Kimorri and Stephen

a Be A Man short story

	Spring painted the small suburban town of Wake Forest in brilliant hues, weaving golden sunlight through fresh blossoms that swayed in the warming breeze. Though the calendar had declared the arrival of the season in March, it was April and May that truly whispered its presence—when children spilled into the streets, laughter echoing through backyards as they chase fireflies and the scent of pine needles clung to the air like unspoken promises of renewal.
	Yet, for Kimorri, sixteen and still finding herself in the world, the season’s warmth did little to soothe the cold weight settling in her chest. In the quiet cocoon of her bedroom, late into the night, she sat curled against her pillow, staring at the ceiling with a mind that refused to rest. Something was different. Something was changing. And unlike the blossoming flowers outside her window, the transformation she felt carried more uncertainty than beauty.
	It had been three months since her encounter with her beloved boyfriend, Stephen, in the backseat of his Camaro.  It had also been three months since she had had a menstrual cycle.  Although the two had been active for several months before their encounter, it was the first time neither of them had the protection they so needed.  A cold February night, the two sat in the senior parking lot of their high school in Stephen’s car during a basketball game.  While three of Stephen’s sisters played basketball on the high school courts, Stephen played his own version of basketball with Kimorri that night.
	After all that, Kimorri always wondered what was next for her.  Sitting in the bathroom she shared with two of her sisters, she didn’t know what to do.  Staring at a pregnancy test that showed a positive result, Kimorri sat speechlessly.  She’d figured for about a month she may have been pregnant, but she had also had irregular cycles for years.  Her oldest sister, Kimecca, had recently graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture.  Kimecca was much older than her younger three sisters and served as a motherly figure for them.  After thirty minutes in the bathroom staring at the pregnancy test, Kimorri strategically wrapped the test in toilet paper and buried it in the trash can in the bathroom.  She quickly exited the bathroom to call her sister before realizing the time was eleven o’clock at night.
	This young woman sat brokenhearted in her room because she proclaimed herself the black sheep of the family.  Kimecca was the oldest and took care of her younger three siblings while their parents worked full-time jobs.  Her second oldest sister was doing well as a student in college in nearby Greenville, North Carolina.  Kimorri and her sisters called the second oldest, the smart one.  As the third child, Kimorri simply stood in the way of her parents.  It all began the previous year with her dating outside her race.  It landed her in a bit of hot water with her family. Following her announcement, she started dating her friend’s older brother, Stephen.
	Stephen was black, while Kimorri was white.  In actuality, Stephen’s father was black and his mother was half-black, half-white.  Kimorri’s mother was of Irish ancestry, while her father was Jewish.  The fact that she considered her upbringing not of one race and figured that would be okay to date someone of a different skin color.  Despite the heat generated from her family’s disapproval, Kimorri and Stephen’s relationship continued to grow.  Like most relationships in high school, the two remained inseparable until they argued.  A mood swing from the often moody Kimorri caused an argument between the two just a week after Stephen took her to the senior prom.
	Stephen thought nothing of the argument, as he had a lot of things going on in his life.  After all, Stephen was in the middle of the state playoffs for baseball, where he had the opportunity to help his high school win its third straight baseball state title.  Voted most athletic and most popular, Stephen had few worries in his world other than his five sisters.  His chief priority was to get himself in a position to get to college and eventually into pro baseball.  A secured scholarship to Georgia Tech in the fall, a phat ride, and a girlfriend on his arms took his attention away from having to deal with the five sisters.
	Kimorri understood Stephen had everything to look forward to with his baseball scholarship.  She feared a pregnancy announcement would affect their relationship and her relationship with her family.  Unable to sleep all night, Kimorri took her secret with her to school the next day.  As she walked to school with her younger sister, Kimberly, and a slew of friends, Kimorri was distant from everyone.  The sophomore grew even more distant from her classmates in school as well.  Tired and lost, Kimorri limped through her day like a car with a flat tire, trying to make it to the next exit on the freeway.  Once the school day of school concluded, she walked home with Kimberly and Stephen’s younger sisters, the twins.
