Tenure

Looking back with hindsight, I should have seen the signs; we never once used a condom, and I never saw her take any birth-control pills. All I can say is that I must have assumed she had an implant or was using some other method of contraception, because she never once broached the topic with me.

As you can probably guess by now, the 'stomach bug' didn't go away, and eventually we came to realise that she was at least three months pregnant with my child. We drove to a free clinic two hours away where we were unlikely to be recognised. To the staff, we were just another scared young couple, and they quickly conformed what the home pregnancy tests had told us; Abigail was carrying my child. Afterwards we sat across from each other in an all-night diner, not talking as our coffees grew steadily colder. I felt somewhat lost, and wished I could go to my parents for advice. But they were thousands of miles away and likely soundly asleep in bed. Abigail announced matter of factly, that she was keeping the baby. There was no religious or social reason; she just felt unable to bring herself to end the life that was forming inside her. I nodded, knowing full well that it was ultimately her choice, one way or the other, even if the idea of becoming a father at nineteen scared me somewhat.

Then she asked me if I loved her.

I was so shocked I said yes before I had a chance to really think about it, and I suppose that was what she was looking for; my gut reaction before I had a chance to work out just what she was asking me. She smiled as she took my hand and led the way back to her car.

We drove through the night, and dawn saw me taking a turn at the wheel while Abigail slept in the back. I was running on autopilot, my mind dealing what we were doing, and I nearly forgot to wake Abigail as we passed the sign proclaiming Las Vegas Welcomes Careful Drivers. We checked into a small hotel, but left again immediately and drove around until we found somewhere for breakfast. We ate in silence, an odd sense of serenity coming over us as we just smiled, each knowing that there was nothing more to say.

An hour later I was standing in a rented Tuxedo in front of an Elvis impersonator as a grey haired old lady at a keyboard played something approaching the wedding march. Abigail came down the aisle in a white gown that did its best to show off her body, and a few minutes later we were man and wife. We spent our first night as a married couple in the hotel, then drove back to Evergreen Lake in time for me to almost fall asleep in class.

I informed student services that I would be moving out of my dorm room while Abigail informed the Dean and the head of her department about our relationship. They seemed more surprised that she'd actually gotten laid then anything else, and the relevant paperwork was quickly drawn up, signed and filed while I moved my stuff into the home we now shared. It took a little getting use to, but being able to wake up every morning next to the woman I love made it all worth while. We started making plans for the future, including a trip back to England in the summer so Abigail can meet my parents, and they can get to know their new daughter-in-law. I haven't told them I'm married yet, let alone that they're going to be grandparents before the year is out. Given how quickly the bump in Abigail's stomach is growing, I can only wonder if I'll have a chance to tell them before they guess.

My English Lit professor wants us all to write a paper on what we did during our Summer Vacation. I think he might be a little shocked when he reads mine...