Plus One
Page 14
"I think we're all set for dinner," she told me. "Lexi and I made the dinner, Jeff and Lexi set the table, and Mr. Stanton is going to clean up after dinner ends. You're a guest, you don't have to do any of that boring stuff. So, go on and sit down, and we'll have dinner soon." I nodded in her direction and followed the rest of the family into the dining room. I waited for all of them to take their regular seats, and once they had, I sat in the last remaining seat that had a place setting. I didn't want to step on any toes or sit in any chairs as the case may be.
After I had sat down, everyone joined hands to say grace, I assumed. My mom and I had never been all that religious, so I wasn't exactly familiar with what to do or say and I hoped that I wouldn't have to do anything other than hold hands and say amen at the end. That much I thought that I could handle.
"Thank you, Lord," Mr. Stanton began. "For all of the food on our table, for all of the friends in our home, and for the beautiful life that you have afforded us. And for the new life that Lexi is going to help bring forward into the world. Thank you for it all, Lord, and thank you for everything else that we take for granted. Amen." Everyone repeated "amen" after him, even me. Then we dropped our hands and Mrs. Stanton went hurriedly back into the kitchen in order to grab the food. She returned with a big bowl of salad in her hands and a bottle of balsamic vinaigrette, my favorite flavor of salad dressing.
"So first I have some salad," she said. "This is romaine lettuce with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, and a balsamic vinaigrette." Everyone nodded, but I was a little bit blown away whereas these people seemed to have grown used to such luxury, as if that were possible. My mom almost never had time to make a homemade dinner for me, let alone such an intricate and fancy salad. They were so lucky to be able to eat together all as a family and it annoyed me that I hadn't had the same experiences as these people had growing up. I vowed to myself right then and there that my child would always have dinner with their family, even if we didn't have such fancy salads.
After we had started eating our salads, Lexi excused herself to get the main dish. I wandered what she had made. She was such a good cook, but I didn't really know how big her repertoire was, she mainly made Mexican food for her family. "We have Mexican lasagna," she said. "Layered sautéed spinach, queso blanco, salsa, corn, and crispy tortillas." I had never had that before but assumed it would be good since she had made it.
As we all finished our salads, Mrs. Stanton scooped out big spoonfuls of rice and beans onto each of our plates. I sniffed at the dish appreciatively. I was hungry and also excited to taste Lexi's cooking again. It seemed like it had been forever since she had cooked a meal for me, and I was excited for the first bite.
"Everything is delicious, thank you," I said to Lexi and to Mrs. Stanton.
"Ahem," Jeff said, loudly clearing his throat. I looked over at him and laughed.
"Yes, Jeff," I said looking him hard in the eyes. "Thank you so much for all of your hard work in setting this lovely table for all of us."
He laughed back at me and faked a big smile. "Thank you for noticing, it only took me an eternity." We all laughed, and his father punched him playfully on the shoulder.
"She's right," Mrs. Stanton told the table. "This is so delicious. Lexi, you have to give me the recipe, would you?" Lexi laughed and blushed, deeply flattered. She loved to cook, and she loved it even more when people appreciated it.
"Yeah, of course." She beamed. "So, anyone do anything fun today?" she asked, as if she had lived here all of her life, as if these people were her real family. It made me so happy to see and being at this dinner in this warm and welcoming home made me feel like I too, was a part of this family. I truly hoped that we would be able to continue to rely on the Stanton family after our sweet baby was born. After a moment of silence in which everyone glanced around the table waiting for someone to start talking, I decided to give it a go.
"Well, I got a job," I announced to the table. I was met by a couple of raised glasses and a chorus of congratulations. It made me feel good, so I kept talking. "It'll give us some extra money for everything that we're going to need for the baby, and besides, the place where I work has this deal for high school seniors and college kids. For every hour that I work down at the shop, they put three dollars aside in a separate account for my college tuition, and that's not even including my regular pay."
"Sweetie, that's wonderful news, just wonderful!" Mrs. Stanton cooed. "Wait, I'm not totally sure if I've asked you this before, so I'm very sorry if I have, but have you decided where you're going to college?" she asked me. All eyes turned to me and I felt a little bit uncomfortable making the announcement with everyone staring at me. But hey, there's no time like the present, right?
"I actually just decided," I announced to everyone. Lexi looked at me surprised, probably wondering why I hadn't told her yet. Normally I told her everything, but I had wanted this to be a surprise. "Yesterday after the doctor's appointment, after hearing that tiny little heartbeat and seeing that little thing on the sonogram, I decided what I had to do. So, after that, I went down to the local community college and signed up for this coming fall semester." Once again, I was met by a chorus of congratulations from all around the table.
"No!" Lexi shouted. "You can't do that! You've worked so hard in school, you always have. You were supposed to get into some fancy school and get out of here and be some big incredible, important person! Why are you doing this?" All of the people sitting around the table had grown silent in the awkward situation. I knew that she was only reacting so drastically because of her raging hormones, but I couldn't help but feel hurt. I was doing this all for her, why couldn't she see that? I breathed in and out deeply so that I wouldn't tear up as I spoke.
"It's cheaper," I told her matter-of-factly. "It costs so much less, it's still a great education, and that way I'll be able to use all of the extra money for the baby. Lots of incredible people started off with a community college education. And that way, I get to stay here. I get to stay here with you, Lex, and we can raise our baby together. I don't care if it's a couple of years ahead of schedule. I love you and we're going to have a baby and I'm staying with you and I'm staying with my baby. With our baby. My dad was never around, and my mom worked all the time because she never got to finish college and so she never got to work in a job that she loved. Okay? I want a good life for our baby, and I want a good life for us. This is the start to that. Going to college, no matter where, is the way to start our amazing new life together. Please tell me that you're not really mad."
"No, of course I'm not mad," she told me. She got up from the table and motioned for me to join her out in the hall. "I don't want you to resent me forever and ever. I love you so much, and I know that you'll love the baby, but I can't make you stay here. I don't want you to feel like you have to."
"I don't," I told her. "I don't feel like I have to do anything. I'm not the baby's father, I'm not the baby's mother. I love you, so this is going to be our baby. I love you so much that I couldn't possibly imagine being anywhere else, with anyone else, doing anything else. Please understand." She wiped a tear from her eyes.
"Do you really mean it?" she asked me. "Do you really think that we can do this?"
"Of course!" I told her, kissing her deeply and placing one of my hands onto her belly. "We can do this. We'll make all of this work, somehow, I promise."
"Do you pinky promise?" she asked me. I laughed out loud and extended a pinky. She took my pinky in hers.
"Of course," I said. And then I bent down on my knees and I kissed her little belly. We were going to make it all happen, somehow.
FIN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah is studying at Wellesley College (class of 2020) but is originally from the snowy city of Syracuse, New York. She wrote this book when she was 15 as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.) When she isn’t writing she can be found wherever there’s a dog. Go ahead and like her page on facebook—Sarah L. Young Author—for
more news and updates about her publications.