Desperate Times

Kate slept in the following day. She didn’t have a job anymore and her parents were understandably still mad at her. Or so she thought.

Her dad stopped by to say hi to her before leaving the house for his morning town hall meeting with the committee members for the church’s building project.

“Aren’t you going to get ready for work?” John asked Kate.

“No. My services are no longer required at the pastry shop,” she answered.

“What?” Why? What happened?” John asked in a rush.

“Please, don’t make a fuss about this, Daddy,” Kate begged him. “I spoke with Darlene yesterday. She practically repeated everything Kevin said to me on Saturday. She’ll send my last check in the mail tomorrow.”

“She can’t do that,” John protested. “She can’t just fire you from your job because her son chose to be a bum. I’m going to have a word with her once I finish with my meeting.”

“No, Daddy. Please, don’t do that,” Kate pleaded.

“And why the heck not?” John inquired testily.

“Darlene hasn’t mentioned the situation to anyone yet, and I think we should keep it that way,” Kate explained. “If you confront her, the conversation might get heated, and you know how Darlene can get when she’s mad. She gets very loud.”

“Did that woman blackmail you?” John asked suspiciously.

“No, she didn’t. I just don’t want this issue to be blown out of proportion. Please, Daddy.”

John sighed and said, “Alright. I’ll put a lid on that for now. I have to go now, sweetheart. We’ll talk when I get back.”

He kissed Kate tenderly on the forehead before leaving. She went into the bathroom to freshen up and then headed downstairs.

She found her mother clicking away on her laptop in the dining room. Laura ran a part-time affiliate marketing business that involved the sale of household items. She used to be a retail store manager back when they lived in Cheyenne.

“Your father told me that you got fired from your job,” Laura remarked absently without looking at Kate.

“That’s correct,” Kate confirmed.

“Hmm…” Laura mused while her attention was still on her computer screen. “I never pictured Darlene to be such a hypocrite, acting all nice and lovely, but when the chips are down, she hops on a moving train and leaves everyone else behind to fight for their lives.”

“I guess she’s just trying to be a supportive mother,” said Kate.

“Unlike me?” Laura asked her.

“I didn’t say that, Mom,” Kate replied quickly. “I’m just saying that she probably chose to side with Kevin because they’ve only got each other.”

Laura gave Kate a hard stare and asked, “Are you still in love with him?”

“No,” Kate answered without hesitation.

“How far along are you?” She asked Kate.

“I don’t know,” Kate responded honestly.

“Take a guess,” said Laura.

Kate paused to think, counting back to the last time she and Kevin got intimate and the condom broke.

“I’d say eight weeks, maybe,” she said uncertainly.

Laura closed her laptop with a loud snap. She blew out a breath and said, “We need a plan to get you out of here as soon as possible.”

“Mom, please. Don’t start with that again,” Kate said wearily.

“Come here and sit down,” Laura ordered her daughter and pulled out a chair for her.

Kate obeyed her mother and sat down.

“Do you remember the Miltons?” Laura asked Kate calmly.

“Yes, I do,” Kate replied dully.

“And do you remember what happened when their youngest daughter got pregnant out of wedlock after messing around with some boy in school?” Laura continued.

Kate rolled her eyes but said nothing.

“Do you remember how they got ostracized from the church and they became the talk of the town, disgraced and humiliated? Do you remember any of that, Kate?”

“Yes, Mom. I remember. So what?” Kate fired back. “What are you going to do, Mom? Kick me out and disown me to protect your spotless reputation? Is that your plan?”

“No, my dear Kate,” Laura answered calmly. “My plan is to have you settled in a respectable place where nobody would dare breathe a negative word about you and get away with it.”

Kate was confused. “What do you mean?” She asked her mother.

“These are desperate times, Kate,” Laura continued calmly. “We must do everything we can to preserve your dignity, maintain our reputation as a respectable family, and keep your indiscretion a permanent secret all at the same time."

“What are you getting at?” Kate asked suspiciously.

“You will marry Mr DaCosta,” Laura said with a tone of finality.

When Kate opened her mouth to object, Laura held up a hand to stop her.

“Listen to me, Kate. For once in your life, listen!” Laura said urgently. “I spent all of last night doing some extensive research about that man. He is who he says he is and more.

“Mr DaCosta is like royalty in Chicago and beyond. He owns a chain of restaurants, food markets, and he also owns one of the biggest hedge fund companies in the country. Do you realize what it means to be married to a man of such wealth and influence? Do you? Kate, If you marry him, your child will be born into a life of privilege. Don’t you want that for your baby?”

Kate didn’t know what to say. Her mother was coming at her with so much information, that she didn’t even know how to start processing all of it.

Laura held Kate’s hand and said, “Darling, I would never steer you in the wrong direction. I’m only looking out for your best interest here. I assure you, this is a good thing.”

“But Mom, we’re talking about marriage here,” Kate argued. “How do you expect me to spend the rest of my life with an old man?”

“If it’s any consolation, your father and I are older than him,” Laura said casually. “I’m a year older than him.”

“He’s 53?” Kate exclaimed in horror.

“Age is just a number, Kate. Don’t obsess over it,” Laura advised.

Kate withdrew her hand from her mother’s and got on her feet.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t do this. I simply can’t.”

Laura shrugged and sighed. She flipped her laptop open again and said, “I hope you know that I’m only looking out for your best interest. It’s what mothers do. You’re about to become one now, so you’ll understand someday.”

 “I’m going out for a walk,” Kate said and headed to the front door.

She strolled to the neighborhood park and sat on an empty swing chair. The place was practically empty because all the children were still in school at this time of the day, and all the grown-ups were at work.

It was the perfect place and time for some deep thinking. Kate weighed all of her options again.

Reconciling with Kevin was completely out of the question, going to live with her brother was off the table too, and going to Atlanta to live with her aunt didn’t seem fair. Aunt Lawretta had a lot on her plate already. Kate didn’t want to be anyone’s burden to bear.

And then there’s Tony. Good old Tony who had generously offered to marry her and save her from imminent shame and her family from a scandal.

But why? What was in it for him? Was he just being kind or was there an ulterior motive behind his proposal?