Can We Just Be Happy Now?

“Congratulations, Leah! You’re 3 months in!”

Leah could not believe what the doctor just told her. She did not really expect such news after fainting in the middle of her part-time job. Who would, right?

Tomorrow was her most-awaited day-off after she got accepted as a waitress at Marie Lu’s Bakery, and that was literally all she could think about all morning, because this meant spending more time with Sean.

But what?

She’s pregnant?

She couldn’t believe it herself.

What are the odds huh?

“Well, honey, if you aren’t a virgin then you’re bound to end up with something!” Dr. Debora retorted as she clicked a button on the ultrasound machine.

“Oh, sorry. Did I just say that out loud?”

Dr. Debora raised one of her eyebrows at her, wearing a face as if she was wondering what Leah was worried about.

“Mhm, honey. That’s okay! Totally fine. You’re fine!” She exclaimed, waving her hand up in the air to tell her that she is doing well. “Now do you want a copy of this to surprise your husband?”

Leah frantically waved her hands in front of her to quickly deny her claim.

“I-I don’t have a husband!” She exclaimed as silence followed a little bit after.

Dr. Debora’s face stayed blank as she questioned Leah about what she meant by that.

“Just a boyfriend.” Leah whispered, before she shyly met up with Dr. Debora’s judgmental eyes.

Dr. Debora did not push on the topic further and instead, proceeded to print the ultrasound pictures for Leah. A few minutes passed and the doctor finally let her go, but that was not after a few more minutes of discussing what she needed to be aware of, what vitamins and food she would have to take, and when her next appointment schedule would be.

By the time she was set free, the sky above her was a little angry.

Thunder could be heard from a close distance, and lightning, on the other hand, would flash every now and then. Leah looked up to the sullen sky and gave out a heavy sigh.

It was at this moment when Leah realized what just happened to her. But more importantly, how was she going to tell Sean?

Myriads of thoughts overwhelmed Leah’s head. It’s not as if this was a big surprise. She should have expected it to happen after that one mistake. Both of them shouldn’t have gotten too drunk that night and done the deed without protection. She should’ve known better than to rest assure that they both got lucky.

After all, she has never been… ‘lucky’.

Damn it.

Leah brushed her slender fingers through her long auburn hair in frustration, pulling the strands near the end to release some pent-up stress. It has always been a habit of Leah to do that when things weren’t going well for her. Her mom used to tell her that she might end up going bald by the age of 30, if she kept going on with this tendency, and she would always end up laughing at her mockery.

Mom…I wish she was here with me right now.

“Mom, I’m scared.” Leah whispered to herself, as she closed her eyes and felt the first few drops of rain on her face, which later on, turned into a shield for the tears that kept pouring from her heart.

The rain has now become heavy and the streets were no longer filled with people. No birds chirping or sunflowers facing the sun as the storm kept raging on.

Her phone vibrated in her dress pocket and this snapped her out of her melancholy thoughts. It was Sean.

“Leah, Sunshine, how are you feeling?” Sean asked anxiously through the other line.

“I’m fine, Sean.” Leah answered him almost monotonously, and this worried Sean a bit more.

“I’m coming to pick you up.” He said.

Her eyes widened and her heart slightly picked up a faster pace when she heard that. Leah did not know why she was feeling this way. She’s never really held back on Sean spoiling her, but today…was a first.

Today’s a little different.

Leah knew she could not look at Sean in the eye in this moment. She needed some time to wrap her mind around the things that she was told today. She could feel it deep inside of her that she’s frightened about everything after she would tell him the news. Everything was bound to change.

He could leave me.

And she was afraid he would…like her dad did.

So, before Sean could even cut off the line, Leah immediately responded, “No!” a little too loudly over the phone.

“No?” Sean said, a little hurt by her sudden reaction.

Leah palmed her forehead and blamed herself for hurting Sean.

“No. I-I didn’t mean that. Sorry. What I meant to say is that I’m fine, and that I can get home myself. So, you don’t have to worry, okay?”

