I glared at him, as much as I could, which, given the circumstances, was with the heat of a candle flame, not a roaring fire. "Yeah?" I quashed the little flame of hope inside of my body.
"I want to marry you."
There it was again. I felt my eyes burn with tears. All there was to me was my dad's desire to see me married to this gigantic, handsome, good-smelling man. What I wanted wasn't part of it. I'd spent half days at the school helping the English Language Learner kids. I'd gotten more and more patient. I had my own job.
"We've already..." I put a hand over my mouth. I ran for the bathroom.
Jimmy followed me in as I worshipped the porcelain god.
"Are you sick?"
I felt my eyes get moist from the humiliating experience of having him come back to me, only for him to propose to me for the sake of my father's business. "None of your business."
I stood up and rinsed my mouth out with water from the sink. I swished around a little mouthwash. I hated being vulnerable in front of him. I saw his eyes drift down to my exposed skin, the swell of my hips, and I wished that I could cover up. Too much of me was showing, and it wasn't really about the skin.
"I think that you're pregnant."
My eyes snapped up to his face. "Are you calling me fat?"
"No. I like your body. I can also tell that you've gained a little. It looks good on you."
"You are calling me fat. Get out." I tugged on his arm, pulling him towards the door.
"No." His hand came out and touched my stomach, probing it a little bit. "Can you feel it? If you had gained wait, it would be on your lower stomach. This is a little higher."
"What are you like an OBGYN now?"
"No, but I know my way around a barn. I know what pregnancy looks like. Cows don't throw up when they are pregnant, but human women do."
"Don't you think that I would know if I were pregnant?" I touched my stomach. Did it really feel like it was a little firmer up above?
I felt nauseous again. "I've drunk alcohol.”
"We need to talk to a doctor."
I locked up my apartment, and I walked down with him.
"Ok Google, search for the nearest urgent care facility."
His phone got us to the nearest urgent care center. They took us right away, especially after he flashed his credit card. I was rummaging around in my purse for mints. My mouth still felt kind of gross.
I sat in the exam room, and I answered the nurse's intrusive questions about my habits. I changed into a paper gown. The doctor came in. She was a woman.
"What seems to be the problem?"
"I threw up, and Dopey here thought that I needed to come in."
"She's pregnant."
The doctor motioned for me to lay on the bed in the room. "Could you get up here, please?" I went to the bed, and she lifted my gown to put cold gel on my stomach.
"I used to be an OBGYN."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Lot of random hours. Working late doesn't come into it. Babies come whenever they want to come."
She got out an ultrasound machine, and she put it on my stomach. On the screen, we could see my insides in black and white.