8. Keya

After my first check-up with the OB, I went straight to Lily’s house that she shares with her boyfriend to hang out with her, Paz and Alexa. They already knew about my situation because when we found out about it, Lily and I told them.

Obviously, they were all horrified and worried with my situation. I’m still four weeks in and I’m thinking about aborting the baby. I can’t have a baby! Not this time. I’m still studying for my degree, I am still supporting my brother with his education and I’m not stable yet! I still have so many plans after graduation and having a baby is not a part of it, for god's sake!

However, part of me says that I should keep it.

I don’t want to be a hypocrite myself. I am also a product of my parent’s mistake. This little innocent human growing inside my belly is a product of my mistake and that is not the baby’s fault. Guiltiness takes over me every time I think of abortion and letting my mother know I got knocked up.

I wasn’t literally capable of sleeping well in the past few days ever since I knew that I was pregnant, I just kept on thinking about how will I tell my family if I keep the baby, how will I work and study at the same time if I am pregnant or already have a baby to take care of?

I’m still a senior college student. Yes indeed, one more year and I’m done but that is still a long way to go. To be honest, this is the first time in my life where I feel so lost and clearly without direction.

Jesus! What have I done with my life?

“Do you have plans on letting the baby-daddy know?” Alexa asked.

Damn! I was thinking about that too. I am deciding whether to find the father of this baby and tell him or not, but it is hard. Houston is a massive place and I’m not even sure if that man is really from here. I don’t know who that is, the only thing I know was his first name, Tyler. And nothing else!

“I guess not.” I answered.

Because I was also thinking about what if that man is married or in a relationship? Am I going to be a home-wrecker just like my mom? As much as I want to give the baby a complete family, I’d rather not.

“Babe I’m suggesting, you have to.” Lily said as she puts a tray of lemonade on the coffee table.

The three of my friends wanted to have a girl’s day here to talk about my situation.

“If you’re planning to keep the baby I’m telling you it is really hard. My cousin also got knocked by her boyfriend when she was still in junior year, she’s been telling me that it was really stressful she even had a boyfriend let alone as a single parent.” Lily said

I sighed. Yeah, I know that. My mom is a single parent herself with two kids and I saw how she worked her butt off to raise us all on her own with the help of my grandparents of course. Jezz! What the hell am I gonna do?

“I’m just worried that what if that man is married?” I said. “Or he doesn’t want to have a baby either.”

“So what? He still has to know.” Alexa suggested.

“Well, I don’t know how to find him.” I honestly answered.

“I am so mad that I was not present on that party.” Paz said. “But seriously though, you two didn’t asked for each other’s numbers?”

“We’re both drunk and it just happens so fast.” I answered. “We just gave each other orgasms and then moved on with our lives.”

“But you told me you remembered his name, have you?” Lily said pulling her phones out from her pocket.

I nodded, some way somehow I was able to remember the man’s name. “His name is Tyler.”

“Tyler…” Alexa repeated obviously asking for the last name but I don’t bloody know what.

“Just Tyler, I didn’t get his family name. But I remembered his face though.”

“Oh my god, Keya.” Paz commented. “This is going to be a lot of work. Ladies, pull your phones out and we’ll start searching for that Tyler guy on the internet.”

“I gotta go grab my laptop.” Lily said running towards her room.

Few minutes later, the four of us started searching the father of my baby on the internet. I described the man saying that he’s got a dark hair, his biceps are all covered with tattoos, with facial hair and the sexiest green eyes. Lily and I are searching using her laptop while my two other friends uses their phone. We searched that guy on different social media platforms and all the possible networking sites but there’s way too many Tyler around Houston.

Lily pulled another browser again and started searching for Tyler on Google which is kind of absurd. She accidentally clicked one of the suggested searches in there and my whole nerves just went insane when the picture of the exact man we were looking for popped on the screen.

“Oh my god! That’s him.” I instantly said pointing at the photos. “Wait, why is that he has—“

I didn’t get to finish my sentence because I instantly just read all the information available about the said man. And it says there that he is a two time Ice Hockey World Cup Champion. That guy is world well-known athlete? What?

“You’re joking right?” Paz asked. I didn’t noticed that she and Alexa joined us.

“No. That’s actually him!” I said trying to read all the information that the internet has provided. “Oh my god, is this a joke or some kind of a fake news?”

“Babe, that’s Tyler Hollis!” Paz exclaimed. “You seriously don’t know who the hell that guy is? You edited an article about him at the station few weeks ago!”

“I obviously don’t! Oh my goodness. That was him? He’s a public figure…” I absent-mindedly said because I couldn’t get my head around it. The father of my baby is the man on the article I edited few weeks ago?

“Not just that. He’s a world well-known ice hockey player.” Lily stressed out.

“Girl, you have to let Tyler know about the baby!” Paz exclaimed. “I swear to god you’re a lucky girl! This will make things better for you. You don’t have to be so problematic if you tell him.”

“What if he won’t believe me?” I said still trying to process that the father of this baby is popular as shit.

“Then prove it to him! Do a paternity test.” Lily said facing her phone. “Hey I followed him on his socials. He’s in town, he just posted a photo. I think this is in the nearest arena. We have to go there!”

“What? Now?” I asked.

“Yes!” Lily answered. “This is operation informing the baby-daddy. Let’s go!”

Few minutes later, my friends and I hit the road on the way to the nearest arena. Lily followed Tyler on one of his social media and said that the man might be there. My friends are so busy planning on how to catch the man but I didn’t bothered to listen because I am nervous as hell. I am picturing out scenarios of rejection and complete humiliation in my head but at the same time I am thinking that I am doing this for the baby.

I don’t want this kid to have the same future as me. I don’t want this kid to spend all throughout his or her life asking about who their father is or maybe asking why his or her father abandoned us or whatsoever. Besides, the father of this baby happens to be a hockey player. Financially stable. If he recognizes this kid then surely my baby will have a bright future.

So as much as I hated it, I am doing this. This isn’t about me, this is about the baby.

When we arrived my friends and I gathered outside the parking area in the said arena. Surprisingly, there are way too many people out here wearing hockey jerseys and majority of it has the Hollis name written on it.

He’s a popular player then.

We waited there with the hopes of talking to Tyler.

“Oh! There he is.” Paz exclaimed pointing at the car meters away from where we are at. “Come on! I brought my ID at the station with me, I can go introduce myself as a journalist and--”

She said, but I stopped her right away. “No.”

“Why?” Paz asked.

“There’s way too many people in here. I don’t want to just go there and drop the bomb.” I said looking at the people who are all running towards him, they’re probably going to ask for autographs and pictures. “Can we just go follow him and figure out where he lives maybe?”

Alexa seconded right away. “Yeah, she’s right. If she’ll go and tell him there Tyler might think she’s a crazy avid fan or something.”

“Alright, then we’ll just go follow him then.” Lily agreed.