Chapter 65: Baby Momma?

Jeremy is speechless as he stands in his doorway, looking between his mother and Vanessa, each with a carry-on bag.

“Well, where are your manners? I thought I raised you better than this.” His mother says as she pushes her way past him and into his condo.

Vanessa rushes in behind his mother, throwing her arms around his neck. “Oh Jeremy, It’s so good to see you! I’ve missed you so much!” She exclaims as she kisses him on the lips. She tries to get her tongue in there, but Jeremy has enough of his wits about him as he keeps his mouth closed. She pulls back from him and looks him up and down, a look of disgust on her face. “Looks like you’ve let yourself go a little, Jeremy. Don’t they have gyms here in California?” She asks.

Jeremy gets his brain and tongue to cooperate. “What are you doing here, mother? And why the hell would you bring her?” Jeremy indicates Vanessa with a tilt of his head. He can’t bring himself to look at her.

“Don’t speak to your mother that way!” His mother responds with a huff. “I am here to talk some sense into that thick head of yours. I knew allowing you to spend so much time with my parents while you were growing up was a big mistake.”

Jeremy snorts, “allowed me? You allowed me to spend time with my grandparents. You passed me off to my grandparents, so that you wouldn’t have to deal with me. So you could have your morning champagne and your liquid lunches at the club.” Jeremy can’t believe he actually said that, talked back to his mother. He always just let her have her say and left it at that. By the look on her face, his mother is shocked as well.

“I did what I had to do to put up with your philandering father. You know nothing about my life. And who are you to judge me? Your precious grandparents are rolling in their graves right now, seeing how you are living your life. Traipsing across the country and ignoring your responsibilities.” HIs mother takes off her coat and sits on the couch, exactly where he and Melissa had been just minutes ago. But Jeremy's mind flies on by that fact.

“My grandparents were always proud of me, no matter what I did, but you wouldn’t understand that. You never took your face out of the camera or cocktail glass long enough to know what was happening in anyone else's life. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my grandparents. It sure as hell wasn’t because of you or my so-called father.” Jeremy is fuming now. HIs mother always put him and his father down but she would not do so to his grandparents.

His mother makes a motion for Vanessa to come sit next to her. She tentatively steps forward and that action by her worries Jeremy more than the fact that she is here. Vanessa has never moved timidly in her life, but the confidence she seemed to have when she entered seems to be gone.

“Proud of you?” His mother asks in disbelief. “Proud of you for walking out on your obligations to shack up with some beach trollop. Where is this girlfriend of yours? She should be here for this.” She reaches over and taps Vanessa, who has gone a little pale, on the leg.

Jeremy latches onto the fact that she has twice now referred to his responsibilities and obligations. “I owe you nothing, mother. You didn’t need me when I was a child, I’m sure you can manage without me now.”

His mother looks sincerely offended. “I am not talking about me. I expect nothing from you. After all, you are your father’s son. I am talking about your fiance and your son.”

Jeremy shakes his head, trying to figure out how his mother could know about Melissa and their baby. Wait, she said, son. “Mother, what are you talking about? How could you possibly know about our baby?”

His mother looks sharply at Vanessa for the first time tonight and asks. “I thought you said you told him!”

“I tried to but he wouldn’t listen,” Vanessa whines.

Jeremy is looking back and forth between the two women who he really would love to throw out the front door. “Told me what, you are making no sense.” He has really had enough of this conversation and just wants some answers so he can get back to Melissa.

Vanessa stands and sheds her coat. She is wearing a royal blue dress that fits her like a second skin and that skin stretches out to form a bump around the midsection. She looks at Jeremy as gives her fake thousand-watt smile, “Congratulations, Daddy! It’s a boy!”

Jeremy hears a shocked gasp from the hallway and he tears his eyes away from Vanessa’s swollen belly to Melissa. She has one hand on her belly and one over her mouth, but it is the look in her eyes that guts him.

He can feel his head shaking back and forth, but all he manages to say is “Melissa” as she flies by him and out the door. He moves to go after her, but his mother reaches out and grabs his arm.

“It's best she finds out now, Jeremy, so that you can stop living this fairy tale. Now, let's talk about when you are coming home and complete the wedding plans. Luckily Vanessa never cancelled…” His mother continues to speak, but Jeremy does not hear a word she is saying. All he can think of is the look of hurt and disgust in Melissa’s eyes.

Tears are streaming down Melissa’s face and she can barely see where she is going. As luck would have it a cab is just dropping off a couple in front of the building as she bursts into the lobby. The doorman tries to speak to her but she just rushes on by, eager to get into the cab before he pulls away. Lucky for her he has no fare to pick up, and he can take her. But where does she go?

All she has on her is her cellphone. She brings up Mel’s number and calls. Thankfully, she answers on the second ring.

“Hey Melissa! Did you guys decide yet?” Mel asks, referring to the house.

“Mel, I really need a friend right now.” Melissa is sobbing openly. “Can I come over? I’m in a cab now and I don’t know what to do. Please, Mel.”

“Of course you can come over. What’s wrong? Is everything okay with the baby?” Mel asks, concerned.

At the word baby, Melissa cries even harder. “I’ll explain when I get there,” is all she says and hangs up. She gives the cab driver the address to the house she and Jeremy looked at, as she doesn’t even know Mel’s street address but being at the house today, she remembers that one. God, that was only a few hours ago, it feels like a lifetime.

Melissa thinks about the house that she thought was going to be her new home. She was just about to make the biggest decision of her life. Maybe she should be thankful for Jeremy’s mother and Vanessa showing up. When Jeremy opened that door, Melissa felt so out of the place. His mother looked so sophisticated in her double-breasted, full length cashmere coat and her platinum blond hair cut into a blunt bob. Vanessa looked like she could be her daughter, her runway model daughter, with her snow white coat, almost the same color as her hair, which of course is exactly like Jeremy’s mother’s. Melissa laughs to herself at the fact that she would even think that she could ever fit into that world.

Her phone buzzing in her hand draws her out of her thoughts. Jeremy. She shuts her phone off, closes her eyes and tries unsuccessfully to forget this day.