Chapter 2 Oh No, Not Now.

I tried to hold back my tears when I heard my doorbell ring. I didn’t feel like seeing anyone. My eyes were swollen, my chest heavy, and all I wanted was to curl up under my blanket and cry until I disappeared.

But then my phone buzzed. A text from Linda.

“Open the door.”

I sighed, wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, and dragged myself to the door.

“Hey Linda,” I whispered as I opened it.

“Hey darling,” she stepped in quickly, scanning my face. “What’s up with you? Have you done the test?”

I swallowed hard, looking away. “Yeah… I did it. It came out positive.”

Her brows furrowed. “Positive? For what?”

I could barely speak, but the words tumbled out. “The doctor said… I’m five weeks pregnant.”

Linda gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God, babe! How? Kelvin broke up with you already. How do we even tell him this?”

“NO!” I shouted, startling both of us. “Kelvin stopped touching me weeks before the breakup.”

Her eyes widened. She stuttered, “Wait… the one-night stand? Maureen… you got pregnant for the stranger?”

Her words hit me like a slap. My chest burned. I couldn’t answer. I just broke down, weeping into my palms.

“Babe, stop crying,” Linda tried, her voice trembling. “We should be thinking of a way around this, okay?”

I raised my head, my eyes red, my voice sharp. “A way around this? How, Linda? Tell me, how?”

She bit her lip, thinking. “If you know his name, or at least how he looks, we can try social media. Or maybe go back to that club, ask around, talk to the staff.”

I shook my head. “I don’t remember his face. I was too drunk that night. But… I remember some guys called him Liam the mommy’s boy. And…” my voice trailed off, “he has a birthmark on his left thigh, a port-wine stain.”

“Good. That name might be his alias. We can use that to look him up. But the birthmark won’t help much,” she said, squeezing my hand.

As she spoke, I stared at her. A sudden thought pierced my mind. She wasn’t drunk that night. My heart pounded as I whispered, “Linda… you weren’t drunk. You must have seen him better than I did.”

Her face changed. She fumbled with her words. “I… I really didn’t get a good look. You were all over him, and you guys weren’t close to where I was sitting. I……”

“You were supposed to look after me, Linda!” I shouted, tears streaming again.

“I’m sorry!” she blurted out, guilt flashing across her face. “I didn’t want to ruin your night. You seemed happy that night, and I didn’t want to stand in the way. I’m so sorry.”

I buried my face in my hands, sobbing. “Why is this happening to me? All I ever wanted was a simple life. No stress. No heartbreak. Just peace. Why can’t I have that?”

Linda wrapped her arms around me. “Take it easy, Maureen. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everything happens for a reason.”

But her words didn’t reach me. My chest felt like it was caving in. “I’m not even married… and I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

She held me tighter, rubbing my back. “You’re not alone, okay? I’m here. You’ll get through this.”

The next day, Linda followed me back to the club where it all happened. We asked the staff if they knew anyone called Liam the mommy’s boy. No one did. We searched social media endlessly, but every lead ended in disappointment.

Days turned into weeks. The search yielded nothing. I gave up. I told myself maybe it was fate, maybe I wasn’t meant to find him. But how was I supposed to live with a child I didn’t plan for? I barely had enough to care for myself, and now I had to think of a baby too. Abortion never crossed my mind. I couldn’t. No matter what, I would keep the child.

Linda stayed by my side, always reminding me it would be okay. For a moment, I believed her. But soon, hell broke loose.

Pregnancy was hard so much harder than I ever imagined. The first trimester was torture. Nausea, weakness, dragging myself to work every morning. I felt like a shadow of myself.

One morning, I arrived late again. My boss’s secretary told me the managing director wanted to see me. My stomach knotted.

I walked into his office, forcing a smile. “Good morning. You asked to see me.”

“Good morning, Miss Maureen,” he said, watching me closely. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“Good.” He paused, then leaned back in his chair. “You know this job is strenuous….risky, even. Health is an important factor we consider here.”

I shifted uncomfortably, my heart racing. “Yes, sir.”

“Miss Maureen,” he said finally, adjusting his glasses. “Looking at your condition, we cannot help but dismiss you. You can no longer work here.”

The words punched me in the chest. “What? Why? What did I do wrong? Is it because I came late?”

He shook his head. “No. You are one of our best staff. But with your pregnancy, we cannot take the risk. We don’t want another incident like the one two years ago.”

I remembered it instantly the pregnant staff who nearly lost her life and unborn child in a factory accident. My stomach twisted. Still, I couldn’t accept this.

“Please,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Don’t do this to me. I need this job. I’ll work harder, I’ll do better…….”

“Miss Maureen, don’t make this harder. You should understand.”

Tears blurred my vision. “Please, sir. I cannot lose this job.”

“Leave,” he said firmly.

My body shook as I walked out. The other workers, who had been eavesdropping, stared at me with pity. I hated that look. Some tried to console me, but their words meant nothing.

At home, I cried until my chest ached. No job. No money. Rent unpaid. I thought about my parents who were long gone and how I had fought to survive alone all these years. And now, I was bringing a child into this mess.

Days turned into survival games. Nobody wanted to employ a pregnant woman. I had to take whatever I could find; disposing trash, washing public toilets, babysitting, caring for old grannies, even dancing at amusement parks during festivals just to earn a little. Some days, people rejected me outright because of my pregnancy.

I was at the amusement park one afternoon, dancing with all the strength I had left, when I suddenly felt a sharp pain. Warmth gushed down my thighs. My heart dropped. My water had broken.

“Oh my God,” I whispered, holding my belly. “Not now. Please, not now.”