Transparent

“I’m pregnant.”

“Whore!”

“Skyler!” I exclaimed. “You’re supposed to be helping me!”

“Sorry, but wouldn’t your dad sound like that?”

“I guess, but…ugh what if I just didn’t say anything?”

“Scar, let me paint you a picture. You go to your Dad’s house for dinner, having already told your mother to also come. It’s time to pour drinks and you say ‘no thank you’ and everyone looks at you like you’re insane. There are two possible questions that will be asked. One, ‘are you pregnant?’. Two, ‘are you back on drugs?’.” Skyler explained. 

“Huh.” I grunted. 

“So no matter what you would have to reveal that your stomach is being occupied by two little trust fund babies.”

“This is why you’re my friend,” I nodded. “You tell it like it is.”

“That’s what I’m here for. So nut up and tell your parents you’re pregnant. Invite the boys to make the blow softer.”

“Now that’s not a bad idea at all! My mom loves those boys! Skyler, you’re brilliant, do you know that?”

“I do. So tell me something I don’t know.” She smirked. 

“I kissed both Grayson and Lee.”

“You really are a whore!”

***

“Are you sure now is the best time to tell them?” Lee asked as we drove to my Dad’s house. “I mean should you even be around them while being pregnant?”

“I promised I would spend time with Gerald, and my dad drinking and breaking glass won’t harm the babies.” I informed him. 

“I don’t see why we can’t wait until after we know who the father is to tell them.” Grayson muttered.

“A part of recovery is being transparent. I think my family should know that for a time I didn’t know who the father of my children was…also if I don’t drink, they’ll be suspicious.”

“Fair enough, you are kind of a lush,” Lee agreed.

I smacked his arm. “Shut up!”

“There’s those mood swings!”

We pulled up to my dad’s house. I was late as always. 

I rang the doorbell. Gerald answered the door. His eyes lit up upon seeing me. I hugged him tightly.

“Hey buddy,” I ruffled his hair. “You remember Grayson and Lee right?”

“Yeah, your rich boyfriends. I’m a green belt now, just you guys know.”

“Noted,” Lee whispered. 

“Got it,” Grayson nodded. 

They were actually scared of this little kid!

“Late as always,” Dad commented. 

“Drunk as always.” I shot back as I sat down. 

Dad didn’t even bother acknowledging the boys. He didn’t like either of them. He hated them because at some point they had told him that he was a bad father. He didn’t like being told that even if it was true. 

My father was a mean alcoholic, so Father of the Year was never going to be obtainable for him. And yet, I still wanted his love and affection. 

Daddy issues win again. 

“So why have you invited all of these people into my home?” Dad asked. 

“Can we at least try to have a nice meal?” I asked. “We can talk about everything else later.”

“I agree with Scarlett,” My homewrecking, but strangely nice stepmother stated. 

“Thank you Sophia,” I smiled. “Now how has everyone’s week been?”

“I got on the honor roll, Scarlett!” Gerald announced. “The ceremony is next Friday. Can you come?” 

“Of course I can. I’ll take the morning off.” I smiled. “Proud of you kiddo.”

“Can Lee and Grayson come too?”

The boys looked taken aback. “Of course,” Lee said. “We’ve been driving Scarlett everywhere anyways.”

“True we’re like chauffeurs.” Grayson laughed.

“Why?” My mother asked. “Did she get her license revoked or something?”

“She probably got high on coke and crashed her car,” Dad snorted. 

One thing my dad loved more than drinking was reminding me and everyone else in my life that I was a drug addict. But if you bring up the fact that he likes to drink way too much he gets upset. 

My therapist in rehab suggested that he’s so mad at me and my addiction because he sees himself in me and it makes him uncomfortable. And it makes him even more angry that I was actually taking the steps to overcome my addiction.

I think he’s just an asshole. 

“I didn’t crash my car dad,” I rolled my eyes. 

“So why are you being driven around like you’re the Queen of England? Do you have these boys in that tight of a chokehold?”

“Yes, I do.” 

“You really should pick one of them already, Scarlett,” Mom declared. “Either that or you'll end up losing both of them.”

“Oh there’s no way to lose both of them at this point,” I muttered. 

“That’s very narcissistic to say.” Dad said. 

“Must run in the family.”

“Are you on drugs again?”

Oh here we fucking go.

“I have never been further from drugs, I assure you!” I snapped. 

“Scar,” Grayson whispered. “Maybe you should tell them now.”

“Ugh, maybe.”

“Not yet,” Lee hissed. “I need more to drink!”

I slid my glass over to him. “Here, have mine.”

Lee quickly downed the rest of the drink. 

We continued small talk that wasn’t exactly polite, since that wasn’t how I would ever describe anything my family said. 

A wave of nausea hit me out of nowhere. I held my hand to my mouth, praying I could keep it down. I didn’t think I could. 

“Excuse me!” I bolted up and ran to the bathroom. 

I barely made it. I was absolutely sick of this part of pregnancy. When would I get to the part when I was just super cute with my big bump? When I sat back down at the table everyone was staring at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Honey, we know.” Mom stated. 

“You do?”

“It’s so obvious.” Dad sighed. “You’ve barely eaten and you’ve drank nothing.”

“I just can’t right now,” I shook my head. 

“We’ll get you the help you need.” Sophia urged. 

“Help?”

“You clearly have a binging and purge problem.” Mom shut her eyes. “God where did we go wrong with you!”

“Lots of places, but I don’t have a purging problem, I’m pregnant!”

Silence followed. 

No one spoke until my father. “Whore!”

Yeah, I saw that coming. 

“Don’t call her that!” Lee snapped. 

“You’re gonna have a baby?” Gerald looked horrified. 

“No, I’m gonna have two.” I winced.

“That’s um…big news!” Sophia laughed nervously. “Um, congratulations?”

“Which one of you knocked up my daughter?” Dad demanded. “Start talking now!”

Lee and Grayson quickly started talking at the same time, trying to explain the situation, but no one could really understand them.

“Okay!” I shouted. “We don’t know who knocked me up alright? We will find out in a few days. I just wanted to tell you guys so you could see that I’m a responsible adult, but it seems I’m the only responsible adult in this room!”

“Woah?” Grayson asked. “I’m very responsible!”

“You couldn’t even wear a condom,” I pointed out.

“I thought you were on birth control!”

“Fine, that’s on me, but it’s not like I was getting laid before that!”

“Whose choice was that?” Lee asked. 

“Literally you two! You had the secret ‘Don’t Sleep with Scarlett’ Deal going on behind my back!”

“I’m sorry, rewind. You’re pregnant with twins and you don’t know who the father is?” Mom asked. “Seriously where did we go wrong with you?”

“Think of any point you could have gone right with me, that’s where you went wrong. Literally every time!” I yelled.

“Can we just have one quiet dinner?” Gerald questioned.

“No Gerald, I don’t think we can,” I sighed. 

Grayson and Lee’s phones started buzzing. “Hi Mom, I can’t talk right no-what?! Well, how do you know that? You’re still checking up on her?! You’re insane, I have to go!”

“Father?” Lee asked. “Huh? Are you crazy? Why would you do that?! I told you to stay out of my personal life! Next time listen!”

“What’s going on?” I asked. 

“My parents know you’re pregnant.” Grayson informed me. 

“So does my father,” Lee added. 

“How?”

“They had you followed.” They chorused. 

Whoever was the father of my children, their grandparents were going to be insane.