There wasn’t much Martin could do about it but the news still saddened him. He knew that Pauline’s pregnancy meant that her life was going to change forever and that she would have to pull out of college. He had such high hopes for her. She was the first of her cousins to make it to college and he knew that she had the brains to go on and become a doctor or a lawyer but not now. Now things would change.
Though she was a grown woman, Martin still viewed Pauline as his little girl. He could still remember her first steps, her first day in school when she cried so much that the teacher allowed Martin to stay in the class with her for the morning. She was due home on the eight forty five train and Martin had told her that he would collect her from the station. He didn’t want her waiting for a bus in the rain and if he collected her at least they would be able to talk about what Pauline was going to say to her mother. He had told Pauline that he wasn’t going to tell Lisa, she had to do it herself.
Like Martin, Lisa had high hopes for Pauline. When she had been accepted into college she was the proudest mother on the street. She wanted all the neighbours to know that her little girl was going to college. She even went as far as having banners made so that she could put them up in the windows. She was that proud. Martin knew that the news of Pauline’s pregnancy would rock Lisa. Telling her was going to be difficult but it was still better that Pauline told her rather than him. Lisa would lose her temper that was for sure and she would probably start swearing but in time Martin knew that she would accept the news just as he had. She had no other option, she had to accept it. There was nothing they could do about it.
Martin wondered did Pauline really understand the consequences of being pregnant. Her friends would be around for a little while, a child would be like a novelty to them but as soon as they realised that Pauline wasn’t available to do anything with them, they’d be gone. Lisa and him would be there but they wouldn’t be there all the time, they couldn’t be, they both needed to continue working. There was also the extra expense. Martin would make sure that the child didn’t want for anything but Pauline couldn’t always rely on him; she had to stand on her own two feet. Even if she was his little girl. He had to let go of her and so did Lisa.
He grabbed his coat from the chair and headed into the kitchen. Lisa was sitting by the table reading a magazine. She didn’t notice Martin standing by the door.
‘I’m just going to collect Pauline.’
Lisa looked up from the magazine.
‘Okay honey, see you in a bit.’
He hesitated for a few seconds before buttoning up his coat and pulling the collar down. It wasn’t going to be easy but he knew that he had made the right decision; Pauline had to tell her mother that she was pregnant, he wasn’t going to do it.
