Unexpected Love by Shelby Clark Page A

her feet and snatched her shirt off. “How do I look?”
    Both Dee and El stared as if trying to think where she was going with her question. Dee was the first to speak up. “You look like you’ve been missing some meals, but you’ve always been thin.”
    “Yeah, and you have a tiny little bulge in your belly, but you can knock that out with a couple of sit-ups,” El added.
    Then, at the same time both Dee and El blurted out, “Oh my god, you’re pregnant!” They jumped on TC showering her hugs and kisses.
    El began a barrage of questions. “So did you tell sexy yet? It is his baby, right? Aren’t you two back together? What are you waiting for, TC? The man loves you. He sends you flowers and tropical fruit baskets flown all the way from Rio. What man does that? And he gave you what you want. He gave you the space you requested.”
    “A man that’s very much real and knows what he wants. He’s also very much in love with a special lady. He knows it and so do we. So stop crying, we’re all going to get through this. Because we are aunties now.” Dee answered excitedly!
    “Yeah, well, I wasn’t sure if I was going to go back to him. And I wanted to travel the world before I decided what I want to do with my life. The answer to your question, El, is yes. Seth is the father. He doesn’t know yet. I need some time to get used to this situation for myself. He will see this as a reason why we should be together. What the f… I mean heck am I going to do with a baby? I don’t know how to take care of a baby.”
    “That’s right, Mommy, watch your mouth in front of the baby,” Dee jokingly scolded.
    TC chuckled as she wiped her tears. “Shut up! I love you guys. I don’t know what I would do without you. I am asking you to please keep this between us. Gave me a little time to think this through. Who would have thought as soon as I give up the cookie, I get pregnant.”
     
    * * * *
     
    El and Dee peeped into TC’s room the next morning. “Good morning, Mommy. How do we feel? Are we up for some breakfast?” El asked.
    TC groaned. “You guys are not going to leave this alone, are you?”
    “Nope,” El and Dee answered.
    “And if I don’t want to keep the baby, you will be angry with me, won’t you?” TC asked.
    “Yup,” El and Dee replied.
    “Ok, then the mommy would like some breakfast,” TC said with a smile.
    Dee came farther into her room. “So you should be about two or three months right?”
    TC answered while still lying in her bed resting on her elbow. “Yeah. The doctor said based on my last menstrual I should be about ten weeks.”
    “Awww …. I know you don’t want to hear this, but, TC, your baby was conceived in love. I saw how Seth looked at you, and I heard how his best friend, Junnie talked about Seth being in love with you. Junnie was so happy for Seth. Apparently, the natives in Rio are big on love.” Dee glanced at TC’s dresser. “Oh look, you still have that mail I told you about two months ago.” Dee reached up to get it.
    TC shrugged. “Just leave it on the dresser. I’ll get it later. It’s probably a scholarship to grad school. I don’t know if I want to do that now that I’m having a baby. This changes everything. I can’t do any traveling with a baby.”
    TC hesitated and then grabbed Dee’s hand. “Dee, can I really open up to you? I’m afraid. When I was in Rio, Seth and I were isolated from the world. You know what I mean. He kept saying I was on Fantasy Island. Boy, did it feel like it was. I thought I was in a dream, but now we’re here. Seth and I are different. What would people think seeing us together? Look at me, I’m mocha brown.”
    “And I’m crunchy black, TC. What are you saying? I’m from Africa with short hair, but that didn’t stop Junnie from wanting to be with me. Junnie wants to continue seeing me. That means I will be going back to Rio soon. We talk still on the phone and through email all the time. TC, I told you this