	She had gotten through her entire day speaking less than one hundred words.  While she walked with Kimberly and the twins, Kimorri learned one of the twin’s new boyfriend was coming to town.  Although she heard it, it didn’t matter to her.  For Kimorri, if she didn’t get her secret out, she’d explode.  Once she and her sister entered their family home, Kimorri couldn’t bear to hold it in any longer.  “I’m pregnant!”  Kimorri shouted after closing the front door to their home.  Kimberly could barely sit her pink canvas backpack on the couch before Kimorri’s announcement.
	“Kimorri, really?”  Kimberly asked while turning towards her sister.  Kimberly looked into her sister’s eyes, behind her frameless glasses, with her bright brown eyes.  Of the four Hart sisters, Kimorri looked the most like their father’s side of the family.  With black hair and brown eyes, Kimorri wore glasses like her older sisters and mother.  The announcement not only unleashed the pressure pulsating through her mind, but it also dropped an atomic-like bomb in her younger sister’s world.
	“Yeah, I took a test last night.  It’s confirmed,” Kimorri said while the much shorter Kimberly walked over to her sister.  Kimberly was barely five feet tall and upon hearing the news Kimorri told her, she was overcome with emotions.  “I’ve had my suspicions about it for a month now, but it’s confirmed.”
	“Who else knows?”  Kimberly asked, while embracing her sister in a tight hug.
	“Kimberly Hart,” Kimorri quickly answered.
	“Wait.  You haven’t told Stephen?”  Kimberly asked as she relinquished her hold on her sister.
	“I just found out last night,” Kimorri said while moving towards the couch in the living room to sit down.  “I haven’t had the chance because I didn’t know who to tell or how to say it.”
	“You just said it,” Kimberly replied.  “Kimorri, you’ve got so much going well for you.  You and Stephen can’t have a baby now.  You’re a straight-A student.”
	“But according to you, Rachelle, and Phoebe, I’m a whore,” Kimorri said while referring to a joking conversation the girls had months prior with their friends.  Rachelle, Kimberly’s best friend and a younger sister to Stephen, while Phoebe was a friend of the girls who went to school with them all.  Kimorri understood the girls joked that night, but she was also one to prove a point.
	“We were just joking with you,” Kimberly said after sitting in a seat near her sister.  “You’re not a whore.  You know that.”
	“Comparing me to Christy is like calling me just that,” Kimorri said, speaking of another friend of the teen’s crew of girls.  Christy was the more promiscuous one of the group.  She would claim at least fifteen different sexual partners before her junior year of high school.
	“You need to go see bubbe so she can check you out and make sure,” Kimberly said, speaking of the girl’s grandmother who was a practicing obstetrician.
	“Whatever I do next, I know I need to tell Stephen,” Kimorri said.
	With the baseball season nearly over, Stephen surprised Kimorri by coming to see her after school, following the cancellation of practice.  While the sisters talked amongst themselves, Stephen rang the doorbell as he arrived at the girls’ home alone.  Once Kimorri opened the door, a smiling Stephen saw a dejected Kimorri standing before him.  Usually a vibrant soul, Kimorri wasn’t the summer sparkler burning in the calm night behind her, as she had always been.  To see Kimorri looking like a cold rainstorm that has lasted three days, Stephen recognized something was wrong.  Before the two lovebirds greeted one another with words, Stephen held his beloved in a comforting embrace.
	The two went to the bedroom Kimorri and Kimberly formerly shared before their second oldest sister moved out.  Stephen’s intentions were focused on another physical encounter, whereas Kimorri needed to talk to Stephen.  While Stephen aggressively moved in on disrobing Kimorri, she stopped him before things could reach a point of no return.  “Hey, girl, what’s the matter?”  A shirtless Stephen asked.  Standing at six feet three inches tall, he towered over the five-eight Kimorri.  His chiseled arms and chest were always a weakness to Kimorri for years.  She vividly recalls the first time she became interested in boys when she saw Stephen with his shirt off at the pool over five years prior.
	“I’ve got something to talk to you about that’s going to change our lives,” Kimorri said while turning away from Stephen.
	“Kimorri, what’s the problem?  Your parents will be home in an hour,” Stephen said as he attempted to restart their intimate encounter.
	“I’m pregnant!”  Kimorri blurted out.
	Stephen paused and said, “Yeah, very funny.  Let’s knock one out before the doctor and your dad get home.”
	“I’m serious, Stephen.  You got me pregnant,” Kimorri said.
	“That’s impossible.  We use rubbers every time,” Stephen said.
