Pregnancy

My heart pounded when I saw the two red lines on the stick. I stared at it closely, hoping I was just hallucinating, but no. This is real.

I'm pregnant. Fuck!

I bit my lower lip as I called Astrid, my only best friend. When she answered, I felt even more nervous.

"Tatiana! Hello! What's up? Is there a result-"

"Positive, Trid." I interrupted her. I heard her swearing on the other end.

"Fuck you! Who's the father? How? Didn't you use a condom?"

I felt more confused. I sat down on the bed, thinking about who I was with recently. After a moment, I stood up suddenly, remembering that guy.

"H-he's not a customer, Trid. I just encountered him at the bar. Just-"

"If not a customer, then what? Who? Don't tell me you had a one-night stand . . ."

Damn it. That guy…

"Do you know him? When did it happen? Of course, it's been a long time since you're pregnant, huh!" Astrid shouted at me again, clearly nervous.

"I saw his name somewhere, Trid. James? Jam? Ja-Jameson?" I replied, guessing at his name.

"Jameson? Jameson what? There are many names like that, Tatiana!"

"Jameson Montgo-"

"Montgomery?! Are you sure?! That's the rebel son of Pablo and Valentine Montgomery!"

I felt a wave of weakness as I recognized who she was referring to. You're doomed, Tatiana.

I completely lost focus on my conversation with Astrid when I heard a loud scream outside. Without bothering to end the call, I ran fast. Unconscious Althea and Mama were in front of me, crying while attempting to wake my sister.

"What happened? Mom!" I whispered sharply and quickly approached them.

I hugged Althea's head and tried to wake her up. She was very pale, and blood kept coming out of her nose.

"Althea! Althea, wake up. I'm here. Wake up!" I begged her and turned to Mama, who continued to sob. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I just went to grab something quickly, and this is what I found." She shuddered in response.

"Damn it!" I cursed and lifted my sister, heading outside.

"Call an ambulance, Mom!" I screamed when I saw that Althea's blood was still leaking from her nose.

She had been sick her entire life. I don't know why this is happening, but one day, she just came home from school pale and bruised.

There, the doctor declared that she has chronic leukemia. It's one of the reasons why I had to work doubly hard for maintenance and hospital bills, including the therapy she needed.

We both caught our breath as we reached the emergency room. Before Althea was rushed to the operating room, I witnessed a torrent of blood gushing from her nose and mouth once again. I was paralyzed as she completely disappeared from my sight. I felt my heartbeat slowing down.

I couldn't even cry. I felt nothing. It was as if I were floating. Everything around me became incomprehensible due to the rapid sequence of events, especially when I realized that Mama had already spoken to the doctor.

"She lost a lot of blood, and now she's in a coma. We're transferring her to the ICU to properly monitor her condition. I'm sorry, Mrs. Alcantara," the doctor said and left.

My knees trembled. What?

***

"What, did you find him?" I asked Astrid as soon as I arrived at the coffee shop. She didn't answer, so I sorted out my things and put on my apron.

I've been a part-timer at this coffee shop for six months now, and I don't know if they have any plans to make me a full-timer. It feels like the manager is just waiting for me to leave, and if it weren't for Astrid, that old man would have probably let me go a long time ago.

"Wait! Are you sure you don't know him? He's famous, girl!" Astrid said, so I approached her and peered at her laptop.

"If he's really famous, why don't I know him?"

"Maybe because you're a loner?" she teased me, so I nudged her shoulder.

"Find him!" I ordered her and returned to the counter when I noticed a new customer entering.

After processing the orders of three consecutive customers, I approached Astrid again, who was still busy.

"What's up, Trid?"

"Bitch! I didn't know you were serious when you said you don't know Jameson Luke. He's the vocalist of Algorithm! It's impossible to find out where he is because he's busy with his band," she replied.

I furrowed my brow and sat in front of her. I bit my lower lip, feeling even more troubled. What am I going to do when I find that guy? Should I tell him I'm pregnant with his child? What if he doesn't believe me? What now, Tatiana?!

"Why didn't you use a condom? Did you enjoy it so much that you forgot-"

"I was drunk, Trid. Absinthe, the one you made me drink, messed me up," I interrupted her and stood up again.

The weight of the emotions grew heavier every time I recalled what happened that night.

"So, what will you tell him once you see him? That you're pregnant?" she asked me before I could fully return to the counter.

I shrugged. "Maybe. You said his family is wealthy. We can do a DNA test if he doesn't believe it," I gave a simple answer and started working.

I wish it would be that easy. Tsk!

"Anyway, how's your sister's condition? What happened yesterday?" She asked and sat down on the counter.

I felt a pang in my heart as I remembered Althea's condition again. I was convinced that she was getting better the other day. She was lively and active in her painting hobby. I don't understand why she suddenly became like that. Is it true? Is cancer really that treacherous?

I sighed tiredly and was silent for a moment.

"She's in a coma. It happened so fast. I thought she was fine," I lazily replied to her.

"I'll pray for her, don't worry. Althea's a strong girl. You don't seem to know your sister."

That was the last thing Astrid said, and she started working as well. She probably knew I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want my emotions to consume me. It's tearing me apart.

I clocked out exactly at five. I only have duty on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in this shop, but sometimes I work on weekends when Chino, the regular, doesn't show up. Astrid left early because her boyfriend picked her up. That's not a problem since her aunt owns the coffee shop.

While walking, I received a text from Mama expressing her worry because Althea is still asleep. I didn't even bother replying to her. As much as I wanted to allow myself to be vulnerable for a moment, I couldn't.

When I bought fruits, I suddenly remembered passing by the bar we went to that night. I hoped to see him, but there was nothing. I ended up leaving and continued walking until I spotted a familiar face inside a restaurant. I squinted at the man and was shocked to recognize who it was. It was him. What is he doing here? And... and now I only noticed, he was the man who impregnated me. But why do I get this feeling that something is not right here? Why does it feel different?

His face wasn't clear in my memory from that night, but I was sure it was him. I couldn't afford to be wrong. He is Jameson Luke Montgomery.

I quickly marched towards the restaurant, even though I was still in my uniform. I went straight in and approached the man. I was surprised for a moment when I saw this woman with him, but I couldn't help myself.

"Hey!" I called him and patted his shoulder. Fortunately, I brought the pregnancy test I used yesterday.

The woman looked at me first, then at the man. I was a little taken aback when I saw his face up close and quickly registered in my mind what happened that night.

Fuck! Get yourself together, Tatiana! You can't be screwed up!

I couldn't help but slap him, which shocked him and the woman he was with.

"What the hell! What was that for? Who the hell are you?" The man frowned, stood up, and faced me. I was stunned for a moment. He doesn't know me? But he always sees me at the bar, and... Wait, why does he seem like a different person?