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Ziggy cleared the last of the turkey off her plate and took out her phone so that she could talk to Alicia and Carter. “This dinner is delicious,” she commented with her voice app.
“Thank you,” they both said in unison.
Ziggy eyed her cousin who seemed completely focused on the food in front of her. The mood had been quiet and somewhat sullen since she had gotten home, and Ziggy knew that something was up. Neither Carter nor Alicia had been talkative, and Alicia’s usually peppy attitude was clouded by an unspoken tension.
“So, what’s up?” Ziggy’s voice app boomed, asking the question that she had been mulling over since they had begun eating.
“With what?” Carter inquired, looking at her.
“With this. With you guys,” Ziggy’s voice app said. “What are you so quiet? You said that we needed to talk. What’s going on?”
Alicia put down her fork and sighed deeply. “We have some news,” she said, carefully looking at Ziggy as she spoke.
“Yeah,” Ziggy’s voice app replied. “What is it?”
“I’m pregnant,” Alicia announced. “And Carter will be moving in to help out with the baby and the expenses.”
“Congratulations,” Ziggy’s voice app said, and she beamed them a smile. “Why aren’t you celebrating? This is good news.”
“We are very happy about the baby,” Carter replied. “But...”
“But,” Alicia interrupted. “There are only two bedrooms in this apartment, and we are going to need the other room.
“My room?” Ziggy questioned through her voice app, suddenly realizing where the tension in the conversation was coming from.
“Yes, your room,” Alicia replied, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m so sorry to do this to you, Ziggy, but I don’t have any other choice. We can’t afford a bigger place, and we need a room for the baby.”
“I understand,” Ziggy said with her voice app.
“We didn’t plan this,” Carter replied, an empathetic look on his face. “I’m sorry, Zigs. I know that you don’t have anywhere else to go, but we do have an idea on how to help you out.”
“What’s that?” Ziggy asked through her voice app, knowing that there was no way that she could afford to put a deposit down on an apartment at this point.
“We’ve been saving the rent that you have paid for the last couple of months,” Alicia explained. “That money is enough to get you a dorm room at the college and a meal plan, and if you pick up a few more hours at your job, you should be able to afford extra food or other necessities.”
“I appreciate that you did that,” Ziggy said through her voice app. “You could have just kicked me out and let me figure it out.”
“I wouldn’t have done that,” Alicia said. “You’ve already had it pretty rough. I’m not trying to make things harder for you. I even called the school and paid for the dorm and meal plan today, so you should be able to walk in, and everything should be ready for you.”
“How did you do that?” Ziggy asked through her voice app. “The dorms have been full since the first week.”
“They had a couple of students drop their classes,” Alicia said. “And there was one room open when I called.”
“Wow,” Ziggy commented through her voice app. “I appreciate that. I was wondering how I was going to get a room. I’m glad they opened one up.”
“I got you,” Alicia smiled. “And Carter has been working extra hours to make up for your half of the rent.”
“So, you guys knew about this for a while?” Ziggy inquired through her voice app. “Why didn’t you tell me when you found out that you were pregnant?”
“We were trying to keep everything the way it was,” Carter answered. “We had originally thought that we’d be able to get a bigger place with all three of our paychecks, but after checking out daycare prices, we had decided it best for Alicia to stay home to care for our little one, and without her check, it wasn’t doable.”
“I see,” Ziggy said through her voice app. She was sad that she had to leave the place that she had called home for the last few months. She had grown so close to Alicia in that time, and she knew that it would be odd not to have her around. She knew that Alicia had done more for her than any of her other family members had, and she was very thankful that the other woman had stepped up. “Well, I suppose that I should start packing. I will leave for the dorms tomorrow,” Ziggy said through her voice app. She stood up and left the table, plate in hand and determined not to cry. Ziggy put her empty plate in the sink and turned to go to her room. Alicia had done so much for her, and it was time that she did something in return. She was growing up, and both of their lives were changing, and it was time that she took her own steps towards independence.