Chapters 1
"Yes Lisa, take it off. But please keep it in mind, because we can go big with it."
Haunted by those words, I lay awake most nights. I couldn't dream or find comfort in my pillows for weeks and the months accumulated. Nothing changed because those words were difficult for me to understand. I wasn't emotionally strong, as my balloon was about to burst. My body was continuously getting bigger, and I could do nothing about it. I thought people would ask more questions, especially at college, which made me fear whenever I attended my classes, but no one cared. People continued staring blindly and unknowingly.
However, in the sixth month, it was obvious enough that even the deaf could hear my silent cries. I had no choice. My habitual deeds caught up with me. They pushed me from being a youth to being an adult. I was supposed to act instead of always wailing alone. Every time I dialled his number, it never went through, and he never cared to call me. I knew it took us by a surprise, but he was supposed to think ahead with me instead of leaving me at the sharp edge of the spear.
If fear didn't rule me, I would've taken it out at once before it grew inside my body, but my adrenaline didn't kick in that much. Every time I tried to gather the courage to get rid of his seed in my stomach, my body shivered. I thought I was going to die and leave my name bouncing on the lips of gossipers. I wouldn't have let it happen, because people wouldn't have stopped judging even if I died. Anyway, my patience was nearly gone, because that night I had a sweet dream that made me overcome my fears. The dream made me smile and gave me the courage to welcome my fate despite its nature, because in the dream, he touched me well, and I kissed him deeply. He softly teased my stomach with his lips, and I couldn't take any more, as I sighed in pleasure, pushing his head down to my pelvis as I caressed his tough shoulders. I wouldn't lie; the night was sweet, but the morning throbbed me with questions and memories. Each question made me go mad that morning but opened my mind. The memories made me crave his touch once more.
I took my phone from under my pillow, went straight to his name, and dialled his number. Likewise, I shortly waited for the signal to connect. In seconds, I was in the zone of voice mails. It wasn't new to me. He only lasted to talk to me when I told him I was pregnant. Subsequently, he was as good as a dead person, gone into hiding. Frustration swept me. My energy went up above the threshold. He wasn't supposed to do that to me because he was creating another boring morning of tiresome thoughts in my head. Worse, it was on a weekend, a period I used to enjoy like the world was ending. However, by then, my weekends changed, which made me not to care about their nature as long as I isolated myself from other students at college, except for my friends who constantly checked up on me.
Since I wasn't going to college that morning, I forced myself to put the blankets aside and tried to get out of bed. It felt harsh to be out of the blankets, so I stayed within them. It was the coldest morning in winter. Sunyview City was the coldest in the Drazen region. Ice could surface everything outside that you wouldn't dare to be outside the buildings during late hours. Winter was so unpredictable because the weather was changing, and the snow wasn't delaying to precipitate. The car accidents were common during the season because of slippery roads. The town mayor ended up declaring a Road Free Day every second week of each month during winter. His idea was to reduce car accidents, which were frequently accumulating yearly during the season. In such weeks, few taxis and emergency vehicles had permission to be on the road. People relied on trains as the mode of transport, and the roads were uncongested. Because of those restrictions, I didn't like winter, despite the biting cold weather. I favoured spring, which was always drizzling with periodic showers and its untimely cool breezes from the Rainbow Hills. The Rainbow Hills gave a lifetime experience to visitors as its splashing waters from the hills fell into the rocky intersecting gorges. The water was coming from several springs found on the high grounds closer to the hills. Therefore, people loved to come and watch the wonders of nature.
Don't forget, I was still on my bed, still trying to force myself to get up. Yet that time, I was busy biting my sharp nails. Thoughts were looping in my head, but my phone woke me up as the alarm rang next to me. I stopped it and picked up my gown from the carpet. I then fast-shoved myself inside the gown before goose bumps protruded on my skin. The cold forced me to reset the room temperature on the wall thermostat. After that, I went to look outside through the window. The sun was looking so shy to come out of the clouds. By that, I knew it was going to snow. For a minute, I stood at the window, watching people already crowded on the streets. They were on their way to catch the trains, and the two-way road was free from the traffic congestion. I sighed as I remembered I had to act on what was growing in my stomach. Temporarily, I smiled as memories of the dream played in my head, although the smile wasn't long. I wanted answers from him. I was going to force the answers out of his lips that day. Certainly, he was going to answer all of my questions in person and relieve me from the fear that was always ruling me.
To initialize my actions, I took a warm bath. After then, I disordered my makeup table. There were brushes, combs, eyelashes, powder cans, mirrors, body lotion, nail paint, and a mug of coffee, which messed my table when it spilled and drenched everything on the table. However, I spilled it after I made myself to look extra beautiful. Drinking a warm coffee every morning was like a norm to me. I couldn't be lively in a day without warming myself with it. I started doing it after I gave up on smoking.
After dressing in my knee-kissed orange dress, which lined perfectly with my figure, and a fluffy white jacket, which blended neatly with my dress, I shoved his bankcard, my phone, money, and lipstick tube into my purse. My silver watch around my wrist perfectly matched my favourite necklace, which was hanging around my neck. I liked that necklace because it was his first gift to me. I took the elevator key card before forgetting it, and in no time, I was descending by an elevator. The taxi driver was already outside the hotel. I could tell I kept him waiting for too long, judging by the long stare he had at his wristwatch. I meticulously stepped down the stairs from the hotel building. The taxi driver received my hand at my last step. Without wasting a second, he took me to the trains. From there, I was going to have a long journey to Drazen Central. I called Viola to alert her about my journey. She was my best friend, and I shared everything with her. Viola wished me a safe journey and told me to be careful.
