One More Chance

Ana

I put in endless calls to Tyler over the weekend. It had been three days since we had spoken, and I hadn’t heard a peep. I had tried getting him out to lunch, to dinner, to drinks, but my calls were going unreturned. He had a right to be upset. He had a right to be angry. But he knew he had a son now, and he was still dodging my calls?

This was exactly what I had been afraid of.

“So, what do you think I should do?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. Part of me thinks you should give him some time to come around. But part of me feels that you didn’t have time to come around to any of it. You were pregnant, and that was that. You didn’t have a choice in whether or not to be a mother,” Kristi said.

“Brody knows something’s wrong. I’m trying to keep it under wraps as best as I can, but every time I look at him, I know I’m blatantly lying to him by not telling him who Tyler is.”

“Do you want Brody to know?”

“I made a promise that I would never lie to him. Our relationship is built on trust, and I want to keep it that way. But if he stays under the impression that Tyler was simply a friend, that’s a lie. It simply is.”

“You could argue technicalities.”

“If I have to argue technicalities as a mother, it’s still wrong,” I said.

“I can only tell you what I would do, Ana. And even then, it’s coming from a place of pure emotion. I don’t have children, though I practically consider Brody my son.”

“I’ll take any advice I can get at this point.”

“Have you talked with your parents?”

“Do you think I should?”

“Honestly? No. I think your father might hunt him down and kill him. For me, there’s no reason for him to be screening your calls. Nor was there any reason for him to raise his voice at you like he did. It was enough for him to get kicked out of that restaurant, and that doesn’t sit well with me.”

“It was like that night all over again, and I knew it would happen. In the back of my mind, I knew he would get that upset.”

“I mean, he has a right to be upset, and you acknowledge that. But he’s also an adult. He didn’t have to yell at you. He could’ve kept his cool if he had wanted to.”

“You think I should try calling him again?” I asked.

“I think you should. And I think that if tonight rolls around and he hasn’t contacted you at all, then you need to do what you feel is best as a mother.”

“Why isn’t there a manual on this sort of thing?” I asked.

“Because life isn’t that kind to us,” she said.

“I really thought this would turn out differently. I really thought Tyler would step up and at least be here for Brody. It was the only reason I told him.”

“The only reason?”

“Well, one of the only reasons.”

“Look, you haven’t heard from him in three days, and not for a lack of trying. Shy of going to his office—which isn’t smart because you didn’t like him coming into the store—you’ve tried everything. If you feel it’s time to tell Brody who Tyler is, then it’s time. You’re his mother, and you ultimately know best.”

“I can’t believe Brody’s going to find out without Tyler. I really wanted Tyler to be there for this.”

“It’s his loss. It’s what he gets for pulling away. Even if it’s only temporary, it’s still not right. You didn’t get to pull away from this. You didn’t get to set your pregnant belly off to the side and take a three-day breather. Tyler’s smarter than this. He’s making a choice that he’ll have to contend with.”

“Why do I still feel like this is wrong?”

“Because you’re a good person, Ana. You’re a good person who has been put in an impossible situation. Really, all you need to do is look at it this way: You told Tyler who Brody is, but it’s still you and Brody against the world—and me, of course. If you don’t want to do it alone, I’ll come over and help.”

“No, no. I just—” I put my head in my hands and raked my fingers through my hair. “Thanks for talking with me.”

“Anytime. And if you want me to come over and help you talk to Brody, please don’t hesitate to call, okay?” Kristi asked.

“I appreciate it. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I hung up the phone with Kristi and tried Tyler one last time. His phone rang and rang before shooting me to voice mail, and I left him yet another one. I followed it up with a text message that we really needed to talk about how to proceed. Then I set my phone off to the side.