Pay Back

My opportunity came when we went grocery shopping at Jewel. I was fifteen and about three months pregnant. We were standing in front of the deli, with several people milling around us. I thought, I’ll get her now. As she was going through the selection of fresh meats, I said, “Mom, I’m three months pregnant.” I said it with as much venom as I could muster. Mom stared at me not speaking for a moment. I thought I had her. I thought I had succeeding in crushing her. Then with the same dignity and poise she always seem to carry, my mother said: “That’s okay. We will work through this together.” My heart lodged in my throat. It didn’t work. I just stared at. What she didn’t know was that I wasn’t going to give up. It didn’t work this time? Okay, if at first I don’t succeed...have another baby.