An Unexpected Life

A young man tries to win custody of his son who is yet to be born.

Words: 2,755
NOTE: The language is broken mountain English.

An Unexpected Life
By Lisa Noe

It was a cold Appalachian winter, the kind where the wind blows the snow into a cyclone in the air.
The fire was crackling in the fireplace, and Della Stevens was busy in her warm kitchen fixing pinto beans and fried potatoes for supper. The whole house was filled with the smell of baking cornbread and Bob Stevens was lounged in his recliner near the fire, watching television.

“Bob, supper’s ready, do you want I should bring it to you?”

“Yeah, you know to bring my meals to me, I ain’t getten up and comin to the table.”

Della carried the food to Bob, like a servant, which is the way most of the mountain men treated their women. and then she called to the bedroom in the back of the house...

“Come and eat, Danny, supper’s done.”

She dipped up another plate for their teen-aged son Danny, who was beginning to give the family discipline problems. He stayed out passed curfew, got caught drinking alcohol, and skipped school nearly every other day.

“eh, what’s this, you mean we’re havin beans again?”

“Yes we are you can eat them or not but I’m not fixin nothin else---You know your father’s out of work and we can’t afford no more than this---you ought to feel lucky ya got this, some kids got nothin.”

“What ever, I’m gonna go out for a while, be back later.”

“You need to eat somethin before you go out, your losing too much weight, I hope your not sick.”

“Oh God get real, there ain’t nothin wrong with me, I just ain’t hungry right now. I’ll heat it up later.”

Danny met his friend Jake at the end of the long gravel driveway that led to their modest little white wood framed house. The two got together with some other boys and they went to the old barn near Martin’s Fork Lake. An older boy, named Tim, was the only one who had a car; he met them there. He was eighteen and able to purchase beer, so he passed out a can to each of the boys there. The boys messed around for a little while and drank a few more beers each. Jake and Danny decided it would be a blast to pal around withTim in his car. They thought they were bad ass, but actually they were just drunk punks, looking for trouble. They met up with some girls at the local arcade. Danny saw Debbie, she was the girl he had his eye on for many months now.Debbie was a cheerleader at their Duncan High School; she had long brown hair and sparkling green eyes. At this point Danny was drunk and had the liquid courage to ask her to be his girlfriend. She said yes, she liked him too. He and she walked away from the other boys and decided not to go with them. The two walked towards where she lived which was a good mile away, but they did not care because they wanted to spend time together.

“Hey, I got an idea, my friend Chrissy gave me a joint. Why don’t you and me go down by the lake and smoke it?” She pulled the marijuana cigarette out of her purse and handed it to Danny.

“Wow, man that’s great, I’d love to have some!”

The two of them walked down to a huge rock on the bank of the Lake; and he had a lighter,because he smoked cigarettes, He lit it and sucked it in deep to his lungs. It was a large hit off of the thing. He then handed it to her, she held it between her middle finger and thumb and sucked deeply on it, pulling in the smoke. She coughed and got strangled.

“Are ya OK, Is this your first time Debbie?” Danny showed concern over her as she got a drink of his beer.

“I’m fine don’t worry about me, yeah it’s the first time, man that stuff is wicked!”

She batted her eyes at him and they traded stories of each other’s lives for about an hour; while they finished off the joint and the rest of his beer. By this time the two of them where good and high, and a little drunk as well. The smell of the marijuana lingered in the air. The two kids began kissing and holding each other,
They were out of control, They removed each other’s clothes and Danny lay down on Debbie and the two made love over and over. They fell asleep on the bank of the lake, naked but together.

Meanwhile back home his mother was sick with worry because her sixteen year old son was missing.

“Bob you gotta get out there and bring my boy home to me! Search everywhere, I’ve already called his friends and they don’t know where he is. They say he left with a girl on foot, They thought he was takin her home. He’s not been seen since about ten o’clock last night.”

“Well it’s day break and the boy ain’t home, when I get my hands on him he’ll regret worryin us so bad.”

