B. CRAIG GRAFTON - SHE GOT HIM PREGNANT

Author is a retired attorney who started writing stories for something to do in his rusting years. He has had seventy some published in online magazines, including this one, and a half dozen or so in book anthologies. He may be reached at [email protected]. ​

She Got Him Pregnant
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   By God she was going to get him to marry her this time. So what if he had broken off their previous engagement and humiliated and embarrassed her in front of the whole town, she’d get him this time that’s for sure. Her mind was set on it and when her mind was set on something there was no stopping her. She’d get her hooks into him but good. Twenty three, almost twenty four, she had to act now or she’d end up an old maid spinster the rest of her life. She couldn’t let that happen. That would be even more embarrassing than him calling off their engagement. Her biological clock was ticking and her shelf life as a prospective wife was about to expire too.  Besides he was a good catch as they say, too good a man to pass up even if he had embarrassed her so. She’d just overlook all that and go on as if nothing had ever happened.
   So she had her friend Liza arrange for them to have secret trysts, rendezvous, or whatever romantic term one wants to put on them at Liza’s house. But they were really nothing more than unchaperoned meetings or encounters for her to get into his wiring and rewire him. To turn him on so to speak. Besides she’d be doing him a favor marrying him she rationalized. He was ten years older than her and it was about time he settled down and raised a family. After all he certainly certainly afford one.
   Oh, she knew he was quite smart, a self educated man. He made quite a good living and would be able to keep her accustomed to the lifestyle she was used to. Be able to support her and a couple of kids. She was the smart one though. She had a college degree. He didn’t. Degree or not it made no difference to her anyway when it came to do what she had to do. For once she got his hormones to kick in there would be no stopping him. Animal lust always trumped intelligent rational thinking every time. No sexually roused up man could stop on the spot and walk away for his animal urges once nature took its course. She was banking on that.
   Oh, she knew that he had been engaged to some other woman before he met her and that he had broken off that engagement too. Broke it off publicly just like he did to her, but so what. This time it was no more Miss Nice Prissy Girl. She’d  used sex. Guys like sex. Anyway that was a woman’s prerogative now wasn’t it? To use sex that is to trap a man. A lot of women nowadays were pregnant when they went down the aisle. And so what for all that would soon be forgotten when that cute little baby got here and everybody began oohing and aahing over it. Nobody would be doing the math then.
    So after they did it a couple of times, she told him that she might be pregnant. Being an honorable professional man her newly renewed fiance accepted his inevitable fate and like a lamb being led to the slaughter, gave up his bachelorhood and laid  down his head on the chopping block of marriage.
    And the day she announced to everyone that they were going to be married, they were, that very day.
    Nine months later from the date of their marriage, November 4th,  their son was born. Two more sons were born to them. The marriage was a success. Her husband was a success and she stayed with him right to the very end, the very ever so tragic end. The end coming on April 15, 1865. 

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