It was a cool evening, and the Redner family was having a New Year’s celebration at their estate. The entrance was filled with cars, from shiny two-seaters that parked off to the side to limos that released groups of people with fancy chains and shoes that made their way to the mansion.
As the son and heir to the family’s wealth, DeVonte Redner would have to be there for his family’s speech, and Mrs. Redner’s narrow eyes scanned the parlor for her son, but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, Devonte and his girlfriend Nairobi were out in the estate fields, fireflies blinking, the chirp of crickets and faint talking from the party surrounding them.
“So?” said DeVonte slapped mosquitoes as he waited for Nairobi’s ‘surprise’.
Usually Nairobi could talk for hours non-stop about the smallest of things, but tonight she was silent. Her black eyes stared into his silently, a tiny smile at the corner of her lips.
“Are you trying to give me some type of telepathic message or something?” DeVonte asked after another minute had gone by.
“Kinda, did you get it?” Nairobi asked, grabbing both his hands.
“No.”
“Well then, I guess I’ll just have to say it. I’m pregnant.”
DeVonte’s eyes widened. He dropped Nairobi’s hands.
“Really?”
“Of course! Why would I joke around about something like that?” Nairobi asked.
“I…I!” DeVonte gripped his head.
DeVonte must have been spaced out for a long time, because he was zapped back into the present moment by an ice cold water shoved at his side.
“Here,” Nairobi said, and he took it.
“Wow. Okay, sorry, I’m just…disoriented.” DeVonte shook his head and grabbed her hand. “This is great! Don’t worry Bae, I’ll take care of you and our kid.”
Nairobi giggled. “I have no doubts about you Von, I’m just worried about our parents, once they find out, we’ll have a whole world of trouble.” Nairobi rubbed her wrinkled forehead and signed.
DeVonte also groaned. In their community news spread like the flu, and DeVonte knew that once his parents found out about this, they’d be all over the situation doing the absolute most, and he’d never get a break. God, they were already more stressful than the baby!
At the speech DeVonte barely said anything, as his troubled mind circled around his family.
DeVonte was still thinking about this news as he and his best friend Tyren fought each other on his gaming console a few days later.
Tyren was really on his game today, leaning in and getting combos out while DeVonte barely made a dodgeing effort.
“HA-HA! I win again!” Tyren jumped and turned to DeVonte, who still had his eyes on the TV. “Bro, you lost four times. What’s got you all messed up?”
“I’ve just been stuck on other things man. I can’t focus.” When Tyren asked, DeVonte gave him the news.
Tyren nearly choked on the chips eating “Seriously!? Dude, you’re officially old now. If somebody out there calls you pops I'm gonna lose it,” He chuckled while DeVonte deadpanned.
“Look, bro you should be fine. Weren’t your parents trying to set you up with Nairobi anyway?” Tyren asked.
“Yes, but that’s not the point! Whatever I do, they always try to step in and control my life! Remember when we tried to start a band and I went from playing the drums to piano lessons because they thought that would be ‘a better fit’ for me?” DeVonte did hand quotations before he collapsed on the couch. "I could never do things for myself in that house."
Tyren got silent, staring off for a second before he turned back to DeVonte. “That was different. We were like, 15. You grown now, so just tell them it’s your life, and you're in charge of it.” Tyren shrugged and switched the TV on to a random sports game. “What’s the worst they can do? Send you to your room for a time-out?”
And so that’s how DeVonte ended up all dressed up in his flyest stuff at the entrance to the estate one evening. He donned some name-brand shirt and shorts with bright green sneakers to top it off.
His father was out of the house at a business meeting, but Devonte’s Mom was in the workout room.
DeVonte waited until his mother’s workout was over to come in. By then Mrs. Redner was sitting on a workout bench, guzzling a jug of water and staring out the glass windows to the tennis fields not too far away.
Unlike Nairobi, Devonte didn’t beat around the bush. “Mom, Nairobi’s pregnant.”
“Oh I know. Me and your father both know,” Mrs. Redner glared at her son. “Her parents told us. Why we didn’t hear from you first, is a crying shame-”
“Mom, listen,” DeVonte put a hand up. “I’m not a kid anymore. I’m old enough to drink. Old enough to make my own decisions, and you can’t control every little thing I do now.”
“But you live in our guest house, on the family estate. So no matter if you like it or not, you must listen to us,” Mrs. Redner argued.
“Then I’ll move out,” DeVonte’s face flinched for a second, but he remained calm. “You both taught me how to make my own bread. I won’t sit here and allow every little thing I do to be controlled. I couldn’t play the drums because of you both. I couldn’t get the car I wanted because of you both. Now it’s time I do things I think would be best for me, and my family.”
“DeVonte,” came Mr. Redner’s deep voice.
The two heads swiveled as Mr. Redner adjusted his sleek overcoat and made his way to his son.
Mr. Redner slapped a hand on his son’s shoulder. DeVonte gulped.
“This whole time I thought we were doing what was best for you, that even if you didn’t like what was happening at first, it would be better for you. I had no idea we were hindering your experience of life. Now, I do think you should’ve told us about that baby, but we won’t hover over you anymore. This is your life. I know you're smart, so enjoy it!” Mr. Redner smiled.
DeVonte smiled back out of relief, and Mrs. Redner smiled looking at the both of them.
“Fine. if your father thinks this is right, then I’ll…I’ll ‘lay off’. Mrs. Redner did hand quotations. “Remember that? You used to say that so much as a teenager.” She chuckled as she walked over to them.
Finally, DeVonte felt free and happy with both his parents.
As soon as DeVonte told Nairobi about his parents they both went out to a restaurant to celebrate. Nairobi’s parents had decided to shun her for getting pregnant before being married, but DeVonte was sure things would work out. For the time being though, DeVonte would focus on making sure he, Nairobi, and their child could do exactly as his father said: enjoy life!
My latest novel, Shook, is being published to Hive in parts! See all released chapters in this post.
Hey there! I’m Shila! I’ve loved books since I could read, and decided I would write books I wanted to see written for others! Check my children’s book Imagination on Amazon!
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