PUMPKIN /// MITCHEL CAVE

three

I spot Mitchel as soon as I pull into the park, sitting at a picnic bench underneath an oak tree. His leg bounces wildly. His hands are folded on the table, but his fingers are playing with each other anxiously. The same braids I remember hang in front of his face. He's wearing a pair of glasses, and as I approach him his eyes flicker up to meet mine. He gives a light smile, but I can tell he's nervous. "Hey," He smiles up at me. I flash him a quick grin before sitting on the side of the picnic bench opposite him. "Alexis, right?"

"Yeah," I confirm with a smile and a slight nod. "Thank you....so much for coming out here to meet with me." He nods, braids moving as he does. 

"Yeah, of course. It sounds pretty serious." I take a deep breath to stop myself from laughing. "By that reaction I'm guessing it is. Is everything okay?"

All of the sudden my confidence is gone. I feel myself shrink down in my seat, and my eyes find the ground. I start to play with my hands as he just was, suddenly terrified about doing this. From the corner of my vision I see Mitchel flinch toward me, but he doesn't move from his spot. "What's wrong, Alexis?"

"Do you remember that night in Adelaide?" I look up toward him finally, straightening myself out on the bench. Mitchel cracks a smile.

"Yeah, I do. I drank too much to remember every detail, but I know it happened and I know what happened between...us." He hesitates as he says that, swallowing harshly right after. "Can I ask why you're here? Why you brought me here?" I take a deep breath, setting my phone on the table so my hands are free. 

"Mitchel―can I call you that?" He nods, but says nothing, looking at me expectantly. "So uh, I'm pregnant."

I cringe as the words leave my mouth, closing my eyes tightly and bracing for the worst. Mitchel lets out a huff, a scoff even, but I'm too scared to look. "Please tell me you're fucking joking." I open my eyes now. Mitty's head is in his hands, elbows on the table. His eyes are closed, but not easily. "Please, Alexis, tell me this is a joke. Do you want money? I'll give you money." He opens his eyes now, looking toward me. I shake my head. 

"I don't want your money, Mitchel. This is your kid, I want you in their life because they deserve a loving father....you." His forehead hits the table now, his body now completely hunched over. He lets out a deep sigh.

"How do you know it's mine?" His voice cuts through the thick silence between us.

"Because you're the only person I've slept with since early July and I'm two months pregnant. It all adds up, Mitchel. I'm sorry." He lifts his head now, his eyes meeting mine. Before he can speak, I pull the bloodwork results from my doctor's appointment a few days ago out of my pocket and hand them over. "The dates all match up. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're a dad."

Mitchel studies the paper in his hand for a few moments, scanning over the page multiple times before he speaks. "Are you gonna get an abortion?" I'm taken back by the comment, my body physically recoiling at it.

"No. If I was gonna do that I wouldn't have brought you here." He lets out a groan, one I'm assuming is unintentional. "Before you ask, it's not because of any religious reason. It's because I'm more afraid of an abortion than I am of pregnancy; and because it's my choice rather I want one or not." Mitchel nods, his face no longer showing any signs of anger. He leans back into the tree behind him. 

He runs a hand over his face, mumbling to himself a reminder to use a condom next time. "Alright," Mitchel speaks, looking at me as he does. "Tell me everything I need to know."