Over The Weekend

by Rachel Lenna

  Chapter 9

  I pull back quickly and smile uncomfortably at him. “Sorry.” I whisper.

  “For?”

  “Hugging you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  “Because why?”

  “I don’t know.” I look at him confused. My phone vibrates again and I sigh. I know who it is but they clearly won’t leave me alone until I answer. “Give me a sec?” I ask pulling it out.

  Hugo nods as I awkwardly get up. “Hello Mother.” I say crisply into the phone and Hugo sucks in a breath as I waddle away.

  “Why haven’t you called?” She demands in that high pitched snobby voice she has down pact. She sounds like she is talking down to you even when she isn’t.

  “I didn’t see the reason too.” I retort in the same way. I lost respect for my parents the day they tried to force me to have an abortion. It disappeared completely the moment they asked me to adopt out their grandchild too.

  “I’m your mother. That’s every reason to.”

  “You gave that right up when you took me to court to have my babies terminated.” I hiss into the phone with more emotion then I wanted to. I feel a hand on my shoulder and jump ten feet in the air as I turn to see Hugo standing beside me. He quickly raises his hands in surrender, only wanting to offer silent support. I look into his eyes and see concern and something else… It almost looks protective? I raise my finger to my lips, indicating him to be quiet. He nods silently, grabbing my hand and just holding it. I look at him through new eyes, mesmerised by his gentle gesture.

  “Oh please!” My mother scoffs into the phone snapping me out of the moment. “We were trying to do you a favour. You’re throwing your life away having those babies and you know it. We could still fix it you know. Make it all go away really quickly and you could come back home.”

  “My babies are not just things you throw away.” I snort at her. “They are your grandchildren too and you want me to just toss them away like that? What kind of woman are you?”

  “It’s not like that and you know it. We would make sure they are well looked after.”

  “How?” I snort in complete disbelief. “Actually you know what I don’t even care. I’m not giving them up! You can’t make me and you won’t make me.” I throw my hands up in agitation and Hugo starts rubbing my back wordlessly. His warm soothing hand feels fantastic, I want to curl into a ball and purr myself to sleep.

  “Anna-Beth I did not raise you to be so rebellious.”

  “No but you did raise me to take responsibility for my actions and that’s what I am doing. You should be happy. I’m being a good little daughter”

  “This is not what we meant.”

  “No of course not.” I retort with a half laugh. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t want your eighteen year old daughter to become pregnant the first time she ever had sex. Or want to take her to court to force her to make it go away. Bet you didn’t expect her to want to keep it – them – either. No. No you wouldn’t want those things. Instead you wanted me to go to law school and become like Dad. An unhappy self-absorbed rich snob who thinks he can bully people into doing want he wants by threatening them with court every time they step out of his line.”

  “You will not speak of your father that way Miss Pearson!” I laugh at my mother’s screechy, indignant tone. I can almost picture her fainting on the floor from embarrassment.

  “Why not?” I ask innocently. “It’s the truth isn’t it? You say it all the time.”

  “That is not the point dear.”

  “Of course it isn’t. There is one set of rules for you and Dad and another for us children. But then I am the black sheep now so that means I get even more a difficult and different set of rules.”

  “Anna-Beth! You will stop speaking to me this way!”

  “Fine by me. I’m going to go now.” I say ready to hang up, completely ignoring her.

  “Anna wait!” My mother cries into the phone.

  “No. Clearly you rang to cause problems and I won’t be taking part thanks.”

  “I rang to warn you.”

  “Warn me?”

  “Yes.” My mother sighs and for the first time I hear her struggling. “Your father? He wants to take Hugo to court.”

  “What on earth for?”

  “Um sexual relations with a minor.”

  “I was eighteen.”

  “Well he seems to think it was earlier then that because you can’t get pregnant after only one time.”

  “Wanna make a bet.” I yell into the phone now. “Hugo has done nothing wrong! I was eighteen and I will fight him every step of the way!”

  “Dear one more thing…”

  “What?” I ask dread filling me.

  “Your father wants to seek custody of your babies because he thinks you are financially and mentally unable to care for them.”

  “Why would he think that?”

  “We know about how you have been sleeping on friends couches and how you caught a bus out to see Mr Baker yesterday because you have run out of money.”

  “What?” I ask panic filling me. I look at Hugo who has barely managed to suppress his shock and surprise. Clearly he can pick up on the conversation enough to take a guess at what my mother is saying.

  “Your father seems to think he has a very good case.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “A woman in your condition doesn’t need more stress. And no matter what you think you are in fact still my daughter. I love you. I want what’s best for you.”

  “Hugo and I are getting married.” I blurt out randomly. His jaw drops and Mum sucks in a big breath.

  “Tell my sorry excuse for a father that!” I scream into the phone before quickly hanging up. It rings two seconds later.

  “Anna?”

  “No.” I say to the phone pressing the hang up button again.

  “Anna stop.” Hugo says snatching the phone from me. “You need to calm down. It’s not good for the babies.”

