She figured that he would be a little shocked at the thought of being a first time dad; but nevertheless he would be happy to hear that they were going to have a baby. She never expected him to tell her to get rid of it. His words felt as if he had driven a knife through her heart. How naïve had she been- she pondered as she quietly batted away the tears that wanted to escape her eyes. Thinking about him during this time was not doing her any good, much less the baby. She forced herself to push thoughts of him to the back of her mind.
- 7:43 a.m.
"Ms. Townsend- are you listening?" The doctor interrupted her thoughts jarring her back into the present.
"Sorry," She quietly apologized. Dr. Yung exhaled impatiently as he looked over her tests results.
"I'll send the nurse in…" He informed her. He jotted down some notes on her charts, then looked down checking his watch and released a small sigh as he hastily made his exit.
As she lay there with her mind muddled in deep thought Marla absent-mindedly toyed with some loose threads on the white woven cotton blanket that covered her. Abruptly her mom and Aunt Shirley soon were occupying her thoughts. She hadn't expected that they would be here either; that was too much to hope for. They had stated their position about her having a child out of wedlock- and it was no secret or surprise that they didn't approve; not to mention that they approved much less of her baby's daddy- Jacob Ellis.
Mom deeply entrenched into her Christian beliefs and church had been very disappointed having an unmarried daughter about to give birth to a baby with no daddy. It went against everything that she had attempted to instill in her children. Mom promptly gave her thirty days notice.
"You've made your bed now lay in it." Mom demanded with folded arms across her chest just before she walked out of the room. That was a sign that the discussion was over. Marla stood somewhat in shock. She found her mother's words expected but nevertheless biting and her actions harsh. She only worked part-time at the supermarket making barely just over minimum wage. Where the hell could she live? She did not make enough to afford an apartment and also take care of living expenses. Still Marla held back her tears and as an obedient and dutiful daughter she packed up her few possessions and moved into a small bedroom of the home of an elderly couple that a friend of a friend had helped her find using Craig's list.