Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Yes,” my mother says softly, trying to blink away tears.
“Well, it turns out that I have a son.” I finally come out and just say it. My mother gasps, and my father’s mouth hangs open.
“What do you mean, you have a son?” my father asks.
“Well, I met a woman on the boat and …” I shrug my shoulders, not comfortable with telling my parents about my sex life. “I didn’t know her last name, she didn’t know mine, and, well, she ended up pregnant with my child.”
“Oh my God,” my mother says under her breath, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Yeah,” I say. “When I went to my boss’s barbecue for his daughter, it turns out it was her, and she had my son.”
“What is his name?” my father asks, and I take out my phone, pulling up a picture of Aiden and me that I took at the park yesterday.
“His name is Aiden.” I hand him the phone, my chest beaming with pride. “He’s got my eyes.” My mother reaches for the phone first and sobs when she sees him.
“When can we meet him?” she asks through her sobs. “Can we meet him?”
“Of course, you can meet him,” I say. “I can see if I can bring him over next weekend.”
“That would be amazing,” my father says. “So,” he starts talking and then looks at my mother, “does this mean you’re not gay?”
“What?” I shriek. “Of course, I’m not gay.”
“There is nothing wrong with being gay,” my mother tells me, “and we would love you either way.”
“I’m NOT gay!” I yell at them.
“Son.” My father shakes his head. “It’s fine. We understand.”
“Dad, I like women, and I’m attracted to women and only women,” I tell him, leaning forward. “All women, every single part of a woman.”
“You like women?” my mother asks me, more shocked I like women than that I have a child.
“Why would you even think I was gay? I had girlfriends in high school,” I ask them.
“Son,” he starts. “You haven’t dated in six or seven years, not one talk of a single woman, so we just assumed you were scared to tell us that you were gay.”
“Well, I’m glad I cleared this up for you guys. I’m not gay, and I have a child,” I tell them. It makes me wonder if I really give off a vibe that I’m not into women?
“He is so beautiful,” my mother says while she looks at his picture. “He definitely has your eyes.”
“Does he like to play sports? Where has he been this whole time?” my father asks, and I spend the next hour going over all of Aiden’s likes and dislikes. My mother goes inside and sets the table, then pops a bottle of champagne open to celebrate.
She packs me leftovers even though I tell her not to, and I make my way home. My phone buzzes one time and then again and again. When I turn on my street, my eyes look over at Eliahn’s house to see it’s pitch black.
Grabbing my phone and leftover bag, I walk inside the house and grab a beer from the fridge, going to the living room with my laptop and flipping on the television. I bring the bottle to my lips and take a pull when my phone beeps again.
I see I have seven messages from Eliahn; opening them up I literally spit beer across the room when I see a picture of what looks like a vagina, but it’s almost purple. I drop the phone and start to choke and then cough. What in the fuck? “She wouldn’t send me a picture of her vagina,” I tell myself. “Is she sexting Troy and sent it to me instead?”
I look at the phone, seeing that seven pictures have come through, I see the bubble pop up at the bottom with the three dots, and I drop the phone like a hot potato.
When it beeps, I look at it, and it’s from Eliahn.
Eli: I’m so, so sorry. Aiden must have sent them to you.
I don’t answer her. I don’t do anything, but then another text comes in from her.
Eli: Please tell Lauren I’m sorry, and I meant no disrespect.
My eyebrows pinch together. Why the fuck would Lauren care? I answer her this time exactly that.
Me: I don’t think my assistant cares that you send me a vagina picture. I mean, I guess she would care if you sent it to her directly.
I press send and look at my phone, watching the bubble coming up and then leaving and then coming up, and finally, she answers.
Eli: You don’t have to lie about your relationship.
“What in the ever-loving hell is she talking about?” I get up now, not even caring, and go straight over to Eliahn’s. I knock softly, and she doesn’t answer, so I take out my phone and call her.