Bob got in his car and started looking in the neighborhood for Danny, He visited Danny’s friends, who told them about Debbie and where she lived.

Back at the lake Danny and Debbie woke up, both feeling droggy and pretty bad with hang overs. They realized they were naked, and knew what they had done the night before. They dressed quickly, both feeling embarrassed over what had happened.

“Come on and I’ll walk you home.”

“No! I think it’s best if ya don’t, my parents are gonna be mad and I don’t want them to know I was with you.”

“OK, I guess I’ll see ya at school on Monday, I have to say that was the best Saturday night I ever had.”

She smiled and the two parted ways and Danny walked up on the main road where the traffic was few a far between; because of this being a rural and secluded lake. But Here came Bob down the road, driving his Nissan Truck, He couldn’t believe his eyes, He had been heading to Debbie’s house when he saw Danny walking. Danny saw his father and cringed, because he knew he would be in for hell. The Nissan came to a stop and Danny hopped in the passenger side.

“Where the hell have you been all night, do you know you have worried your mother almost to death! And I have had to get out on a Sunday Morning searching for you, What do you have to say for your self?”

“I’m sorry I was skippin rocks at the lake and I fell asleep, I didn’t wake up till this mornin.”

“Where is the girl you left with last night, I’ve been talkin to your friends, so who is she? You’d better not knock up some little fluzzy and bring them in on me, I can barely afford to feed our own family.”

“Hey, listen you may be my father, and I respect ya and all; but you can’t talk about my friends that way, she’s a good girl. You’d like her if ya gave her a chance. So please don’t be talkin shit about her!”

“You are restricted to your room until further notice, they’ll be no games, computer, or phone, no friends over or anything. You will go to school, come home do your chores, and stay in your room until I give you further instructions.”

When they arrived home Della was so happy that her son was in one piece and that nothing had happened to him-- she didn’t dare waste time scolding him—his father had already done that. She reached out and grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight, she did not want to let loose.
When he finally broke free from her grip, he went to his room, where his father was , he watched as his father removed his game system, computer, and telephone from the room. He was truly pissed. But it was worth it, he was in love with Debbie. She was not just a girl you bang and forget this is the girl you marry.
Monday the two lovebirds were able to see each other at school and they snuggled on the bleachers of the football field.

“I really got in some trouble after Saturday night, I can’t get out and go anywhere until they tell me otherwise.”

“My parents think I spent the night with a friend, they would kill me if they knew the truth, that I was with a boy going all the way.”

“We gotta figure out some way that we can see each other outside of school. I can sneak out after midnight
What about you?”

The bell rang and they were interrupted, “I know, we could skip school and go to the lake where the old barn is, we can be alone there. They can’t keep us apart.”

“Ok I’m game, lets go.”

They waited for the field to clear, and when the teacher turned her back to them, they took off running and sneaked out of the gate ,which was still open to allow all the students in. They walked the long winding mountainous road, but the stayed on the edge of the woods, so passing cars could not identify them. They walked a few miles and were exhausted by the time they arrived to the rock where they had first made love. They sat down, huffing and puffing, trying to catch their breath. Both were heavy smokers and it made them weak. They sit for a while just talking and laughing, knowing they only had a few hours because it took an hour and a half to get there, and it will be the same to go back. After resting for about thirty minutes, The two went skinny dipping in the lake, and made love in the water. They were not paying attention and in the woods their friends Jake and Tim, had followed them and were watching from the woods. Tim was out of high school, and Jake was skipping with Tim, so the could get high. The two thought it would be funny to take their clothes while they were in the water not paying attention.
They went back up the hill to their car and put their clothes in the back seat. When Danny and Debbie came out of the water they had nothing, no towel, no clothes, no blanket, nothing for which to cover themselves!
Jake and Tim got an eye full and started laughing hysterically over the fact they were out in public with no clothes on. Danny threatened Jake, that he would get even with him if he did not give them back the clothes, Jake just laughed, and the two of them got in the car and drove off, leaving them helpless and defenseless against the harsh elements. They ran up to the barn, and went inside. Danny looked around for anything they could use to cover up with, he was fortunate and found a few horse blankets. They were dirty but useful for them. Now they would have to have an excuse, why they were dressed with blankets? But as they approached the highway they saw Tim and Jake drive back by and they gave them back their clothes, Debbie was furious and deeply humiliated for they had all seen her nude.

