Maria was surprised by the question, but she understood what was being asked and wanted to deny it.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Mrs Manson looked at her for a few seconds without saying anything at first, but she eventually decided to speak.
"Does your mother know?"
Maria understood what she meant and stopped trying to deny it.
"I think she knew before I did because when I felt weak and tired, she was the one who took me to see the doctor. Before she took me to the doctor, I vomited that morning, and that's when I became sure."
Maria explained it, and Mrs Manson listened without interrupting her.
"The doctor said I was two weeks pregnant at that time, and that's when I stopped havi-... becoming inti-... doing it with Felix."
"How long ago was that?"
"Four weeks ago."
"So you're still in your first trimester. Who else knows besides your mother?"
"Felix's grandma, and I'm not sure about Felix's mom because she doesn't live with them anymore. Maybe Grandma told her. I don't know, and I didn't ask," Maria said to Mrs Manson. Mrs Manson didn't say anything and just listened.
After Maria shared her thoughts, they kept walking slowly without saying anything.
"You know..." Mrs Manson decided to say something after thinking for a while. "When I became pregnant, I was scared too. I didn't know what to do and was scared to tell anyone, especially the father of the child. I was scared of my dad because my family are firm believers in Christianity, haha."
Mrs Manson decided to share her story with Maria, and Maria just listened.
"I hated going to church. I hated everything my parents asked me to do. I started rebelling against them instead of talking to them. I started smoking weed."
"You smoked? That's a surprise."
"Yes, I smoked, drank, and partied. I was a teenager once. Anyway, my dad found out I was smoking and drinking, so we had an argument. My dad is a Reverend in the church. I ran away from home afterwards.
That night, I met a disgusting and scary delinquent, haha. He was horrible, haha... Just remembering that is... complicated. You know what this guy said to me..."
Maria listened attentively and asked, "What did he say?"
"'Go home, bitch.' That's what he said, and I got really angry because he said it in a deep voice, trying to look tough. I shouted at him despite being afraid of him. Then he slapped me across the face and said, 'I said go home, bitch.'" Mrs Manson smiled while remembering that moment and continued after a brief pause.
"I started bothering the guy, and before I knew it, I had fallen deeply in love with him. I eventually became pregnant with his child. My mom found out I was pregnant even though I was trying to hide it. I had a talk with my parents after that, and surprisingly, my dad didn't get angry at me. I stopped seeing the baby's father while I was pregnant."
Mrs Manson became quiet and smiled at the end.
"My mom and dad were with me in the room before I went into labour. Suddenly, someone burst through the door, sweating a lot. The nurses tried to remove him from the room, and he screamed out loud, 'I'M THE CHILD'S FATHER!' Before I knew it, tears started flowing down my face while I smiled at him."
Mrs Manson smiled after saying all that.
"Mary, the message from that story was... our insecurities cloud our judgment, making us predict the worst things will happen."
Mrs Manson looked at Maria, held her hand, and said, "You have to tell him, and it needs to come from you. Sooner or later, he will find out."
"I know, Mrs Manson."
Maria didn't say anything afterwards.
Mrs Manson left shortly after, and Maria walked back home alone. She thought about what Mrs Manson had said to her on the way home.
Meanwhile, everyone was focused on their own things.
Lauren was focused on her case, which was turning into chaos.
Grandma Nora was worried about Felix all day because she couldn't reach him, and she even went to the police to file a missing person's report for her grandson.
Maria was worried about Felix and her pregnancy. She talked to her mother about the discussion she had with Mrs Manson.
Meanwhile, at Priscilla's place.
In the morning, Priscilla would bathe Felix after she finished bathing and change his bandages with Melina's help.
They moved Felix to the bedroom and started cleaning the living room.
Melina had a conversation with Priscilla about her life in general. She realised something: Priscilla is in jail, but not literally in jail.
First of all, she made a deal with a Skrull for the Skrull to take her place if she died, but Felix cured her. Varra offered to let her forget the deal she had with her when she called her once, but she rejected the offer.
Felix bought her a house to live in and gave her a fake identity so she could have something, but she chose to stay indoors. The only places she goes are the mall and supermarkets, but nowhere else after that.
She writes books mostly about everything, but mainly about mutants, heroes, and stuff like that.
Melina eventually felt jealous of her life. She has no mission, task, or schedule to work on, and no one bosses her around every other day.
Eventually, the day went by in the blink of an eye, and it was evening.
Melina and Priscilla cooked dinner and began to eat their dinner in peace.
Felix was lying in bed, and his hand twitched a little.
{-}
Felix began to wake while lying on a bed covered in bandages.
"Shit. My body is all sore. I guess I'm back to reality."
Felix opened his eyes but couldn't move his body because he wasn't fully healed.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.