A novel tucked under her arm, Loreen walked quietly into Dahlia's bedroom. She was good at that—sneaking up on people. Her family learned to 'sense' rather than hear her coming.
Then she heard Dahlia's whispers and chuckles in her ensuite bathroom. The door was slightly ajar. She was on a call.
Loreen stood close to the bathroom door to startle her. And like always, Dahlia would shriek, turn and spew out profanities—.
"Pregnant! Wow. I'm shocked but overjoyed," Dahlia whispered and skipped a little with glee.
Loreen paused for a moment, her brows furrowed. And listened.
"Don't tell anyone, please. I'm not sure how Dad and Mom will handle this…. okay. Talk soon." Dahlia ended the call. She stared at her medicine cabinet, lost in thought for a moment.
Loreen peeked a look at her elder sister. Her face was slightly flushed. A lock of her curly blond hair dangled close to her eyes. She tucked it behind her ear.
Dahlia squeezed shut her eyes, took a deep breath, rubbed her flat belly and exhaled.
Loreen turned and quickly left her sister's room unnoticed.
She paused for a moment outside the door. Was Dahlia pregnant? This would break their parents' hearts. She was only sixteen and had been dating Gordon, the star athlete in school for like a month. Their parents did not know because Dahlia begged her to keep it a secret.
Loreen scoffed. Her sister wanted to keep being the favourite daughter of their parents.
Well, well. Maybe it was time to turn the tables. Her moment to shine and become the most beloved daughter.
Loreen descended the stairs to her father's private study and found it empty. She proceeded back upstairs to her parents' bedroom, knocked and without waiting for a response, gently opened the door.
Her father, a tall and sturdy man, looked pensive and paced the room while her mother sat yoga-style on the plush window seat close to her dressing table, a throw pillow held to her chest. The atmosphere was tense. They both glanced at her.
"Uh, Dad, Mom? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Loreen asked.
Her parents exchanged a look. "We are in the middle of an important discussion, Loreen," her father replied, giving her a penetrating stare. "Can it wait?"
Loreen fumed. They never listened or gave her attention. It would be the other way around if it was Dahlia at the door. Well, she must get their attention this time!
She raised her chin a little. "No, Dad. It can't wait," she stated firmly, giving him a stern look. Her father arched a brow.
"Sure. Come in and sit," her mother said resignedly, motioning to their pristine bed. "What's on your mind, darling?"
Loreen sat on the edge and sighed like she was about to deliver grave news. "I don't know how to say this without hurting you," she paused and looked at them, "but Dahlia is pregnant."
Silence.
How about that now? Stew on it. Loreen thought. Her mother paled instantly, her slender and manicured fingers raised to cover her lips. She glanced at her husband.
"Did she tell you this?" Her father asked, his voice deeper than usual, and his expression grim.
Now Loreen's heart began to race. Her father was loving yet a strict disciplinarian who disliked petty things like gossip or telltales. She didn't think the matter through properly before coming to their room.
"Well?" He asked again, one of his brows still arched. His deep-set eyes stared into hers like they wanted to suck out the truth from her.
"No. I-I heard her on the phone telling her friend, I think, that she's pregnant and overjoyed and did not know how you would both take the news..."
Her mother burst into tears. Loreen stood up in shock. This was not the reaction she had hoped for. She watched as her father quickly sat beside her mother and held her to his broad chest.
"What are we going to do, Mark?" Her mother said, her voice muffled against her father's chest. "This is disgraceful. How do we handle this?"
Yes, disgraceful. That's the word, Loreen thought, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
Her father glanced at her. "Go to your room, Loreen. We'll talk with Dahlia."
"I can go get her now."
"Loreen!" Her parents exclaimed at the same time. She shrugged and left the room.
She paused in front of Dahlia's room and was going to knock when she heard a groaning sound followed by some gagging and coughing. She opened the door and went into the bathroom.
Dahlia sat on the floor, her head slightly in the toilet, vomiting. Loreen smiled. At least she still remembered her biology lessons and vomiting was one of the symptoms of pregnancy.
Dahlia turned then. Her eyes widened in shock. "Ugh, you freak. How long have you been standing there? Pass me my mouthwash. It's in the cabinet."
Loreen grabbed it and pushed the bottle into Dahlia's hand. She left the bathroom and went back into her parents' room. In the next minute, she walked out with her parents in tow and led them into Dahlia's room.
Her sister was patting her face with a towel when she realised she wasn't alone in the room. "Dad! Mom? What's the matter?"
Her mother drew close to her. "Tell us the truth, Dahlia. Are you pregnant?"
Dahlia paled and flushed red all at the same time. She glanced at her mother, who looked equally pale, to her father, and then to her younger sister, and her expression turned into a scowl. She directed some profanities at Loreen.
"Do you realise I'm standing here?" Their father barked.
"I'm sorry, Dad. Whatever Loreen told you is a lie," Dahlia said.
"It's true! I heard you on the phone and saw you rubbing your tummy. And you were throwing up when I came in here before."
"You idiot! It's the food I ate."
"Be quiet, you two," their father interrupted. "Are you pregnant, Dahlia? Don't hide such from us."
Dahlia gazed at her parents for a moment. She leaned into her mother and whispered in her ears. A smile broke out on their mother's face as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked at her husband and shook her head. "Dahlia is not pregnant. It's a misunderstanding."
"What?" Loreen exclaimed. "I know what…"
"Shut up, silly girl," her mother said. She turned to her husband, "Let's just tell them, Mark. They are bound to know sooner or later."
The girls watched as their father raised and dropped his hand in exasperation.
"Girls, your father and I are having a baby. It's a boy," their mother said with a wide smile which immediately changed into a frown when she looked at Loreen. "Dahlia saw the report on my table and told her friend. Loreen, telling tales is not right. You had us worried. Why would you do something like that?"
Loreen felt the weight of her family's disappointing stares. She glanced down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it look that bad."
"Yes, you did!" Dahlia interjected with a smirk.
"Alright girls. No fighting, okay?" Their father said, spreading out his hands for a group hug. "You all mean the world to me. Your mother and I love you both equally. Remember that."