Read Online Meeting Max by Richard Brumer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Richard Brumer
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you sure? Have you seen a doctor?”
She started crying and couldn’t stop. When she tried to talk, she couldn’t catch her breath. She bit her lower lip hard and slammed her fist down on the dashboard.
“I am pregnant, Rick!” Her voice was high-pitched, near a shriek, and she looked as though she were angry at her own body.
Rick pulled her close and listened.
“I didn’t want anything to change,” she said, sobbing. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I waited one day, then another and another. I’m petrified of what my mother would think. I pushed it out of my mind as if it never happened, but the idea of a baby in me is always there. I thought about you, us…”
“Relax. There’s nothing we can’t handle together. I love you, Julie, but why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I thought about telling you for days but stopped myself. I didn’t want anything to spoil what we have. First, I wasn’t sure if I was pregnant, but I really did know. Things were changing in my body and I bought a home pregnancy kit that confirmed it. I wanted to wait a while longer before I told you so I could still have the peace we shared and take my mind off the anguish I felt. The idea of my mother finding out tormented me.”
Rick looked at her trembling hands.
“My mother would kill me, disown me,” she rambled, “and I could never go back to that town again. You don’t know my mother. Her girls had to be perfect, and for me to have a baby with a Jewish father and not be married, that would be the end for me. I would never see my family again.
“I love you so much. It feels so good knowing I have our baby inside me, but the time is not right, and I don’t know what to do. Kiss me, Rick. I don’t want to think about it. Let’s lose ourselves here for a few minutes, as if nothing changed. Let’s be like we were. Kiss me, and don’t say anything.”
Rick kissed her. His face was wet with Julie’s tears, and he felt her body trembling under her jacket.
I cannot have a baby in my life. Not now.
Her face was shiny and wet from crying. Rick looked into her eyes and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. He didn’t know what to think.
He knew they took precautions, so how could this happen? Was it intentional? Oh, except that first time. It might have happened then.
They held each other and talked. She bit her lip again until it was sore as more tears rolled down her face. Rick’s breath quickened.
She has to have an abortion, she just has to.
Rick sat quietly and stared at the leafless white birches. He saw tiny birds on the branches at the beginning of their lives, with the new birth of spring. He looked at Julie, her head down, her eyes red and swollen. She was quiet, drained. He took her cold hand, put it to his lips, kissed it, and kept it there.
“We’ll work things out. Everything will be okay.”
They turned toward Manhattan and talked along the way. Julie’s tears subsided.
“What should we do, Rick?”
“Be happy that we have each other. We’ll work it out.”
“But how? My parents are old school and not only ‘old school’ but ‘small town old school,’ where everybody knows everything about what’s going on, along with whom and when and why. There are no secrets in Newark, none!”
“Julie, we’re smart. We’ll work it out.”
“Tell me what to do, I can’t handle this!” She sobbed again.
“First, let’s try to relax. We have time to figure it out and then everything will fall into place. What do you want to do later this afternoon, when we get back to the Village?”
“I want to go to church.”
“Church, of course, yes, and I’ll go with you,” Rick blurted out. “I promise I—”
“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” Julie interrupted, looking straight at him.
“I do want to and I want to do it with you. ”
“Have you ever been to church before?”
“Never, but I want to go with you. I will do anything you
She started crying and couldn’t stop. When she tried to talk, she couldn’t catch her breath. She bit her lower lip hard and slammed her fist down on the dashboard.
“I am pregnant, Rick!” Her voice was high-pitched, near a shriek, and she looked as though she were angry at her own body.
Rick pulled her close and listened.
“I didn’t want anything to change,” she said, sobbing. “I didn’t know how to tell you. I waited one day, then another and another. I’m petrified of what my mother would think. I pushed it out of my mind as if it never happened, but the idea of a baby in me is always there. I thought about you, us…”
“Relax. There’s nothing we can’t handle together. I love you, Julie, but why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I thought about telling you for days but stopped myself. I didn’t want anything to spoil what we have. First, I wasn’t sure if I was pregnant, but I really did know. Things were changing in my body and I bought a home pregnancy kit that confirmed it. I wanted to wait a while longer before I told you so I could still have the peace we shared and take my mind off the anguish I felt. The idea of my mother finding out tormented me.”
Rick looked at her trembling hands.
“My mother would kill me, disown me,” she rambled, “and I could never go back to that town again. You don’t know my mother. Her girls had to be perfect, and for me to have a baby with a Jewish father and not be married, that would be the end for me. I would never see my family again.
“I love you so much. It feels so good knowing I have our baby inside me, but the time is not right, and I don’t know what to do. Kiss me, Rick. I don’t want to think about it. Let’s lose ourselves here for a few minutes, as if nothing changed. Let’s be like we were. Kiss me, and don’t say anything.”
Rick kissed her. His face was wet with Julie’s tears, and he felt her body trembling under her jacket.
I cannot have a baby in my life. Not now.
Her face was shiny and wet from crying. Rick looked into her eyes and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. He didn’t know what to think.
He knew they took precautions, so how could this happen? Was it intentional? Oh, except that first time. It might have happened then.
They held each other and talked. She bit her lip again until it was sore as more tears rolled down her face. Rick’s breath quickened.
She has to have an abortion, she just has to.
Rick sat quietly and stared at the leafless white birches. He saw tiny birds on the branches at the beginning of their lives, with the new birth of spring. He looked at Julie, her head down, her eyes red and swollen. She was quiet, drained. He took her cold hand, put it to his lips, kissed it, and kept it there.
“We’ll work things out. Everything will be okay.”
They turned toward Manhattan and talked along the way. Julie’s tears subsided.
“What should we do, Rick?”
“Be happy that we have each other. We’ll work it out.”
“But how? My parents are old school and not only ‘old school’ but ‘small town old school,’ where everybody knows everything about what’s going on, along with whom and when and why. There are no secrets in Newark, none!”
“Julie, we’re smart. We’ll work it out.”
“Tell me what to do, I can’t handle this!” She sobbed again.
“First, let’s try to relax. We have time to figure it out and then everything will fall into place. What do you want to do later this afternoon, when we get back to the Village?”
“I want to go to church.”
“Church, of course, yes, and I’ll go with you,” Rick blurted out. “I promise I—”
“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” Julie interrupted, looking straight at him.
“I do want to and I want to do it with you. ”
“Have you ever been to church before?”
“Never, but I want to go with you. I will do anything you
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