	“Except that one time at the basketball game in your car,” Kimorri reminded him.
	“That makes no sense.  You can’t be pregnant because of that,” Stephen said.
	“Stephen, I haven’t seen my period for three months.  I took a test last night.  I’m pregnant,” Kimorri said.
	“Are you sure I’m the father?”  Stephen asked.
	“Kiss my ass, Stephen!  You know you’re the only guy I’ve ever been with!”  An angry Kimorri yelled.  The anger of the fiery teen erupted, following Stephen’s repeated denials like a volcano spewing molten lava.  Kimorri shoved Stephen so hard that he stumbled back into her desk.  As she walked in a pool of her anger, Kimorri swiftly marched to her bedroom door and opened it, despite her not having a shirt covering herself.  “Get out!”
	“Kimorri, relax.  I was only joking around,” Stephen said after gathering himself and walking to Kimorri so he could close the door she opened.
	“Stephen, I’m sixteen.  I want to go to college.  I want the best for me.  I want the best for you.  I want the best for all of us.  I can’t have a baby right now.”
	“Listen, it’s going to be okay.  We’ll figure this thing out,” Stephen said as he led Kimorri over to her bed.  “I’m sorry this happened, but I can assure you, everything is going to be okay.”
	“How?”
	“I’m about to start the first steps to my pro baseball career.  My dad says that after a couple of years at GT, I’ll be a top-three round draft pick and will be in the majors before I’m twenty-four.  Everything will be fine.”
	“Stephen, honey, you are eighteen.  That’s six years away.  What the hell are we going to do now?  I know Mr. Russell has taught you about having five and ten-year plans, but a baby needs a right now plan,” Kimorri calmly explained.
	“Well, what do you want to do?  Do you want to keep the baby?”
	“Stephen, what type of question is that?  I’m half Catholic and half Jewish.  We take care of our own.”
	“Okay. Well, what do you want me to do?”
	“Be there for me when I tell my parents.”
	“Yeah, that’s a no brainer.  You have to do the same for me when I tell my folks.  The only problem we’re going to have is the fact your father is going to flip out again after realizing his grandchild will be considered black in all of his social circles.”
	“Stephen, not important right now.”
	“Okay.  Do you want me to go to Georgia for school in the fall?”
	“You’re going to school, but you owe me after I have this baby.”
	“What will I owe you?”
	“No matter where we go with our relationship, I need you to make sure I go to college.  Whatever it takes,” Kimorri said.
	“Are you doubting our relationship?  Do you not love me?”  Stephen asked.
	“Yes, I love you, but people grow apart all the time.  That’s not my plan at all.  Still, if we grow apart, I want you to be successful at all costs for our child’s sake.  I just need you to promise me I’m given the opportunity to get my college degree.  Whatever it takes,” Kimorri said.
	“I can agree with that.  I’ll put that in our ten-year plan,” Stephen said before kissing Kimorri with passion.
	After having their fun, Stephen and Kimorri retired to the living room where Kimberly sat watching music videos on tv.  Stephen and Kimorri made their announcement to her parents when they both arrived home from work that evening.  While the conversation was unique, Kimorri’s parents appreciated the united front Kimorri and Stephen displayed.  While Kimorri’s parents listened, there were no ill feelings displayed while the two teens explained their plans, but it was obvious the two did not know what was next.
	Adjourning from their meeting with Kimorri’s parents, Stephen and Kimorri agreed to tell his parents later that evening following dinner.  Once Stephen left, Kimberly revealed to Kimorri she would meet up with the twins.  Having been friends with Rachelle and Brielle since Kimberly was in kindergarten, Kimberly and Kimorri had been mostly inseparable from the two ever since.  What Kimorri had not known was the fact that Rachelle had a new boyfriend.
	In Kimorri’s opinion, Rachelle had been the prettiest girl she had known that had little interest in dating.  After finding out the guy she thought was her boyfriend wasn’t, Kimorri told Stephen she thought Rachelle may have been a lesbian.  Once hearing Rachelle had been on a long-distance relationship with a guy in Henderson, Kimorri talked her into surprising her new boyfriend by showing up at his house.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t home, which prompted everyone to say Rachelle’s boyfriend was fictitious.
