The Visit

Dinner was a disaster. Kate couldn’t keep her food down, but thankfully, her parents thought she was simply still upset about her breakup.

She’d excused herself from the dining table and gone to bed to cry herself to sleep. When morning came, she felt worse. She woke up with a terrible headache and she felt so dizzy that she couldn’t get out of bed.

“Oh, dear. You don’t look so good,” Laura commented when she saw Kate.

She was already dressed for church and looking very lovely in her lavender skirt suit with a beige silk blouse and a huge lavender fascinator on her head.

“I think we should get you to the hospital,” Laura said while placing her palm on Kate’s forehead to check her body temperature.

“Don’t worry about me, Mom. I’ll be fine,” Kate assured her mother.

“Your body temperature is a bit high. I think you’re coming down with something,” Laura said worriedly. “Come on, let’s get you to the hospital.”

“No. I don’t want you to be late for church,” Kate said quickly as she forced herself into a sitting position. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Hey, are you two ready? We’re running late already,” John called out from downstairs.

“Go on, Mom. Don’t keep Dad waiting,” Kate urged her mother. “I’ll be alright, I promise.”

“I’ll be right down,” Laura called back to her husband. To Kate, she said, “Listen, I’ll come back home as soon as the service ends. I’ll let Lady Ann take charge of the women’s meeting today.”

Lady Ann was an elderly widow who used to be the first lady of the church when her husband was the senior pastor. Now, she was a member of the church board and an honorary member of the women’s group.

Lady Ann was also known for her sharp tongue, prudish behavior, being a nosey parker, and this most uppity human being that ever existed. Life was tough for everyone in the church during her reign as First Lady.

“I don’t think those poor women deserve to have a miserable afternoon because of me,” Kate said with a chuckle. “You should stay and officiate the meeting. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Laura asked tenderly.

“Yes,” Kate responded firmly. “Now, go before Daddy blows a fuse. Hurry.”

Laura kissed Kate on the cheek and got up to leave. “I’ll call you once the service ends, OK? A cup of chamomile tea might help you feel better.”

Once Kate was alone, she snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes. She wanted to go back to sleep but the headache was making it impossible for that to happen.

She finally managed to drag herself out of bed to go to the bathroom. When she saw her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she wanted to scream and run away, but she didn’t have the strength for that.

After brushing her teeth and taking a hot shower, she went back to her room to get dressed. While brushing her hair, Kate decided she would tell her parents the truth today. She couldn’t keep this secret forever and running away wasn’t going to solve her problem.

What was the worst that could happen? Her parents would get mad, express their disappointment in her, and then that would be it. Right?

“This is so messed up,” Kate said to herself.

She went downstairs to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. The aroma made her stomach churn in protest.

“Gosh, when does this end?” She asked herself. Was she going to be sick like this throughout the pregnancy?

Her sister-in-law, Rita, was lively and upbeat throughout her pregnancy. Kate wondered why her own experience was different.

She found a pack of crackers on the snack shelf and ate a few of them before going to lie down on the couch in the living room. She fell asleep immediately and remained that way for hours.

When Kate woke up, it was midday and someone was knocking on the front door. Her mother had probably skipped the women’s meeting despite Kate telling her not to.

“I’m coming,” she announced as she dragged herself to the front door. When she opened it, she was dumbfounded to see Tony standing there.

“What are you doing here?” She asked him in amazement.

“Hi. I came to see you,” Tony said with a grin.

He was dressed smartly in a suit and his beard had been trimmed, giving him a youthful look. He held out a small bouquet of sunflowers to Kate.

“I picked them along the meadows on my way here,” he said with boyish pride.

Kate wasn’t impressed. “How did you find my house?” She asked him pointedly.

Tony slowly retracted the bouquet he was holding out to her and said, “I met your mother in church. Your friend, Wendy, introduced us, and then your mother mentioned that you were a bit under the weather and that was why you couldn’t make it to the service. So, I came here to see how you’re doing.”

“Do you make it a habit to visit strangers in their homes when you hear they’re sick?” Kate asked him sarcastically.

“No, I don’t,” Tony admitted. “However, you’re not a stranger to me. We worked together yesterday, didn’t we?”

Kate wasn’t sure if the man was being genuinely nice to her or if he was an undercover creep, but she wasn’t in the mood to continue this conversation. She wanted to go back to sleep.

“Thank you for stopping by. As you can see, I’m fine,” she said dismissively.

“You look like you could use a bit of sunshine though,” Tony mentioned casually. “We could sit out here for a few minutes if you don’t feel comfortable inviting me in.”

The man’s audacity was astonishing. Kate looked at him from head to toe and back again, and asked, “What exactly do you want from me, Mr Tony?”

“Just call me Tony,” he said with a smile. “And I don’t want anything from you. I just thought it would be nice to say hi to you before I leave and head back to my base.”

“Where’s that?” Kate asked curiously.

“Chicago,” said Tony.

“Does that mean you’ve concluded your business in Sundance?” She inquired.

“Not really,” Tony answered. “I might return in a couple of weeks for that. This was just a preliminary meeting.”

“What kind of business are you into?” Kate asked him.

