It was a crisp, clear, January morning when the villagers of Benton spotted him.
He was alone, his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, his black coat buttoned up to his neck. His face was long, and narrow, his copper-colored hair getting tousled with each gust of the bitter wind. Fear lurked behind sparkling green eyes that contrasted against a sprinkle of faded freckles across his nose. He stepped lightly through the un-plowed city streets; his pair of highly priced winter boots, laced up neatly over his feet, making the slightest crunching sound with every step he took through the snow that had fallen the night before.
The people of Benton did not often walk the streets alone. The town was bursting at the seams with young families and children. But because of the very expensive university located a few miles away, they were used to young, arrogant college students strutting through the city as if it belonged to them. The townspeople barely lifted their eyes to such people nowadays, simply deciding to ignore them.
However, this man seemed oddly out of place to those who gave him more then a once-over glance. He was handsome, but his sunken cheeks were gaunt and shallow as if he had experienced many troubles throughout his young life. His eyes darted every which way, and the villagers who were slightly more observant noticed easily that the collar pressed up against his neck was not only to shield himself against the winter air, but to hide his unfamiliar face from those around him.
The man walked, as nonchalantly as he could, past an old bookstore, a small but busy little market, a toy store decorated in greens and reds for the Holidays, a movie theater, a few apartments, and a flower shop. His eyebrows threaded together just slightly as he approached the end of the road, as he had not yet found whatever it was he was searching for.
Suddenly, he turned to his left, his eyes running over an old, dark coffee shop with only a handful of costumers inside. He gave a quick glance over his shoulder, his lips tightening just a tad as he proceeded towards the entrance of the little shop.
A bell chimed as he swung the door open, a gust of hot air spilling over his face. He stepped inside, and as his eyes adjusted to the different light, he listened to the calming sound of china getting stacked behind the counters, the low hum of the costumers’ voices, and a loud ancient-looking TV in the corner set on a News station. He blinked a few times, his numb fingers fumbling to unbutton his jacket.
His gaze swept over the people of the shop. A few teenagers were sitting on the couches, sipping hot chocolate and laughing. An older couple, most likely grandparents, were sitting at one of the round tables reading the paper. A middle-aged man was working behind the counter, using a rag to clean a mug. A father and his son sat on the tall barstools near the counter, their mittens resting on an empty seat beside them.
Near the corner, a long window looked out at the streets. An inviting “open” sign and backwards writing on the glass spelled out the name of the place. A few more round tables were also situated near the window.
At the farthest table, sat a girl.
The man near the door stood frozen, his gaze now locked to her face.
She was daydreaming, her chin rested in her hands, elbows mounted on the table, her eyes squinted and a little unfocused. Her head was turned towards the window, peering out towards a group of children playing in the snow, the light shining delicately across her face.
The man was perplexed at first, for this did not look like the person he had expected to see. He had expected a straggly, dirty woman, wearing tattered black clothes, dark finger polish painted over her already unhealthy nails, her exhausted, bloodshot eyes hidden behind a curtain of greasy red hair and gothic-inspired makeup, and a too-thin, frighteningly frail body. He had expected to see a girl who drew everyone away, but instead, he was faced with a woman so breathtakingly beautiful that he could not keep his eyes off her.
The first thing he noticed was her face. For once, he was able to see it. In place of stringy, thin locks, the woman now styled soft, lightly colored red hair that cascaded out of her headband and down her shoulders. Her dark blue eyes were so much prettier now that they were not smudged with black charcoal makeup. Her skin had always been pale, but he could tell immediately how much healthier it looked. Instead of patches of dark skin here and there, a warm, pearly-white color glowed evenly from every pore. Her usually colorless mouth was somehow replaced with full, pink lips.
The most surprising thing – to someone who hadn’t known her as well as the man did – was probably her wardrobe. She was wearing a casual, long-sleeved blue t-shirt with a lengthy, homemade white scarf and nicely fitting black corduroys. Second hand black snow boots were strapped onto her feet underneath the table. A gray winter coat hung loosely on the chair behind her, and white mittens that matched the scarf were resting on the tabletop.
The man realized he had not yet breathed, he had been so amazed. He took a long, deep breath, his eyes never leaving the woman.
“Sir? Would you like a cup of coffee?” the worker behind the counter asked, looking curiously at the frozen man. The man curtly shook his head, and then realizing the rudeness of the gesture, added, “No thank you, not now,” and the worker returned to cleaning the mug.
The exchange between the two men had stirred the woman in the corner from her daydream, and her eyes flicked away from the window and around the room. She sat up, straightening her body and letting her hands fall to her lap. Her round eyes suddenly found the man’s.
Yes, it really was her. His heart swelled with joy. How could it be? Was it really possible that the drugged up girl he had used to know was now so… clean? Her beauty was memorizing – he never wanted to look away. He smiled dazzling at her, a smile that would have made any sane woman blush. But a sad, almost nostalgic expression never left the girl’s face.
Her hand made the slightest movement in her lap, and the man’s gaze was broken. He looked down at her hands, and his mouth opened just a little. A gasp escaped his lips and as soon as his eyes made since of what he was seeing, he was dizzy with pain – he felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. Kicked him in the back. Slapped him in the face. He felt his swelling heart shattering to pieces.
The woman’s hands were resting at the bottom of an enormous sized, well-rounded bump protruding out of her belly.
