Destiny's Detour

by Mari Brown

  We each fill our shot glass, and Ryan starts the game for us. “Never have I ever had a crush on one of my friends of the opposite sex” and we all take a drink. Several other mild statements are made before it starts getting more personal and sexual in nature, and it won’t be long before I am in deep shit.

  And then it happens. Megan says, “Never have I ever had sex in a public place.” All of the guys take a drink, and then my eyes meet Amy’s and both of us down our shots.

  “Destiny! I can’t believe you,” David shouts, his face turning red in anger.

  “I am not a baby anymore, David.”

  Everyone but David laughs.

  “I don’t think I want to play this game with you anymore.” He pouts.

  I laugh and tell him to grow up. We play until the bottle of tequila is gone, and by then, we have a good buzz going.

  Troy finally looks at me and says, “Let’s go dance.”

  Eminem’s “Shake That” blasts through the speakers, and before long, Troy and I are grinding on each other like crazy. Dancing with him turns me on and makes my body hum, and by the bulge pressing up against me, I know I am working my magic on him, too.

  When I can’t take another minute, I lean into his ear and whisper, “Let’s go home.” He nods his head in agreement, and goes to let David know. Searching through the bodies on the dance floor, I find Amy and tell her that we are going home so she won’t worry.

  Between the alcohol buzz and the closeness of our bodies pressing together, I have no idea how Troy and I manage to walk home. His arm is banded tightly around my waist, and every minute or so, he stops and kisses me.

  As we stagger past a group of guys, one of them yells, “Get you some,” which makes Troy laugh so hard that we almost fall. When he shouts, “I will,” I am caught between giggling at him and punching him. I just want to get home with my man so he can ease my throbbing need. I realize that I am completely addicted to him, and it doesn’t bother me one bit. I can handle feeling like this for the rest of my life.

  After Troy unlocks the door, we head into the kitchen to grab bottled water to fight off the tequila. Once we finish, Troy grabs me and kisses me forcefully. We somehow make it to our room upstairs. Troy yanks me into his arms, kissing me so thoroughly that my toes curl. When he lifts me up, my legs automatically encircle his waist as my arms snake around his neck. Our kisses deepen as if we are consuming each other. Neither of us can seem to get enough. I grind against him with a moan and he responds with a groan of his own. Judging by the bulge in his jeans, he cannot be comfortable. I slide down his body and we begin stripping our clothes off until we stand naked, staring at each other. He slowly leads me to our bed, lays me down gently, and hovers over me using one arm to keep his full weight off me.

  “You don’t know how much I love you, Destiny.” His lips take mine again.

  His mouth moves lower along my body, and even though I know where he is heading, when he places a gentle kiss on my inner thigh, my breath catches. Parting my legs, he buries his face into my hot, wet pussy. He licks, sucks, and nibbles my clit, and then his tongue stiffens and thrusts into me as he gently spreads me further open. Lost to the sensations pulsating through my body, it seems like all too soon, I am flying.

  His lips start a steady journey back up my body, stopping to nibble on my hip before worshipping my breasts, and then finally on to my mouth where I open to accept his tongue. The taste of myself on him makes my body hum more. He pauses long enough to enter me with one hard thrust that draws a groan from both of us. He alternates the rhythm, and I match his pace– slow, hard, soft, and fast–until we soar over the edge together.

  Time seems to fly from September to October. We are all busy with classes, football, and dance. None of us has very much free time, so it is really nice when we finally have an off weekend during the first week of November. Troy and I will actually be able to go out on a real date for a change.

  Friday, I wake up feeling mad at the world. It doesn’t help that Troy starts out by picking on me. Not that he is doing anything out of the ordinary for us, but I am not amused. As we sit at the table eating breakfast, he realizes that I am in a mood, and then tries to cheer me up, which really only makes it worse.

  “Babe, come on. You know I was kidding.” He grabs my hand and tugs me towards him.

  “I didn’t find it amusing,” I snap, jerking my hand away from him.

  It only escalates from this point, and soon, I am yelling at him. Troy looks at me as if I have sprouted horns, and honestly, I don’t blame him. I am being irrational, but it doesn’t matter, there is no way I will admit I am wrong. At this point, we have been arguing for over an hour. Then as suddenly as I’d gotten mad, I burst into tears. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I run out of the kitchen and up the stairs. As soon as I hit the bedroom, I begin throwing clothes into a bag with the sudden urge to get the fuck out of here.

  "Destiny, what the hell?"

  “Just leave it, Troy. I am going home for the weekend. I just need to get away from everything.”

  “Let me go with you then,” he pleads

  I know it’s ugly, but I yell, “NO!” I realize that I am being unfair, but I don’t make any move to change it. Troy stares at me a minute and shakes his head then turns on his heel, slamming our bedroom door.

  I don’t know where I thought Troy went but I am surprised when Amy comes into the bedroom.

  “I’m going with you, Destiny. Troy is worried about you,” she calmly says.

  “Fine, you can go with me.” It’s better to let Amy tag along. It will keep Troy from worrying if I take off by myself. Yes, I am an emotional wreck.

