âWhat?â
Kenneth had barely settled into his seat when he shot up like a rocket.
âKenneth, my mom and dad donât know yet. Can you please not tell them just yet?â
Karen shrank back, instinctively seeking refuge closer to Jeffrey.
Seeing his girl rattled like that, Jeffrey frowned with displeasure, âHey, donât scare her, alright?â
âI havenât even started on you! Your thing, put a pin in it.â Kenneth couldnât believe it; on his birthday
of all days, he walked into the diner and got hit with this bombshell!
âKaren, do you even realize what youâre doing?â
âI was already going to get engaged to Jeffrey, so I didnâtâ¦â
Seeing Kennethâs face turning thunderous, Dorothy quickly tugged at his shirt, âCome on, letâs all
calm down and talk this through.â
Kenneth took a deep breath at her intervention and sat down again. âAn unplanned pregnancy is a
big deal, Karen. You have to talk to your mom and dad before anything else; you canât just wing it.â
âBut I donât know how to bring it up with them.â
If Kenneth was this shocked and disappointed, how could she face her parents?
âIâll be with you,â Kenneth said, squeezing her hand.
Karen shook her head. It wasnât about who was with her; it was... It was about her own fear of
facing the truth!
She had hoped to plead with Kenneth today to have him speak on her behalf when the time came.
After all, Kenneth held weight in the eyes of Derek and Serena; his words might make a difference.
But now, it seemed that hope was shattered.
âLetâs just eat! We can talk over the meal; Iâm starving,â Dorothy said, trying to dissipate the
awkward tension.
âYeah, right⦠letâs eat,â Karen said, gratefully looking at Dorothy.
But as soon as the comfort food started arriving, Karenâs morning sickness kicked in hard.
Unable to hold it back, she bolted for the restroom.
Jeffrey, worried, followed swiftly, leaving Kenneth and Dorothy alone in the booth.
Feeling the awkwardness intensify, Dorothy made her leave, but Kenneth called out to her.
âDorothy, did you know about Karen being pregnant?â
âAh⦠yes, I did,â Dorothy confessed, looking down, feeling a bit guilty.
âYou shouldâve told me sooner.â
âIâm sorry. I just didnât know how to bring it up. I thought Karen would tell you herself, and if I did,
what would that make me?â
After all, Kenneth had the right to intervene; they were relatives, and he had looked out for Karen
like a true brother all her life.
But Dorothy was an outsider.
âAlas, forget it. I shouldnât have snapped at you. Sorry, Dorothy, I wasnât thinking straight.â
âItâs okay! I totally get where youâre coming from.â
Dorothy had been just as stunned when she first heard the news.
...
In the dinerâs restroom, Jeffrey worried he couldnât enter the ladies' room, so he just paid the owner
to clear out the place, especially the restrooms.
Inside, Karen was drained from vomiting and, compounded by her emotional state, she began to
tear up.
Jeffrey, heartbroken and flustered, clumsily wiped her tears.
âPlease, donât cry! If itâs really too much, maybe we couldââ
Karen didnât want to hear any of it and grabbed his hand, looking up at him, âJeffrey, if we want my
parents to accept this baby, the easiest path is through Kenneth. We need him on our side.â
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