When the Music Ends (The Winter Rose Chronicles) (8 page)

            Getting
into her car, she drove over to Sheridan’s. She needed her friend
desperately. She couldn’t leave. But the biggest reason was the one she
hadn’t told her mother. She needed to stay because of Sean, and his baby that
she was carrying.

It was time to face the facts. She was pregnant. She was also a
senior in high school. The embarrassment would be acute, but at least she would
be able to graduate before... before the baby was born. Baby. She pictured in
her mind a little boy with dark hair and Sean’s beautiful blue eyes. And
he would be hers to keep forever. She didn’t know what all the
ramifications would be, but she was suddenly certain that she would never
regret having Sean’s baby. She placed her hand on her flat belly and let
the slow joy spread over her. It couldn’t be changed. So there was
nothing left to do but celebrate it.

            Erin rang the doorbell on the Murphy’s home and waited anxiously on the step.  Today,
agitated as she was about the prospect of moving away, the perfectly
symmetrical windows of the second floor glared down at her menacingly and the
four fluted white columns on the porch seemed like bars on a jail cell, closing
her in. It was a long time before the door opened. Mr. Murphy, his expression
grumpy, looked down at her. He was so tall, much taller than Erin’s
father, with his salt and pepper hair and rugged, sun-browned face. His
forehead was heavy and his eyebrows dark, so that when he glowered, he looked
nothing short of dangerous.

            She
drew back a little. She had always gotten along well with the Murphy parents,
and she wondered what she had done wrong. Then he recognized her and his
expression lightened.

            "Erin. Come in. Sorry to keep you waiting. Someone has been playing with the doorbell,
ringing and running away. I didn’t know if anyone was here."

            "Oh,
okay. Sorry. Is Danny here?"

            "Yes,
she’s in her room. Come on in."

            Erin climbed the stairs, her legs unsteady. She really hoped Sheridan could help her think
through this mess so she could find a way to stay. Moving to stupid Motley just
wasn’t an option.

            Sheridan had a pile of homework spread all over the floor. She was struggling through a
page of balancing chemical equations, but her history book and a copy of 
A
Midsummer Night’s Dream
were stacked nearby. This was going to be a
long evening for her. Of course, she might just be reading the Shakespeare for
fun, too.

            "Danny?"

            "Hi,
Erin. I didn’t know you were coming over. How are you feeling?"

            "I’m
feeling fine. I can see that you’re busy, but I need some advice."

            "Erin, I’m never too busy for you, sweetie. What’s up?"

            "Mom’s
moving."

            "Where?"

            "To
Motley, to live with Bill. She wants me to come with her."

            "When?"

            "Next
week."

            Sheridan stared. "You can’t move now! What about….everything?"

            "I
know. I don’t want to go, but what am I going to do? I can’t afford
an apartment on my salary from the symphony, and I don’t want to get a
better paying job. I don’t have time to ring up groceries or wait tables.
I have so much practicing and homework to do."

            "And
you’re pregnant," Sheridan added softly, "So the last thing
you need is this kind of stress."

            "Right.
Can you help me think? I’m all in a panic."

            "Actually,
the solution is easy. Come with me."

            Sheridan led Erin back through the house to the family room, where her parents were sitting
on a set of matching tan faux suede recliners, watching the news together on a
large screen television set in a built-in entertainment center Roger Murphy had
constructed. It had rows of shelves and two huge doors to cover the device when
it was not in use.

            "Mom,
Dad?"

            "Yes,
darling? Mrs. Murphy said, pressing the mute button on the remote.

            "I
need to ask a favor of you. Erin’s mom is moving and wants to take her
away. I can’t have that. I need Erin too much, and besides, she has a ton
of stuff going on here that she has to do in order to get ready for college.
She can’t afford to live alone, so I thought, can she just live with us
until the fall? With Sean and Jason both moved out, there’s plenty of
room, and it would be really nice to have her around all the time."

            "Hmmm."
Mrs. Murphy hummed, considering it. "I don’t mind having Erin here. That would be fine. But dear, would your mother agree?"

            "I’m
eighteen. It’s not her decision."

            "I
see. There’s some tension between you, isn’t there?"

            "Not
tension exactly," Erin said, not wanting to sound disrespectful, "I
just don’t think much of her choices these days."

            "I
hate to say this, but I agree with you. Roger, what do you think about Erin moving in with us?"

            "I
don’t see it as a problem. Would you like that, Erin? Sheridan has done
most of the talking."

            "I
would. You’re both so kind." Erin struggled not to break down. She
hoped that they would still be welcoming when they found out she was pregnant,
and by their own son no less. It wasn’t a secret that could be kept for
long.

            "All
right then, why don’t you pack up and move in this weekend?"

            Erin smiled a little. "Wonderful. I’ll do that. Bless you both."

            As
the girls walked away, Sheridan grinned hugely. She had the best smile of
anyone Erin knew, but it was so rare to see it these days.

            "I’m
so excited. I can’t wait for you to get here. Where do you want to sleep?
I bet Sean’s old room would be appealing."

            "You
have no idea. I don’t know if I would dare. Isn’t there a guest
room?"

            "It’s
too small for more than a few nights. Besides, I think he would like knowing
you’re there."

            What
a sweet thought. "You might be right. Okay, I’m going back
to…the house and start packing up. Finish your homework. I’ll see
you tomorrow, okay?"

