Page 108 of The Surprise

She looks. . .sick.

“Are you alright?”

She startles. “Me? Yes. Areyoualright?”

“I mean, I’m fine,” I say. “I didn’t really think I’d have a kid before I turned twenty, but sometimes life throws you curve balls, right?”

Mom blinks.

“I mean, you didn’t really mean to have me, either.”

“Your dad and I were in love,” she says.

“I love Beth, too, Mom. This isn’t, like, some kind of crush.”

Her lips compress.

“You think I don’t know what it feels like to be in love?”

Mom shakes her head. “I’m not saying that, but you’re looking at this as though it’s the same as what your dad and I did with you, and the two situations aren’t at all the same.”

“What?”

“First of all, I was in law school,” she says.

“I know. You were at Harvard for grad school, whereas I’m your kid who has no future because I don’t want to go to college at all.”

Mom frowns. “That’s not what I’m saying. I was much older, and your dad and I had been dating and were in love already. And the baby was his and mine.”

Oh.

“I never considered anything but keeping you at any point. The only question in my mind was your dad’s level of involvement.”

“Mom, I really don’t think Beth’s going to get an ab—”

“I’m not even talking about that,” Mom says. “Though, I’m not sure how you can be positive of anything at this point. Either way, I was saying that Beth may not want to keep it herself, Ethan. She may want to put the baby up for adoption.”

“What?”

“She’s eighteen,” Mom says. “She’s very, very young, and this was not expected.”

Now I’m the one frowning. “But it’s a baby,” I say. “It’sBeth’sbaby.”

“Has she told the father?” Mom asks.

“I’m not sure.”

“If she did, what he said and how he reacted might be relevant. His level of involvement is going to be very, very important to her for the rest of this baby’s life.”

I hadn’t thought about that. It was an accident, so I just assumed he didn’t want anything to do with it. “I guess I should find out.”

“Ethan.” Mom’s eyes are sad.

“This isn’t some tragedy, Mom,” I say. “I refuse to act like she committed some grave crime. It’s not eighteen thirty-one.”

“It’s not,” Mom says. “But relationships are complicated, and this adds a whole new layer of difficulty. You’re only nineteen, and this is alotto handle.”

“I know, but—”

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