I corner Angie at lunch
and we chat for a few minutes about Homecoming
but then I ask if her if she’s told her parents
about the baby
and her smile is chased away
she says she is “still deciding”
“Deciding about what? You have to tell them Gee.
They’ll figure it out eventually.”
she shrugs but says nothing and seems
focused on cutting her chicken sandwich into
a million little pieces.
and I start to get really worried about her
so I ask the one thing I hate to ask
because I know her
“Angie. You’re not thinking of…you know…
getting rid of it? Are you?”
she doesn’t answer fast enough,
though she says no,
her hesitation tells me
that she’s thought of this,
the very thing that she’s rallied against
and I can’t help but think if she
told her parents
and got it over with
then she could get on with dealing with
all the other questions
but by hiding it, keeping it secret
she is considering things
she never would have otherwise

“You have to tell them, Angie,” I say
“Or I’m going to tell them for you.”