            "Sure
sweetie. I’m so glad you’re not leaving. I don’t know what I
would do without you."

******

            It
only took Erin a short time to box up all her possessions. She informed her
mother of her decision, coldly, not listening to any arguments. Valerie did try
to argue, a little, but gave up far too easily. And then she left, driving to
Sean’s apartment.

            "Guess
what, Sean?" she said, cuddling up against him on the second hand pull
out couch he had rescued from the curb. It was gray and a little threadbare,
but it had been free.

            "What,
baby?"

            "I’m
moving in with your parents."

            "With
my parents? Why?"

            "My
mom’s leaving. I can’t move away now."

            "Of
course not. You could move in with me, you know." He kissed her forehead.

            "Don’t
you think that might look kind of bad?"

            "Erin, at this point looking bad is the least of our concerns."

            "You’re
right. But still."

            "Have
you thought about what you want to do?"

            She
thought for a long silent moment. "I haven’t come to any
conclusions. I think on Monday, after school, I’ll stop by the local
university, and, you know, check out their music program."

            "Lakes?
You never wanted to go there."

            "I
know, but everything is different now. If I have a baby this summer I
can’t very well take off to Texas or even to State in the fall. I have to
stay here."

            "I
hate this," Sean said, his face mournful. "My carelessness is
having such a terrible impact on your dreams."

            "I
was just as careless as you were. Dreams can be modified Sean. Besides, staying
close to you doesn’t sound that bad to me."

            "We’ll
need to get married you know. I’m Catholic. I can’t let you have my
baby when we’re not married."

            "I
know. Does that bother you?"

            "Only
to the extent that it limits your options. Marriage is what I wanted from you,
but not like this. I meant someday, when you were ready." Sean sighed.
"Poor Erin. Being with me hasn’t been that good for you has
it?"

            "Are
you kidding? I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love you,
Sean."

            "I
love you too. And I hate that you look so stressed. You know something? You
look like a girl who needs to be made love to."

            "Yes
please."

            Sean
kissed his girlfriend deeply and led her to the bedroom where he proceeded to
erase the memory of every stressful event she had endured in the last several
weeks.

            In
the end, the move was quick and rather painless, and by Saturday afternoon, Erin was ensconced in Sean’s old room. First she set up her music stand and a small
chair in the corner between the bed and the window. Mrs. Murphy had asked her
if she wanted some of Sheridan’s bedding, but the green and blue
geometric comforter suited her much better than the satin and lace monstrosity
she had seen in the linen closet. Besides, Sean had slept under those covers,
and that was appealing. She carefully lifted her pictures from the box, setting
them next to his on the dresser. She liked how that looked, like the two of
them lived there together, like they were a family. At last, she placed her
clothes in the empty dresser, before heading downstairs to seek out Mrs.
Murphy.

            Erin adored Ellen. She was the kind of mother the girl had always wished for, attentive,
strict, and involved. She would have thrived in such an environment. Anyone
would have really. She believed it was why the three Murphy children were so
well adjusted.

            Ellen
was in the kitchen chopping vegetables at the massive butcher block counter preparing
to make stew. Erin pulled out another cutting board and went to help. Some
conversations were best done under the cover of carrots and onions.

            "Mrs.
Murphy, I wanted to thank you again for letting me stay with you. It means so
much to me."

            "You’re
very welcome, dear. After all you’ve done for us, it was the least we
could do."

            "I
wanted to ask you something. You see, I’ve never really had…rules
before. I don’t want to upset anyone. Could you please tell me what the
expectations are?"

            "How
sweet of you to ask. Yes, there are rules for anyone who lives with us, even if
you’re eighteen. I hope they don’t seem too strict to you. First,
you will have a curfew, of course. Sheridan has to be in by ten on school nights
and midnight on weekends. I would appreciate it if you would do the same. There
will be no staying out all night. Do you have a boyfriend, dear?"

            "Yes."

            "Well,
he’s welcome to visit, but you will need to stay in the public parts of
the house, with the door open at all times. There won’t be any goings-on
here. All right?"

            "You
don’t need to worry. He’s very shy and I don’t think
it’s likely he will want to visit."

            "Well
then, we need to know where you are at all times. If you have to stay late
after school, or if you have an appointment, please write it on the calendar,
along with a number where we can reach you."

            "I
have a cell phone. It’s off during school, but the rest of the time, I
keep it with me. I’m easy to find."

            "Good.
I know this probably doesn’t apply, but it needs to be said anyway. There
is to be no smoking and no drug use here. If you want a drink now and again,
such as during family dinner or a cookout, the limit is one. You may not drink
away from the house where you are unsupervised, as long as you are
underage."

            "That’s
fair."

            "Last,
we attend mass every Sunday and have dinner together afterwards. If you are
going to be part of this family, we will expect you to do both."

            "No
problem. I can live with those rules." Being part of this family was Erin’s long time dream. She would have agreed to a lot more.

            "Good.
I think it will be fine. Erin, would you be willing to…play for us now
and again? You do such a nice job, and I really like listening to it."

            "Of
course. I would love to." She tipped the carrots into the pot and went
over to the calendar to mark out her schedule of after school rehearsals,
college interviews, and a note labeled doctor appointment that she put on Monday
afternoon. She didn’t really have an appointment per se, but it was time
to get a checkup, time to deal with the reality of her situation.