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Cherry Blossom Scented Hand Towels {12}

Sometime in early January 2009

There was crying coming from my mom’s bathroom. It was Kim.

Mom wasn’t home. It was just Kim and me, so I knocked on the door, “Kim?”

She was sniffling, “Mandie? Can you come in here?”

I opened the door. She was hanging over the counter. As I took a step inside, she looked up at the mirror and we made eye contact through the reflection. A few seconds passed.

“I’m pregnant.”

I didn’t say anything. All I could do was stare for a minute. And then I said the most useless words, “I’m sorry.”

Her helpless face turned into a glare aimed at me, “No it’s not! Nothing is going to be okay!” And with that she started crying even harder.

Panicked to help somehow, I started looking around for something to hand her to dry her tears. Deciding to forgo the toilet paper, I snatched the hand towel and shoved it in front of her.

She looked at my offering and snatched it, burying her face in it, she began sobbing and collapsing to the floor. I didn’t know what to do. A few breaths passed as I stood there like an idiot staring down at her on the floor. Cautiously, I lowered myself into a seated position next to her and put my arms around her. She leaned into my hug and continued to cry. Eventually, I started rocking us back and forth.

She was probabaly right. Things proabably weren't going to be okay. Kim was only 17 and just halfway through her senior year of highschool. No matter what happened after this point, life would never be the same for her.

For a long time we sat like that on the floor. No talking. Just her crying. Eventually, her crying slowed to the occasional sniffle.

Before I could say anything, I heard the front door open and close. Kim tensed and jerked. I didn’t think it would be our mom home so soon from work. I figured it was Alex but I wasn’t positive. We both waited with our breaths held until we heard footsteps tread across the bedroom floor and then we saw Alex’s head peak around the open door frame. He took one look at us and stepped all the way into the bathroom with a quizzical smile on his face.

“I’m pregnant, Alex.” Kim blurted out.

“Kimberly!” Alex feigned shock and horror.

In tandem we both shouted, “Alex!”

He gave Kim a small grin, his eyes narrowing a little in sympathy, “It’s going to be okay, you know?”

Kim looked between Alex and me, “Can y’all be here when I tell mom?

“Yes,” I said, looking up at Alex.

Alex stared down at us, “Oh, boy…”

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