Last Chance Baby
Ashley Gallegos
To my amazing husband, John Gallegos.
I would never have found the strength to follow
my dreams if you had not helped me to
have the strength to dream bigger.
I owe you everything and love you more than
you will ever know.
I love you forever and for always!
One
Thank you for flying with us today, folks. Please ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in their upright positions as we make our final descent into Albuquerque, New Mexico. And remember to choose American Airlines for your next adventure.
Hailey took a deep breath and put her boarding pass into the middle of the book to save her place. It was the perfect metaphor for her life - using whatever she had with her in a completely different function than it was intended because her life was beyond planning and hope. The man next to her began to shift his weight back and forth again, as he had done the whole flight, clearly nervous about what awaited him in Albuquerque. Hailey had no clue what would await her in Albuquerque but she knew that whatever it was, it had to be better than what she was leaving behind in Seattle.
Before she knew it, the fasten seatbelt light was off and the whole plane was in a flurry of activity with people rushing to get their bags and either get home to their loved ones or start their trip. The common factor being that these people knew where they were going next and they were anxious to get there. When it came time, she got up and grabbed her bag and went with the flow to get off the plane. It was almost comforting to be a part of the rush for just a minute in that path from plane to baggage carousel. At least she had a purpose: get off plane, follow people to baggage claim, get bag. However, once Hailey grabbed her army green faded duffel off of the carousel, that’s when she completed her purpose and it was back to reality once again.
She had two options here. She could rent a car but there was a matter of limited funds and credit cards could be traced. Or she could jump back in and call someone to pick her up. There would be no hiding from reality then. It would be time to face the music, however loud that music chose to play. She touched her growing stomach and knew the decision had been made for her. She wouldn’t chance being found by using a credit card just to avoid the judgment a little while longer. And with the decision made, she moved forward to the pay phone and dialed the number that she knew by heart.
“Hey, Gram. It’s me, Hailey. I’m actually here in Albuquerque. Can you pick me up from the airport?”
Two
Hailey could hear the clanking of the old truck before she could see the cloud of exhaust that would inevitably come with it. After being in a city full of hybrid vehicles, it was a comforting sight to see the old familiar truck that Gram had driven since Hailey was old enough to remember. As the truck pulled to the side to park, she grabbed her duffel bag and her purse and moved to meet Gram. Gram was spritely as ever as she jumped out of the truck to run around and sweep Hailey in a hug.
“The prodigal granddaughter returns!” Gram hugged her so tight she thought she might pass out. And that’s when Hailey’s stomach kicked Gram in protest. “What the crap was that?”
Gram held her at arm’s length to evaluate what just happened. That’s when she noticed the stomach. Hailey wasn’t huge at six months along but she had never been a large girl and there was no hiding the fact that she was pregnant. She took a deep breath and did her best to hold the tears back. And of course Gram saw.
“Well, it’s a good thing you came home, then! I missed you, Hailey girl!” Gram hugged her again and helped her into the passenger side of truck. Gram was right. It was good that she came back and the big truck felt like home. The trip must have taken more out of her than she had realized, or maybe it was the pregnancy hormones, but as Gram pulled away from the airport, Hailey felt herself fall into a peaceful slumber against the window.
___
“Chuck, grab the duffel bag from the back of the truck, will ya? And be quiet about it. Poor kid is asleep.” Hailey could hear Gram’s not-so-subtle whisper as she came back to reality. Not quite ready to announce that she was awake, she cracked one eye open to assess the situation. She was back at Gram’s and there was some guy, apparently named Chuck, walking into Gram’s house with her duffel bag. She didn’t see Gram anywhere and figured it was time to get up before she was left to sleep the night away against the window. It was comfortable now but eight hours later would be a different story.
Hailey peeled herself from the window and slowly worked circulation back into her limbs. Then she opened the door, grabbed her purse, and headed to the house after Chuck, whoever that was. Maybe he was a neighbor that was helping Gram out? Gram has always been friendly but not exactly trusting of other people and the fact that she had left her pregnant granddaughter alone in the same vicinity as this Chuck guy said a lot. Maybe Gram was suddenly into younger men. The visual made Hailey both giggle and feel sick to her stomach at the same time.
As she went into the house, the actual physical warmth of the house was matched by the emotional warmth of her childhood come to visit her again. It had been years since she left, eager to chase the excitement of the big city of Seattle and find the life she had only read about in books. She didn’t expect to be so emotional about coming home. But then again - pregnancy hormones were brutal so it was hard to say how much of it was actual nostalgia. And then she smelled it. Tamales! Red chile chicken and green chile cheese tamales - Gram’s specialty. Her mouth began to water as she closed her eyes to savor the smell.
Something then hit her from behind and bumped her forward. Hailey instinctually reached forward to protect her stomach. What she didn’t expect was the strong arms to grab her from behind to stabilize her.
“I am so sorry! I didn’t see you there. I was actually headed back out to see if you were still asleep in the truck. Theresa made tamales and she wanted to see if you were hungry. Oh wow - you’re pregnant. Did I hurt you? Did I hurt the baby? Geez! Sit down. Are you okay?”
