Chapter 14: Gift

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Thursday. May 9th.

Everyone at work thought we were the cutest couple while we were dating. We never showed public affection or argued during work, which Keven liked. Occasionally, I would secretly slap her ass or kiss her in the dish area where there were no cameras. We kept it professional, not letting our relationship interfere with work. Together, we had a high status at Touchdown Wings, but once we broke up, the atmosphere changed.

The people at my work were nosy, constantly asking me questions about Moeko, and I’m sure vice versa. De’Asia, one of the servers, thinks I’m an asshole. She told me straight to my face. I thought Moeko told her about my acting, but it turns out she was just upset for her. Another server, Natasha, believes we should get back together. I told her that wasn’t happening. Then there’s Samantha, the server’s manager, she won’t shut up about her own relationship, hoping it won’t end like ours did. I hope it does just because she annoying.

I didn’t care about them, but I did notice Moeko acting differently. Lately, she’s been going to the bathroom a lot. There’s this look of tension in her eyes. She won’t face or even talk to me. Even when I try, she’ll hurry out of the conversation. One day, Moeko came in clenching her purse and speeding pass me. I follow her to the back where we put our things and tap her shoulder.

“What is going on with you?” I ask bluntly. “You’re being weird.”

“How am I being weird?” She frowns.

“You’re not talking to me at all. I thought we were going to be friends.”

“We are friends. It’s just...” Her eyes lower.

“What is it?” I lean in. “What’s wrong?”

She sighs. “I’m pregnant.”

My eyes widen. “What?” The door opens. I look to see Kevin coming to the back.

He greets Moeko than turns to me. “Hey, Vehren. Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.” I look at Moeko and follow Kevin out of the fridge area. We go to his office in the kitchen. Kevin shuts the door and we both sit. It’s a cramped space, my knee almost touches his. “Everything okay?” I ask.

“Everything is perfect. You’re an excellent worker and I want you to know that.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Do you know you have the highest sales? I’m impressed by your performance. I want you to think about becoming a trainer. It’s a raise of a dollar, and there are more responsibilities. You’ve already been training people, so this will just make it official.”

“Wow, a promotion? That’s perfect timing actually...” My voice drags.

“Good. It’s settled, you’re a trainer now and you’re pay has been raised.”

“Sounds good. Thank you, again, Kevin.” I stand up when he does.

He holds the door for me to leave. “I’ll see you on the floor.” Kevin shuts the door. I go back to the little nook behind the server’s station seeing Moeko is still there. She’s texting someone on her phone, hands shaking as she types.

“Moeko,” I sigh, “what are we going to do? We’re not together anymore.”

“I have no idea.” She sniffs. “Are you still going to do porn?”

My eyes lower. “I was actually going to go to California for some more shoots.”

She shakes her head. “Still? I’m having a baby.”

“I’m gonna have to think about it now.”

“You are. We’ve only known each other for a couple of months. My mother loves her traditional roots. She’s going to want us to get married. If not, she’ll kill me or worse, kick me out.”

“If that happens, you can stay with Kendryck and me. In the meantime, let’s come up with a plan.”

A server named Amy came into the nook. She doesn’t say anything to us, especially since I was staring her down. She sets her bag next to Moeko’s Michael Kors bag and leaves quickly. Moeko rolls her eyes and faces me. “Are you ready for a baby?”

“Fuck no.” I exhale. “But I have to be don’t I?”

“You do. I don’t believe in abortions.”

I nod. “Right. Then we’re doing this. Does this mean marriage?”

“I don’t know.” Her eyes hit the floor.

“I don’t know either, Moe. But we’ll figure it out, right?”

She smiles weakly. “Yeah.”

I check my watch and realize we’re both four minutes late. “We should clock in.”

“Right.” We go into the server’s station to clock in. The day went on as normal, I couldn’t help but stare at Moeko every chance I got. I can’t believe I got her pregnant. Never would I carry a child, but to have one of my own never crossed my mind. I never thought I’d be in a straight relationship either. Everything happened as sudden as this pregnancy.

But as I stare, I thought, What could go wrong? The word ‘wife’ alone was strange to me, I always expect it to be ‘husband’. I was ready to live life as a gay man, but this throws a wrench in my plans. The thought of being a father at nineteen absolutely scared me. What’s worse, I felt like I wanted to talk to my dad.

Near the end of my shift, while waiting for the customer’s drinks at the bar, I made a devastating realization. I don’t plan on stopping his porn journey, not even with a baby on the way. Is that selfish? Should I be thinking about what my child would feel? I’ll do everything in my power to prevent my kid from seeing me out of character, but once they reach their teens, what then? Will I have to ban the internet from him or her, so they won’t ever research porn and find their father? Should I continue this journey with porn?

“Here are your drinks, Vehren.” The bartender drops three dressed margaritas in front of me.

I place them on a tray. “Thank you, Jess.”

“You okay? You’ve been spaced out the whole time I made those.”

“Everything is fine.”

“I heard Moeko is pregnant.”

I frown deeply, staring at her. “How did you find out?”

“Amy told me.” She leans in. “I told her to keep her fucking mouth shut.”

I sigh hard. “Thanks.” I look around for Amy. “That dumb bitch.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I got three kids of my own remember? If Moeko needs anything, I am totally here for her. I plan on getting her number at some point.”

“That’s sweet of you. She needs all the help she can get.” I grab the tray. “Thank you, Jess.”

“It’s no problem, Vee.” She goes to help a customer while I take the tray to the table. The day went on without a hitch, and I was able to clock out and collect my money. I made eighty dollars, the usual amount I made on a slower day.