	Rachelle’s identical twin was much smaller than she was developmentally.  While Rachelle was fix-ten, Brielle was shorter than Kimorri.  According to Kimorri, Rachelle’s cup size was a D versus Brielle being just large enough to fill a B.  Brielle had a hand in being a matchmaker for all the girls in the neighborhood.  Phoebe’s first boyfriend was Brielle’s first boyfriend, but Brielle told him he should date Phoebe since the two were interested in the same music and tv shows.  Brielle’s newest boyfriend was also the cousin of Rachelle’s newest boyfriend.  She and her beaux introduced Rachelle to me via phone following a chance meeting the summer prior.  Brielle also told Kimorri that Stephen thought she was cute unbeknownst to him.  He had overheard a conversation Stephen had with a friend of his.
	
	Kimberly and Kimorri eventually met with their friends right in front of their home, not long after Stephen left.  The twins stood together with their boyfriends and younger sisters.  Brielle had been going steady with my cousin for several months before this date, but at this moment, he hadn’t given me all the details of their relationship.  Rachelle and I drew close to enjoy our first kiss before Kimberly interrupted us.
	After being introduced to Kimberly and Kimorri for the first time, I remember the conversation going directly to Kimorri being pregnant.  Although my attention was drawn to Rachelle, Kimorri was focused on what was next for her.  The fact she had something growing inside her meant her life was going to change drastically.  After an altercation we had with Rachelle’s former pursuer, Kimorri retired back to Rachelle’s bedroom with her sister and the twins.
	All excited about how I defended her honor and protected her and the other girls from the Brotherhood, Rachelle boasted about me to her friends before Kimorri brought them back down to earth.  “Girls, I’m screwed.  What am I going to do with a baby?”  Kimorri asked.
	“Kimorri, it’s going to be just fine.  You have three of the baby’s aunts sitting right here,” Brielle said.  “I’ll be more concerned about how long it’ll take your father to realize your child will be a melting pot of races and religion from all over.”
	“Stephen and I talked about that earlier.  I’m not concerned about that.  I’m concerned about how I’m going to feed my child,” Kimorri said.
	“Your mother is a doctor.  Your father is an executive for a company.  You should have to worry about feeding your child.  Besides, my parents own a bunch of retail stores in the area,” Rachelle told Kimorri.  “Like Brie said, you’ve got three aunties here, plus two more upstairs and three more floating around wherever they are right now.  I’m sure at minimum the wonder twins can combine our powers to make it happen.”
	“Rachelle, I’m not a wonder twin.  Never say that about me,” Brielle said.
	“Kimorri, I’m aware you are worried, but we are here for you.  Mom and Dad will be there for you.  Ms. Amanda and Mr. Russell will be there for our child.  The only person I think won’t be there for you and the baby is Stephen,” Kimberly said.
	“Steve told you he’s still going to Atlanta?”  Brielle asked.
	“It’s too late for him to figure something else out, Brie.  He’ll have to figure out which baseball team he could play for,” Rachelle said.
	“Guys, stay quiet about this.  Your parents should be home anytime now,” Kimorri said.  “Stephen and I would like to tell them about our situation.”
	“You’re right.  Mom has the super hearing power,” Rachelle replied before the girls all got quiet.
	Seconds later, Stephen and I entered the room after spending some time in the basement of the Arlene house with the other guys.  Although it was my first-time meeting Stephen, he was very impressionable.  After finding out his girlfriend was pregnant, Stephen was unfazed.  In fact, he treated the day like a man taking life in the face.  When his mother walked into the house, he was playing everything as business as usual.  Before his father came home, he did his best to comfort his mother before having everyone leave the house in favor of having a quiet house when his father entered.
	The fear that Russell put in his children wasn’t like fear of any other father.  Russell wasn’t a big man or a loud authoritarian.  Although, he wasn’t soft-spoken or a yeller.  Russell was the father who wanted the best for his children.  His oldest four children were exceptional students and athletes.  He molded them that way since birth.  The two words Russell’s children hated the most for him to say: I’m disappointed.  Stephen knew he would say that, but he wanted to ensure he didn’t hear them that night.
	After grabbing his parents and having them sit down in the kitchen, he realized he had to tell a tale to get them in the mood for this bomb he needed to drop on them.  However, before he could say anything saw right through him.  Stephen planned to sit his parents down and thank them for being the amazing parents they had always been to him, his twin sister, and the other four girls they had as well.  While he would explain all of this, he would have Kimorri enter the room and they would collectively reveal their big news.