They skipped like this about two times a week so they could spend time together.
One day however, Debbie was acting distant and moody.

“What’s wrong Debbie, why are you so quiet and moody?”

“I’ve got something I have to tell you and I don’t know what you are going to do.”

“Just tell me, I promise I won’t act like a jerk.”

“I’m pregnant!”

“Pregnant, How do you know? When did you find out?”

“I’ve known for over a month, actually I’m two months pregnant I must have gotten pregnant the first time we did it.”

“I’m here, I’m not goin no where, we’ll have a family and I’ll quit school and get a job.

“But that’s just it, I don’t want you to quit school, I want you to finish; I will have the baby and then we will decide whether we’ll keep it or not, we could put it up for adoption.”

“You mean you don’t want it?”

“Yeah I guess so, I mean I don’t believe in abortion so I’ll have it, but I’m not ready to give up my life for a baby yet, I want to go to college, get a job and stuff first.”

“But I’m ready, I’d love to raise our baby I’ll do anything if you let me take it and raise it, my mom will help, she’ll assure I do everything right.”

“I don’t know, I have to think about it, I mean if you have it I’ll have to see it and will feel obligated by it. I don’t think it is a very good idea.”

The two youngster fought over the subject for days, they broke up and became bitter enemies.
He would stop at nothing to get his hands on his baby; he talked to his parents, who were with him, and wanted to see their grand child. Danny was so serious he got a lawyer and brought her to court, it carried on for months, and the hearings were harsh. She finally went in to labor in front of the courthouse, and they rushed her to the hospital. Both families went, Danny was going to be there when his baby was born.

The baby was born with no incidence, it was a health baby boy. The baby would remain in the hospital for three days and during that time the judge would make a decision on what should happen to the child. Would it be put up for public adoption? or would the father obtain full guardianship?

The day of the hearing, Danny walked over to Debbie, telling her he would appeal if he lost; she just walked away without speaking. Danny had straightened up a lot after finding out he was going to be a father.
He quit running around with friends, he got a part time job at the computer center, He became more agreeable with his parents. He just really matured. His mother was the motherly type, and she was just dying to get her hands on her new grandchild. She would be happy to assist in raising the infant.
The Judge came into the chamber and everyone stood.

“Please be seated, we are here to decide the custody of an infant who has, as I was told just been born three days earlier. One Danny Stevens has filed for sole custody and legal adoption of his son. I have taken in to consideration all of the facts of this case and I have done some heavy checking on both parties. I find that according to teachers, the minister, and several school mates, Danny has improved and matured over the past few months and has shown himself to be a responsible young man. He has help in the home, by way of his mother and father. Despite the fact that I feel he is too young for this, I am letting him have custody.
On the condition that he stay in school until graduation, and keeps viable employment. And with that I call this case closed. The baby will henceforth be known as baby Stevens.
Danny was ecstatic over the decision, he walked over to Debbie…

“No hard feelings, you can see him any time you want to, it would be good if he knew his mother.”

“Screw you, I don’t want any thing to do with you or that baby. Don’t you dare tell him I’m his mother, or the kid might end up with some mighty hurt feelings; because I don’t want anything to do with it.”

“I don’t know what I ever saw in you, your just a phony self centered bitch, and I wouldn’t tell him about you for nothing, I’d sooner tell him your dead.”

“That’s perfect, because I am to you and he, My mom is making us move because she is ashamed I got pregnant and had to go through a public hearing, so you don’t have to worry about seeing me at school or around the neighborhood.”

But the baby found a loving home in it’s father’s arms, and fathers can be loving and compassionate.