Page 12 of You’re Mine

But Mrs. Valente never contacted me, as I knew was going to happen. In fact, no one seems to know where Jace is, and now I don’t know what to do. I’m pregnant with his child, and the thought scares me and thrills me at once. It’s scary because I’m so young to be a mother. Even here down South where we have kids a little earlier than usual, I still count as a very young mom.

But at the same time, the thought of the tiny child growing in my body right now has me over the top with happiness. He or she was conceived in love, and as proof of our love for each other, it only took one time. Now, I just have to find Jace and tell him about the child we’re expecting.

Where do I look? Why has he gone incognito? What’s changed in the last few weeks? With a shake of my head, I take a deep breath and hop into my car. I haven’t told anyone about the pregnancy yet, but it’s been just on the tip of my tongue. It’s a gift that I want to share with the man I love, as soon as I can find him.

The tiny compact hums down the road, and crossing over the proverbial tracks, I drive into the south side of town. Here, the houses are dumpy and dilapidated, a lot of them with garbage scattered about outside. The rusted hulks of broken-down cars litter the street, and more than a few times, I see ferocious looking pitbulls tied to trees as they slaver at me. I shiver. The sooner I find Jace, the better. We’re headed to New York, and he’ll never have to come back to Lenville.

Finally, the car pulls up in front of a broke-down looking duplex. There’s a saggy porch that wraps around, and a blue door with a torn screen and rusted windchimes that hang limply in the dead air. Slowly, I get out of my vehicle to walk up the path to the house. Jace never wanted me to meet his family, but now they’re the only option I have left.

I summon my courage and take a deep breath before raising my fist to knock on the dilapidated door. Someone has to be home, right? It’s two o’clock on a Wednesday, and I know that Pickleby’s can’t be open yet.

Pickleby’s is our local strip club. It’s out by the boonies, not too far from where I am now. The place is basically a squat, windowless box with a big neon sign over it proclaiming Girls, Girls, Girls! In the middle of the afternoon, there wouldn’t be any customers. That way, I know Corinna and Kelley should be home.

Jace’s mom and sister aren’t exactly the most upstanding of citizens. It’s rumored that Corinna once had dreams of being an elementary school teacher. But somehow, that dream disappeared pretty quick when she married Jace’s dad, who gambled away his salary and finally lost his job altogether. As a result, Corinna started to strip just to make ends meet.

But she was never embarrassed by it. If anything, Corinna was transformed by her experience working at Pickleby’s. The young, innocent mother of two became a hardened, orange-looking full-time stripper with a cackly laugh and a fake blonde extensions. She’d whip them about when I saw her around town at the drugstore, batting her lash extensions with her mouth painted with hot pink lipstick. We never talked, but I know she knew who I was. Jace never introduced us, but after living in a small town so long, you pretty much recognize everyone.

Kelley was no different. Jace’s sister got into stripping early because she knew it was her calling even as a pre-teen. Kelley used to go to the same school as us, but she dropped out pretty early on and got a job at Pickleby’s full-time. When she was still roaming the hallways of Lenville High, we all gave her wide berth. Jace’s sister was blonde and busty, with a big mouth and an air that said I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. Her attitude always intimidated me and every other student within a fifty foot radius.

After all, I’m so different from these two women. I jump whenever my dad’s feet sound on the stairs outside my room. I hold myself still, hoping that I’ll disappear into the wallpaper in certain social situations. It’s Jace who’s helped me get confident and feel more sure of myself. Otherwise, I’d probably still be stuck in my room with my nose buried in books, day in and day out, hoping that nobody notices me.

But now things are different. I’m confident and proud to be his girlfriend, and not only that, but we’re expecting a baby. It doesn’t matter what his mother and sister do. I have important information to share and my heart is bursting with anticipation.

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