The Price of Abandonment

Elias caught sight of me fiddling with my phone through the rearview mirror.

"Seriously, Renee?" His voice rose with irritation. "You're playing with your phone right now? Apologize to Isabel!"

"It's fine, Elias. Renee didn't do it on purpose," Isabel said, her voice heavy with tears.

"I'm not apologizing, Elias," I replied icily.

"Renee! Don't make me stop this car and toss you out on the highway," Elias threatened.

I met his eyes without flinching.

Walter interjected before the tension could escalate further, "Watch the road, Elias. You don't want to lose points on your license."

Only then did Elias rein in his anger. "Fine. But we're not done. I'll deal with you when we get home."

I looked away, closing my eyes as I forced back tears. Whatever feelings I had for Elias were wearing thin. My silence left the air heavy, and no one else knew how to break it.

After a while, Elias seemed to calm himself, his voice softening. "We're all friends here, Renee, and this trip is going to be a long one. Don't let a few heated words ruin the mood, alright? Show them my wife isn't unreasonable. Just say something to smooth things over, can you?"

When I didn't respond, he tried again, his tone almost pleading. "Come on, I'll buy you those sour gummies you like as soon as we stop at a rest area."

I scoffed and ignored him. His expression darkened with discomfort, and he stopped talking to me. The car sank back into another silence.

Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by the scent of cigarette smoke.

I bolted upright and demanded, "Who's smoking? Don't you realize I'm pregnant?"

The smoke curled up from the front seat.

"Renee, I asked Elias first, and he said it was fine," Isabel said. "I'm sorry. I'm feeling upset and couldn't help it. Please just bear with it for now, okay?"

Elias' voice came next. "You upset Isabel earlier, Renee, so you'll just have to deal with it."

Walter and Hubert rubbed their hands together and chimed in, "If that's the case, maybe we'll join in. We've been dying for a smoke."

I stared at them in disbelief, my voice trembling. "Is this what you all want for my baby, secondhand smoke?"

Walter blew out a puff of smoke. "It's just one cigarette, Renee. You're being way too dramatic."

He held out a cigarette to Elias. "You've been holding back long enough, haven't you? Come on, treat yourself."

Elias took it without a second thought. "One won't hurt."

"Elias!" I yelled. "Do you even freaking remember that it's your child I'm carrying?"

Elias froze, then handed the cigarette back. "Fine, I won't smoke. Hurry up and stub out all those cigarettes."

"Just let me finish this one, Elias," Isabel said, her voice syrupy and pleading.

"Sure, go ahead," he replied. "This is all on Renee, anyway."

"Then we might as well finish ours, too. We're almost done, after all," Hubert chimed in.

Elias glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Open the window and let them finish, Renee. A little smoke isn't going to harm the baby."

A sharp pain twisted in my stomach as I looked at him in disbelief.

"What kind of father are you, Elias?" I cried out.

Isabel blew out a puff of smoke and agreed, "Elias is right, Renee. Don't they always say that a relaxed approach helps kids thrive? You should've had that mindset from the start of your pregnancy. Who knows, you might end up with a perfectly healthy kid."