Shelley wandered over to the door and idly watched the two boys at play in the backyard. One was blond with blue eyes and a light tan. His cousin had black hair, brown eyes, and brown skin that deepened in hue under the glare of the summer sun. They differed in age by six months and were inseparable.
“They are like two peas in a pod, aren't they?”
Shelley turned and smiled in response to her sister-in-law Lynn's question. “Yes, I believe they are,” she agreed. “They'll be out there digging, swinging, and having fun for a couple of hours more, at least.”
Realizing that Lynn had grown quiet after her brief comment, Shelley strolled casually to the open doorway leading into the living room. Observing her sister-in-law's expression, Shelley could tell that Lynn wanted to say something but either wasn't sure how it would be received or how best to begin. Not knowing what could be causing such anxiety, Shelley chose to wait her out.
After a few more minutes of silence, Lynn apparently came to a decision. Looking up at Shelley from her seated position on the love seat, she asked abruptly, “Do you ever wish you had told Christopher's biological father that you were pregnant, once you found out? Don't you think he had a right to know that you were carrying his son?” Lynn demanded.
Feeling like she'd just been sucker punched in the stomach, Shelley slowly made her way to the couch and dropped limply down onto it. “Where is this coming from?” she whispered.
“Well, John's father is no picnic, as you well know, but John still knows who he is and spends time with him. I would think that you would want that for your son as well. What could Christopher's father have done that was so bad that you would bar him from knowing his own son? I think you should have given your son's father a chance to be in his life. Don't you think Christopher's going to have questions, if he doesn't already, about why his skin is darker than yours?” she prodded.
“Lynn, you don't know what you are talking about. When Christopher has questions I will be the one answering them, don't worry. What and how much information he is given will be up to me! You're curious about what happened with Christopher's biological father, right? Fine, I'll fill in a few details for you. Christopher's father and I worked at the same retail store. He was in security and I was working as a cashier at the time. I got to know him when my then boyfriend and I went our separate ways. There was this chemistry between us and he was easy to talk to. On nights when we both worked, he'd give me a ride home and things progressed from there.” Pausing, Shelley took a swallow of coffee and then resumed talking.
“He liked to manipulate people and situations, almost as if it were a game to him. I came to realize this watching him interact with other people. It was as if he took it as a personal challenge when someone didn't react the way he thought they would. That should have been a red flag for me but it wasn't. I simply told him two could play the game, but I could play it better. Guess it was my way of telling him not to try the same manipulations on me that he played with others. Looking back, I have to wonder if perhaps he took it as an invitation to prove to me that he would always win in the end,” Shelley remarked.
Lynn interrupted, “He sounds very driven, focused even. That doesn't explain why you chose not to tell him about the baby, though.”
“Hindsight is 20/20, isn't that what they say?” Shelley inquired. “When I found out I was pregnant, some off-the-cuff comments that he'd made that hadn't made sense at the time started to make a lot of sense. Like, the time when he told me that he thought I would make a good mother and I laughed it off. You know, it didn't click then that he never responded, just looked at me with those piercing eyes. I guess I didn't give it much thought because we were using protection,” Shelley stated slowly.
“Are you saying that you believe that Christopher's father deliberately got you pregnant?” Lynn asked in shock.