“But it’s pouring hard outside, L. Are you sure?” He asked before immediately following with, “No. Don’t answer that. I’m not completely okay with you going home by yourself in this storm. I’m heading out right now to pick you up.”

“Sean. Wait. Sean! Listen! I can get home by myself. There’s a thing called ‘Uber’ nowadays. Relax, okay?”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’. I’m going to book one right now. See you when I get there! Love you.” And with that, Leah ended the call and proceeded to book a car to pick her up.

But with no luck, no one seemed to be available in the app right now.

Leah knew her best bet of getting home at this time was Sean, but because she was afraid of how he would react, she dismissed the thought right away. Instead, she opted to wait the storm out until it was only a drizzle before she started walking her way home.

Sean’s a really organized type of guy. He liked things planned out and discussed over before proceeding with the actions, and hence, she was skeptic that he would do well with unexpected outcomes. He’s an overthinker and maybe a tad bit paranoid when it came to Leah, but he was really just a great lover because of that. 

For Leah, Sean has always been the anchor for her when things got too out of hand in her unlucky 20 years of life. He was the only one who ever told her that she meant something, and that she was as important as all the extras living in this entire world. He was the one who made her feel validated and that meant so much for Leah while she struggled to accept the fact that she was the reason why her family was broken—why her mom became a wreck for the most part of her life.

She always thought she was an abomination who didn’t deserve anything in the world. She resented herself, but he managed to change all of that.

He became her purpose and she was his.

They balanced each other out in a peculiar way that only the two of them could understand. And that is why, when he asked her to run away with him, she never hesitated to say ‘yes’.

Leah took a small peek at her watch to see what time it was—5:49pm. Knowing that Sean must have been worrying about her so much after being told to just wait at home, Leah quickened her pace. The sidewalk was a little slippery but that was okay with her.

She took advantage of the situation and proceeded to slide her beat-up shoes against the pavements to get home a little faster. She was going to make it by 6pm. Their apartment is just around the corner.

Sean.

He was there standing outside our door with worry written all over his face. His eyebrows were a bit scrunched up in the middle and Leah couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of his countenance. She felt oddly relieved and wondered why she was so anxious about telling him the news a few hours ago.

If he really was the Sean she knew, then she could rest assure that he would accept everything about her and about…them. There was really no need for her to worry. Because after all this time, this man only ever ran to her.

She could trust him not to break her heart.

I love you, Sean. Just wait for me a little longer. I’m almost there.

That was all that was in Leah’s mind at the moment, as she prepared herself to cross the street. At the sight of Leah’s presence, Sean’s worry eased a bit.

His forehead uncreased as a smile made a way to his face. He waved his hand over to her before he went down the stairs to meet her halfway.

Everything will be perfect.

Sean reassured himself after he went over his plan in his head. He was confident that Leah would have the best birthday of her life. It would be better than the rest of the years they’ve spent together.

“SEAN!” Leah screamed happily as she skipped her way towards Sean’s arms.

Sean bent his legs a bit and opened his arms wide, ready to welcome Leah’s impact. At this moment, all both of them could really see were themselves.

For them, nothing mattered more than what was in front of them…and that was their critical mistake.

It happened all too fast before any of them could react.

Tires began screeching against the rocky pavements, just near the flickering streetlight. The car swerved like a mad man swinging a knife at an innocent bystander. The car lights were turned on and off subsequently, and the car horns, on the other hand, seemed to be recklessly tampered upon by the hidden grudges of the man behind the wheel.

Without a warning, he slammed his car all the way to the sidewalk from where Leah was running to. The streetlight post bent forward from the impact and the hood started coughing up smoke from the inside.

The murderer weakly opened his car door and vomited at the sight of dew-covered grass, completely unaware of the crime he committed that night.

No one really saw it happening. One second, she was running towards the arms of the man she loved and another, she was thrown off to the side, head bleeding upon impact, and eyes wide open from the shock that pushed her soul out to the land of the dead.

Everything went cold from there.