The man’s straight posture faltered with utter, horrifying surprise, and his shoulders suddenly sagged along with the rest of him.
The woman, who had been watching every moment of his awful realization, bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. A shudder ran through her body, and her head collapsed into her hands. The man could not hear it, but he knew she was weeping.
Although moving was quite difficult, as his limbs were shaking, he hurried over to her side without hesitation. He dragged the empty chair on the other side of the table towards her and sat down into it. He nervously reached out and touched the woman’s shoulders. Before he knew it, she had fallen forward into his arms, sobbing. With a shaking hand he stroked her hair, his eyes wide with complete fear.
“Oh, Danny…” she clutched at his jacket.
He couldn’t bring himself to say anything but gentle shhhh’s. After his mind stopped spinning enough for him to take control of his voice, he leaned toward her and whispered,
“Is it… mine?”
She nodded weakly into his chest, and the man’s eyes stung with bitter tears.
“Henrietta… Why – Why didn’t you tell me? When did you find out?” He was trying to be comforting, but his voice came out like ice. He mentally counted back the months.
She sat back in her chair, and Daniel released her. She wiped her eyes with the blue sleeve of her shirt. Even when crying, with her eyes red and swollen, she still looked prettier then Daniel had ever seen her before.
Her lip quivered. “I found out a few weeks after we broke up. And… I tried… I – I tried to call you, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, Daniel,” she paused to search through his eyes. She blinked and more tears dripped down her face. “You’re mad at me.”
Daniel took a deep breath, his heart racing. He looked at her hard in the eyes. “I’m not mad at you. This is my fault. I’m just…” it took a long time for him to think of the right word. It was as if his brain and mouth weren’t even connected anymore. “…Surprised.”
The two sat in silence for a while. One in complete shock, the other in a horrible, self-conscience state. Daniel suddenly noticed her insecurity, and he grabbed one of her hands.
“Henrietta… You are so beautiful,” he gulped back tears. “You’re… sober?”
She nodded. “Once I found out I was pregnant, I stopped. Everything.”
“That mustn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t as hard as I would have thought. When you have a reason, a real reason…” She looked back at the children outside. “Nothing else matters.”
Daniel followed her gaze outside. “Do you live here now? Benton?”
She again nodded. “My parents kicked me out of the house when I started showing. I had been trying to keep it a secret while I tried to figure out what to do… My aunt lives here. She’s a professor at the university. She took me in.”
Henrietta’s watery eyes filled with gratitude.
Daniel shook his head. “Henrietta, if only I had known sooner… I could have found a place for you to stay, with me, with my family…”
The woman’s eyes darkened. “That – That wouldn’t have worked.” She said simply, and Daniel realized how right she was. His family hated her – no, detested her.
“When are you due?”
Her eyes softened immediately, her hands subconsciously touching her stomach. “A month.”
This was another blow for Daniel. He tried not to act shocked, but it was all over his face… Henrietta somehow willed away the tears, being strong for the both of them.
“What is it?” He asked, quieter then anything else he had said that day.
Henrietta smiled sadly. “A girl.”
When the words left her lips, the world went silent. Daniel’s mind was consumed by the realness of the situation. It wasn’t a dream, no, it was realer then reality itself… The seriousness of the situation flooded his mind. He was going to be a father. A baby girl… His baby girl… Was going to be born in a month. Just one month.
“Can I?” He asked as if in a dream, his voice cracking, gesturing with his hands to touch her stomach. She nodded, and he carefully placed one of his palms over her expanding torso. With his gentle touch came a fluttering kick in response, confirming the young life within.
At this, Daniel broke into tears. He covered his eyes with a single hand and cried.
Henrietta pulled him towards her, and his already limp head fell towards her blossoming stomach. She placed her hands comfortingly around him, leaning her head against his. He felt her shaking, too. She had also succumbed to tears.
“I’m with you now,” he said quietly through quiet sobs, both to the baby and its mother. “I’m not gonna leave you. We’re going to find a way to make this work. I’ll do anything. Anything. I promise.”
A little while longer, the man needed to leave. Before he did, he stood up and hugged the woman with more love then he had ever felt before. Before now, he hadn’t known what love was… He thought he had loved the girl who stood before him, now a woman, but all he had felt then was lust and desire. Now he could truly see what an amazing, courageous person she had turned into, the sacrifice she was making. He could feel the shattered pieces of his heart fixing themselves, with more strength then ever. He was scared to death, yes, but that didn’t matter… He knew he would do anything.
He forced himself to exit the shop and walk back where he had come.
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It was a crisp, clear, January morning when the villagers of Benton spotted him. He was alone, his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers, his black coat buttoned up to his neck. His face was long, and narrow, his copper-colored hair getting tousled with each gust of the bitter wind. Fear lurked behind sparkling green eyes that contrasted against a sprinkle of faded freckles across his nose. But there was something else, now, too… The people who looked were not quite sure of what it was. A mixture of hope, and faith, and determination and courage. Love, but sadness also, deep, deep sadness…
He stepped lightly through the un-plowed city streets; his pair of highly priced winter boots, laced up neatly over his feet, making the slightest crunching sound with every step he took through the snow that had fallen the night before.
The people of Benton did not often walk the streets alone…
OKAY IM DONE. SORRY IT WAS LONGER THEN I EXPECTED… THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR ANSWERS
I just read it over again and it’s pretty bad, haha it needs a lot of work but your feedback would be great!