Colors // Joshler

// 83. Give Her A Chance //

Tyler slowly followed his mother out to the car and got in after her. Josh had kissed him goodbye, just briefly, and she hadn't reacted much. He was unsure if that was good or bad.

The silence in the car was punctuated only by the radio for a few minutes until Tyler's mother turned it down. "Tyler, we need to talk."

The boy looked out the passenger side window and watched the asphalt pass by. "I've said what I need to say."

"There are things that I need to say, then. Just listen, please." Mrs. Joseph tightened her hands on the wheel, then sighed, loosening them again.

She hadn't been the greatest parent lately, but Tyler could see that something was clearly on her mind, and he decided to give her a chance. "Okay."

There was a brief silence again before Mrs. Joseph spoke. "It was...first off, I want to say that it was wrong of me to talk to you like that. After what happened in the garage, I mean."

Tyler blinked, surprised, as she went on. "You're seventeen, not seven, and you're old enough and smart enough to know yourself and what you want. I'm your mom, and that means I need to support you even if I don't always agree with your choices. I was just...I was surprised. I have a friend with a gay son, but I never thought I would have one myself. I never even considered it before, actually."

"Really?"

"Really." Tyler's mother smiled slightly, glancing at her son before looking back to the road. "Josh is a nice boy, Tyler, and I'm sorry I treated the both of you that way. As of today, I'm not stopping you from seeing him."

"What about dad?"

She sighed quietly. "You'll have to talk to him. You need to understand, he's been under a lot of stress lately, we both have." She took a breath in, then let it go. "I'm pregnant."

If Tyler had been the one behind the wheel, he probably would have crashed the car. "What?"

Tyler's mother laughed a little. "Don't look so surprised. But yes, I'm pregnant again. It wasn't planned, but you're eventually going to have a new little brother or sister.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" the boy asked, still in shock.

"I'm not as young as I once was," Mrs. Joseph admitted. "We wanted to make sure the baby was healthy and that I could feasibly carry it to full term before telling anyone. Your father's been out of his mind worrying about it."

"Congratulations," Tyler siad, not knowing what else to say. It was hard for him to imagine, having another sibling, but it wasn't a bad thing. His mother didn't respond, so Tyler said something else. "I love you, mom."

Now it was her turn to look surprised. Her eyes watered a little, and she smiled. "Thank you, Tyler. I love you too."