The Old Neighborhood by Bill Hillmann Page A

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    I SAT NEAR MY BEDROOM WINDOW one night when Blake and a few of his friends rambled down the front porch stairs.
    â€œShe still pregnant?” one said.
    â€œYeah,” Blake said. “Those things don’t go away on their own, ya know.”
    â€œJust shove her down some stairs,” Blake’s friend Steve said, and the group erupted into laughter. “Hell, I’ll do it!”
    â€œYou’d do that for me?” Blake sighed. “Damn, Steve, you’re a real friend.” They blasted into more laughter as they sauntered away down the sidewalk.
    It made me sick to my stomach to think of it. I saw the protesters outside the abortion clinic on Peterson sometimes. Ma had had one. The child before me was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome, and they chose to terminate it. Even today, I don’t know what I’d have done. The quality of life, all the terrible consequences of having a child with serious special needs—it’s tough.
    I guess teenage girls get abortions all the time, but with Blake, it was different. He was in a relationship with Karen. They were supposed to love each other. And the baby inside of Karen was going to be my nephew or niece—my family, ya know?
    I ended up leaving the house and walked down the street toward Hermitage. Hyacinth was out on her front porch doing her homework. I walked up to her, and she frowned at me. I still felt bad about what I’d done to Angel a couple weeks before.
    â€œHey, I’m sorry about fighting with Angel.”
    She sighed.
    â€œI shouldn’t have.”
    â€œThat wasn’t a very nice welcome to the neighborhood, ya know.”
    â€œI know.” I hung my head. “Can I sit with you?”
    She scooted over, and I sat beside her. It was a cool night. The wind blew in slowly off the lake.
    â€œSomething bothering you?” she asked.
    â€œYeah, well I, I don’t know.” I dragged my hand through my hair.
    â€œWhat is it?” She smiled at me.
    â€œMy brother, Blake.”
    â€œThe football player?”
    â€œYeah. He got his girlfriend pregnant.”
    â€œWow, jeez. That’s tough.”
    â€œYeah, he’s got a year left to graduate college. He’d be the first to do that in my family since, since, a while, I guess.”
    â€œWhat are they going to do?”
    â€œI think they’re going to get an abortion.”
    â€œThey’re gonna kill the baby?”
    â€œYeah, I think. I think they stick a vacuum inside and suck it out.”
    â€œOh my God, that’s horrible.” She gripped her stomach.
    â€œMy Ma wants to do it, and Blake does, too, I think.”
    â€œThat’s really sad.”
    â€œI don’t think Karen wants to. I think she wants to have the baby.”
    â€œThat’s so sad.”
    â€œI know. Everybody’s so proud of Blake. Me, too. I’m proud of him. I want to be just like him and go to college.”
    â€œBut you’re not so proud anymore?”
    â€œI, I don’t know what to think anymore.”
    She patted me softly on the back.
    â€œMaybe it’s better if they do it and don’t have the baby and he finishes college and can get a good job, and then they could have all the babies they want.”
    â€œMaybe. I just think about the baby that’s inside Karen. What about the baby?”
    I started to cry a little, and I was embarrassed. I looked away and dug my fists into my eyes to squelch the tears. I started to get up to leave, and she reached out and held my arm with her soft, warm hand. She slowly pulled me close to her, wrapped her arms around me, and hugged me. I slid my arms around her and hugged her back. She kissed me on my cheek, and suddenly, my heart was beating quickly, and I wasn’t sad anymore. My whole body started to throb. Her front door cracked open, and I shot to my feet and said, “Thanks for telling me the homework for