“Would having a baby out of wedlock really be the worst thing I could do?” I ask.
My mom says nothing.
“Mom, I’m not pregnant.” I rub my forehead.
“I sure hope you aren’t! But does that mean…”
“Mom,” I warn.
“I’m not judging. You’re being safe, though?”
“I was,” I say slowly, “and if I were to again, I know what to do.”
“I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I’ve made,” my mom whispers.
I furrow my brow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that there might have been a few early warning signs with your father, but I was already pregnant, and my parents told me that I made my bed so I had to lie in it, and they didn’t support me at all. Your father and I married, but I never wanted your brother to know that he…”
“You married Father because he knocked you up?” I ask, incredulous.
“I was so in love with him, blinded by love, and I wanted to make sure he would stay with me.”
“Mom…”
“So I made sure there were holes in the condoms we used,” she says in a rush. “I trapped him into marriage, basically, and now, I’m reaping what I sow. Katie, I deserve all of this, but you and Kyle, you two don’t. You’re innocent, and for me to be running away—”
“Father feels like you betrayed him,” I say firmly. “He’s unhinged. Isn’t that what you said? That’s why you want to divorce him, but it’s not worth it, not if it means you have to be in the same room as him again. Even if you can do it without him, I still don’t know if you should bother. Just move on, Mom. Promise me. Don’t look back.”
“I’ve been trying…”
“Keep at it,” I urge. “You can do this, Mom. You have to.”
Mom exhales loudly. “I will do my best, but, Katie, you have to as well.”
“That’s why I’m here,” I say lightly.
“I love you so much. Nothing can ever happen to you or Kyle. I wouldn’t forgive myself.”
“Which is why you need to stay away,” I say firmly. “If Father thinks you are within reach, he’ll go after you, but if he was going to come after Kyle or me, he would’ve made a move already. He doesn’t care about us.”
“I wish that wasn’t the case,” she murmurs.
I snort. “Trust me. That’s for the best.”
“I hate to hear you say that.”
“Mom, please.”
“All right. You and I, we won’t look back. We’ll move forward, and we’ll forget about your father, and we’ll maybe even find guys who love us, truly love us, and will treat us like the queens we are.”
I grin. “I love the sound of that.”
“Good. I love you, Katie. Never forget that.”
“I love you too, Mom. Gotta go. I have class.”
“Call or text soon!”