaire; he said he just needed to get a quick lunch as he was heading to a meeting just to find out he's already a father four months away. It turns out his name is Levi Ozark Zen. Yeah, the second richest man in the world. Ember said I won a jackpot, and I should tie his soul to mine so he never leaves.
Well, funny how I'm the one whose soul was tied. Since Levi found out the baby was his, he didn't shy away from his responsibility, which was surprising; he took his father's duty so seriously that now I'm living with him with watchful eyes around me.
Well, that's not the most of it. Today is a special day, we're having our baby shower. We were about to find out the baby's gender; it turns out it was going to be a surprise, but we chose the color of the day to be blue since I wanted a boy so badly. I was super happy; I had never been this happy in my entire life, not while my mom abandoned me or my dad was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing my young brother, leaving me with my cruel stepmom. Who barely looks at me in the face.
So I was happy; I felt the colors I had missed all my life were returning to their rightful place. But that was when I knew Levi was already falling for me. Crazy, right? Yeah, I thought the same too.
"You ready, Mi Corazon?" I felt his arms wrapped around me from behind, caressing my big tummy.
"Of course I am; I'm super excited." I chuckled. Who won't be after all?.
"Look up to the sky," he said.
And that's when I saw it. The helicopter came flying, designing the first few words: girl in pink, then boy in blue. Oh, I thought that was it till I saw another girl in pink. The scream was loud, and why wouldn't it be? I was carrying triplets. Then almost immediately, colors of blue and pink came out of the very end of the helicopter, with balloons falling from the sky.
I don't know if it was the hormones, but I cried so much from being happy. Just a while ago, I couldn't picture my future, and it scared me beyond my mind, but today here I am. Standing with the man, I lost myself too at a Friday night party, pressing soft kisses on my lips and words of assurance to my ears. He assured me of a beautiful future, one with so much color that I won't recall having none.
A reassuring future for our little babies. But getting on his knees said more words than I thought it would.
"I would be the happiest man; if you stay by me for the rest of our lives, Mi Corazon, please marry me."
I could hear the cheering and screaming of his relatives and friends and my Emmy when I said yes. Still lost in our own world.
If this ain't a painted sky of colors, then tell me what it is. Because I'm loving the colors I'm experiencing right now.