Hailey turned around to come face to face with Chuck. He was even younger than she had thought - about her age in fact. And he was clearly really worried that she and the baby had come to great harm because he bumped her.
“I’m good. It was my fault anyway. I smelled the tamales and just stopped in the middle of the hall with my eyes closed to smell it. I didn’t realize how much I missed food from home until right that second.” She smiled at Chuck and could see the relief radiating off of him. “I think the baby wants some too. All of a sudden he or she is doing flips.” She laughed and put Chuck’s hand on her stomach to feel. She had never done that before - shared the feeling of the baby with anyone else before. It had never felt like her moment to share. But she felt so bad that she had worried him so much that she wanted to put a smile on his face.
“Oh wow. It’s so active! Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” Chuck’s face lit up with excitement for her. And for a second Hailey felt would it would be like to be married and expecting a baby with the person you love. What a beautiful life that would have been but Hailey’s choices had been her own and she wouldn’t apologize for them.
“Actually, I don’t. I didn’t feel like I had a right to know.” Hailey knew she had to be careful. She had to remember why she was here and what she had to do. She couldn’t get swept up in playing pretend - no matter how blue Chuck’s eyes were.
“There you two are. Hailey, I want you to meet Chuck. This old farm was getting to be too much for me to handle on my own so I hired Chuck to oversee it. Plus he’s good company so he lives in the casita out back but he’s sweet enough to entertain an old woman like me. Now come on in and get some tamales. I’m sur
e you didn’t get much to eat on your plane ride and you’re eating for two, you know.” Gram rushed them both into the kitchen where steaming tamales were calling their names with cups of hot chocolate next to them. For a minute, Hailey was able to relax. She couldn’t remember the last time she had let her guard down and it felt delicious.
Three
The sunlight poured through the window and onto the pile of quilts Hailey slept under in her old bedroom. No matter how hot the New Mexico sun had been, the nights had always been comfortably cool and she loved sleeping with the window cracked and multiple quilts comforting her through the night. She stretched and yawned, happy as a kitten. Then she realized she wasn’t alone and sat up. Gram was quietly rocking in the chair in the corner, watching her.
“Good morning, Gram.” Hailey knew this moment would come. She knew that coming home would lead to this. But she had hoped that breakfast would at least happen first.
“Hailey girl, you know I love you and you know you always have a home here. Ever since your parents passed away when you were just a baby, your place has been here and that will never change. But I need to know what trouble you are bringing to my door so I can be ready.”
“I understand, Gram. And I’m not trying to cause trouble. I promise. I just need a place to hang low and decide my life. Figure out my next steps. I’ll be out of here before you know it.” Hailey hugged her knees to her chest, as much as her bulging stomach would allow.
“You know that’s not necessary, kid. But I need to know things. I’m worried. You come to town with no notice. Then when I threw your stuff in the laundry last night, your boarding pass fell out of some ragged book. The boarding pass said ‘paid in full by cash’ and had a different name on it - a name that matched the fake ID in your purse.”
“You went through my purse?” Hailey felt a surge of panic. What else could Gram have found that she forgot to hide last night in her moment of false security? She should have known that Gram would be sharp enough to search out reasons why she was home.
“My house, my rules. You know that kid. Now talk to me. You showed up here pregnant and scared. What don’t I know?” Gram was looking at her like she could see into her soul. Hailey knew she couldn’t lie to Gram but she couldn’t exactly tell her the truth either. If she wasn’t living it herself, there’s no way Hailey would even believe it.
“I don’t know where to start.” Hailey sighed.
“Well, let’s see. You’re pregnant. Usually when a pregnant girl is running scared there’s a daddy problem somewhere down the way. Is that what this is? Are you running from that baby’s daddy?”
Hailey decided that was close enough to the truth that Gram wouldn’t be able to detect any deception on Hailey’s part but also wouldn’t give away too much. Gram wouldn’t be able to handle all of it. And Hailey didn’t want to drag her into it. She just needed to figure out her next steps. This lethal combo of drama and danger didn’t need to be at Gram’s door. Hailey wouldn’t even be here now if she had any other options.
“Yes, Gram. That’s pretty much it.”
Gram nodded in a way that said she knew more than she did and patted Hailey’s knee.
“In that case let’s get some food in you and nourish that baby. You stop worrying now. You’re home and Gram has everything covered. You’re safe here.” Gram nodded again and walked out to the kitchen to start breakfast. Hailey laid back again on the bed and wished with all her might that was true.
Four
Hailey perched on the stool at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and listened to her stomach growl. Gram was making a breakfast for the ages. Scrambled eggs, chorizo, sweet potato home fries, homemade flour tortillas, and blueberry pancakes. Between Gram and the baby, Hailey was going to weigh 400 lbs.
“That smells heavenly.” Chuck came into the room, pulling down his shirt over a six-pack that Abercrombie models would be jealous off. Suddenly Hailey was rethinking her 400 lb plan and her mouth was watering for a completely different reason. Chuck gave her a funny look and she realized she was staring. “Good morning, little mama.”
