I know Mom and Dad will help me, and that’s what I need right now. Parental wisdom by the bucket load.
“Kenny!” I hear my dad yell out as I step out of my rental. Dumping my bag at the bottom of the porch steps, I take them two at a time and rush into his open arms, bursting into tears the moment his arms wrap tightly around me.
“Baby girl,” he murmurs as I hiccup and snort in his ear. The emotion of the past month overwhelms me.
“Hi, Daddy,” I say, pulling back and wiping my face and nose on my sleeve in a most unladylike way.
“Why the tears?”
“Happy to see you?” I say, smiling through the tears.
“I call bullshit.”
“I do too,” I say sadly.
“A boy?” he asks all knowing.
“THE boy.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’ve come home then, isn’t it? We’ll get you sorted out lickety split. Your mom’s even made pot roast for supper.”
“I’ve missed you guys so much,” I say, starting to tear up again. Damn pregnancy hormones. What the hell?
“Hey now, my Kenny has never been much of a crier. A yeller, a screamer, and yes, a bit of a scrapper, but never a crier.”
“Yeah well, I think that’s about to change. Let’s get inside so I can tell you and Mom together.”
With furrowed brows and a long stare, he nods towards the door before grabbing my bag from the bottom of the steps and following me inside.
“Makenna? Is that you?” I hear my mom call out from the kitchen. I follow the sound of her voice until I see her standing by the kitchen counter, her face beaming the moment she sees me.
“Oh my lord, baby girl. I swear you get more beautiful every day.”
“Mom….” I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tight as I bury my face into her shoulder.
“Mac, what’s going on? Are you in trouble or something? Please don’t tell me that waste of space Beau Gregory has been bothering you.”
“NO! Hell, no! He wouldn’t dare, Mom.”
“It’s a man though, isn’t it? You’ve met someone. I can tell by the look in your eye.”
“Yes. And I think I’ve screwed it all up.”
“Never say that, dear. I’ll make you a coffee, and we’ll talk this all out,” she says, turning to put the kettle on.
“Ah, I’ll just have a water, please.”
“Water?”
“Ah, yeah, I’m trying to cut back on the caffeine,” I explain.
“Right. And how’s Kate? I miss that pretty girl’s face almost as much as yours.”
“Yes, that little fire cracker used to always keep us on our toes,” Dad comments, joining us in the kitchen.
“She’s great. She’s working today so couldn’t come up with me. And I’ve got a few days off work now anyway.”
“A few days off in the middle of the week, Mac?” Mom murmurs, not missing a beat.
“Ah, well, I’ve been unwell, so my boss gave me the rest of the week off.”
“Really? What’s wrong? Have you seen a doctor?” Dad cuts in, putting the back of his hand on my forehead. Forever the worry wart.
“Yes, I have, and I’m okay. Well, I will be. It’s kind of what I came here to talk to you about.” I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the disappointment, the condemnation.
I go to take a seat, but suddenly stumble as a wave of nausea crashes over me. “Shit” I spit out, running to the kitchen sink and spitting chunks down the drain.
“Mac!” my mother cries behind me as I try waving her off.
Gulp. Way to go, bubba. That’s one way to make your presence known, isn’t it?
“Come take a seat, sweetheart. I’ll get you something to calm your stomach. Is it the stomach flu? You came home for some Mom and Dad TLC?” She looks at me with concern as she wipes my mouth with a wet cloth that my father must have grabbed for her.
“Not exactly,” I start to say, pausing while I come up with the right words. “Seems like you’re going to be grandparents in about eight months’ time.”
The whole house goes deathly quiet. You could seriously hear a pin drop it was that f**king quiet.
“Oh, Mac, that is fantastic, baby!” she shrieks in my ear as I’m enveloped in a mom bear hug. “Oh, John, I’m going to be a nana!”
I hear my dad chuckling as he hugs me from behind, and I’m suddenly the meat in a Lewis family sandwich. I immediately feel calm and secure. This why I came home, for this. Exactly this.
“Well I don’t know about you, but I definitely need to sit down to absorb this, and I’m guessing you came home because you’re a little freaked out about it?” Mom asks, smoothing my hair down and cupping my cheek like she’s always done since I was a little girl.
“You know me well,” I reply with a small smile.
“Right, well let’s just jump straight into Mac freak out level five and pull out the big guns, shall we? John, we need a pillow and a blanket and some tissues. I’ll bring in some hot chocolate and cookies. We’re gonna hash this out.
“You best be telling me about this boy that’s got you in such a tangle too, missy,” dad murmurs as he leaves the room.
“Okay, Daddy,” I say as I walk through to the living room and set up camp on the couch. This has always been the way that we’ve dealt with any problems in my life. From my suspension in elementary school for pushing over the school bully who was picking on Kate, to my detention for skipping school with Beau during high school, right up until I came home from Ohio a crying mess with a black eye after my miscarriage four years ago. We all sit on the couch with pillows and blankets and talk it out, the three of us, as it’s always been. Of course, Kate has been known to join in, but since I haven’t actually told her that I’m knocked up yet, she’s still blissfully unaware.
Once we’re all set up, Mom looks at me with that knowing look of hers and raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to start. “So, how did this happen?”
“Well, when a guy and a girl like each other, they like to…” I start explaining with a grin.
“Mac, quit it. I know how babies are made. I want to know how my future grandchild was made. Especially since, when I talked to you a month ago, you didn’t mention that you were seeing anyone seriously. I thought you were still just seeing those casual friends. You know, what do they call it these days, John?”