Georgia On My Mind-Book Four

Chapter 11 - The Big Lie

TWO MONTHS LATER...

I still haven't been to the doctor about the baby, nor have I told anyone yet. I'm starting to show a little; luckily, it's getting colder out since it's Fall now, and I've been able to hide it. I haven't heard from John Luke since the day he left. I am praying that it's because he is still in training. I have texted his cell phone a few times to check in on him with no response.

I can't bring myself to tell anyone he's the Father, but I decided that when he called me that I would break the news to him. I don't have class today, so I made up my mind last night to tell Momma the news and see how she reacts. I remain in bed, waiting until Daddy and Benny leave. I walk out into the kitchen to find Momma sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading a magazine. She turns around as I approach her. "Hey, sleepy-head. You hungry?" she asks.

"Ummm... yes, but Momma, I need to talk to you. It's important." I say hesitantly.

"Uh oh, what is it?" she asks with a worried tone. I swallow hard and sit down at the table next to her.

She eyes me intently and lays her hand over mine, "Whatever it is, sweetie, you can tell me."

"Momma, there is something I have been keeping from you and Daddy for a bit," I confess to her.

She removes her hand and grabs her coffee mug. "Oh?" she asks as she takes a sip.

"Momma, I'm pregnant." I blurt out.

Her eyes grow wide, and she spits coffee across the table. "s**t! What did you say?!" she asks as she wipes the coffee from her mouth.

"Momma, please, I'm sorry it was an accident." I cry out.

"s**t Georgia! I didn't know you were sexually active. Oh my god! Who's the Father?" she asks in a worried tone.

"It's a Ummmm...Ummmm.." I stutter. Then the biggest lie came right out of my mouth before I could stop it. A lie that is so out of character for me that it's worse than the truth, but I had to protect John Luke at all cost. All of hell's fury would rain down on him if Daddy found out after putting his trust in him. "It's Ummm... Ummm... I don't know. Some guy I met at a party. I don't remember his name." I confess with tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Georgia May Hudson! I can not believe you would do such a thing! How could you have s*x with someone that you don't know?" Momma asks, covering her face.

I begin to sob, "Momma, I don't know what to do. I'm scared." I plead to her, hoping for some guidance. She is the kindest and most loving mother a girl could ever ask for; she can tell me what to do now.

She uncovers her eyes and inhales audibly, "Honey, I can't blame you completely for this mess. You are a teenager, and you are experimenting. I blame myself partially for not getting you on the pill."

"Momma... Daddy is going to kill me." I whimper.

"Ahhh, sweetie. Shhhh... It's okay. Daddy will be mad, I won't lie to you, but he will get over it and be okay. Daddy loves you." She says reassuringly as she squeezes my shoulders.

"I feel like a failure. I feel like I've let everyone down." I choke out.

"Oh, no, baby girl. You're not a failure. You have been a very good girl for a very long time. It was bound to happen sooner or later, having the urge to get out there and experiment with s*x. Heck, up until now, I thought you were saving yourself for marriage. I never wanted to pry, though. I figured you would come to me eventually. I wish that you would have come to me sooner if you were thinking of having s*x. It could have been prevented; I would have gotten you on birth control." She says as she belts out an audible sigh, "Nevertheless, we will get through it. Do you want to keep the baby?" she asks.

"Yes, Momma. I could never get rid of a baby. I love babies." I respond tearfully.

"That's okay. Have you been to the doctor?"

I shake my head.

"Okay, let's start from the beginning. When did you find out you were pregnant?" she asks.

"About two months ago."

"Okay. Do you know when you conceived?"

"Yes, it was the night Daddy let me go to a frat party with Starlah," I respond.

"Wow! That was over the summer! How far along does that make you?" she asks, reaching down to touch my belly. She looks up at me in shock, "I can tell you are starting to pooch out. You covered that up well. s**t! You are probably four months along or so, aren't you?" she asks.

I nod my head, "I've been trying to hide it with loose clothing and baggy shirts."

"What in the hell is my problem? I can't believe I didn't notice you haven't had your period. We are on the same cycle." She responds, shaking her head.

"What am I going to do about school?"

"Well, you are going to keep going. We will figure this all out. It will be fine. I only work two days a week. We will help you." She reassures me.

"I'm scared to tell Daddy," I confess.

She chuckles. "I understand. I'm scared to tell Daddy."

I get up and grab a paper towel from the counter and blow my nose. Momma pulls me close and lifts my shirt. "Wow, Georgia. Look at that cute baby belly. That boy who got you pregnant is sure going to miss out on a precious little blessing." She says as she gently pats my stomach.

My heart just aches at that moment. John Luke is going to miss out on a lot. I will have to suck it up and do this alone. Well, not technically alone, I have support, but it's his flesh and blood growing inside of me. "I'm going to call the doctor to get you in for your prenatal visits. We need to get you some prenatal vitamins too, but first, I'm going to cook you some breakfast. Then, after we pick up the vitamins, we go shopping to pick you up some maternity clothes."

"When should I tell Daddy?" I ask her.

