An Unusual Beginning

CHAPTER 5

"What happened?" David's father asked almost the moment, they entered their home after leaving the airport.

"I'm about to become a father and you and mom are about to become grandparents," David replied.

"Oh, my," his mother said.

"Are you sure you're the father?" his father asked.

"She's almost a month along," David said. "I'm sure I'm the father."

"How do you feel about becoming a father?" his mother asked.

"I'm so excited," David said a smile breaking out on his face, "and I'm scared but, mostly excited. I can't wait to see my child."

"I'm going to be a grandmother," Pamela said her eyes tearing up, her voice filled with awe.

"And, I'm going to be a grandfather," Franklin Sr. said his chest puffing out.

"How is Arlene dealing with the pregnancy?" his mother asked.

"She's doing fine," David said. "She has a doctor's appointment Wednesday. She's going to call or email me the details of her visit."

"Did the two of you talk about your marriage?" his father asked.

"Yes," David replied, "Arlene wanted to have our marriage annulled, she expected me to bring the annulment papers with me for her to sign. She was surprised when I didn't."

"Your mother and I thought that you took the papers with you too," his father said a bit surprised that David didn't. "What happened?"

"When I left here, I thought my purpose for going to Atlanta and seeing Arlene was to have our marriage annulled, but I decided that I really wanted to talk to her, to see how she's doing and I couldn't do that with the annulment papers already filled out and ready for her to sign," David said.

"So, you didn't take the papers with you?" his mother asked.

"No," David replied. I didn't take the papers with me. I decided to wait and see what Arlene wanted to do. I thought I was going to see her with an open mind, no decision made."

"What changed your mind?" his father asked.

"The moment Arlene opened the door to her condo, and I looked into her dark brown eyes, my feelings changed, and I decided that I wanted to be with her," David said. "I couldn't and can't see letting her out of my life."

"Is it beca..."

"It isn't because of the baby," David said cutting his father off. "The baby only confirms for me that Arlene and I are meant to be together."

"Does she agree?" his mother asked.

"She didn't agree at first," David said smiling when he thought about Arlene's reasons for why they should go their separate ways and reasons he gave her for why they should stay together, "but I changed her mind."

"Why do you want to stay married to her, son?" his father asked.

"I don't know, dad," David replied. "All I know is that I didn't want to end our marriage. Arlene is meant to be my wife, and I don't want to change that."

"What're you going to do about Diana?" his mother asked. "What're you going to tell her?"

"The truth," David replied. "That Arlene and I aren't going to have our marriage annulled, and we're about to become parents."

"Diana's going to be very hurt and very angry," his father remarked.

"I know," David said sadly. "And if there was a way I could avoid hurting her that didn't involve me annulling my marriage to Arlene, I would do it, but that solution doesn't exist."

"When are you going to tell her?" his father asked.

"I'm going over to her place this evening," David said.

"Excuse me sir," Carter said walking into the family room where David and his parents were.

"Yes, Carter?" Franklin Sr. replied.

"Ms. Weston is here to see Master David," Carter said.

"She's here?" David said.

"Yes, sir," Carter said. "She's waiting for you out on the patio."

"I guess she couldn't wait,' David said looking over at his parents. "Tell her, I'll be there in a moment," he told Carter.

Carter left to deliver David's message to Diana.

"Are you going to tell her right now?" his mother asked.

"Yes," David replied. "It wouldn't be fair for me not to tell her."

"Good luck," his father said as David left the room.

"Thanks," David said leaving the family room.

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As David stepped on to the patio Diana turned to face him. The look in her eyes letting David know that she was anxious to hear the outcome of his trip to Atlanta to see Arlene.

"How did it go?" she asked unable to stand the silence between them any longer.

"Arlene's pregnant," David replied not understanding why Arlene being pregnant were the first words out of his mouth.

"What?" Diana said her green eyes now glaring at David. "How pregnant is she?"

"A month," David replied.

"So, you could be the father?"

"I am, the father."

"How can you be sure?" Diana asked wondering how David could be so calm.

