Young Writers Society

Matthew sat on the bed in his college dorm room, staring down at the black straw doll in his hand. Enma Ai watched him through the window, her red eyes seeming to glow against the darkness behind her. “The rest…is for you to decide,” she said softly.

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Paul and Lucy had been dating for almost three months, and they were sure they were in love. When Paul entered the university 5 months ago, Lucy was dazzled by his fun and outgoing personality. Though Lucy had a boyfriend at the time, Paul began secretly revealing his interest in her. Feeling that she didn’t want to be tied down by that boyfriend anymore—especially when Paul was available—Lucy tearfully broke up with him, giving him some vague reasons, but nothing that would make him suspect she liked another guy. A month later, she started dating Paul.

Paul always met Lucy at the bench outside her dorms after their classes were over. Usually, as he approached the bench, Lucy would wave with a grin, excited to see him.

But today, she didn’t wave or smile.

What’s the matter with her? Paul wondered, frowning, Is she mad at me for some reason? He sat down on the bench beside her. She still hardly looked at him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

A group of students passed on the sidewalk, talking and laughing loudly. Lucy looked up at Paul, biting her lip. “I think we should go talk someplace private,” she said.

Paul became even more uneasy. What could it be? he thought as he got up and followed her into her dorm building, Is she going to break up with me? He really didn’t want to break up, and as far as he could tell, he hadn’t done anything that would make her want to break up. They hardly ever fought. The only thing he could think of was that he had slept with her a while back. He wondered if she might have suddenly decided she was mad about that.

Lucy led him into her dorm room, closing and locking the door behind them. Paul vaguely heard her saying that her roommate had gone to the library, but he was too caught up in his anxiety to really listen. “So what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked abruptly, interrupting her without realizing it. If she was going to dump him, she had better do it quickly.

Lucy moved closer to him and lowered her voice to barely above a whisper. “I’m pregnant,” she said.

Relief washed over Paul. “Oh, is that all?” came out of his mouth, and a silly grin appeared on his face.

Lucy glared at him. “What do you mean, ‘is that all’?” she returned angrily.

Stupid thing to say, Paul rebuked himself, but the smile didn’t leave his face. His relief was rapidly turning into a deep, heart-warming happiness at the thought of having conceived a child. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that at all,” he told her hurriedly but earnestly, “I don’t mean it’s not a big deal, I just…” he cut this sentence short, deciding not to tell her that he thought she was going to break up with him. “But still,” he went on eagerly, his eyes lighting up, “This means I’m going to be a father, right?” He had always wanted to be a father.

To Paul’s dismay, this only made Lucy even angrier. “What is the matter with you?!” she demanded, “Don’t you see what kind of situation this is? We’re only college students; how are we supposed to take care of a baby?”

Paul’s smile vanished. “Well, I…I already have a part-time job. I could work more hours,” he offered. He was using that job to pay for his college expenses, but if need be, he could pay back his student loans after he graduated and got a good, full-time job.

Tears were forming in Lucy’s eyes, and she suddenly broke down sobbing. “Can’t you understand my feelings at all?” she cried, “This isn’t just about the money! I’m not ready to have a baby! I’m not ready to start a family! And what will my parents think if they find out?”

Paul hugged her, and she wept into his shirt. “We could get married,” he suggested cautiously, “Your parents wouldn’t suspect a thing, and I could take care of you. We could tell your parents that the baby was born early, when it’s born.”

“No, that’s not enough! I’m terrified, Paul! I can’t do this!”

“Don’t be scared,” Paul said with a reassuring smile, “I won’t run out on you like most guys would. You won’t be a single mom. I’ll be your baby’s father.” His confidence grew as he gave her these comforting words, and he felt more and more like this was what he wanted to do.

Yet instead of being comforted as he had expected, Lucy pushed him away and stood, staring at him with burning eyes. “You won’t be a father,” she said, emphasizing every word.

Paul’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?” he gasped.

“I’m going to have an abortion,” Lucy told him.

“What? No!” Paul cried, “Please don’t do that, Lucy. That’s my child too. We should…we should take a little time to decide first.”

“I’ve already decided,” Lucy said firmly, though she was shaking, “And I thought you would support me with this, but…but now…” a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I will support you,” Paul argued desperately, “But I won’t let you have an abortion. I want to keep our baby.”

“You only ever care about yourself!” Lucy snapped at him, “It’s your fault that I’m pregnant, and now you won’t even consider how scared I am!”

These words hurt Paul. “How can you even say that?!” he shouted back, “Haven’t I already shown you that I care about you by not leaving you?”

“Well, then why won’t you support my decision?”

“Because I can’t let you kill my baby!”

“It’s as much mine as it is yours, and I have the right to abort if I want to! No one can use my body without my consent, especially not a non-thinking, non-feeling fetus!”

“I won’t let you do it,” Paul said through clenched teeth. He was growing angrier every moment, “I won’t let you do it!”

“Then our relationship is over,” Lucy told him furiously. She pointed to the door. “Get out.”

Paul stormed to the door, seized the handle and jerked on it. The door rattled but didn’t open. Remembering that Lucy had locked it on their way in, Paul sighed harshly and unlocked it. Then he wrenched it open and left as quickly as he could.