"I'm going to call and let Daddy know at work so he can process the news before he gets home. That way, he has some time to stew on it a bit. Then we will both sit down and talk to Daddy together." She insists. I nod in agreement. She whips up the omelet with ham, cheese, and mushrooms, which is my favorite, sets it down in front of me. I inhale it as if I hadn't eaten for days.

Next, she picks up her phone and calls her OBGYN to get me in for an appointment. "Okay, I got you in tomorrow at 1:00 pm; I'll go with you." She offers.

I get up to put my dish in the dishwasher. "Okay, I'm going to get in the shower," I tell her.

"That's fine; I'm calling Daddy."

I return to my room to get myself ready but try to keep quiet to listen in while Momma is on the phone with Daddy.

"Hey, dear... Your daughter has some news...Okay, it would be best if you went off somewhere away from everyone so I can tell you...She said she's pregnant...Yep!... Well, how do you think it happened?... Oh, come on, Dylan! Don't be so naive! She's a teenager! Oh, stop..she says she doesn't know him...It happened at that frat party...Nope, she doesn't know his name...Hey, please don't blame me for this; you let her go; I was at work...Shit happens!... Okay, well, you need to calmly come home tonight so we can talk about it...sigh... I love you too. Bye..."

A shiver runs down my spine; I'm dreading this conversation with Daddy.

I tiptoe to my bathroom and turn on the shower. I wait for it to get hot enough, and then I jump in. I quickly wash up and shave, then I get out and get myself ready.

Momma peeks in while I'm getting dressed. "Alright, sweetheart. Daddy knows now. Are you about ready?"

I slip my shirt on. "Almost... How did he take it?"

"Oh, you know how Daddy is." She says, rolling her eyes as she walks away.

I know all too well how Daddy is. My life is in disarray because of how he is and how he reacts to things. I run a brush through my hair and quickly put on some makeup. Then Momma and I leave moments later.

Momma and I stop at the drug store first, and she buys me some prenatal vitamins. She then takes me to the mall and helps me pick out some maternity clothes.

Afterward, she takes me to lunch before heading back home. It was nice to spend the day with her. I have missed days like this.

Benny returns home with his friends Chad and Logan after school to drop off his backpack, but they leave after a while to go to Chad's house to hang out, which is a relief to me. I don't want to hear Benny's snarky comments.

When it's almost time for Daddy to get home, I decided to hide in my room until Momma comes for me. I gaze out my window when I hear his truck pull in. I tremble in fear as he climbs out and heads inside. I sit on my bed, pull my knees into my chest, and put my head down. A few moments later, I hear footsteps down the hall and a gentle knocking outside my door. I look up to find Momma peeking her head around the door. "Come on out, Georgia." She calls.

I get up and follow her into the kitchen. Daddy is sitting with his back to me at the table. He has his head in his hands. "Hi, Daddy," I mumble as I start to pass him.

He doesn't respond. He looks up at me, looks down at my belly, and puts his head in his hands. I sit down, and tears begin to pool in my eyes. "How, Georgia? Why?" he asks.

I notice his eyes are red and puffy. He must have cried sometime during the day. "Daddy, I don't know. I'm sorry," I say tearfully.

"I never expected this baby. Do you know your life will never be the same after this? Are you going to keep it?" he asks.

I nod. "Yes, Daddy, I am keeping it." I manage to choke out.

He sighs. "Well, guess I'm going to be a Papaw. I'm not even forty-five yet." He chuckles. Momma smiles at him. "All I have to say is that little s**t better be glad I don't know who he is because I'd beat down his door." He says while clenching his fists.

"I'm so sorry I failed you, Daddy," I say tearfully.

"Ahhh, sweetheart, you didn't fail me. Yes, you made a mistake, and it will affect your life and the baby's life because you don't know who the Father is, but you will be okay. We will all be okay. You are going to finish school, graduate, get a good job, and be successful. We will all chip in and help you. Your Mom and I didn't plan you either. We had only been together for a couple of months when she got pregnant with you. I think we did great." He reassures me as he pats my hand.

I realize he's right. Things will not be the same ever again. I will eventually have to tell him that John Luke is the Father. I couldn't do that until I talked to John Luke first. "May I be excused? I am exhausted, and I want to lie down."

They both nod, so I get up and walk into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I figured I'd try to call John Luke and see if he can talk; I hope he doesn't get in trouble. I sit down on my bed and muster up all the courage I have left and dial his number. I wait for it to ring, but I hear the alert tone before the recording says, "The number you have reached has been disconnected." I immediately hang up.

What the hell? I redial his number. The same recording comes on. I hang up my phone. Oh, no! Disconnected?! How will I tell him now? Surely, he will reach out to me eventually. I lay in bed, tossing in turning throughout the night, hoping that John Luke is okay and that he will contact me soon.

The next day, Momma and I go to my appointment at the doctor's. They do an ultrasound to see the baby since I'm far enough along. The baby is moving around and very active on the ultrasound. I found out I was having a girl. I was pretty excited about it, and Momma was too. I started wearing maternity clothes Momma bought for me, and I told my friends at school. They were shocked but supportive. I think Mitch had a crush on me, so he seemed to take it the hardest, but he was still very kind to me. I still hoped that John Luke would get in touch with me sometime before I had the baby.