"I'm just sure," David replied not wanting to tell Diana that he was Arlene's first lover.

"Is she going to have it?" Diana asked.

"Yes, she's going to have the baby," David said.

"Damn," Diana replied. "Do you think you can talk her into having an abortion?"

"Excuse me," David replied not believing Diana's question.

"Do you think you can talk her into having an abortion?" Diana said. "She' can't have this baby David. If she does this child will be in our lives forever and there'll be no way for us to get rid of her."

"Arlene is going to have the baby, Diana," David said, "I support her decision."

"You can't mean that," Diana said her tone showing her shock at David's words. "Don't you realize that this child will cause all kinds of problems for us. You have to try and talk her into having an abortion or putting the child up for adoption."

"Arlene isn't having an abortion," David said slowly and distinctly, "nor are we giving our child away."

"We?" Diana questioned stunned at David's use of the word "we."

"Yes, we," David said. "Arlene and I talked about it, and she has made it clear that she intends to have this child, and she's going to keep and raise this child and I support and am happy with her decision."

"You intend to become involved with it?" Diana asked her tone daring David to say yes.

"Yes," David said raising his chin in defiance and taking up the challenge. "I plan on being a part of my child's life. I am the child's father. Why wouldn't I be a part of the child's life and the baby a part of mine?"

"What about me, David?" Diana asked her voice tense and filled with anger. "I'm a part of this thing too. Suppose I don't want your child to be a part of MY life? Suppose I don't want to live with a constant reminder of what happened in Vegas staring me in the face? What're you going to do if I insist that you choose either the baby, Arlene is going to have or me, David?" What're you going to do?"

"I've already made my choice," David said managing to keep the anger he was feeling out of his voice. "I decided not to have my marriage to Arlene annulled. She and I have decided to stay married."

For a few seconds Diana didn't move, didn't say a word. She looked as if David had spoken to her in a different language, and she was mentally translating what he said into a language she could understand.

"This...is...not...funny...David," she said the coldness of her words sending a chill down David's spine.

"I'm not trying to be funny," David assured her. "I'm not having my marriage to Arlene annulled."

Diana plopped down onto the same chair she plopped down in when she first heard about David marrying Arlene as her world began to spin out of control once again.

"This can't be happening," she said her eyes staring out into space. "This cannot be happening."

"Diana, I'm sorry it happened this way," David said, "but I couldn't go through with my marriage to you feeling the way I do about Arlene. It' wouldn't have been right."

"Do you love her?" Diana asked.

"I don't think I love her," David said his voice unsure.

"But what you feel for her is stronger than what you feel for me?" Diana asked.

"My feelings for her are something I can't ignore," David said dodging Diana's question.

"Is it because she's pregnant?" Diana asked grasping for a logical reason for her life falling apart right before her eyes.

"Her being pregnant did have something to do with my decision," David said, "but I had made my decision to stay with her before I found about the baby. The baby only made me more determined to stay with her."

"How does your, baby momma feel about you wanting to stay married to her?" Diana asked her tone sarcastic and filled with anger.

"Arlene didn't agree to it at first," David said his tone letting Diana, know he didn't like the way she referred to Arlene, "but she came around and agreed to give our marriage a chance."

"This doesn't make sense, David," Diana said standing and turning to face him. "How are you going to choose a woman you've known for only one day and whom you're married to only because you were too drunk to know what you were doing, over me? A woman you've known most of your life and dated for over five years."

"I can't explain it Diana," David said. "I can only tell you how I feel."

"How about how, I feel, David?" Diana raged. "Have you thought about how I feel?"

"Diana, I..."

"You what?!" Diana screamed her face becoming red and splotchy twisted with anger and rage. "You're sorry? You didn't mean for it to happen, is that what you're going to say? Well, you need to know that I do not accept your apology nor your marriage to Arlene. I don't accept any of this. I don't accept her being pregnant, and I don't accept that this baby is yours.

"I made plans David," Diana said her voice filled with anger, "and I will not have my plans disrupted because you got drunk and married the wrong woman. You're going to fix this, and we're going to get married, just as we planned."

