A young boy decides to take care of his sister’s baby when their parents wouldn’t listen to reason, and they learned a harsh lesson in the end.
Josh left his room when he heard his dad screaming at the top of his lungs. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU, ALANA! HOW COULD YOU BE PREGNANT?!” his father yelled.
“What’s going on?” Josh asked when he reached the living room, where he saw his mother and sister crying while his dad was fuming.
“This is not your problem! Go back to your room, now!” his father screamed at him. Josh knew not to test his dad’s temper in these situations. So, he pretended to go back to his room but stayed close enough to hear their conversation.
“Michael, that was harsh. Josh has nothing to do with this,” his mother said through tears.
“That doesn’t matter right now, Jolene. What matters is that Alana is pregnant at 18 YEARS OLD!” his father bellowed again.
“Dad, I’m so sorry! I thought we were careful. It was an accident!” Alana wailed.
“Alana. This is such a stupid mistake. What’s going to happen now? You’re the smartest student in your class. What about your future?” their mother said.
“I don’t know, Mom. It’s all a shock to me too,” Alana said softly.
“She is not going to waste her future raising an idiot’s kid. Where’s your boyfriend? What did he have to say?” Michael asked.
“He dumped me. He wants nothing to do with this,” Alana answered while drying her tears. Josh was shocked too. He couldn’t believe her sister’s boyfriend would be so irresponsible.
Josh might be just 14 years old, but he knew that he would step up for his baby if something like that happened.
“That’s fine. You’re going to get rid of this thing as soon as possible, and no one has to know,” their father concluded.
“No! I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” Alana pleaded.
“Honey, think about this clearly. You can’t raise a baby. You’re too young. You won’t be able to enjoy your youth or go to college. It’ll ruin your life,” their mother said calmly.
Mom, you taught that babies are blessings,” Alana pointed out.
“Only after you’re married and way older. Now, it’s just a burden. You can’t possibly support him. So, all the responsibility falls to your father and me. That’s not fair after everything we’ve done for you,” Josh heard his mother say.
“I will give you a few days to think about this clearly, Alana. I will not have a baby in this house. You have to get rid of it quickly and get back on track,” their father said and left the house.
“Honey. Please, think about this hard. That baby would grow up without a father. You would be a single mother. It’s just not the future we imagined you having,” their mother said and walked to her room.
For the following days, all they did was fight over this pregnancy. Alana cried every single time, and their father wouldn’t budge. Josh was a bit disappointed that their mother wasn’t taking his sister’s side sometimes. She fully supported their father and wanted to get rid of the baby too.
But Alana decided after a few days. She was going to keep this baby. After telling their parents, they had the biggest fight so far. Josh couldn’t take staying on the sidelines anymore.
“I’ll help her with the baby!” he told them. They all looked at him like a crazy person.
“Honey, go back to your room. This is none of your concern,” his mother said
“Yes. It’s my concern. We’re family. Alana, I will become the best father figure for your baby,” Josh continued. Alana didn’t know what to say.
“STOP THIS NONSENSE! Alana, you will get rid of that baby, or you’re out of this house!” their father bellowed.
Fine!” Alana yelled and went to her room. Josh followed her and saw her packing.
“If you’re leaving, I’m leaving too,” he told her.
“No, Josh. You’re still young. I don’t know where I’ll go. You can’t,” Alana said as she kept filling up her bags.
“Yes, I can. You can’t stop me. I’m packing now, too,” Josh said and went to his room. He went to the living room where his parents and Alana had their last fight.
Alana, please reconsider. Where would you go?” their mother said.
“Let her go, Jolene. She’ll see reason after a few days on the streets,” their father said. Then, they spotted Josh with his bag.
“Where do you think you’re going?” their mother asked.
“I’m going with her, and you can’t stop me. Let’s go, Alana,” Josh said and grabbed his big sister’s arm to get her out of the house.
“You can’t leave! You’re a minor! I won’t allow it! Michael, do something!” their mother yelled.
“Let him go too, Jolene. They’ll be back,” their father said smugly and seemingly unconcerned.
But Alana and Josh didn’t return to their parents’ house. They spent a few days on the streets until the owner of a local bakery took pity on the young boy. Mrs. Frick offered him a part-time job and a small room in the basement with a half-bathroom.
There was only room for a small, old twin bed where Alana slept. Meanwhile, Josh took some old clothes and slept on the floor. It was not ideal, but it was better than out there.
Going to school and working was not easy for Josh. He also didn’t have a proper shower, and most of his clothes were rumpled, but they would make it together. He would not leave his sister alone in this.
The bakery owner let them both work part-time and helped Alana sign up for government aid, which is available for pregnant women in need. Eventually, they saved up enough money to rent a very cheap place.
It was not ideal but a huge improvement. All Josh’s money went to their expenses, especially the baby. A few months later, she had a baby boy called Mark, and Josh loved him like a father. Meanwhile, Mrs. Frick became like a grandmother to the baby.
She offered to babysit often and helped Alana enroll in the local community college. After a few years, Josh graduated high school, and Alana had gotten a degree. They were doing much better now but had not communicated with their parents since they left home.
It wasn’t until Mark’s 5th birthday party that they suddenly showed up at the door. They tried to apologize and wanted to meet their grandson. Luckily, Mark was playing with his friends and didn’t notice who was at the door.
Alana didn’t let them come into the house, even after their apologies. “He’s not your grandson. You made that clear long ago,” she told them and closed the door in their faces.
What can we learn from this story?
1. Apologize before it’s too late. These parents refused to support their daughter when she was most vulnerable and lost their family in the end.
2. Only you can choose what to do with your body. All choices are tough, especially with pregnancies. But they are YOUR choices to make.
