From Pharaoh's Hand (2 page)

    
Maybe the guy has horses,
she had shrugged
,
but there had been more important concerns to attend to for the night.

             
  She had searched for the abortion clinic in the Yellow Pages. There might be even more than one. She wanted a clinic that would ask no questions and that would take cash, although she had no idea what it might cost. She hoped she had enough. By this time tomorrow she would be headed home.  Being alone in the big city made her nervous, but she had her cell phone and money. Surely she could make it one night.

             
As she stepped out onto the oily parking lot, her stomach had churned at the smell of the gas fumes emitted by a running car nearby
. I’m just seventeen. 
She kept pushing the tales of botched abortions from her mind.
 
She convinced herself that this was twenty-first century. It would all be fine. Within twenty-four hours all her worries would be over.

             
She had paid cash for a room at the Wingate with a double bed and a view of the Interstate. The clerk had asked no questions other than for a credit card for incidentals.  Elizabeth hesitated, and then pulled out the MasterCard and passed it to the clerk without a word. The clerk had simply noted the expiration date on the card and other details and handed it back to her.  That was all there was to it.  If there were no charges on the card, it wouldn’t matter anyhow.

             
“Thank you. We hope you enjoy your stay in Memphis.”

    
It had been easier than she ever thought it would be.  Once inside room 314, Elizabeth had pulled back the burgundy coverlet on the bed and checked for clean sheets.  That was the first thing her mother always did when they went on vacation.  Satisfied, she had sat on the edge of the bed, turned the television on, and wondered how things were at home. That had been around 9 p.m. If everything went as planned, her parents would have no reason to check on her. She had never given them reason to doubt her before, and Crystal wouldn’t dare squeal on her.
She had too much dirt on Crystal for that to happen.

Maybe she should have called Crystal.  She was supposed to be with her boyfriend Chris, at least that’s what she told Crystal.  He had suggested her staying overnight before, in fact, but she had always turned him down.  It was too risky, but now it seemed like the perfect alibi.

     “You’re actually going to spend the night?” Crystal had asked incredulously.  “Won’t his parents know?  How are you going to pull that off?”

          “
I’ll sneak in through the basement.  We’ll crash down there, wake up and leave before his parents get up.  Maybe leave them a note that he’s picking me up and spending the day with me...shopping, lunch, bowling alley, that sort of thing. They will never know.”

             
“I hope you’re right. If you chicken out, just call me. You can crash here.”

             
              “It’s our secret.  Pinky swear.”

             
Elizabeth frowned as she remembered the fib--lying to her best friend since kindergarten, how low could she get? But Crystal might tell her parents. She was in this alone. It would be her secret forever.  She thought back to last fall and how all her troubles began.  If she could just go back to that night and say no, everything would be okay.  Why hadn’t she just said no?

             
That was the night the North Side Indians had won their first and last game of the season 41 to 38. She closed her eyes, and she could see the elated team as it ran from the field and celebrated their win over the Lexington Tigers. The band danced from side to side as they blasted out their victory song. Coach Fry, drenched with ice water, was laughing from the sidelines. Players slapped each other’s behinds and hugged. A sea of blue and gold uniforms cheered and bobbed with adrenaline. Elizabeth jumped into her new boyfriend’s arms and kissed him. It felt good to win at least their Homecoming game.

     “
We did it!” he puffed breathlessly. Chris Daily had just run fifty yards to make the winning touchdown.

          “
No, you did it, Chris. You did it.”

     “
Let’s go celebrate.”

             
She had been with Chris since the beginning of the school year, and it still made her smile that all her girlfriends envied her.  Elizabeth had mustered the courage to ask him to the Fall Festival dance. And of course he had said yes, because Elizabeth Morgan Merriweather--with her winning smile, golden hair, and model figure--had no trouble crooking her finger and getting what she wanted. “We are the perfect couple,” she had said to Crystal.  And Crystal had agreed, because that’s what best friends do.

             
The Band Boosters had organized the Homecoming Party in the gymnasium, but everyone knew that party was for the nerds and geeks.  The real party was at the Country Club, and only Jackson’s most elite were invited to attend. The very affluent families of Madison County sent their children to private schools like University School on the west side of town. But there were snobs in the public system as well.  Each system had its own hierarchy.

    
Chris and Elizabeth had made their required appearance in the gymnasium and were heading over to the main event in his souped-up, red-lacquered, convertible Mustang on this mild late autumn evening in November. Elizabeth thought she looked very grown up in her black leather mini and knee-high boots, and despite the warmth of the season, the two were sitting so close that Elizabeth could steer if she had wanted.

             
“How about we make a grand entrance in just a little while? Feel like a drive in the country?” he had said.  Beth had shrugged and agreed to whatever Chris wanted.  She was eager to please and lived for his smile.

             
Chris made a right at the light. He made a left onto Oil Well Drive and took it all the way out to Highway 412 west. Within ten more minutes, they had left the lights of Jackson, Tennessee behind and were headed out toward a rural community that the locals called Windy City. They made a right onto Windy City Road and followed it a few more miles until they came to a gravel road on the right. The road sign read “Bascomb Road” and was crooked from a botched attempt at theft. The stop sign beneath it was spray-painted with an expletive. Chris followed the gravel road about a quarter of a mile and cut the engine and lights. From here there were no city lights to dim the autumn stars above. Here there were no chaperones or curious eyes.  Her cheeks were flush with excitement.