  While waiting downstairs for Amy to meet me, I overhear her talking to Troy. “Don’t worry. I will make sure she gets to her parent’s, and I will find out what’s going on with our girl.”

  Troy mumbles something back. I start to feel bad for the way I am acting, but I’m not quite ready to ask for forgiveness.

  Two hours later, Amy pulls into our hometown and stops at Wal-Mart. Claiming she has to grab something, she runs in, and minutes later, she’s back out with a small bag that she throws in the backseat of the car. When we get to my parents, Mom greets us at the door. Just seeing her there brings my tears back, and I run straight into her arms and start crying all over again. Mom wraps me in her comforting arms, trying to soothe me, but not knowing what is wrong. I finally stop crying long enough to tell her that Troy and I had fought over something stupid, and that I am on some kind of emotional rollercoaster. My mom glances at me then over to Amy and they share a long look. Amy brings out the Wal-Mart bag, and throws it at me. With my elbow firmly planted in her grip, she leads me to the bathroom with instructions to use what’s in the bag, and then meet them back in the living room.

  After locking the bathroom door, I open the bag, and what I see shocks me. Why would Amy think I need this? I dump a long box out on the counter, and a pregnancy test stares back at me.

  Then it hits me. I haven’t had a period since at least September. How could I not have noticed? The possibility that I am pregnant is very high. If asked what I was feeling in this moment, I’m not sure what my response would be. Talk about emotional rollercoaster! Knowing that the test won’t take itself, I open the box, pee on the stick, and place it back on the counter. After washing my hands, I lean my back against the wall, and slowly slide down to the floor.

  Pregnant? How did this happen? Why didn’t we use our brains? Oh, yes, because we are horny idiots. Reflecting back, I realize that Troy and I never once used condoms. I have this urge to beat my head against the wall, but that won’t help anything. What am I going to do? How can I have a baby at eighteen? What do I know about being a mother? Not a damn thing! I bury my face in my hands, and try to avoid the panic that is taking over my brain.

  After what feels like hours, but is surely only minutes, I look over at the counter again. It’s not going to come to you. Hoping that my trembling legs will
hold me, I push up from the floor, and take hesitant steps towards the test. My eyes find the digital window that holds the key to my future. PREGNANT. It hits me full force as if I have been sucker punched or the wind has been knocked out of me. I AM PREGNANT! Holy Shit! At this point, I realize that I am crying,–ugly crying–and for a moment, I give myself permission to be weak. Breathing deeply in an attempt to calm myself, I pick up that little life-changing stick, and slowly make my way to the living room.

  My mom takes one look at my face and doesn’t need to ask what the result is.

  “Destiny!” Disappointment comes through her voice, loud and clear. “How could you let this happen? We talked about safe sex enough times”

  “I know, Mom. Shit, it’s not like I planned for this to happen,” I cry out.

  I toss the test onto the coffee table and throw myself into my mother’s arms. Amy slides closer, and the three of us sit in stunned silence, staring at the test. It is one thing to suspect you’re pregnant, but having proof brings it to a whole new level of reality. I am shocked. I’m pregnant, that I am going to be a mom. I let that thought roll around in my head, and without even realizing it, my hand has drifted down to my stomach in a protective manner. I know I am too young. I know I am not ready for this but the thought of an abortion or someone else raising mine and Troy's child makes me sick. I made the decisions that got me here and I need to own up to them. Hiding my head in the sand is not going to change the reality of the situation. Suddenly, a swarm of love goes through me. I know that, no matter what else happens, I am already in love with this child. My life may have just taken a major detour, I may have to make a lot of changes, and things may not be going as I have planned, but I have no doubt that it will all work out.

  “Mom, I am so sorry this happened now, but I am not sorry about this baby. I already love it.”

  “I can tell, Sweetie. It was written all over your face as I watched you process everything just now.” She lets out a long sigh as her disappointment changes to resignation. “Trust me when I say that this is not the end of the world. We will just have to make some adjustments.”

  I hug my mom, so happy that she is taking this so well. Then another thought hits me. “Um, Mom, who’s going to tell Dad?”

  She laughs and says, “We will tell him together”

  Then it hits me. Troy! I have to tell Troy, and then worry sets in. What if he isn’t ready? What if he breaks up with me? Well, wouldn’t that be awkward? I pull out my phone and send Troy a text telling him I am sorry for being a bitch and that I really love him. In seconds, I get a text back saying he has already forgiven me and that he loves me, too. When I look up, my mom and Amy are watching me.

  The three of us sit there for a little while talking things over, and more time passes than we realize. The front door slams open, and David and Troy rush through it. Once again, I am surprised.

  “What are y’all doing here?”

  “Lover boy over here was driving me crazy. We knew you came home, and he wanted to be with you, so here we are. I couldn’t let him drive himself,” David says.

  I smile at Troy. He comes over, then leans down and kisses me. “Why are you still crying?”

  Before I can open my mouth, David shouts, “What the fuck!”

  I glance over at my brother to see what has caused him to scream out like that. Oh, no! I realize that the pregnancy test is still on the coffee table for anyone to see. His eyes jump from the table to Amy and me. Well, this is not how I expected this to be revealed.

