Page 28 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

Annabelle

Annabelle rang the bell at the school entrance, tapping her foot nervously as she waited for the guard to buzz her in. It seemed like it took forever for him to scan her license and print out a visitor’s badge; she was practically jumping out of her skin by the time she reached the office. She threw the door open and ran in, looking around frantically for Olivia. She was nowhere in sight. Where was she? Had they let her go to practice?

“Where’s my daughter?” she blurted out, her breath coming in short gasps.

“Excuse me?”

“Olivia Reynolds. I called saying I’d pick her up—”

The woman looked up from her desk. “Oh, yes. She’ll be right back. She went to the bathroom.”

As Annabelle waited, she thought about her dream again and wondered briefly if she was overreacting. Was she going to spend her life worrying about everything and trying to dodge accidents? But what choice did she have? She’d already seen some of her dreams come true. What if she hadn’t stopped James and Scarlett the other night? The door swung open, and Olivia walked in. Annabelle heaved a sigh of relief. She was doing the right thing.

“Sweetheart, there you are!”

Olivia walked over and gave her a hug. “Why did you pick me up early? I’m missing practice.”

Annabelle put her arm around her daughter and ushered her out of the office. “Let’s go. I’ll explain outside.”

Once they were in the car, she turned to look at Olivia in the back seat. “I wanted to surprise you. Have one-on-one time. I’ve been working so much lately, and I miss you. I thought we’d go get ice cream sundaes.”

“I miss you, too, Mommy, but I feel bad missing practice.”

Annabelle felt bad as well, but she was too nervous about her dream to ignore it. Not after everything else that had come true already. “Don’t worry, sweetie, your coach understands. It’s only one practice.”

She pulled up to the ice cream shop, and they went inside. “Why don’t you grab us a table, and I’ll go order our sundaes?” She knew how her daughter liked hers—two scoops of chocolate with chocolate fudge and chocolate jimmies. Annabelle almost gagged ordering it every time. She ordered a vanilla sundae with nuts and caramel for herself. She glanced over at Olivia as she waited at the counter while they made their sundaes. Her heart swelled. Olivia was such a sweet and sunny child. She’d practically been born with a smile on her face. Even as a baby, she’d rarely cried. So different from Scarlett, who had screamed her head off the first three months of her life. Olivia was that rare child who made everything easy, and Annabelle loved her to pieces.

“Watch where you’re going,” a male voice shouted at the entrance. Annabelle turned to see what was happening. A young man in a jean jacket with a buzz cut was pointing his finger into the chest of a man facing him. The other man was older, dressed nicely in a suit, his face red and eyes narrowed.

“You bumped into me, asshole,” the older man said. “Learn some manners.”

Annabelle watched as if in slow motion as the young man pushed the older one and he began to fall in Olivia’s direction. She lunged toward Olivia and grabbed her just in time to get her out of the way. The table and chair were knocked to the floor. Olivia’s eyes widened and she held on to Annabelle, who was shielding her with her body.

“What is wrong with you?” she yelled at the two men. “Look what you’ve done!”

They both stared, open-mouthed, as Annabelle crouched down and gently touched Olivia’s cheek.

“Olivia, sweetheart, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mommy.”

Annabelle’s heart was pounding in her chest. She held out her hand to her daughter. “Come on, let’s get the ice cream to go.”

Before

Two lines. Shit, shit, shit. What was she going to do now? Annabelle stared at the stick, almost hypnotized, as her life flashed before her eyes. If there was ever a time she needed her mother, it was now. She stood up and threw the test into the trash. She and Randy had only been together a few months. They were nowhere near the point in their relationship where plans for the future had been made. She loved him, and he’d said he loved her, but they were still in the infatuation stage where everything the other did was charming. She had no job, and how would she find one when she was visibly pregnant? No one would want to hire someone who would be out on maternity leave a few months later. And Randy wasn’t financially stable yet. A professor’s job didn’t pay that much, and he was just getting started doing freelance writing for some of the local papers. This was a disaster.

She contemplated calling her aunt Celia, but quickly dismissed the idea. They weren’t close, and it wasn’t fair to burden her. Celia had enough to worry about with her sister’s illness. Annabelle had no idea how Randy was going to react, but if she had to hazard a guess, it wouldn’t be good.

She picked up her phone and sent a text to James.

Can you meet me for coffee tomorrow? I can come to the hospital. Need to talk to you. Pls keep it between us for now.

James would be a good sounding board. He knew Randy well, as they’d been roommates for a couple of years now. She stared at her phone, willing it to light up with a response, but nothing. He was probably doing rounds. She put the phone down and her hand moved to her stomach and rested there. It was hard to believe that there was a living being inside of her. She wondered if it was a boy or a girl. Annabelle knew that she wanted children one day, but between taking care of her mother, finishing school, and needing to make a living, this was the worst possible time. Her mother had always told her that everything happened for a reason. Could there be any good reason for this? Her thoughts and feelings were so conflicted; she desperately wished she could get her mother’s advice. Maybe she could. Her mother still had moments of clarity, albeit brief and sporadic. She’d talk to her in the morning.

She checked her phone again and saw that she had two messages. The first was from James, confirming tomorrow at eleven. The next message was from Randy.

Sorry you had to leave. My bed is lonely without you. Love you. xo