CHAPTER 2
1045 Words
"My head hurts," Mariana managed a groan as she regained consciousness on the bee in the hospital ward. Natasha was seated beside her, patiently waiting for her to wake up. The wait was now over.
"Doctor! Doctor!" Natasha rushed out to get the Doctor who came swiftly. She examined Mariana thoroughly and said:
"She'll be alright, she just needs some rest."
"So it's nothing serious?" Natasha asked apprehensively.
"No," The Doctor first answered - "she just needs a lot of rest to safeguard the health of her unborn child," the Doctor finished.
"Unborn child?" Mariana and Natasha asked in unison.
"Yes," the Doctor replied. "You are two weeks pregnant, Mariana - congratulations."
Mariana's face was bewildered and distraught was written all over it.
"I'm two weeks pregnant?" She asked the Doctor. Mariana thought she must have misheard the Doctor, she wished she did.
"Yes," the Doctor repeated for the umpteenth time, then she left.
Mariana knew what next was to follow. She knew Natasha would ask her how she got pregnant, and would seek to know who was responsible for it.
"You know what I want to ask you right?" Natasha said to Mariana after they stared at each other for a while.
"I know," Mariana said to Her.
"Tell me," Natasha requested but Mariana refused. She tried everything in her power to persuade her but she couldn't.
By the end of the day, they left the hospital with Natasha still ignorant of the truth. Natasha was still willing to help her even though she didn't know Mariana didn't trust her with the identity of the child's father.
"I'll tell you soon," Mariana said to Natasha. She remembered what Albert told her in the hotel room two weeks ago.
Albert Robertson had informed her that no one should know about what happened between them.
Mariana was taken home by Natasha. "Do not tell my parents anything about what happened today."
Even though Natasha promised not to breathe a word to Mariana's parents, Mariana still places her under oath.
Natasha stayed with them for more than two hours before she left.
"Take care of yourself, please," Natasha whispered into Mariana's ears when she hugged her.
Already, Mariana had taken a leave from work for a week because she was ignorant of the fact that she was pregnant.
"I need to let Albert Robertson know about the current situation," Mariana said before retreating to her room.
"I have to sleep," Mariana excused herself from the presence of her parents. She bid them goodnight and retreated to her room to text Albert.
"Pick up your phone!" Mariana expressed frustration after not being able to reach Albert after several trials.
Albert was in a meeting with some business clients so he could not pick up his call. His phone wasn't with him either. It was with his father.
Mr. James Robertson saw the message and ignored it. Then the weighty one came in:
"I'M PREGNANT!" The message was boldly spelled out.
Mariana waited for a reply but it never came.
The next day she got to the Company but was not allowed to go in.
"What's your problem?" Mariana questioned the security guard at the gate angrily.
"I'm sorry, you can't go in." The guard said to her.
"But I work here," Mariana asked with a bewildered face. She didn't even need to say that, her identity card hanging over her neck was already evidence of that.
"Not anymore," The security guard said to Mariana.
She was told that Albert Robertson fired her himself.
"See for yourself," one of the guards handed over to her the termination later supposedly issued by Albert himself.
Mariana saw everything for herself, she saw the signature of Albert Robertson.
Mariana cried all the way home and later in the evening she visited his mansion with the hope of seeing him. The same scene at the office played out that evening.
"What's happening outside?" Albert asked Mr. James his father.
"It's just a beggar but I already asked the guards to give her something to eat." Mr. James said in response to Albert's question.
Although the voice sounded very familiar to Albert, he didn't take the initiative to check. It wasn't his fault, he was extremely tired.
"Let me in!" Mariana shouted while trying to force her way in but she was no match for them.
"Boss Albert instructed us that he doesn't want to see you!"
Mariana left from there, broken and in despair. She couldn't stand to face the shame, her parents had sacrificed so much.
"I need to get away from here," Mariana thought to herself.
Mariana was more afraid of her stomach protruding and not being able to point at anyone as the father. She remembered that Albert offered her some cash so she could forget about what happened.
"I'd have accepted it gracefully if I knew I'd be pregnant," Mariana thought to herself. She already made up her mind that she was leaving that night.
"I need to come over," she said to Natasha over the phone.
"Why?" Natasha asked her. She was surprised that Mariana suddenly wanted to leave Seattle for Chicago.
"Is anything wrong?" Natasha asked her.
"I'll tell you when I get there?" Mariana answered.
Fine, Natasha agreed to have Mariana come over to Chicago, but not that night.
"It's too dangerous to travel at night," Natasha said out of concern but Mariana would not listen.
Mariana quickly drafted a letter and left it on the dining table Before sneaking out of the house.
"I'll deal with the pain better if I'm away from Seattle," Mariana convinced herself.
Mariana bought a ticket at the bus station and in no time, she was on the road, heading to Chicago.
The bus arrived in Chicago in the earliest hours of the morning. Mariana stepped out and began making her way to the address sent to her by Natasha.
Natasha never knew she'd be coming that night. Mariana had only requested the address so she'd come the next day.
"Hello pretty lady" Mariana heard a voice say from behind her as she walked the deserted streets of Chicago.
"Who could that be?" She thought in her mind.
No, who are those? Another voice laughed after the first one spoke.
- Writer
