Beautiful Mistakes

"I didn't know you had to get pregnant in order to get you to drink milk," her mother stated.

"Surprise," Julie said dryly.

"Why don't you ever call me anymore?" her mom whined.

"Because I live an incredibly glamorous life here in the city and I simply never have time."

Ignoring her daughter's sarcasm, her mother asked, "Are you still living with that guy?"

It was funny—Jack had always been "that asshole" or maybe "that loser," and Aaron somehow managed to get stuck with "that guy." Matt didn't exist long enough to get a name, but Julie could think of a few.

"Yes, I'm still living with Aaron," Julie said, putting a little emphasis on his name.

"I don't think that's a good idea," her mother told her. "It doesn't sound to me like you're having too much luck out there with guys."

"When have I ever had luck with guys?" Julie asked rhetorically.

"Have you talked to that fucker who knocked you up lately?"

That fucker who knocked you up.

Well, maybe "that guy" wasn't so bad after all.

Sighing, Julie poured a glass of milk and said, "I haven't talked to Matt in a few days."

"Well, you better get talking," her mother said firmly. "Have you scheduled your first doctor's appointment yet?"

"No, Mother, but I know they don't usually bring you in too early anyway, so…"

"Well, you better get calling. Living in that damn city it could take you longer to get in. I still think you should just come back home—you can go to Dr. Jones."

"I'm not coming home right now," Julie said, adding the "right now" on the end to make her mother feel better.

"Have you two discussed this whole baby thing? I mean, he may be a bastard, but he is the father..."

Her patience instantly decreasing, Julie said, "No, we haven't, but this is my kid—I'm carrying it, I'm giving birth, I'm taking care of it, and I'm not married with a separate family, so I call dibs."

"I know, but you're having his baby, Julie."

"So? The sperm connected with the egg, Mom. It takes more than ejaculation to make a man a father—we'll see how he handles that situation."

"Ugh, do you really have to be so technical? I'm your mother; I still picture you in pigtails and a sundress."

Smiling, Julie said, "Yeah, I know you do. But listen, did you have any specific reason for calling? Because your grandbaby is sucking all of the nutrients out of my body as we speak, and I really need some sustenance, so…"

"No, I just thought it might be nice to talk to my daughter. You never call me, I never know if you're alive or dead," she said, attempting to pile on the guilt.

"Alive and kicking," Julie responded.

"Well, make sure you call me. You go hundreds of miles away to have my first grandchild and then you don't even bother to keep me posted."

"Will do," Julie agreed, grabbing some Lucky Charms down from the cereal cabinet. "Bye Mom."

"Bye. I love you. Don't forget to call me!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Goodbye," Julie said, hanging up.

/> Once she got off the phone with her mother, Julie poured herself a bowl of Lucky Charms and poured some milk in, thinking about how good it was that she was making herself drink milk to keep the baby healthy. She could convince herself to eat or drink anything if she told herself the baby needed it. Anytime she thought of the baby, she just got a warm peaceful feeling in her body, much like the one she had when she slept in Aaron's arms, but a lot stronger.