  “What would you know?” I snap at him then flinch. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” He says but I know it’s not. He’s not the enemy yet I keep treating him like he is, “Why don’t we sit back down?”

  “Oh my god! Tara and Jaydan!”

  “They have left to go spend the day together.”

  “Really?” I ask feeling really guilty for being relieved.

  “Yes.” Hugo says ushering me back to the table. “I think they understand we need to sort some stuff out now even though you wanted a time out.”

  I plonk down in the seat and put my head in my hands. “What am I going to do?”

  “What are we going to do you mean.”

  “Hugo no.” I shake my head vigorously. “I can’t expect you to deal with my family.” I sob, tears starting to fall out of my head.

  “Why not?”

  “We aren’t together. We aren’t even friends!” I wail. “You’re the babies’ father! You don’t even like me!”

  “Well I thought we were friends?”

  “You have to like the person to be friends with them you know!” I wail, a few people turn towards us. I evil eye them all. Daring them to say anything. None do and quickly turn back to their own business.

  “Who says I don’t like you?”

  “You told me that it would be the week together only and then to never contact you again!” I wail even louder. “That tells a girl a lot about where she stands you know.” Hugo flinches and I realise I accidently hit a raw nerve.

  “I… um...”

  “You don’t owe me an explanation Hugo.” I mumble, grabbing a napkin and wiping my eyes. “You were upfront I agreed. I knew what I was getting into.”

  “But it’s different now.”

  “Only because we are going to have children together.” I retort. “If I hadn’t gotten pregnant you would have happily never seen me again.”

  “It was different with you.” He says in his defence. “It’s
what I had to do. It was best for you.”

  “I’m sure you say that to all the ladies.” I hiss at him, knowing I am being unfair. I can’t help it. I feel so lost and confused.

  Hugo says nothing, just looks really defeated so I feel even worse than when we started this conversation. I feel so lost and confused because I don’t know where I stand with any of it. Hugo, the babies, my parents.

  “I’m about to be a Mum and I have absolutely nothing for them. I have nowhere to live and no money. I have my mother ringing me to tell me that my father wants to sue you for sex with a minor and take my babies away from me permanently.” I sob and Hugo wraps his arms around me again. “I got no frickin clue about anything right now.”

  Hugo makes hushing sounds while he strokes my hair. We sit there for several minutes neither saying anything, when he moves away from me suddenly. “Anna please don’t get mad but I was thinking…”

  “Oh oh.” I grin at him through my tears. “Whenever someone starts with that sentence these days there’s a high chance of it ending badly for me.”

  “I’m serious.” Hugo turns to me from his seat. “I know you don’t want to get married but what about living together?”

  “I um...” Oh shit. All playfulness is gone now.

  “Before you answer think about it.” He looks really nervous. “We are having babies together and you have nowhere to go. Your family really stinks right now and Bill and Betsy have their hands full with Byron.”

  “All true.” I agree sighing. I have no choice and I know it. I really am at Hugo’s mercy now more than ever. My family really are going to ruin me if I don’t.

  “I was thinking it could also help solve a lot of your problems with your father.”

  “True again.” I say defeated knowing he is right. If Hugo and I move into together a lot of the arguments my dad has would be gone. In fact all of them really.

  “You would have help, I would make sure I would do what I can and if I couldn’t I will find someone who would.”

  “You would?” I ask surprised.

  “Of course!” He exclaims. He seems hurt and again I realise I have dug the knife in by doubting him. This man has done nothing to me and yet I keep throwing out the punches.

  “Of course you would.” I agree. “I’m sorry Hugo. Your right about everything. It’s a great idea.”

  “I was thinking we could get a house big en… what?” He pauses and looks at me stunned. “You’re not going to fight me?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sick?”

  “No.”

  “Are you really asleep?”

  “What? No.” I half laugh at him. He looks so cute with his goofy surprised expression.

  “But you don’t ever do what I say.”

  “There’s a first for everything.” I reply.

  He looks at me speechless, mouth gold fishing.

  “Hugo I have nowhere else to go. Like you said I can’t impose on Betsy and Bill any more then I have already and… well you heard my parents. I have no hope there.”

  “Oh.” He sounds deflated.

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No.” He says but he is clearly lying. He won’t make eye contact with me.

  “Are you okay?” I feel obliged to ask.

  “Of course.”

  “Hugo.”

  “Yeah?” He says, still refusing to look at me.

  “How we gonna start a good relationship if you lie to me before we have even moved in together?”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “Hugo!”

  “Okay fine.” He sighs. “To be honest I was kind of hoping you would want to live with me for me too. Not just because you have no other option.”

  Now I stare at him blankly. Completely confused. “But I thought that was why you were doing this?”

  “It was.”

  “Then I don’t understand.”

  “Look.” He sighs. He seems really nervous, “This is hard for me. Haven’t you wondered why Jaydan is named after our father and not me?”

  “Well I never really gave it much thought.” I admit honestly. “But now that you mention it first born sons usually are the ones to get the name yes.”

  “Our father is not my real father.” He says it so softly I almost don’t hear him.

  “What?” I ask to make sure I heard right.

