Letter 9 - Beatrice Simms

This is the ninth story of the book.

My name is Beatrice Simms. I am a nineteen-year-old Caucasian girl from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I lived there in a green three-bedroom house in King Field with my parents and younger sister. My mother Dottie Simms worked as a waitress at a restaurant on Nicollete Avenue while my father Abraham Simms worked as a city bus driver. At the Eastern King Field school where I attended class, I would spend as much time with my boyfriend Caucasian Michael Crum. Ever since I was fourteen, I have been dating Michael. At home, my parents gave me as much advice about my relationship with Michael on how I should live it in a healthy manner.
            One day at school, during lunch, I sat at the table with Michael. After he finished his bite, Michael said, “Say babe.” “Yes Michael.” I spoke. “Well, it's been four years, and we haven't...really done anything together. If you know what I mean.” Michael said. “What do you mean Michael?” I spoke. The thought of sleeping with me was so ingrained in his mind, Michael talked to me in such a way I gave into what he said. “Haven't you ever thought about finally losing your virginity Beatrice?” Michael said. “Yes, Michael I have. We have been together all this time, and you have been so good to me. I'd love to do it, but we need to find somewhere we can do this.” I spoke. For the remainder of lunch, Michael and I talked about a time when we could be alone together. I knew that my parents were leaving for a two-week vacation next Saturday. So, I figured that I could use that as my chance to let Michael make his move with me.
           After days of anticipation, the day for my parents’ trip finally arrived. As Dad packed luggage into their taxicab, Mom hugged me and my younger sister Mariam. “Well goodbye my little girls. I love you.” said Mom said. “Mom, I am not a little girl anymore.” I spoke. “Yeah Mom.” Mariam said. “Oh, come on you two will always be my little girls no matter how old you get.” Mom said. Dad smiled as he heard everything that was said. After finishing packing up all the bags into the cab, Dad said, “Okay I'm done honey.” “Oh, okay dear.” Mom said as she ran into the cab. “Bye Beatrice you take care of your sister. Okay. We love you.” Dad said as the cab driver drove away. As we watched the cab drive away from the house, I thought about putting my plan with Michael into motion.
           Within a matter of seconds of watching the cab drive away, Mariam and I went back into the house to watch television in the living room. As I was enjoying the viewing of my show, I received a text on my phone from Michael saying: “So what time should I come over?” I smiled brightly as I received Michael's message making my reply with: “Come over at ten and please make sure to do it each night too even on Saturday and Sunday.” Michael replied with: “Good I will see you at ten o clock tonight. I'll sneak in by climbing the wall ladder to your room.” Later at ten o clock at night, while Mariam slept soundly in her bedroom, I sneakily led Michael into the house. “I'm so glad you finally came.” I said in an exceptionally low tone. “Yeah, I am too.” Michael said in a deep whisper. I quietly laid Michael on my bed. “So, are you sure you want to do this?” I spoke. “Yes, I am. I really want to do this babe.” Michael said. Three hours later, Michael and I lay next to each other completely naked. “Wow Michael I have no other way to describe how good that was.” I spoke. “Yeah, it sure was.” Michael said with a smile on his face. For the remainder of those two weeks my parents being away, I slept with Michael every single night. To hide what I had done, in the beginning of the next morning I had Michael quickly get dressed to leave so I could take a quick shower in the bathroom. We believed that the love we had for each other flourished through what we were doing behind the backs of our parents.
          Four months have passed ever since I have been sexually active with Michael. Through all of that, I got pregnant. Because I didn't want to hide it anymore, I decided to tell my parents about my pregnancy. One night at home as everyone was enjoying dinner, I said, “Mom. Dad.” “Yes Bea.” Dad said. “There's something I need to tell you.” I said as my fingers clenched tightly onto my fork trying desperately not to drop it. “Okay what is it you need tell us?” Mom said. “I...am pregnant.” I spoke. Both Mom and Dad stood up and said, “What?!!” “I'm so sorry.” I said as I began to cry. “How did that happen?” Dad said. “Remember when you went to that vacation trip for two weeks?” I spoke. “Yeah.” Mom said. “Well, I snuck Michael into the house, and we done it while Mariam was asleep and have been ever since.” I spoke. “What?!!! You had sex with that boy in our house?!!!” Mom said. “Yes mom. I need your help. I don’t know what to do.” I spoke. Abraham sighed and said, “Okay here's what we're going to do. We're going to have a group talk with Michael and his parents about what we're going to do with this baby.” “Okay Dad. I'm so sorry again for this.” I said as I wiped my face with my hand. Out of the tough love Mom and Dad had for me, they both hugged me tightly. Mariam joined in the family embrace. I sniffled my nose and hoped that I would figure out what to do in the dilemma that I brought onto myself.
           A few days later, Dad called Michael and his parents to meet at our house to talk about the baby. “Okay I am sure that we all know by now that my lovely daughter Beatrice here is now pregnant.” Dad said. “Yeah. Michael told my wife and me about it as well. We really need to talk about what we're going to do about this baby.” said Michael's father, Allen Crum. For the next hour, our parents concurred until they finally got to a conclusive decision. “Okay so we're all agreed we will help buy everything that the baby needs and will spend time at our houses bi-weekly.” Dad said. Everyone else in the room looked at Dad and said, “Agreed!!” So, they all shook hands in agreement. Michael and I smiled knowing that both of their families agreed to support the baby for us to be able to have the opportunity to continue going to school.
