Positive?!

[35]

Mark:

I carefully placed the paper bags next to the counter before I sat down on a chair in the now familiar looking kitchen of the Wang's household. We had just come back from the supermarket.

Sophia had asked me to stay for dinner here today and I had offered to go shopping with her. She had been very thankful because her husband and Jackson usually never went shopping with her.

I had spent a lot of days with Jackson's mom. She was very friendly, she didn't judge me for getting pregnant so early and treated me like everyone else. It felt good that someone accepted me.

The woman started to unpack the bags and placed everything she needed on the counter. I had actually wanted to help her but she had told me to sit down for a moment and drink something.

I grabbed the bottle of water which was on the table and got myself a glass from the shelf. Sophia had allowed me to make myself a home whenever I was at there and I really liked it to visit them.

"So, may I ask you something?" Sophia asked me and I looked at her while I sat down again. "Of course." I smiled at her and filled some water in my glass. The elder woman started to prepare dinner.

"Your parents know about your pregnancy, right?" She looked at me for a short moment. I sighed a bit when I remembered the talk with my parents. "Yes, they do." I answered shortly.

"And what do they think about it? Do they support you?" She walked over to me and sat down on the other chair. "It's complicated." I sighed heavily and ran my hands through my hair.

"They are disappointed in me. I'm still allowed to live with them but they are very strict with me. They want me to earn my own money and raise the child by myself." I told her and leaned back.

"I'm currently trying to find a part-time job but no one wants a pregnant teenager." I managed to show her a weak smile. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled in a comforting way.

"You shouldn't work, Mark. I will talk to Jackson and I'm sure I can convince him to take a part-time job. And you're never alone. We will also give you financial support because you'll need a lot of money in the beginning."

I nodded a bit. Unluckily, I knew what she meant. The baby would need a lot in the first months and that didn't mean only clothes. It started with the equipment for the baby's bedroom. And that could be expensive.

I would also have to buy diapers and special milk for newborn babies. It would definitely take all my saved money to pay for everything I needed because it would make me feel bad to accept other's money.

I was thankful that Sophia offered me money and support. She even wanted to convince Jackson to work so he would be able to support me, too. I was pretty sure he wouldn't but it was lovely that she wanted to try.

"I'm not sure if I can accept your money. I would never be able to pay it back." I looked down and buried my hands in the fabric of the grey hoodie which had actually belonged to Jackson before he gave it to me.

"You don't have to pay anything back. There's no question that we will always help you and that not only because it's our grandchild. You're a good boy Mark and you deserve support." She smiled at me.

It felt good that someone promised me to be there. Jackson's family was so different from my own and although I had never been close to him before, I kinda felt like home when I was in his house.

His parents weren't disappointed in him. Instead they offered their son and me, a stranger, their help to go through this time. "You don't know how much this means to me." I admitted.

"Of course." Sophia gave me a honest smile which I returned immediately. "That's one of the reasons why I love it to be here." I got up and started to prepare the rice. The woman got up and helped me.

"You know, I have an idea." She started to speak again and I looked at her while she took out different spices . "Yes? What idea?" I asked her. I really wanted to know what idea she suddenly had.

"Why don't you just move in here? It would make it easier to help you and you and Jackson will have to spend more time together anyway and it would be good if you lived in one house." She told me about her idea.

Actually, that didn't sound that bad. I liked it to be here and they had already become some kind of family to me. But the question was if my parents would allow me to move and if Jackson would want me to live here.

—

This story is finally moving somewhere.

Back then I didn't even realize how endlessly long this story needed to get anywhere. I kind of understand that it can be a little exhausting to read because it doesn't happen all too much in most chapters.

But I think it should be alright!

Thank you for reading ❤