UNKNOWN FUTURE
709 Words
The day she was leaving, Kathy and her mom finished packing her clothes. All the living arrangements were made for her once she arrived.
“Mom, you know I love you.”
“I do sweetheart. And I love you with all my heart. Please let me know when you get there. You’ll find out soon enough what it’s like to worry about your child.”
“And remember, you don’t know where I went. I don’t care what story you tell, but I don’t want anyone finding us.”
“I know, be safe.”
"Thank you, Mom. I'll miss you."
Kathy finished packing up the car and headed out. She had a long drive ahead of her, and she knew she needed to make several stops for the night for her and the baby’s sake. It was kind of nice being able to see all the iconic sites along the way. She only ever traveled to Florida with her mom, so the different landscapes were all new to her.
She finally arrived in LA after four days of traveling. She found her place and got settled in. It was a nice one-bedroom apartment. She was within walking distance to her classes. She was a very smart girl, so she arranged to test out of several of her classes through the College-Level Examination Program to accelerate her degree.
She jumped right into her classes. She scheduled as many of them for online as possible because she knew she'd be more and more tired as her pregnancy progressed. The summer semester flew by. She successfully tested out on the classes and would do the same for the fall semester.
Not long after Kathy was gone, people started questioning her whereabouts. Charlene tried calling her a few times, but with no luck. Eventually, she called Kathy’s mom.
She told Charlene, “Kathy was having a hard time dealing with Matt’s death and everything else. She felt she needed to leave here. She needs to accept and recover somewhere everything didn't remind her of him, of them.”
“When is she coming back?”
“I’m not sure, and honestly, I don't think she will. She loved your brother with everything she had.”
“I know Mrs. C.”
“And how are you coping, Charlene?” she asked.
“I’m managing. You know, he was my little brother. I miss him so much. And I’m so sorry for my mother’s behavior through all this.”
“I know you are.”
“He really loved you like a mother.”
“Aw, thank you for telling me that. I loved him like a son.”
“Well if you hear from her, could you please ask her to call me? I miss her.”
“I will Charlene. You take care.”
“Thank you Mrs. C.”
By October Kathy was nearing her due date. She only had four more weeks to go. Josephine flew out early to be with her and help her get ready for the baby. She went with Kathy to her doctor appointment and even got to see the baby in an ultrasound.
The doctor asked Kathy, “While I'm doing this, do you want me to tell you the gender?”
She looked up at her mom, “It's up to you sweetheart.”
“Ok.”
“So which do you think?” the doctor asked.
“I'm leaning towards a little girl.”
“Ok, let's give it a look. Well, there it is.”
“What?” she anxiously asked.
“Well, your she is actually a he.”
She cried, “Oh Mom, I wish Matt was here.”
“I know you do. I wish he was too.”
Kathy woke up the next morning having contractions. It was Matt’s birthday, the first one without him. She was so sad for him missing his son's birth.
She got Josephine up and told her, “Mom, I think I'm in labor.”
“Ok, let's keep track of how often they are coming. Give your doctor a call with a heads up.”
“Ok.” Kathy tried to rest as best she could before things got real.
- Writer