	As plans would go, this one was clichéd.  Russell saw right through it once Kimorri entered the room, while Stephen talked about the sacrifices both Russell and Amanda made.  Russell flat-out stopped his only son and stated the obvious.  “Kimorri’s pregnant,” Russell said.
	“Dad!  Would you let me finish?”  Stephen asked.
	“No, because I’m right.  She’s pregnant, isn’t she,” Russell said.
	“Mr. Russell, I am, but…”  Kimorri stated.
	“Boy, I should have named your ass Junior.  Why must you do everything like me?”  Russell rhetorically asked.
	“Dad, I’m sorry, but please don’t say it,” Stephen begged.
	“Say what?”  Russell asked.
	“What you always say, honey.  ‘I’m disappointed!’ You say it all the time the kids do something stupid,” Amanda said.  “Every time I hear it, I have to go to the kids later and yell at them for making you say that lame line.”
	“No, I’m not disappointed.  Not this time,” Russell said.
	“You can’t possibly be happy about it,” Stephen said.
	“No, not happy.  I’m like, whatever.  We did it to our parents, Mandy, and our mothers, at least, did it to their families.  It’s like a generational curse we can’t break,” Russell began.  “I just hope you two figure out how to take care of this child.  We’ve got your back because this child is special.  You take this opportunity to change our generational curses for the better.”
	“How do we do that?”  Kimorri asked.
	“Very simple, Kimorri.  Stephen has five sisters.  Any of them can be in the same situation you’re sitting in right now,” Amanda said.
	“You’re right, mom.  I realize I have work to do.  We wanted to let you guys know we take responsibility for our actions.  Even though you haven’t said it, I understand you’re disappointed in me.  For that, I get it,” Stephen said.
	“Well, son, don’t worry.  Any parent can be angered by the news of their child getting someone else’s child pregnant.  What good will that do?  There will be time for us to discuss how this will affect your lives, but we also have to focus on how to ensure Kimorri and the baby are okay.  Have you told your parents?”  Russell asked.
	“Yes, sir.  We told them about an hour ago,” Kimorri said.  “And honestly, they took it just as well as you two are taking it.”
	“Trust me, dear, they’re probably saying now what we’re going to be saying after you two leave here.  This isn’t something you just take.  You listen, process it, and figure it out from there,” Russell said.
	Stephen and Kimorri sat together in front of his parents, looking very bewildered.  The uncharted world ahead of them, with having a baby on the way, would be an interesting time.  Stephen and Kimorri spent the rest of the school year and summer together figuring out a plan for the addition to their lives.  What was more important for the two was the support system they had in place.  Resources and support are always important for having children.  The young couple had just that.  Stephen would go off to college in late August as planned, while Kimorri continued her life as a teenager until their daughter was born.
	Without their family’s support, the situation could have been much different.  Bringing a new life into this scary world can be a frightening experience.  Kimorri, without Stephen actively there, wasn’t left in the cold as her friends supported her.  Although Kimorri and Stephen’s relationship dissipated before their daughter was born, their friendship remained for the sake of their child.  After Stephen was drafted by Atlanta in 2000, he used a portion of his signing bonus to give to Kimorri strictly for her to go to college, even after proposing to his new girlfriend.
	In the end, teenage parenthood often presents overwhelming challenges—not just for the young parents but for the children caught in its wake. Many teen mothers face the harsh reality of having to abandon their education, limiting their ability to secure stable employment and build a future free of financial hardship. The absence of a strong educational foundation can force them into a cycle of dependency, relying on governmental assistance to bridge the gap where opportunities should have been.
	The struggles extend beyond the parents, deeply affecting the child as well. Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to arrive prematurely, with low birth weights that signal vulnerability from the very first breath. Their developmental milestones—physical, cognitive, and emotional—may lag behind, shaping the course of their lives before they even take their first steps.
	For Stephen and Kimorri, the weight of their choices settled heavily on their shoulders. Yet, instead of succumbing to the odds stacked against them, they became symbols of sacrifice—martyrs in the eyes of their friends and family. They embraced the hardships, determined to defy the statistics, proving that resilience and love could carve a different path even in the face of adversity.