Greta Van Fleet Imagines

tested-sfk

I can't really gauge how good this is but I hope you all can follow along. It's not proofread or edited so please bear with me

How could you? How could you naturally find Sam, shove a baby in his hands and tell him that he's a dad?

You almost worked up the nerve to do so when he was first born. Sam was coming back home, a rumor you'd heard from a friend of a friend. You were excited. The baby in your arms looked strikingly like Sam. If you were to put their baby photos side by side, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart if it wasn't for the definition on today's cameras. He had the same nose and lips, but his eyes were yours. You were going to their home, being invited to a welcome home party after their first official job. But then it turned into a Grammy congratulation party for the group. So, you retracted your RSVP, telling Ronnie that you had something come up. She was a little disappointed, begging you to keep in touch either way.

You'd been active on Facebook, consistently posting photos. Once your pregnancy became detectable, you decided to only post from the chest up, wearing baggy clothing to cover up. Strategically placed handbags were also a new habit of yours. Going away to college at that time was perfect timing. Your mother retired that same year, moving to live closer to your campus in Ohio. You gave birth later that year. The school gave you a private apartment as to not disturb the other residents. In the summer, you lived with your mother and worked random part time jobs. She was your rock, supporting you through everything. At the same time, though, she urged you to talk to Sam.

You thought about it. Sam had a right to know. The thought of talking to him sent your heart into a flutter. Then the timing was all wrong. He was getting more and more famous. Your biggest fear was being seen as a leech, seeing that her ex-boyfriend made it big and suddenly, she's throwing a baby in his hands. So, you let the situation be. When the band came around, you stayed home more often, almost like you were going into hiding.

After graduating, you got a job as a salesman, traveling occasionally but never too far away. As time passed, you were no longer concerned with Sam's knowing. As each day went by, you were only concerned with yourself and with Nick. You settled into a routine, dropping him off in the morning before going to work. You would come back to see him for lunch. His preschool graduation was schedule for the same day as your college one. The two of you wore similar gowns, just different colors.

Once he started kindergarten, your heart ached to see him during the day. Thankfully, your job allowed you to leave earlier in the day. In exchange, you gave up your lunch hours and breaks during the day. So, you arrived at eight and were waiting in line for Nick's school at four.

The two of you had dinner together every evening. Your mother moved back to Michigan, missing her roots. You were a little confused, but then she said that she should have just stayed up North as the severe winters were never handled this badly.

With the holidays rolling around, it was the first time you wouldn't spend it with her, and you were torn. When you offered the idea of not seeing Grandma for Christmas, Nicky lost it. He cried and holed himself up in his room. He practically made the decision for you, so you took time off from work and called him out of school. To beat the supposed incoming snowstorms, you drove from Toledo to your childhood home with your son in the backseat.

The annual town-wide holiday party was one that you tried to skip. Then, to force you to go, your mother offered up the dozens of children's activities that Nicky could do. Later that night, you sighed and zipped him up in his thickest coat, jeans, and his favorite pair of boots. He was excited for the hot chocolate he'd been promised.

You were a little on edge for the first thirty minutes. Nicky was calling your attention to everything he saw. He pointed out the twinkling lights strewn around the ceiling of the school gym. Face painting booths and ring tosses were set up. Once you'd done the first trip around the event and not seeing a single Kiszka, you were able to relax. Nick was beginning to feed off the energy in the room, getting antsy to go off and play.