"Well Jayden it's not much but it's ours and we're going to be happy together." She vowed pulling her son into the folds of her arms and squeezing him as tightly as she could while kissing the top of his head.
* * * * * *
"Yup…"
"It's me… Marla." She responded to his aloofness.
"What?" Marla heard the annoyance clearly in his voice yet she pushed on.
"Are you going to sign?" She asked for what was the thousandth time.
"I'm busy… I've told you already…" He snapped.
"But… You…" She nervously attempted to argue with him however she was hastily cut off.
"I've got to go…" The phone abruptly went dead. A deafening silence lingered in the air. Marla choked back her pain and flipped her cell phone off. Her long eyelashes blinked rapidly forbidding the tears that were already forming in her eyes.
"Break," she all but whispered to her coworker as she exited the store. Dejectedly Marla leaned against the side of the building of the supermarket. She was tired of fighting and school was wearing her out also. She was almost done with school and was finding it, along with work and parenthood overwhelming. That combined with Jacob still being obstinate about signing Jayden's birth certificate had her in a depressed state.
"Forget it… You can just forget about him from now on." Her aunt's word replayed heavily in her mind. "From now on this is your baby…" Aunt Shirley proclaimed while giving Marla a cold stare. Marla choked back the painful memory from when Jayden had turned one month old. She'll never forget the disgusted look on her aunt's face as she mixed her cocktail of vodka and orange juice in her cup. Aunt Shirley made her way into the living room sitting in her favorite recliner and lit up a cigarette to go with her cocktail. It seemed like Aunt Shirley words were true, however Marla was far from quitting just yet. She was sure Jacob was a decent man deep down inside. He needed a little more time she quietly reasoned despite her hurt feelings and anger.
She clinched her hands in tight fists as she attempted to control the heavy breathing that was beginning to build up inside of her. She was sure he was still having trouble dealing with the newness of being a first time father. She was fighting back her tears; she still wanted to believe in Jacob. She held down a rage that wanted to rise up inside of her. Surely Jacob had a conscience and would eventually do the right thing. He couldn't have been fooling her and if so, how come she hadn't been able to see through his lies?