  My mom speaks first. “David, do you have to use such language? Really, didn’t I raise you better?”

  “Who does that belong to, Mom?”

  She pauses before saying, “Um, well …”

  I interrupt and say, “It’s mine, and thanks for making this a public declaration instead of something private.”

  I hesitate before I glance over at Troy. He has a bewildered look on his face until his eyes focus on the test. He walks to the table and looks down at it. Without a word, David lunges and punches Troy hard in the face, causing him to fall beside me on the couch.

  “David!” My mom and I shout at the same time.

  “Oh! Troy, are you okay?” I ask as I reach up and gingerly caress his face. I look at my brother and can see how angry he is. I open my mouth, but before I can say anything, he turns and starts walking towards the front door. The walls shake from how hard he slams it. I turn back and fuss over Troy as I check his eye to make sure there is no major damage other than the fact that he is going to have a mean shiner.

  “Amy, why don’t you and I head into the kitchen to get some dinner started and let Destiny and Troy talk,” my mom says.

  “Great idea,” Amy replies.

  Troy and I are left there together. He still hasn’t said a single word.

  “Troy?” I question.

  “So this is why you have been so moody?”

  “It would seem so.”

  We sit in silence, and then slowly, Troy moves closer to me. He leans over to give me a slow tender kiss and says, “So, we’re going to be parents?”

  I search his face and all I see is acceptance. “Yep, we are.”

  “Destiny, I am in shock. I can’t say this timing is the best, but we’ll figure it out together.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. You didn’t think I would leave you over this, did you? I told you. I love you and I plan to be with you a long time.”

  “Honestly, Troy, I didn’t know what your reaction was going to be. You’re just a junior in college, and I am a freshman. This is not supposed to happen now”

  “Baby, we will get through this together. We can make it work.”

  Tears slide down my face. Stupid hormones. Stupid tears.

  “Troy, I really do love you.”

  “I love you, too, Princess.”

  Then his lips find mine, and we share one of the most tender, sweet kisses that I have ever experienced in my life. I can understand Troy still being in shock. My knowing that things will work out has helped calm me. I am so happy that we are going to share this together. I can’t even imagine anyone else doing this with me. I snuggle up to him with my back against his chest and his arms wrapped around me.

  “Troy, we still have to tell my dad and deal with David.”

  “Well, shit.”

  I laugh. I just can’t help it. All of us are afraid to tell my Dad. But for right now, I am going to enjoy my man.

  Mom and Amy make lots of noise in the kitchen, slamming pots and pans. Troy is lightly stroking my hair in a loving manner while we cuddle on the couch. David still hasn’t come back, and that is probably not a bad thing because my dad has just walked in the door. Troy and I both tense up when Dad comes in to say hello. Unfortunately, my dad knows me to well, because he takes one look at my face and says, “What’s wrong with my little girl?”

  I finally manage to stutter, “N-n-nothing.”

  “Want to try that again?”

  I am given a small reprieve when my mother comes floating into the room, wraps her arms around my dad, and lays a big kiss on him. I have to turn away. Who wants to see their parents make out? When they finally stop kissing, we look at them like they are freaks of nature. My mom lets out a small laugh, and my dad grins from ear to ear. I should have known he isn’t going to let it go.

  “I love my wife, but that isn’t enough to distract me from the fact that something is going on with my baby girl.” Daddy sits down, his eyes never leaving me. “I’m waiting.”

  “Daddy, you know how much I love you, right?”

  “Yes, Destiny. I know how much you love me, and you know I adore you, so please tell me what is going on.”

  “Um, well, you see … I’m pregnant.” My voice drops to a whisper, and I’m not sure if he hears me.

  “You’re what?” His yell proves he heard every word I just said.

  My mom rubs on his arm. “Honey, calm down. It’s not the end of the world.” />
  My dad turns to Troy. “And I suppose this is all your fault?”

  “Daddy!”

  He stays silent and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head.

  “Did you two go stupid all of a sudden, what the fuck were you thinking, oh that’s right you weren’t thinking with your brains at least, why does Troy have a black eye forming?”

  He doesn’t stop to breathe as his words run into one long rant. Troy and I just sit there and stare in amazement. Troy never once lets go of me, though.

  “David punched him when he found out,” I tell my dad softly.

  “Good. I owe the boy,” my dad says gruffly.

  Finally, he lets a great big sigh. “Well, this is going to take some getting used to. Me, a grandfather? What are your plans?”

  Troy quickly speaks up. “Well, Sir, I plan on being there every step with Destiny. I also plan on being the best father I can be, and if your daughter will allow me, I would love to be the best husband to her I can be, too.”

  I gasp. Those words coming out of Troy’s mouth completely shock me. It has never occurred to me that he might want to marry me. I am not sure why, but it just didn’t. I look at Troy, and then my parents. My mom is beaming, Troy is smiling, and my dad looks like, well honestly, he looks like he has just lost the Super Bowl or something.

  My dad finally speaks up. “Well, I guess I can’t ask you for much more. I have known you your whole life, Boy, and you better do right by my daughter and grandbaby, or I will hunt you down. Do you understand me?”