Over the next several weeks, Cami slowly slipped into a daily routine. She would wake up every morning at 6:00 a.m. and make a run for the bathroom. Once she had arrived at school, she would listen to Marissa’s latest gossip and then study before class. Because of all the studying that she was doing, her grades had improved which pleased both her and her mother.
She had recently discussed with some of her teachers that she was interested in attending college so they were all forthcoming with advice. She was told to attend the college fair which was held in the gym once a semester for juniors and seniors. Many community colleges and universities would send representatives there to give students more information about the school’s academic majors, financial aid, and the enrollment process. She attended the college fair and had been doing her own research on several colleges that interested her.
After school she would study for each class, research colleges and scholarships, apply for jobs online, and read books to the baby. By 10:00 p.m. she would call it a night and then do the same thing the next day.
She had yet to break the news to her mother and Kaci about placing the baby up for adoption. She and River hadn’t spoken much since their argument. When they did speak, he would always try to convince her to keep the baby. Once he’d even asked her to go to dinner with him, but she politely declined because she knew what he was up to. He wanted her to change her mind over dinner, but it was too late for that. She had her mind made up. This baby was going to make another family very happy and that was all there was to it.
One day while looking at an old family photo album, she found herself staring at a picture of a young woman and an infant. The young woman was eighteen years old and the infant was only several days old. After graduating from high school, she got married to her high school sweetheart and attended a local university in Hattiesburg. She attended college during the day and worked as a cashier at a bookstore by night.
Almost two years later, the young woman gave birth to another child. Shortly afterwards she received her four year degree and fulfilled her dream of becoming a registered nurse. Cami knew these two people because the young woman in the picture was her mother and the infant was her. She considered her mother to be the strongest woman that she knew.
She had a substantial amount of responsibility at a young age that most young adults didn’t have to worry about. Her mother’s day would begin with her getting the family up at 5:30 a.m. She would then cook breakfast and get the kids dressed. After she had eaten breakfast, she would take the children to the babysitter’s house on her way to school and stay in class from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Then, she’d run errands before driving to her part-time job to work until 10:30 p.m. After returning home from a long, tiresome day, she would cook dinner; tuck the children into bed; and complete assignments before finally calling it a night.
Cami suddenly found herself having second thoughts about placing her baby up for adoption. Could she take care of the baby, go to school, and work part-time the same way that her mother had while she was attending college? If she put her mind to it, she knew that she could do it, but is this what she really wanted?
She could tell that something was wrong from the moment she arrived at school. No one seemed happy and full of energy. The gossipers were tightlipped, and it appeared as if a few of the girls had been crying. People were sad and upset but why? What had she missed?
She peeped inside her first class for the day but didn’t see Marissa inside. She texted her and hoped to receive a reply. Instead of texting Cami back, she called and said that she was sitting in her car.
“Guess no one’s told you,” Marissa said to her as she plopped down into the passenger’s seat.
“Told me what?” Cami inquired.
“About what happened to Tammy.”
“What happened to her?”
“She had a car accident...She lost her baby,” Marissa explained.
“She lost her baby?” Cami instantly laid her hand on her baby bump. She couldn’t imagine losing her baby. In the past few months, she had come to love the tiny human being that was growing inside of her each day.
With each passing day, she was becoming more and more attached to her unborn child. Then, the thought of adoption found its way into her mind. Would she be able to do it? Would she be able to give up the baby? What if she couldn’t go through with it? She didn’t have a job or money, and she didn’t want to put more stress on her mother than she already had. She was still applying for part-time jobs but had yet to receive any calls. However, she wasn’t about to give up because she was determined to find a job.
“Yeah.”
“Poor Tammy.”
“She’s in critical condition. She’s barely alive.”
“When did this happen?”
“Last night. I was told that Tammy had an argument with Kelly’s ex-boyfriend and someone said that she had even been drinking.”
“Drinking? Pregnant women don’t drink.”
“You’re not supposed to but a lot of people are saying that she did.”
The entire day all Cami could think about was Tammy and what her family must be going through. The previous week she had seen her at the mall shopping for clothing and toys. Despite what Tammy had done to her, she felt bad for her. She could not even fathom the idea of losing her baby. The thought of it made her sick and sent her running to the bathroom.
Chapter 19