4

Ollie

"Olivia? Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Well, my only solution at this moment was to cross the city and turn to the only person who could shelter me right now. Aunt Ju. My reaction at that moment was to run into her arms and cry for long minutes, while she tried to calm me down and extract from me everything she needed to know, but it was practically impossible.

"Here, dear, drink this. It'll calm you down," she says, handing me a cup of tea, which I drink slowly, and soon my agitated body feels the tranquilizing effect of the warm, sweet liquid. "Tell me what happened, Olivia?" I take a deep breath and think about where to start this whole story.

"I'm pregnant, Aunt."

"Good Lord!" She mutters with a gasp. "And Dad kicked me out of the house."

"Of course, that devil from hell did that!" Irritated, she gets up from the couch and paces around the room.

"I need a place to stay just until I can get a job..."

"You'll stay with me tonight, Olivia," she interrupts, and I gulp nervously. "If your father finds out you're here with me, he won't leave us alone."

"Aunt..."

"Listen, dear, I want you to take a warm bath now. It'll help you relax a bit. Then we'll eat something, and I want you to sleep. When you wake up, I'll take you south."

"To the south? What's there in the South?"

"A great friend in whom I trust with my own life. She'll take care of you both for me." God, it feels so good to hear those words! For a moment, I thought I would be alone again. Moved, I hug her again.

"Thank you, Aunt! I have some savings, and I promise to get a job soon..."

"None of that, young lady. Leave everything to me. I always wanted to take care of you and Kim. God knows how much I wanted to get you away from those lunatics, but your father kicked me out of the house when I confronted him. Now you're right here." I smile. "Now go do what I asked. I'll ask them to prepare a room for you." Aunt Ju leaves a warm kiss on my cheek and walks away. Only then do I notice the elegance of this place and how big and luxurious her house is.

"Miss, can you come with me?" A maid asks, leading the way to a staircase of white marble with some golden details, and I wonder how she managed to get here.

Inside a guest room, I can't concentrate on how spacious it is, or even on the elegance of its furniture, or the large, soft bed in its center, because the tears return, and the words my mother said leave me in despair.

"A slut," she said.

Heavens, I must have lost myself at some point, made the worst mistake of my life, and destroyed all the opportunities I could have had. Kim. Oh God, she must be in tears in our room right now, alone, and I can't comfort her as she always did with me.

"Oh, dear, there you are," Aunt Ju's voice fills the room, but I can't stop crying. So, she sits on the bed, and I lay my head on her lap. "Ollie, you're not alone anymore," she says, running her fingers through my hair. "There's a little human being growing inside you, and that's who you need to think about now, dear."

"Kim, she stayed there..."

"I know, I know. Everything in its own time, right? First, I need to take care of you, and then we'll see how to help your sister."

"I should have protected her."

"Your parents are like melted gum on the sidewalk. The more we fight to get rid of them, the more they stick to us. You're just a dreamy girl fighting for your freedom. You have no experience with people like them, but look on the bright side of all this."

"I can't see any bright side, Aunt Ju."

"You left home, Ollie. You're going to have your child, and when everything's fine, you can help her." I shake my head, saying no.

"I can't take that long."

"Unfortunately, we can't embrace the world and solve everything at once, Olivia. And they're her parents, there's nothing we can do. Kimberly is of legal age, even though her parents don't accept it. She can also break free if she wants."

"It's not that easy."

"And who said the price of freedom is easy?" I scoff, getting out of bed.

The worst part is that she's right. We lived so suffocated inside that house that we didn't realize it. We're adults, even though they don't accept it, and why do we let them make us their prisoners? Why don't we just leave?

I answer.

We were financially dependent and without any work experience. That's why I decided to take a course in secret.

Heavens, it was so close!

"Take a bath, Olivia, and let's have something to eat on the balcony. It's a beautiful day outside."

"All right." That's all I say after drying my tears and entering the bathroom.

Aunt Ju was right. A warm bath left my body limp, and now drowsiness was about to sink me into the world of dreams... that, or she put something in my tea.

Minutes later, we were on the balcony in complete silence having a late breakfast, as it's almost eleven in the morning.

The silence made me think about the stranger who turned my life upside down, and I mock myself when I think about how stupid I was.

On the very first time, Ollie?

This is all such a mess!

***

"Olivia, wake up, dear!" Aunt Ju's voice soothes me, and I force myself to open my eyes, staring at an orange sky through the wide transparent glass windows. "You need to go."

"What?"

"Your father called me, and he's on his way here." Dazed, I sit up on the mattress and rub my eyes. "My friend is already here, and I want you to go with her."

"But, now?" She takes my hand and guides me out of bed.

"I don't want you to worry about money, okay? I'll take care of everything. You'll be fine. Come, I want you to meet someone special before you go." She says as we reach the top of the staircase, and I gaze at two women in the center of the huge living room, one of them holding my bag. "This is Lara, she's my wife." I can't help my surprise.

Wife?

"She's the reason your father kicked me out of the house."

"I didn't... know."

"Of course not. He would never admit to having a lesbian sister. That bigot from hell would condemn the world if necessary. In his sick head, only he is perfect, and your crazy mother doesn't help much."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Olivia. Your aunt has spoken a lot about you and your sister over the years."

"The pleasure is mine, Lara!" I say, hugging her tightly.

"And this is Anne, the friend I mentioned earlier. You'll stay at her house until the baby is born, and after that, we'll do whatever you want."

"Pleasure, Anne!"

We don't take long to say goodbye, and soon we're on the road.

Still early in our journey, the night falls, and I look out the window, but I can't see anything outside, so my thoughts haunt me again, but this time without tears. I need to be strong now for both of us. My child needs me, and I have to take care of him.

What comforts me is that we have a place to stay now, and in time, everything will work out.

...I will come for you, Kim. It might take a while, but I will come for you.

"In our town, there's only one hospital," Anne comments, bringing me back from my reverie. "But don't worry, my mother is a skilled midwife, and she knows how to take care of pregnant women very well."

Midwife? Heavens, what have I gotten myself into?

"Julian told me she took a secretarial course."

"I did."

"We have great companies there, and who knows, after the baby is born, you can pursue your dream?"

"That would be perfect, Anne!"

"I know some people who can help us with that, but I want you to know that both Julian and I want to give you and your baby all the comfort you need." I don't comment on what she just said because my head is spinning all the time.

Certainly, I won't change my plans, and I certainly won't allow anyone else to dictate my steps or my thoughts. After my baby is born, I will indeed take some time to finally go to work.

Our plans haven't changed, Kim, they've just been postponed. I think to myself as I look out the vehicle window again.