Disclaimer: Ack! I didn't put a disclaimer on Family Values! Oh, well. We all know that none of the characters belong to me, please forgive this little mistake. This is what happens when you try to send things out four and five at a time. D@^^N!

Ah think mah heart stopped when Tabitha told me that she thought Ah was ashamed of her.

Oh mah love, how could you think that Ah could ever be ashamed of you? Ah so proud of you, proud to be the man that you love, proud to be the father of you child.

Ah don't know why Ah didn't tell mah momma and the rest of mah family about us havin' a baby. You know that's a lie, Sam, you know exactly why you didn't tell them, Ah think to mah self.

Ah didn't tell them because Ah was afraid. Afraid of how mah momma would react, what mah sisters and brothers would say. Ah've always been the responsible one, the one who never did anything without thinking it through.

Ah didn't want them to be ashamed of me.

Ah know what Ah have to do. Ah have to tell mah family about the babies, and take whatever they throw at me. Ah have to do whatever it takes to make Tabitha understand how much Ah love her. Neither task was going to be easy.

****

Slowly Ah dial Momma's telephone number. Ah can feel mah hands shaking, but Ah bit mah lip and dial anyway.

The phone is ringing. One, two, three�what if nobodies home?

On the fourth ring, somebody picks up.

"Hello?" A female voice asks.

"Momma?" Ah ask, swallowing hard.

"Sam! Baby, how are you?" Momma asks. Ah can hear her smiling. Ah close mah eyes and take a deep breath.

"Momma, do you remember that girl Ah told you about? Tabitha Smith?" Ah ask as steadily as Ah can.

"Yes." Momma says, her voice worried.

"Ah love her momma. And she loves me. And�we're gonna have a baby." There, Ah said it.

"A baby?" Momma repeats, her voice shocked.

"Yes ma'am. Babies, actually. Twins." Ah tell her, mah mouth dry.

"Yoah�Ah'm gonna be a grandmother?" Momma asks, her voice still shocked.

"Yes." Ah whisper.

There's dead silence on the other end of the phone. I take a deep breath and let it back out again. Suddenly, Momma spoke up again.

"Are you getting' married? And when are you bringing her home so Ah can met her?" Momma demands.

"Ah don't know when Ah can bring her home, but Ah wanna marry her." Ah tell Momma.

"Haven't you asked her yet?" Momma asks, surprised.

"Well, no." Ah respond.

"Samuel, that should have been the first question out of yoah mouth when she told you she was pregnant!" Momma reprimands me.

"Ah know, Momma. Ah know." Ah sigh softly.

"Don' you take that tone with me young man. You might be a father to be, but Ah am still you mother." Momma scolds me.

"Ah'm sorry Momma." Ah apologize.

"Now, where is Tabitha? Ah wanna speak ta her." Momma asks.

"Um, Momma, that might not be possible." Ah tell her.

"Why not?" Momma asks.

"Cause she's kinda mad at me right now." Ah explain.

"And why is that?" Momma wants to know.

"She thinks Ah'm ashamed of her." Ah mumble in a rush.

"Sam!" Momma must have heard me. "What did you do to give her that impression?"

"Ah didn't tell you about her, so now she thinks Ah'm ashamed of her. What should Ah do?" Ah say.

Ah hear Momma sigh, and then she says "Sam, Ah think your old enough to know what to do. Ah if she forgives you, call me back, cause Ah wanna talk to her."

"Okay Momma." Ah say.

"Bye, honey. Ah love you." Momma says.

"Ah love you too, Momma."

****

Ah find Tabitha crying in our room, her back to the door. Ah stop for a moment to look at her. She's so beautiful. Ah really don't deserve her.

"Tabitha?" Ah ask, sitting down beside her.

"What?" She sniffs, not looking at me.

"Ah'm so sorry." Ah begin, putting mah hand on her shoulder. She shrugs it off, still not looking at me. "Tabitha, please."

"Please what?!" Tabitha snaps, finally facing me.

"Tabitha�" Ah plead, reaching out to touch her again.

"Why didn't you tell your family?" Tabitha demands, jerking away from mah touch.

"Ah did. Just now." Ah tell her. She looks at me and takes a deep breath.

"Why did it take you so long to tell them?" Tabitha asks again.

"Because Ah didn't want them to be ashamed of me." Ah say after a long pause.

Tabitha shakes her head, and gets up off our bed. That's when Ah noticed that all her clothes and pictures are packed up.

"Are you moving back to your old room?" Ah can barely whisper. No, please, Ah beg silently.

"No. I'm going to leave the team."

If mah heart didn't stop when she told me she thought Ah was ashamed of her, it certainly did now.

"No, Tabitha, please." Ah sob, tears rolling down mah face. Ah stand up and run the few steps between us. "Tabitha, mah love, mah life, please, please don't leave me."

Ah slowly slip to mah knees and cling to her waist, still begging her not to leave me. Ah feel her little body start to shake and Ah clutch her tighter.

"Sam�I love you. I thought you loved me." Tabitha began, tipping mah face back to look at her.

"Ah do, Ah swear Ah do. Tabitha, Ah love you, Ah want you to be mah wife." Ah sob, still on mah knees.

"How do I know you really mean that Sam!? There just words!" Tabitha screams, pulling away from me. She grabs her suitcase and begins to walk toward the door.

Ah leap to mah feet and run after her, tears still rolling down mah face. "Tabitha, Ah love you so much, please stay." Ah beg her as she walks toward the car.

"I can't, Sam. I can't stay here with you, and never be sure if you love me or not." Tabitha begins to cry as she sticks her suitcase in the trunk.

"Ah do, Ah do!" Ah cry over and over again as she climbs into the car. "Tabitha!"

"Goodbye Sam." She whispers, starting the car.

"TABITHA!" Ah scream after her as she drives away. "AH LOVE YOU!"

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