"I've made my decision," David said his voice showing the restraint, he was using to control his temper and not strangle Diana. "We are not getting married. I'm staying with Arlene; she's, my wife. Now whether you accept it or not is of no importance because it won't change the truth of the situation. You say that you made plans that you won't change, well, Diana, I'm sorry because your plans and my plans have been changed. Because, we're not getting married, and I'm not going to have my marriage to Arlene annulled. I don't want to, and you need to accept the situation for what it is because it's not going to change."

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David turned and left the patio, leaving Diana alone. He was sorry for the things he said to her and how he said them, but he had to make it clear to her that Arlene, and he are married, and they were going to stay married and his relationship with her was over.

Tears ran down Diana's face as David's words were repeated, over and over again in her mind.

'This can't be happening,' she told herself. 'This can't be happening. David didn't mean what he said. He's going to come to his senses and realize that he and I belong together, and we should get married just the way we planned. I've worked too hard at getting David to marry me to have things end like this. I'm not going to let everything I've worked for slip through my fingers because of my brother and his stupid friends. David will come back to me.'

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"How did it go?" Pamela asked her son as he walked back into the family room.

"As expected," David replied. "Diana refuses to accept my marriage to Arlene or that she and I are over and won't be getting married."

"Give her time, David," his father said. "She has to be in shock from everything that's happened and that the wedding has been called off."

"It's not a shock dad," David said. "Diana and I have called off this wedding off three times between us."

"What?" his father said stunned by what he was hearing.

"The last time was about a month ago," David said. "The day Franklin Jr. Raymond, Jonathan, William, and I went to Vegas. Diana and I had an argument about where some of the guest would sit. Diana decided to end the argument by saying it was her day and things should be done her way. I told her she was being selfish and childish. She said if she was being so selfish and childish maybe she shouldn't marry me. I told her she was being a brat and walked away from her. She screamed that the wedding was off and ran from the room crying. We made up but dad we have had many talks before then, about whether or not we should get married, that weren't as heated as our last argument."

"So, you've always had doubts?" his father asked.

"From the beginning," David said. "Diana took a week to decide whether or not she would accept my proposal of marriage. When she finally called me with an answer I was surprised, she said yes."

"Maybe she wanted to be sure she was making the right decision," his mother said.

"How long did it take you, to accept dad's, proposal?" David asked his mother.

"I accepted it the night he asked me," his mother replied looking at her husband, her eyes filled with love.

"What would you have done if it took mom a week to give you an answer?" David asked his father.

"I would've waited," his father said, "but I would've assumed she wasn't sure of her love for me."

"You would've had questions, right?" David said, "and I had questions that I had to have answers to."

"Did she have answers to them?" his mother asked.

"She said that getting married was a big decision," David said, "and because of our history she wanted to be sure she was doing the right thing."

"That sounds reasonable," his mother remarked.

"It would've been reasonable," David said, "if Diana hadn't been dropping hints for the last six months that getting married would be a good idea."

David's parents couldn't argue with that assessment.

Their son was right. Diana had taken any and all opportunities to hint that her and David getting married would be a good idea and that she would eagerly accept his proposal if he asked her. So they had to agree with David that her taking a week to decide to accept his proposal was strange.

"Why didn't you tell us, you and Diana were having doubts?" his father asked.

"Because, Diana and I always managed to talk things out between us," David said.

"Would you have married her anyway?" his mother asked.

"I don't know, mom," David said. "I had decided during the flight to Vegas that Diana and I needed to have a talk to decide if getting married was the right thing for us to do. But then I thought about all the preparations that had gone into preparing for the wedding and I talked myself out of it. Then I saw Arlene and her friends at the airport in Vegas."

"What did seeing Arlene have to do with things," his father asked.

"Nothing," David said trying to back track and kicking himself for bringing it up.

"Were you attracted to Arlene when you first saw her," his father asked refusing to let the subject drop.

"It was like someone punched me in the gut and pulled the air out of my lungs," David said. "The attraction was so strong and took me totally by surprise."