“Finance and food,” he answered. “But the food business brought me here. We are looking to set up a food market in Sundance like the ones we have in Chicago and other parts of the country.”

“There are food markets in Sundance already,” said Kate.

“But not like mine,” said Tony confidently.

Kate shrugged and stepped outside. She sat on the porch step and motioned to Tony to join her.

“Thank you,” he said and sat beside her. He was careful to put enough space between them.

“So, how did you choose Sundance as the next spot to plant your food business?” Kate asked Tony.

“My team received an invitation from someone who thought we might be interested in buying a newly abandoned shopping mall in the area,” Tony explained. “We immediately began to do our due diligence and everything seemed to have panned out so far. I came to see the place for myself before making a final decision.”

“Are you saying that you have enough money to buy a shopping mall?” Kate asked in surprise.

“Not my personal money. The business is buying it,” Tony explained modestly.

“Oh… OK,” Kate said, and then she asked, “Does your wife travel with you on these kind of business trips?”

Tony gave her a lopsided smile and said, “My wife passed away three years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Kate said softly.

“It’s alright,” Tony smiled. “Here, your flowers.”

Kate finally accepted the sunflowers that were already starting to wilt in the outdoor heat. They reminded her of herself, her once vibrant self now wilting away under the weight of her foolishness.

She suddenly began to cry. Gosh, she needed to stop all this crying. What was wrong with her? Was it the pregnancy hormones or was this going to be her new normal?

“What is it?” Tony asked her tenderly. “Why are you crying? Is it because of my wife? Don’t worry about me, I’ve come to terms with her death already.”

“It’s not you,” Kate said in between sobs.

“Then what is it?” Tony asked with deep concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Everything is wrong,” Kate cried. “I messed up big time and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“What are you talking about? Is there something I can do to help you?” Tony asked her.

Kate shook her head slowly. She tried to control herself but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. She used to look forward to becoming a mom, but this wasn’t how she imagined she would feel when she was finally carrying her first baby.

Tony felt torn as he watched Kate continue to cry. His heart went out to her and he wished there was something he could do to help her, even though he didn’t know what her problem was.

He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her. She accepted it, blew her nose, and continued crying.

“Listen, Kate. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what the problem is,” Tony said softly.

“You can’t help me,” Kate told him. “I’m a disgrace to my family. I’m about to cause a scandal in this stupid little town and become the topic of discussion for the rest of this year and beyond.”

“What did you do?” Tony asked her.

“I got pregnant!” She announced bitterly. “That’s what I did. I went and got pregnant by a guy who is on his way out of town any day now and would be gone for at least two years. How am I supposed to tell that to my parents?”

“Oh, I see…” Tony said pensively. “Is the man who is responsible for this aware of the situation?”

“Yes. He told me to get rid of the baby and carry on with my life without him,” Kate answered tightly. “I don’t know how I ended up falling for such a jerk!”

Tony sighed and said, “I can imagine how distraught you must feel by this situation. However, I am not being unrealistic when I say this isn’t the end of the world.”

Kate rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, maybe not for you, but it is for me.”

“I could speak to your parents about this if you want,” Tony offered. “It might soften the blow a little.”

Kate glared at him and said, “Why would you do that? I don’t even know you.”

“In that case, allow me to properly introduce myself to you,” Tony said with a warm smile. “I’m Anthony DaCosta, Chairman of DaCosta Foods and the CEO of AD Finance, a hedge fund company headquartered in Chicago.”

“OK. So?” Kate asked, not impressed by Tony’s titles.

“So, now you know me,” Tony answered. “I’m no longer a stranger and I’d very much like to help you out of this sticky situation.”

Kate sighed and got to her feet. “Thanks for your offer to help me, Tony, but I really don’t need your help. I got myself into this pit and I’ll have to dig my way out of it somehow.”

Tony rose to his feet too. Just then, John’s white Mercedes GLK 350 pulled into the driveway.

“Oh, god. They’re here,” Kate gasped in a panic. “My parents are back.”

“I can see that,” Tony said calmly. He looked pointedly at Kate and asked, “Do you want me to leave, or do need some moral support when you break the news to your parents?”

John was already getting out of the car. In a few minutes, he would go around the car to open the passenger side door to help Laura out. The moment of truth was drawing close.

“Oh, my god, I can't do this,” Kate gasped desperately as if she was about to have a panic attack.

“It’s alright, Kate. Please, calm down. Everything will be fine,” Tony told her soothingly. “I’ll be right beside you when you tell them.”

John and Laura are now walking toward Kate and Tony. When they got close enough, Laura said, “Why Mr DaCosta, it’s nice of you to drop by to see Kate. Oh, you brought her some flowers? How lovely!”

“Sweetheart, have you been crying?” John asked Kate when he noticed her puffy eyes and red nose.

Kate glanced at Tony and then back to her parents. “I think we better go inside,” she said ominously. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Laura’s cheerful expression quickly changed. She looked at Tony suspiciously and then looked back at Kate.

“What is it?” She asked her daughter warily.

Kate took a deep breath before finally making the dreadful confession.

“I’m pregnant,” she said calmly but loud enough for her parents to hear. She didn’t wait for their reaction. She simply turned around and ran into the house.