“Good morning, Chuck.” Hailey reached over and grabbed a stray home fry just to have something to put in her mouth and prevent further speaking. Then Chuck bent over to tie his shoe and Hailey saw his perfectly formed butt. She began to choke on her home fry and suddenly both Chuck and Gram rushed to her side. “I’m okay. Just went down the wrong pipe. No need to sound the alarm.” Hailey raised her arms in defense.
Gram chuckled knowingly and went back to making breakfast and Chuck finished tying his shoe. Hailey wiggled around on the stool to get comfortable. She needed to focus. She was not in a position to have the luxury of distractions. This was both ridiculous and dangerous.
“So, Hailey, you’re going to need some money. Babies aren’t cheap and since the daddy won’t be helping, you’ll need extra savings. I was going to hire someone to work the farm stand this year since now I’m so damn old but why don’t you take the job.” Gram placed a heaping plate in front of her and Hailey realized she was offering her the opportunity she had come home for. A chance to make some cash without having to show her identity and make untraceable cash. Gram never hired anyone for the farm store. She was too type A to trust anyone. This was huge for her to give Hailey this opportunity and Hailey got a tear in her eye.
“Thanks, Gram. That would be great.” Hailey took a bite of food and even the baby started to jump with thanks. It made Hailey put a hand on her stomach and giggle.
“Chuck can give you a ride out to the store when he heads out to the farm after breakfast.” Gram handed a plate to Chuck as he took the stool next to Hailey.
“No problem. It’ll be nice to have company on the long drive for once.” Chuck elbowed her making his joke. The farm was just behind the house and the store was just a few yards off on the main street in front of the property. It was probably faster to walk than it was to even drive but it made sense for Chuck to have his truck with him to go all over the farm and check on the fences and different crops. This time of year the cranes loved to try to pick off the chile crop - which was Gram’s top seller.
Hailey still wasn’t sure what Chuck’s story was or how he had come to live in the casita behind Gram’s house. Knowing Gram, there was probably more to Chuck’s story than what Gram had revealed so far. But she was glad that Gram wasn’t out here alone. God knows the woman could take care of herself but she was getting older and Hailey liked knowing Gram had help and someone to talk to on cold nights.
After she finished up breakfast, Hailey took a quick shower and threw on some of the clothes that Gram had washed for her. Her clothes were starting to fit tighter with the growing stomach and Gram’s cooking would definitely accelerate that process. Hailey was going to have to use some of the money from her job at the farm shop to get some maternity clothes before too long.
Chuck was waiting for her in the kitchen, which tended to be the center of the house simply because Gram’s cooking was such a draw, and grabbed two brown paper bags off the counter. Gram was off somewhere - probably tending her garden - as she always had to be doing something. Gram was never one for being idle. Hailey followed Chuck out to his much newer model truck and hopped in when he opened the door for her.
“I tried to get Theresa into a newer model truck like this but she said it had no soul, no character.” Chuck shook his head in a way that said he respected Gram while still wanting to change her mind.
“Yeah, that’s Gram. Everything maintains its use for her long after it should.” Hailey wasn’t sure what else to say. Something about Chuck made her comfortable which made her nervous. Comfortable is the last thing she should be.
Less than two minutes later they were at the store. Chuck hopped down with Hailey to help get everything unlocked and make sure there were no surprises. He felt bad about leaving a pregnant girl alone on her first day but reminded himself she had grown up there and pregnancy wasn’t exactly a disability. He also had
a feeling that if he mentioned feeling bad about leaving Hailey he would earn an earful about women’s rights and that was not something he was ready for this early in the morning. Once everything seemed to work like it should, Chuck handed over the keys to the store to Hailey and one of the paper sacks from the kitchen, which held lunch. He reminded her that he would be back to pick her up at the end of the day but gave her his cell phone number just in case she wanted a ride back early. Hailey just gave him a funny look.
“I think I can walk the twenty steps back myself if I have to.” Hailey laughed and waved him off.
Five
Hailey walked past the tomato display and ran her fingers along the cartons. Coming back to New Mexico was like jumping into a time travel machine. Nothing had changed. Granted, the produce was fresh but other than that nothing had changed. Gram still had the same cash register that Hailey used to play under when she was just three years old and finally deemed old enough to go to the store with Gram.
Without realizing it, Hailey started to rub her stomach. What would happen to this baby? Would it grow up with a childhood like Hailey had? Would Hailey be able to protect it from the horrors she left behind in Seattle? She tried to picture a future in which she worked in the store with the baby playing under the cash register while she smiled, looking on. It was a beautiful picture. But it wasn’t Hailey’s to imagine. This baby was hers to protect but it was not hers to keep. She must never forget that. She must not lose sight on what reality is. If she and the baby would survive this, Hailey would need to keep her head on straight.
The chime above the door began to ring and Hailey looked up, almost expecting the ghosts she was just worrying about to appear. Instead, it was Maggie Colbertson, Hailey’s best friend from high school. Hailey hadn’t seen her since that summer after graduation when she decided she was done with the farm life of Corrales, New Mexico and took her savings to buy a one way ticket to Seattle.
Last Chance Baby Page 1