"So waking up in bed with her didn't upset you?" his mother remarked.

"No," David said. "I woke up later that night and saw her lying next to me, I thought I was dreaming, and I began praying that I wouldn't wake up. And just in case it was a dream I reached out and touched her because I wanted to remember what her skin felt like. When I touched her, she moved, I pulled my hand back and watched as she changed her position and moved closer to me seemingly seeking me out in her sleep. I put my arms around her, got comfortable, laid back down and went back to sleep."

Pamela and Franklin Sr. listened and watched their son as his voice grew husky and his eyes got a far away look in them as he spoke about finding Arlene in the bed with him.

"Do you love her, David," his mother asked.

"I don't know if I what I feel for Arlene is love," David said speaking honestly, "but I'm attracted to her, our marriage is important to me and feels so right, like it was meant to be, and I'm not willing to just let her walk out of my life and it's not all about the baby."

"Sounds like love to me," his father teased putting his arms around his wife knowing exactly what their son was feeling.

"It's too soon for love," David said. "We don't really know each other."

"Love doesn't always follow a script, David," his mother said. "It just happens. Sometimes it happens at the most unexpected times between the most unexpected people."

'Truer words were never spoken,' David thought to himself. 'The thing is does Arlene feel the same way for me that I feel for her?'

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"JONATHAN!" Diana screamed as she entered her parents home looking for her brother.

Jonathan Weston sat in the den listening as his sister screamed his name. He had been waiting for her to confront him, since he, David and his other friends returned from Vegas.

Diana had been giving him the silent treatment, treating him like he didn't exist since she found out about David's marriage to Arlene. Which didn't bother him, since he preferred that his, sister ignored him.

But, now the confrontation he'd been expecting and dreading was about to happen.

'David must've decided to stay married to Arlene, he thought to himself.

"JONATHAN!

Jonathan cringed as he heard Diana scream his name again and stomp up the stairs looking for him.

"I know you're here!" she screamed heading back down the stairs. "I saw your car parked out front!"

Diana headed into the dining room making her way towards the kitchen looking for her brother.

"Where is he?!" she screamed at Maria her parents cook.

"I don't know Ms. Weston," Maria replied calling Diana by the name she insisted she used when addressing her. "I haven't seen your brother since breakfast this morning."

"JONATHAN!" Diana screamed as she left the kitchen. "Answer me you coward!"

Jonathan stood when Diana came bursting into the den looking as if she was going to snatch his heart out of his chest with her bare hands. She was so angry her face was cherry red, her nostrils were flaring, her dark green, cold eyes seemed to cut through him. Her breathing was hard and labored.

Jonathan's six feet, three inch, two hundred-ten pound, muscular frame stood calm and rigid. His neatly combed, cut and styled red hair brushed the top of his shoulders, his green emotionless eyes stared at Diana a hand resting inside the front pockets of his jeans. His calmness enraging his sister even more.

"The bitch is pregnant," Diana said her voice hard and bitter, "and David's decided he wants to stay with her."

Diana stared at her brother waiting for him to say something.

"Say something!," she screamed when he remained silent and only stared at her.

"What do you want me to say?" Jonathan asked.

"I allowed David to go to Vegas because you, my, darling brother was going with him," Diana said. "I thought with you there he wouldn't do anything stupid like stuffing money down a stripper's g-string or be grinding against one of them under the pretense of dancing. I thought with you along with him, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone coming back with pictures of David doing something wild and crazy at his bachelor party."

"Well, you succeed," Jonathan said. "None of those things happened."

Jonathan's response made Diana so angry she picked up a vase sitting on the table next to her and threw it at him. Which Jonathan easily dodged.

"Mother is going to very upset with you," Jonathan said stooping down and picking up the broken vase, "she loved this vase."

"This is your fault," Diana said ignoring her brother's comment about the vase, "and you're going to fix it."

Jonathan started laughing. "I had nothing to do with this," he said placing the broken pieces of the vase on the desk behind him. "How do you expect me to fix it?"