18. Keya

“Your deadline is Monday next week Keya.” Professor Larsson said as she returns my thesis proposal drafts she checked.

My paper is still rubbish as hell, I can really tell.

I have been working on this since the break but when I found out that I was pregnant, my brain seems to stop from working making my paper into a never-ending stream of bullshit.

“What is wrong Keya? If you have any problems with your paper then tell me.” She asked. “If you’re not happy with it, we can still ask the panel to give you some extra time to change into another study.”

I am really indeed not happy with my paper, but at the same time I have nothing else in my mind at the moment. So I don’t have any choice but to continue it and make it sensible as fuck or else I won’t be able to make it to the graduation next year, if I’ll make it.

Damn it! I’m not even sure if I can make it considering that I’m going to give birth in the middle of the second semester.

I sighed. “No. It’s fine prof. I can do the revisions and pass it on Monday, I still have four more days anyway. I can probably do that.”

“Good. Just contact me if you have any questions.” She said.

Thank goodness, I have a very understandable thesis adviser because if I don’t have one. I will be even more stressed than I already am at the moment. When I went back to my dorms, I immediately changed into the uniform I wear at the diner. As much as I want to just crawl in bed, enjoy a cup of coffee while doing revisions on my paper, I have to work. I have been spending way too much on food cravings in the past two months and I still am at the moment so I need money to save up. I even feel guilty that I am sending a small amount of money to my mom.

Speaking of my mom, I still haven’t told her yet.

Every time I think about dropping the baby-bomb to my family, I’m thinking about them freaking out, cry, and probably disown me or whatsoever.

Panic always floods in every time I wake up in the morning and saw my own reflection on the mirror. The small baby bump is finally showing, I have gained weight a little bit that is already showing on my cheeks, majority of my jeans don’t fit me anymore and I have been wearing not so fitted t-shirts already and sometimes I wear oversized jackets to hide the changes happening on my body.

It’s already happening, I can’t hide this pregnancy anymore.

I knocked at Paz’s door as I adjusted the zipper of my sweater. She’s letting me borrow her car tonight, we had a deal yesterday that she’ll let me borrow her car because she doesn’t need it and as long as I turn it with an enough gas. It’s been raining in the past three days in Houston, not just small amount of rain but an actual rain! So Paz was kind enough to lend me her car just for me to avoid a hustle commute to Steve’s diner.

She opens the door right away after my first three knocks. “Hey, you’re still working? The weather is pretty bad!”

“It’s already bad in the past three days.” I replied chuckling as I accepted the car keys she’s handing me.

“Well, take care Key!”

“I’ll be home at eight!” I shouted and head outside.

As I started hitting the road, I realized that Paz was indeed right. The weather is pretty bad, badder than it was before. Like I have to slowly drive because it’s raining hard that you can’t barely see the road as the dashboard is always covered by the rain and based on the sounds of it the rain is turning into ice.

Thankfully, I made it to the diner.

Steve’s diner still maintains the usual amount of customers despite of the bad weather, well, some of it are just chilling inside enjoying coffees and any other hot beverages to warm themselves up waiting for the rain to stop right before hitting the road again.

“Good! You made it.” Steve, my boss greeted as he spots me from the counter as he busy himself slicing some piece of pecan pie.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I answered as I adjusted the apron on my waste.

“Well, Celine and Rona can’t make it today due to the heavy rain.” My boss answered referring to the two other waitresses who works here. “Good thing you and Viv are here, the diner is still busy despite the weather.”

“Can you at least make it a double pay for us today Steve?” Viv chimed in as she grabs the pecan pie Steve just sliced a while ago, ready to serve at whoever orders it.

“Well, I surely will.” Steve answered chuckling.

I couldn’t help but smile too. The diner pays me well and considering I get a double pay today with only but few customers than it was on a normal day is absolutely perfect.

I started to serve the customers on my booth, most of them are just ordering some few snacks. The diner still has a lot of customers but most of them are just waiting for the rain to stop. As I busy myself serving food at the people on my booth, I just noticed someone not too far from me who’s reluctantly looking at me and I don’t know why I feel like he is checking my boobs. It’s freaking weird considering that I am not wearing a revealing clothes yet I still feel so harassed.

When I walked into his table asking him for his orders, he is still looking at my chest.

“Sir?” I said in a loud tone to snap him back at whatever fantasy he was thinking about my chest. Pervert!

Wait. Is he really looking at my chest? I looked at the direction where I feel like his eyes was buried only to realized that he is looking at the name pin I am wearing on my right chest.

“So your name is Keya?” He asked. Shoot! Of course, he is looking at my name!

“Yes, sir.” I answered. “So what can I get you?”

This time, his eyes travels on my belly. What the hell is wrong with him?

Thankfully he looks away and started to read on the menu in front of him. The guy just ordered a lot of food which is good for more than two people, which somehow wanting me to ask if is he gonna eat it all but asking about that is the number one rule in the Do’s and Don’ts’s List of Steve. ‘Don’t ask customers about how are they gonna eat the food they have just ordered, it’s none of your business.’

After I got the man’s order I head to the back counter to place his order.

“You realize who that guy you just talked, right?” Viv nudges me as she stares on the guy I just talked to earlier.

“Why? Who is he?”

“Are you kidding me? That’s Martin Connors. The team captain of the Texas Blue Dragons.” She explained but I only gave her a blank stare. “You know, the state’s hockey team?”

And it suddenly dawned on me when she mentioned the word ‘hockey’. I look back on the guy and he is now entertaining few people in the diner taking photos with him.

“Oh wow.” That’s the only thing I have said.

Shit! Does he know about me and Tyler having a baby? Or maybe not. Tyler wants this whole thing to be a secret, so if one of his teammates knows that he knocked up someone then that would just be a huge bullshit.

Maybe, this is just me overthinking way too much.

Speaking of Tyler by the way. He’s been texting and calling me non-stop but I refused to answer his calls. I have been so stressed since the beginning of the week dealing with school works and if I deal with him it would add another massive stress because he’s making me stress! Period.

I should avoid stress for the baby’s safety so I might just ignore him just this week and then we’ll deal together on how we will take care of the baby.

I’m giving myself a time to just think about my academics, just this week.

When the rain finally stopped, majority of the customers have already left. Making me and Viv hustled up on cleaning the tables right away. As I busied myself loading all the empty dishes someone called up to turn the television’s volume up.

The news caught my attention.

Shit! Houston State University just got hit by a massive tornado.

“Oh my god!” I hissed in complete horror as I watch the actual footage flashes on the television screen. It happened just an hour ago right after I leave to go here at the diner.

“Keya!” Steve calls up. “Phone’s for you.”

I accepted the telephone from Steve.

“Yes?” I answered still gluing my eyes at the TV.

“Keya, this is Paz. Our dorm house just got hit by a tornado.”