The Italian's proposal

The consultation passed without her noticing.

She had only gone to the first appointment at her parents’ house without them noticing her visit to the doctor.

She had started taking the prenatal pills as she read about the symptoms and stages of pregnancy on the internet.

When she confessed this to Dr. Troy, his eyes widened wildly, and he wanted to jump off the nearest bridge.

“Poor baby!” he exclaimed.

That alone made Melody feel like the vilest of mothers.

“I don’t have health insurance. I didn’t know what else to do,” she defended herself. She felt it was the only thing left for her to do.

Timothy was sitting in a chair next to her. He gave the impression of being uncomfortable, but he hadn’t wanted to leave when she proposed.

“I’ll stay and check in with the doctor,” he had told her.

She trusted the angels that he would not judge her, as the OB/GYN was doing.

“I’m not saying you’re a bad person.”

“You’ve made that quite clear,” she attacked him.

“Not intended Ma’am...Miss,” the man scratched his head and continued, “Melody.”

“No. I’m not married either. Is that bad too? I thought we were in the twenty-first century, where women can be single mothers. How old are you? Thirty? You have an uncanny knack for bringing out my temper.”

“That’s a lot,” she heard Timothy mutter.

She let out a snort and raised her eyes to the ceiling.

“Let’s get on with it,” the doctor said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

She answered every question the doctor asked, about dates of last period and when she had last had sex. This question made her cough and Melody could see Timothy smile.

“What?” she asked him, crossing her arms. “Do you want to be beaten by a pregnant woman?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Timothy defended himself by mimicking her arms-crossed gesture.

“You seem to be amused by when was the last time, I had sex, do you also want to know where I did it and what positions I did it too?”

Melody’s eyes were twinkling and her nose, though small, was flaring with the air coming out. She was angry and it showed right away.

“Let’s focus,” the doctor said interrupting Melody and Timothy’s staring exchange.

“What else do you want to know?” she needed to get that over with to get the hell out of there and avoid further embarrassment, at least for the day.

She had this incredible knack for falling over, dropping things on herself, hot, cold, temperature-wise. She was a real spectacle of a clumsy person.

Since she was a little girl, she had always had clumsy feet and hands. Everything slipped, especially when she was distracted.

“Do you know if the father has any degenerative family diseases or special conditions?”

Melody felt Timothy’s eyes on her again, and she felt judged again.

“Timothy,” she heard the doctor address him for the first time since they greeted each other as they entered the office. “Would you be so kind as to leave us for a moment? I think there are things that it’s better for Melody to feel more relaxed.”

a long moment without saying

intense man,” she muttered

the doctor

and overwhelming her ideas, but he was certainly a good man. To be willing

was a stranger to him. Timothy had no business giving her his help. More so to her who he knew was not someone easy to get along with or to be

mother always told her so.

make no one love you. You must think everything through before you

loves me, they will, even if I say anything, because they will know I don’t mean it in a bad way.”

every day we have the same mood or the same willingness to put up with slights from the people we love,” her mother had once told her.

different man from Timothy, although there was no other man like him, even if I had him made.

have been past thirty, had whitish receding hairline of what was obviously gray hair on both sides of his head, a piercing, curious look, blue eyes, and a slightly

throat, “is the

I don’t understand what

and its development; I should know

record because I’m not coming back,” she told him in confusion. “Just like Timothy told you, I’m just coming in for a quick checkup, so you can tell me everything is okay, because I felt a pain a while ago while I

to be

don’t have a vagina, so excuse me, but don’t call it a little spasm,” it pissed her off that he minimized her pain, as she, and only she knew how much

bit about babies and pregnant women. I’ve delivered over twenty children in less than three years. I have

wombs,”

corrected

“I’m sorry.”

the doctor said smiling and shaking his head back and forth slowly as

one in their right mind seeing the two of them, would think that

my business. Let’s

her eyes wide and accentuating each word. “Timothy and

curious eyes, as if he could see into

father? Any

uncomfortable with the feeling that was beginning to take over her mind and heart. The doctor had played with her thoughts and now

long it had been since he had arrived at Doyle’s coffee

She liked the Italian!

don’t know anything about the father,” she said

illnesses I should know about? Do you

“Aside from my bipolar...”

at her without

don’t write that,” she begged

“I see.”

she excused herself. “I talk a lot when

“Don’t worry. It’s normal. You’re a new mom. It’s normal to be nervous. You’re going to do fine.

she exclaimed in

to someone who is as young as you are and single.”

Twenty-two is not being young. Five hundred years

thirteen and got pregnant

up with the intention of leaving. “I’m not giving up my son, I’m not giving him away, I’m having him and I’m sick of people constantly asking

to her looking worriedly at

of people thinking I’m going to ruin my life and future by having a

do it alone. You’ve already got an admirer,” he gestured for her to sit down and looked at her with his eyebrows knocked down, giving

not going to give it up.

get you weighed and

with the little white

okay?” questioned Timothy as soon

all this Timothy, you don’t have

he told