         Two months later, as I carefully walked up the stairways at school to get to my next class rubbing my stomach, I was stopped by a Caucasian girl who was not only the same age as me but and also pregnant. “Um can I help you?” I spoke. “Sure, you can. My name is Annabelle Godrey and I'd been wanting to show you this.” Annabelle said as she showed me her phone playing a video of me messing with Michael in the gym closet. As I saw that video I immediately tried to grab onto Annabelle's phone, but she walked away and said, “I don’t think so.” “Erase that video now!!” I spoke. “Do you really think I'm just going to do that? I'll only do it if you do something for me.” Annabelle said. I calmly relaxed and said, “Okay what do you want?” “I want you to break up with Michael or else I will share the video on the school's website.” Annabelle said. “What?!! Why?!!!” Beatrice said. Annabelle did all she could not to show the frustration she had at Michael which made her say: “Because I am pregnant by Michael too. I want him to experience suffering, and I will do that by making you break up with him.” “What?!!! You're pregnant by my boyfriend too?!!! How can this be?!!!” I spoke. “Being with two girls at the same time is not impossible.” Annabelle said. As I heard what Annabelle said I went into a deep thought process about what choice I was going to make. Would I leave my boyfriend to not let the school know about my sex life with Michael at the gym or stay with him for it to be posted all over the school? Within a matter of seconds of thinking, I made my decision. “Okay I have made my choice. I'm staying with Michael. I don't care about being emotionally strained by the other kids. All I want is Michael to be there for me and my baby.” I spoke. Annabelle, on the other hand, looked at the stair well and noticed that no one was around to witness anything making her say, “Okay then. I tried helping you out. I really don't want to do this, but you have made me resort to it.” And with that, Annabelle pushed me down the stairs. I screamed for my life as I fell and landed at the bottom of the stairwell right onto my baby bump. As I fell down the stairs, Annabelle walked away leaving the scene. Later that day, out of a miracle, I woke up in a hospital bed. “Huh, where am I?” I spoke. “Easy little girl. You took a nasty fall that nearly ended your life.” said the observing doctor. “Never mind that. My baby. What about my baby?” I spoke. “Well...I am sorry to say this, but we lost the baby as we tried to save you.”  The doctor said. As I heard what the doctor said, I immediately made a serious expression of sadness, frustration, worry and anger and began to cry heavily over the loss of my unborn child. Because I didn't want to lose the support I was getting for this miraculous experience of life, I thought about a way for it to keep happening as my family rushed in to embrace me tightly.  
              Now at the suffering of the loss of my child, I went on my laptop in my bedroom at home to search for ways to fake the pregnancy. My desperate search led me to a website that gave me all the fake information needed to continue to make the pregnancy continue to be real. I contacted them and fortunately for me they emailed everything I needed. I printed them and saved those pictures on my computer. I also went to various fund-raising websites and used that very information to create profiles for people to give money to support me. I allowed the attention I was getting online as well as the money to make me continue to live the lie. I couldn't understand that the intensity of my lies was growing with each passing second.
          Seven more months had passed since I made my fake pregnancy postings. I believed that everything looked up as I made more money with each passing second from people all over the world who felt bad for me until one day. My parents decided to have a private conversation with me in the living room. “Beatrice we're only having this talk right now because we love you. What have you been doing on your computer?” Dad said. “What do you mean Dad?” I spoke. “Bea. You do know what we mean. We notice that you have been getting large sums of money transferred into your bank account. We want to know where that money came from. No way it’s from your after-school job.” Mom said as she showed me my latest bank statement. “It’s from...” I spoke. “If you’re not going to tell us then we will. We know it’s from a fundraising website. Why are you using that to just get money for yourself?” Dad said. I did all I could to think carefully about what I should say. “Come on Beatrice. Just tell us the truth. We won't get mad. We won't yell at you. Just tell us the truth.” Mom said. “Okay...The truth is I felt very ashamed in losing the support I was getting for my baby, so I made lies about still being pregnant. I got the money from those lies.” I spoke. As Mom and Dad heard what I said they both replied with, “What?!!” “I am sorry.” I said as I showed my parents the fake ultrasound and sonogram pictures that were in my bag and put them on the table. “What are these?” Mom said. “It's all stuff that helped make my pregnancy fake Mom.” I said as I began to shed a few tears. “How could you live this lie? Do you have any idea how many people online that you scammed with this? Do you have any idea about the shame that you brought upon us? Do you?” Dad said with a frustrated face. “I don't know Dad.” I said as I continued to cry. “Beatrice, losing a child is one of the toughest things to live with but what makes it worse is making a lie about a pregnancy that was terminated. Earning money with a lie is just the topping of it all. You need to learn to tell the truth even if you must fight for it.” Mom said. Mom and Dad decided to forgive me for lying about the money. Unfortunately for me, news about my scam was spread all over the internet. With that bad publicity, I was arrested. When the officer came, my parents told him everything about what I had done so they took me away into the police car. A couple of days later, my case was brought to court. The judge decided to sentence me to a year in jail for what I did. “Hopefully this will help you learn your lesson sweetheart.” Mom said. “I will learn my lesson, Mom. Promise.” I said as the bailiff put the handcuffs on me and took me away. “We love you.” said Mom, Dad, and Mariam as they hugged me. A year later while being in jail, I learned the hard way to always tell the truth even in the darkest of time.