Time To Confess
1462 Words
"Dad?" I'm so shocked to see my father that I nearly shut the door in his face.
"Jalissa, wait! Let me talk to your mom. I umm... really need to talk to her."
"Is everything okay?"
"I guess it depends on what happens tonight. Can you just let me in now?"
"Ummm... okay."
I let dad in and as he steps in, he looks angrily at Damon, who looks at him with a confused stare. "Well, dad, this is Damon. Damon, this is dad."
"Pleased to meet you." Damon's voice sounds tired, without a hint of jealousy, even if there is a hint of annoyance on his face.
"What are you doing here? Are you Jalissa's boyfriend?"
"No, he's mom's boyfriend."
"Oh, wow!" Dad laughs bitterly. "I expected her to date someone her age."
Before either dad or Damon can say anything, the tension is cut with mom walking in. "What was that doorbell about?"
Mom seems tipsy from drinking, but her expression changes once she sees dad. "What are you doing here? I told you..."
"I had to follow you after the way we left things."
Mom rolls her eyes. "I want you back, and I really mean it."
"I told you, Frank. I can't trust you anymore. You left me for a younger woman!"
"Is that why you're dating this guy?"
"No! Well, not really."
I don't want to listen to this and I think Damon feels the same. I pull Damon out of the room and into the kitchen.
"I hate that I'm not surprised that they're not trying to hide their affair."
"Me too." Damon buries his face in his hands, clearly frustrated.
"I can't believe dad had the balls to just barge in. It's like he forgot what he did. What led us to this situation."
"Actually, I think that's a great thing."
"How?"
"This might be the solution to our problems."
"Really? I'm so lost right now."
"Well, here's how it is. I'm falling for you, and everything is a mess. But things could get simpler for us if your parents get back together."
"You're right... but it won't magically solve everything."
"I know, and I'll take the chances. For you." Damon looks at me with a loving smile.
"You know what? I think you just gave me another reason to love you." We stay in the savoring moment until it's broken by the raised voices in the next room. "You can't be serious about that poor guy!" My dad's voice echoes. "I know you're just using him to get back to me."
Damon looks at me. He looks embarrassed and storms to the garage. I better follow him.
"Do you think what your dad said was true?"
"Why does it matter? You're not in love with mom anyway."
"Well, it's true that only my pride hurts, and I'm probably being silly but... this is humiliating."
"Oh. I see."
"I suppose I'd want to know if I ever meant anything to her or if I was just being used."
He looks so devastated. "It doesn't matter if she ever cared for you. What if you were destined to hook up with her so we can meet?"
Damon's eyes light up. "Perhaps your meeting with mom was just a way to bring us together. I mean, love works in mysterious ways sometimes."
"Yeah, but sometimes it hurts to think about everything I've done for your mother. I wanted to be a better person. But I did my best for someone who never deserved it. It hurts to think about how she probably never cared about me."
"Damon...I understand how you feel. And I'm sorry."
"Oh, don't be. I probably deserve it for all I've done in the past." Damon looks away, and he clearly is showing regret.
"Hey, maybe we should stop talking about the bad things and focus on the bright side." I wrap my arms around Damon's neck and whisper, "The only thing that matters is that we're together now. And unlike mom, I truly care about you."
Damon smiles before he kisses me. He doesn't need to say anything to show how grateful he is to have me. I close my eyes, enjoying his lips on mine. I can feel his hands on my butt, squeezing my body lightly as he pulls me close to him.
I feel my body pressing against his as I run my fingers across his back. "I still don't know what I'm getting myself into. But I like where this is going."
Damon smirks before he kisses me again. But unlike usual, he's not hungry for my body. He needs love, and his next words confirm it. "All the time, I just wanted someone to love, Jalissa. Is it too much to ask?"
"No, you were just unlucky. But not anymore." Damon smiles before he kisses me softly again. But suddenly, he breaks off our kiss.
"Did you hear that noise?"
"I did." As I focus on listening to what was happening, I heard the front door close followed by the sound of dad's car driving away.
"Seems like Frank's gone."
"Yeah. I better go back and talk to mom."
When we get there, I see her sitting on the couch. "What happened between you and dad?"
"I don't know. He wants me back, but I don't know if I can trust him again. I'd rather date someone like Damon, but I don't love him."
"Why are you dating him, then?"
"It's convenient to have someone like him around."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Besides, I was thinking that maybe, I'll eventually fall for him."
"Wow, I can't believe what I just heard."
"I just didn't know what I've gotten myself into until it was too late. I'm just hopeless, and all I have is my job."
"You're wrong. There's still hope. You just have to choose what makes you happy."
"Honestly, Damon makes me happy. He's emotionally and physically available and he..."
I'm done talking about this. Hearing her talking about Damon like this makes me feel uncomfortable. This is not what I hoped to hear from her. "I'm getting tired. What if we go sleep the night off?"
"I agree. I feel so exhausted."
*** The next morning: Last night was crazy. I take a deep breath, getting ready to go downstairs. But suddenly... There's a knock at my door and Damon comes in. "Don't worry, we're safe. Your mom is downstairs." Damon raises his eyebrows as he looks at me. "You look amazing today. What's the occasion?"
"Nothing special. But why do you sound surprised?"
"I'm not, uh... I mean, you just look great. That's all."
"It's fine. I was just joking."
"Two can play that game." Damon reaches out to tickle me and I do my best to avoid him.
"Damon, stop! You don't want my morning sickness to act up, do you?"
"Okay. I got carried away. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay this morning. I hope it stays that way."
"Oh. Don't worry, this will get better."
"I know. But when? It's going to be hard to hide my pregnancy for much longer."
"You're right. Maybe we should finally talk openly to her."
"Yeah. I've been thinking about that. Can you let me talk to her first?"
"Umm..." Damon looks nervous but he nods. "Okay. I'll be in the garage. Just call me if you need my support."
I find mom downstairs and she still looks tired from last night. "Aren't you eager to go back to college to escape all of this?"
I take a deep breath. This is it. The moment of truth. "I'm not going back."
"What are you talking about? You have to go to college."
"I can't."
"But why? You always preferred staying in college rather than staying at home."
"Uh, look mom... We should talk about this later, when you feel better."
"I feel fine. If you want to talk about something, then talk to me."
"I did want to talk to you. But... you look tired."
"Are you trying to insult me?"
"No, I just... I just think we should find another time to talk about it."
She rolls her eyes, annoyed. "Why are you acting like this? What's gotten into you?"
"Mom... I'm not trying to be rude. I just don't want to bother you with my problems."
"I might have a life of my own, but I'm still your mother. If you have any problems, talk to me."
"Alright. But don't get mad at me, okay? Because the truth is... I'm pregnant."
"What?!"
"I'm pregnant with your boyfriend."
"What did you say?"
When I look at the door, I realize that my dad just returned. He must have heard everything!
"What is this?"
Uh oh!
- Writer
