The Judas Tree, page 32
‘What’s wrong? What’s happened?’
When I told him he burst into joyful laughter.
‘Are you serious? A baby?’ His grin broke his face in half.
Rather than feeling relieved by his reaction, I felt trapped. I should have told him that. Should have told him how scared and unsure I was. But I didn’t. I lied and said I was happy too. Despite being plagued by uncertainty as we’d walked into the restaurant, facing my mother’s displeasure and my father’s disgust switched something on inside me. How dare they judge me? How dare they judge Kit? What gave them the right to be horrified?
‘Yes,’ I said, my voice steely. ‘We’re having the baby.’
‘But what about your degree?’
‘I’m giving up my degree. I never wanted to go to university anyway—’
My father swore loudly and slammed his fist down. People on nearby tables started to mutter and stare. ‘I cannot believe what I’m hearing!’
‘You stupid, stupid girl.’ My mother’s eyes had narrowed to slits. ‘You’re going to throw your life away for a vegetarian layabout?’
‘Come now, Jane. There’s no need for this.’ Jeremy rested a hand on hers. ‘I’m sure this is a shock, but I’m telling you, there isn’t a couple alive who love each other more than these two.’
The bombshell had rendered my mother immune to Jeremy. She shook away his hand. ‘I don’t care if they are Romeo and bloody Juliet, this is a disaster.’ She turned her burning eyes on me. ‘You’ve hurt me more than I can say and you should be ashamed of yourself. What are you thinking? I mean, look at you both. You can’t even take care of yourselves, let alone a child.’
‘That’s not—’
She rounded on Kit. ‘You’ve destroyed my daughter’s life. Don’t you dare talk to me. Don’t. You. Dare.’ She looked back at me, tears glazing her eyes. ‘I was too soft on you. I should have been tougher when you started being difficult. I should have taken you to a psychologist. My bloody mother told me not to. Said rebelling was part and parcel of growing up. What did she know?’ My mother shook her head then took a deep breath, and a blanket of stoic calm settled over her. ‘You know what? Have the baby. You want to ruin your life? Fine. Ruin it.’ Then she stood and grabbed her coat from the back of the chair, put it on and buttoned it angrily. ‘Keith, we’re leaving.’
My father glanced at the bottle of wine.
‘Now, Keith!’ she shouted.
The restaurant quietened with shock. My mother stared straight ahead, handbag clutched to her chest, as the silence gave way to a ripple of whispers which rumbled around the room.
She refocused her anger on me. ‘After everything I’ve done for you. Everything I gave up.’
My father opened his wallet and cast two twenty-pound notes disdainfully on to the table. Then they were gone.
Kit and I stared at each other, eyes wide, hands gripped.
‘I think that went well?’ Jeremy reached for the wine and poured what was left into three glasses. He lifted his towards us. ‘To you, your very lucky child, and true love. Screw the rest of them.’
The Haven is available now.
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Amanda Jennings, The Judas Tree
