Chapter 30 UNEXPECTED PERSON

Mary Ann and John slept late last night because they had a movie marathon. The two enjoyed their first night together.

They woke up and the sun was already high.

"Babe, I remember, we did not use protection," John whispered to Mary Ann who was still sleeping. "I think we need to do something or else just be ready for our new baby." Mary Ann, who is still asleep, turned to John.

She suddenly got up when she heard what John said," What should we do now?" She said still in her bedroom voice," I am sorry but no matter how beautiful the idea is, I am not ready again. We just started our relationship and I am enjoying having a boyfriend." She said. John could see that her girlfriend is panicking. She looks so nervous and afraid.

"Take it easy, babe."

"John, please do something." Mary Ann started to cry. Her mind is in turmoil. She couldn't think properly. Who doesn't want to have a child? She loves to have them but she is just starting her life. She doesn't know if she could take in another responsibility.

She likes to get to know more and get closer to John.

"Babe, relax. I guess what we need to do now is to get up and wash up." He said and started to get up in bed." Let's dress up and go to the pharmacy to buy contraceptives or maybe, let's search in google." John suggested just to calm her down.

"Alright. I am sorry, John. Please don't get me wrong." She said and held his hand.

John touched her hand and pressed her palms gently," Don't worry about me, babe. I totally understand."

"Thank you. Alright, you go and wash up first and I will try to search for what we can do." Mary Ann answered.

"No, you can go first and let me do this for you." He said.

"But… do you know what to look for?"

He shook his head," No, but I can call my mother and ask about it."

Mary Ann's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks were hot. She could tell her face turned red because of what John said," Are you serious?" She said looking at the man.

"Why?"

"You will ask your mom?" she couldn't believe that he would really ask his mom. Like it's something natural to hear of a mother from her child.

John let out a soft laughed.

"Yes, go now. Don't worry, okay? Leave this to me. My mom will understand. We are two consenting adults and soon, you will be her daughter-in-law so there's really nothing to be ashamed of."

Mary Ann couldn't do anything.

"Babe, go. Take your shower. Your clothes are ready in the wardrobe." John said and pointed to the wardrobe.

Mary Ann was surprised. She looked at him as if asking him who washed the clothes.

He smiled at her," I did. I have already ironed them while you were sleeping."

Mary Ann was dumbfounded to hear what John said. He could do all the things in the house, household chores.

"Thank you." So, she got out of bed and went inside the washroom to take a shower.

Mary Ann and John are finally ready to go and while on their way to Mary Ann's house, they decide to stop at a pharmacy that is on the same road. They have already discussed that John will be the one to buy it for her.

John came back in the car with water and a box of the pill.

Mary Ann quickly asked John as soon as he hopped in the car," What did the pharmacist tell you?" Her face is full of curiosity. She acts like a teenager who is afraid to get caught.

John laughed. "Babe, nothing. They didn't ask anything. What are they supposed to ask me?" He asked her as well.

Mary Ann didn't say anything but looked away.

"Don't worry, okay? And even if they will be asking me, I will simply tell them that it is for my wife." He said with a mischievous smile.

"Okay, are you ready? Shall we go?" He said and about to start the engine.

Mary Ann nodded and John stepped on the accelerator and left the place.

"Do you want anything to buy for Grandma?" John asked her.

"I don't know. Do you have anything in your mind?" She asked him back.

"I don't know, do you have something in mind? she asked him back."

"Hmn… How about a cake or a basket of fruits?" He suggested.

"Yes, a cake will do. We will be able to pass by a Red Ribbon store near our house. Grandma likes their black forest cake."

"Alright, we will have a stop there then."

They did buy the cake for her grandmother. Mary Ann still couldn't believe the happiness that she is feeling right now. After a couple of years of living in sadness and fear, finally, she decided to give herself a chance and this man with her. She accepted his love for her. She is glad that the man she loves is the same man she helped five years ago. John's love for her is unwavering. The man proved that many times, even if he is away from her just like when he needed to stay in Canada with his sister, he found a way to take care of her and keep her safe.

Mary Ann looked at John again who was focused on the road," John, what did you tell your mother when you called her and asked about the medicine?"

John glances at her. "She just laughed and she's excited to meet you." He answered proudly. "I told you, you don't have to worry about anything."

Mary Ann didn't say a word. "My mother and sister are very nice, well even my father. If we have time later, I will bring you to my father's house and introduce you to him." He added.

"John, you are very open to me about your family. But, I still never mentioned anything about my family. You only know about my grandmother." He could feel bitterness in her voice.

"Babe, just relax okay? Let's take one step at a time. If we rush things, it will just be too much to take in. Like what I have told you from the start, I will wait for you, okay?" John couldn't look at her but observing her in his peripheral vision. "Time will tell when that be, for now, let's enjoy what we have and let tomorrow worry for itself." He held Mary Ann's hand resting on his lap.

She cleared her throat and then said, "My mother is abroad. She is working there. She has stayed there since I was small and only goes home every two years. She usually spends two months here for her vacation. My father? I have never seen him. I don't know even just a single piece of information about him. Grandmother never met my father. So there's not much information I could get from her. My mother never wanted me to ask anything about my father." She said in a crack voice.

Mary Ann felt a pinch in her heart. "Every time I ask her about my father, she just tells me she doesn't know either where my father is. It's been five years since the last time my mother took her vacation. Because of the tragedy that happened five years ago until now I never talked to my mother." Her tears kept dripping. She tried to calm herself down.

It's been five years and the same intensity of pain is still inside her chest. Up until now, the wound is fresh.

She swallowed a lump in her throat before she continued, "Five years ago, if she only listened and didn't let her emotion control her, maybe, we are still with our baby. Maybe, Baby Annie is still alive if only my mom has been rational during that time." She couldn't stop sobbing. It is as if all the memories and all of what happened that time flash in her mind. She could see blood on her grandmother's face and the pale color of her child.

"Babe, please don't cry. I told you, you don't have to say anything if you aren't ready yet." John said in a worried voice. " Don't worry, I am here by your side. I won't let anything happen to you. I am just here and I will be protecting you."

John put the car on the side of the road in emergency parking.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and her seatbelt. He pulled Mary Ann's head to his chest, "Shhh, stop crying everything will be fine."

Mary Ann calms herself down.

They continue their way in Mary Ann's house and when they arrive they are surprised by an unexpected person in front of them. Mary Ann held John's sturdy arms, fear was seen to her face.