     “
How did you know about this road?” Elizabeth asked.

             
“We ride our four-wheelers out here in the summer time. We’re not far from the house. It’s just over there through the trees. In daytime, you can see the roof of my house.”

     “
I’m surprised you haven’t brought me here before.”

          “
I haven’t brought anyone here. I was waiting for the perfect girl and the perfect time.”

             
Elizabeth’s breath had caught, and her heart had begun thumping hard in her chest. Even though she was one of the most popular girls in school, she still struggled with low self-esteem.  She lived to please people, to make them adore her--craving the attention that both admiring friends and doting relatives gave.  Elizabeth was the one who always volunteered to tutor after class, the one who headed up the fundraisers for charity and spent countless hours grading papers for her favorite teacher, even though it bothered her to be branded a teacher’s pet. “No” was not in her vocabulary. 
He thinks I’m special...the perfect girl.

             
She remembered his hand moving to caress her face.  With one finger he had traced her forehead, her brow, her cheekbone, and then moved to her ear. She could almost feel his touch again tonight.  She had closed her eyes and let his touch send shivers through her.  She remembered his cologne and the way his hair fell over one eye, and that grin.   That dimpled grin he had as he trailed his finger down her neck.  Her eyes were closed, but she knew he was going to kiss her.  All her shyness had left her, as they experimented with kissing.  So this was what all the fuss was about.  Kissing, kissing, laughing, kissing.  His left hand was traveling up her leg toward the hem of her leather skirt.  She giggled and tried to push his hand away.
He loves me. He really does love me. He brought me here to this special place. It will be our special place from now on.

             
“Beth?”

             
     “Uh huh…”

             
“You want to?”

                “
Uh huh.

             
“You sure?”

             
Beth hesitated. 
No, I’m not sure.  I’m not sure I’m ready for this.  I can’t... what would my parents say if they found out?  

     “
Well...I...uh...”

             
“It’s okay.  If you’re gonna be a baby about it...”

     “
Uh...no, no.  It’s fine.  It’s fine.  I want to.”

             
He needed no other permission. In seconds the passenger seat was laid back, and she was letting Chris have his way.  She seemed a little shell shocked,
as he rolled back to his side of the car after a short time.  She remembered thinking,
What’s wrong?  Did I do it wrong?

             
“It’s ok. Everyone knows you can’t get pregnant the first time.  That was your first time, wasn’t it?” 

    
She blushed.  “Yes.”

          “
I thought so. Did I hurt you?”

             
     “No, it’s ok. I love you Chris.”

             
“Love you too Baby. We better get to the Country Club, or they will be looking for us.”

             
“Right,” she mumbled as she put herself back together; she hadn’t even removed her skirt.  She could not stop grinning as she pulled her best friend, Crystal Barnes into the girls’ restroom.

     “
You did what?”

          “
We did it in his car. On Bascomb Road.”

             
Crystal giggled.

     “
No way. Are you serious?  You’re kidding, right? Did it hurt?”

             
“Yeah, a little.  But I didn’t let on.” 

     “
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it.” 

If Crystal had trouble believing that, she would never believe what was going on now.  If she could just turn back time.  If she had just said no, she wouldn’t be in this crummy hotel with this awful need to throw up every hour.

      Weeks later, Chris had talked her into trying some bourbon he had snuck from his dad’s liquor cabinet. Before she knew it two hours had passed, and the bottle lay empty on the floor beside them.  She remembered she could not stop laughing. 
How could I have been so stupid?

After that incident was when Beth had decided to go to an out of the way convenience store
where no one would know her.
 
She slid the pregnancy test into her buggy beneath a huge box of pads
.
She was late, but she was still hopeful
. 
She checked to make sure the lady at the counter was not someone she knew, then made her way to the counter with her purchases, a bag of chips, a drink, and some Skittles thrown in. The clerk raised an eyebrow but did not comment as Beth grabbed the sacks and hurried home
to take the test before her parents got off work. 

     
Half an hour later, she had sat on the toilet and cried as the double pink lines appeared.  Could it be a faulty test?  She took the other stick from the package and repeated the two-minute process. In no time, the double pink lines appeared again. This time, there was no doubt, only dismay, and then hysteria.

             
How could I have done this? How can this be? How can I disappoint Mom and Dad? I’m supposed to go to college and become an accountant. Oh no. What have I done?
Chris. She had to tell Chris. No, she could not tell Chris. He had a full scholarship to the University of Tennessee. He was going to be a professional football player.
My life is over...

             
All Elizabeth could think was how mad her parents would be. An unwanted teen pregnancy would ruin her father’s chance at any political career. Her mother would be the social outcast of the Club. She would be shunned at school -- if she got to finish school. Mentally she counted the months.

             
It had to have been the first time. That was in late November. It was late January now, so...I could still graduate, but I’ll be six months along by then, and there’d be no hiding it. By the time August rolls around when I should be starting college at Union, the baby will be here
. It was all she could do to keep from hyperventilating
.  If I tell Chris, will he marry me? I can’t ask him to give up his pro football career to work late nights delivering pizzas.  I just can’t.