  “Jaydan Senior is my stepfather.” Hugo looks at his shoes. “My real father is a dead beat drop kick that my mum ‘accidently’ fell pregnant too.”

  “Oh Hugo I’m so sorry!” I exclaim. “That must be so hard for you.”

  “Jaydan Senior was a little cruel to me when we first met him. He saw me as an inconvenience to having all the attention from Mum. He would ignore me a lot and pretend I wasn’t there, yet when we were out as a family he would play dotting dad. Of course as a four year old boy any male attention is better than no male attention especially to one who has never really had a dad. I mean how was I to know that it’s not okay to think of him as daddy straight off the bat? I mean I was four and he was always around and told other adults I was his.”

  “Oh Hugo!” I want to hug him. He shrugs like it means nothing but I know it means something.

  “Of course when Jaydan Jr. came along he changed, realised his mistakes and tried to make up for it but the damage had already been done. I realised at a very young age to never let anyone get to close. Never show them love or emotion and to never ever trust that they will always be there for you. I vowed then that no one was honest and trustworthy.”

  “Oh Hugo that’s so cruel for a four year old to think like that!” I sit on my hands so I don’t hug him. He clearly needs space. “How could your mother let him get away with that?”

  “She never knew and still to this day doesn’t.”

  “Really?” I squeak totally surprised.

  “Anna-Beth my father has spent the rest of my life trying to make up for it. He was young, I understand that now but I couldn’t let go of the feeling of not trusting. Still couldn’t actually.” Hugo grabs both my hands and smiles at me. “Until I met you.”

  I gasp surprised.

  “You scare me because I feel things. Things I didn’t know I could feel.” He kisses my knuckles and chills shoot all over my body. “But look at you hey? You my dear have a Doofus for a father but still see the bright side of life. Still want to have your fairy tale and still have a heart as big as the world. When I saw you that day at the pool I could just sense that you were special. I tried to stay away but you kept popping up everywhere so I had to do something.” Hugo fidgets and I hold my breath.

  “Okay.” I say when he says nothing.

  “This is hard for me.” He sighs looking like a panicked rabbit in headlights. He looks into my eyes. “You got through my walls Anna. You made me feel alive and wanted… needed even. That was very very scary. Is very very scary. So I put up unbreakable boundaries. Boundaries I knew you wouldn’t break because you are a good person.”

  “Oh Hugo!” I grab his hands and pull him closer to me, making him wrap his arms around my big belly. I wrap my hands around his neck and pull his head down to mine. “You’re special to me too. For starters you’re the only man I have ever slept with. We are having babies together but even taking that all out I could see in your eyes a guarded soul, all you needed was someone to love you because you have so much to give you just didn’t know how.” He looks at me shocked as my words sink in.

  “Hugo you need to understand you are worth it. You are special and you’re incredible to me. You wanted to marry me because we were having babies. You wanted to get a house with me just because my Dad’s being a dick. Jaydan adores you and even though Jaydan Senior had issues with you in the beginning at least he learnt the error of his ways. My parents think it’s okay to use their power and status to try and bully anyone and everyone who defies them – including their own daughter – into aborting her babies.”

  “That’s so wrong.”
Hugo says, getting all tense.

  “Shh. I know.” I say gently placing my finger to his lips. “I get this feeling you want to go all kung fu on their butts for me…” He nods excitedly, not at all trying to hide his anger. “… But you don’t need to. Having you, here and our babies? That’s more important to me. It’s enough. I don’t need to get them back or anything.”

  “But they shouldn’t be allowed to bully you.”

  “I agree one hundred percent.” I nod. “But it would make us no better than them and we are. We are good people. We are young yes but we are going to make it work. Seeing you today? Around your friends and family? I realise now there is a reason this happened.”

  He stares at me blankly and I smile shyly. “We were meant to meet I reckon. Everything happens for a reason. Our babies brought us together and in doing so will help heal us both.”

  Hugo looks at me, searching for something in my eyes before he lowers his head to kiss me gently on the cheek. “Come to the barbeque with me tomorrow?”

  “I’m sorry what?” I gasp, feeling offended that he is just brushing off my big heartfelt speech. Colour starts rushing to my face at the embarrassment of I may have read it very wrong. Maybe he doesn’t like me the way I like him?

  “My friends and I?” He says moving a piece of hair I flick into my face to try and shield my reddening cheeks. “We have a barbeque every Sunday. I want you to come.”

  “Why?” I ask dumbly, flicking the hair back trying to hide my humiliation.

  “Because I want to introduce them to the love of my life and my babies Mama.”

  My mouth drops open and Hugo laughs at me. “Who would have thought I could ever get you speechless?”

  “Hugo?” I say grinning at him back.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes I will marry you. That’s if you still want too.”

  Now he's the one speechless and I’m the one grinning at him. “Hugo?”

  “Oh my god absolutely yes!” He says jumping up and down. “I promise you will have the best life!” He kisses my forehead and runs around like a chicken with its head cut off. I laugh at him adoringly knowing life won’t be boring at all.