anything.”
“You gotta lose it, then.”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
“Come on! Get away from that stoop. Let’s take a walk.”
“What are you saying, Tommy?” She quickened her steps to catch up.
“What do you think I’m saying? You have to get rid of it. “
She stopped walking and stared at him. “You’re not going to marry me?”
“Marry you? What, are you nuts? Hell no! I never said I was, did I? I ain’t payin’ no child support, neither.”
“How can you stand there and say that? This is your baby, Tommy. You’re his father. What’s wrong with you?”
She wiped the flow of tears with the back of her hands.
“Hey, you know what? Now you can get the hell out of my life, bitch. I don’t want to see you anymore.”
“No, please, don’t leave me, please?”
“Then get rid of it.”
“I don’t know how,” she meekly replied.
The whole thing was getting Tommy mad. He leaned on a lamp post for a moment to think about what to do. Aside from all of this, he needed another hit—badly.
“I don’t know either. Just find a way.”
(sniff)
(Pause)
“So, let’s wait and see. Maybe this thing will die on us or something.”
“Thing? What thing Tommy? You mean our baby?”
“What the hell else do you think I mean. Yeah, the fuckin’ baby, okay?”
Seven months later
Dingy and dirty, the hundred year old building’s basement, unswept for just as long, was cluttered with stained mattresses, box springs, old bicycles and an assortment of unwanted wooden furniture. Dust laid everywhere. Black soot from a leaky vent to the boiler covered everything in the room.
“God, it hurts really bad, Tommy.”
“Okay, okay! So lay down.”
“It’s filthy in here. Look at this cement floor! It’s dirty.”
“Wait…I’ll be right back.”
The boy ran upstairs to the first floor hallway. He grabbed the dark red, flowered runner, the seam on one side unraveled with strings separating from it, rolled it up and hastily carried it to the basement. Laying it out next to the noisy boiler, he coaxed Valerie onto it.
“Help me get my clothes off. Everything hurts,” she said.
Unbuttoning her blouse, Tommy spread it open to the sides. He undid the belt and pulled her jeans down all the way. Under the blouse, foam padding, used to blend in her upper torso with her pronounced belly, was yanked out and thrown on top of the jeans.
The fetus was small. Valerie was able to hide the pregnancy from her mother by overeating and wearing loose clothing. It was the style, she had told her.
Sweat dripped profusely down her face. She grabbed her belly and sucked in deeply. “I can’t take this pain much longer. Ow! Oh my God, I can’t take it. It hurts, Tommy!”
“I think you’re supposed to push right about now. Try not to yell so much, somebody’s gonna hear your screams.”
“I don’t care. It hurts. Ow, ooh!”
Mucous flowed from her nose. She was breathing hard and pushing, but the pain only increased. She felt as though it would never end. Nothing had ever hurt this badly. It had to be at least ten times worse than anything she ever felt at the dentist.
Tommy took a closer look. “I think I see his head. Holy crap! Damn! Look at that? Push a little harder.”
“I can’t Tommy, it hurts,” she screamed.
“Fuck that shit! Come on…hurry up! Let’s get this over with. I gotta go!”
“I can’t! Oh, God! Ow!”
“Yes, you can. Keep pushing. That’s it. It’s coming out. Push a little harder!”
“Ow! Ow!” (Pant! Pant!)
“Keep going. That’s it. He’s almost out.”
“Oh, my God!”
Valerie screamed.
“Whaa! Whaa!”
Pale and out of breath, she laid her head on the floor, then immediately snapped it back up and looked angrily at Tommy. “Don’t leave him on the cold floor like that. Pick him up! What’s wrong with you?”
“What do we do about this shit?” he asked.
“Whaa! Whaaa!”
“We have to cut it with something. Find a pair of
“You gotta lose it, then.”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
“Come on! Get away from that stoop. Let’s take a walk.”
“What are you saying, Tommy?” She quickened her steps to catch up.
“What do you think I’m saying? You have to get rid of it. “
She stopped walking and stared at him. “You’re not going to marry me?”
“Marry you? What, are you nuts? Hell no! I never said I was, did I? I ain’t payin’ no child support, neither.”
“How can you stand there and say that? This is your baby, Tommy. You’re his father. What’s wrong with you?”
She wiped the flow of tears with the back of her hands.
“Hey, you know what? Now you can get the hell out of my life, bitch. I don’t want to see you anymore.”
“No, please, don’t leave me, please?”
“Then get rid of it.”
“I don’t know how,” she meekly replied.
The whole thing was getting Tommy mad. He leaned on a lamp post for a moment to think about what to do. Aside from all of this, he needed another hit—badly.
“I don’t know either. Just find a way.”
(sniff)
(Pause)
“So, let’s wait and see. Maybe this thing will die on us or something.”
“Thing? What thing Tommy? You mean our baby?”
“What the hell else do you think I mean. Yeah, the fuckin’ baby, okay?”
Seven months later
Dingy and dirty, the hundred year old building’s basement, unswept for just as long, was cluttered with stained mattresses, box springs, old bicycles and an assortment of unwanted wooden furniture. Dust laid everywhere. Black soot from a leaky vent to the boiler covered everything in the room.
“God, it hurts really bad, Tommy.”
“Okay, okay! So lay down.”
“It’s filthy in here. Look at this cement floor! It’s dirty.”
“Wait…I’ll be right back.”
The boy ran upstairs to the first floor hallway. He grabbed the dark red, flowered runner, the seam on one side unraveled with strings separating from it, rolled it up and hastily carried it to the basement. Laying it out next to the noisy boiler, he coaxed Valerie onto it.
“Help me get my clothes off. Everything hurts,” she said.
Unbuttoning her blouse, Tommy spread it open to the sides. He undid the belt and pulled her jeans down all the way. Under the blouse, foam padding, used to blend in her upper torso with her pronounced belly, was yanked out and thrown on top of the jeans.
The fetus was small. Valerie was able to hide the pregnancy from her mother by overeating and wearing loose clothing. It was the style, she had told her.
Sweat dripped profusely down her face. She grabbed her belly and sucked in deeply. “I can’t take this pain much longer. Ow! Oh my God, I can’t take it. It hurts, Tommy!”
“I think you’re supposed to push right about now. Try not to yell so much, somebody’s gonna hear your screams.”
“I don’t care. It hurts. Ow, ooh!”
Mucous flowed from her nose. She was breathing hard and pushing, but the pain only increased. She felt as though it would never end. Nothing had ever hurt this badly. It had to be at least ten times worse than anything she ever felt at the dentist.
Tommy took a closer look. “I think I see his head. Holy crap! Damn! Look at that? Push a little harder.”
“I can’t Tommy, it hurts,” she screamed.
“Fuck that shit! Come on…hurry up! Let’s get this over with. I gotta go!”
“I can’t! Oh, God! Ow!”
“Yes, you can. Keep pushing. That’s it. It’s coming out. Push a little harder!”
“Ow! Ow!” (Pant! Pant!)
“Keep going. That’s it. He’s almost out.”
“Oh, my God!”
Valerie screamed.
“Whaa! Whaa!”
Pale and out of breath, she laid her head on the floor, then immediately snapped it back up and looked angrily at Tommy. “Don’t leave him on the cold floor like that. Pick him up! What’s wrong with you?”
“What do we do about this shit?” he asked.
“Whaa! Whaaa!”
“We have to cut it with something. Find a pair of
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