Teenage pregnancy in fact and fiction - I want to keep my baby by Joanna Lee - Chapter summary
Engish Specialtopic 13.12.12
Teenage pregnancy in fact and fiction
I want to keep my baby (by Joanna Lee)
Sue Ann:young, naiv, innocent,
Elizabeth:
Chuck Ryan: best looking guy in school, Robert Redford look-alike, parents: Margie and George Ryan, ( chapter 3 )
Donna Jo Cunningham Martelli: mother, superficial,
Ralph:husbandof Donna Jo, look of a hungry animal, his eyes hot when he looked at Donna Jo,
Ralphie Jr.: not yet two,
Samantha:
Rea Finer: lead the rap session at the Parkington Home, social worker, born in brooklyn, has an accent, she is young, plain of face, openly, deeply caring,
Marta Alvarez: roommate at Parkington Home, natural born victim, gentle, smiling child, acceptes whatever come her way,
Don DeReda: careful, both are planned, timed, on schedule, italian, dark, handsome, lawyer,
Renee DeReda: careful, 28, blonde, pretty, loves each other a lot, teacher, 7 years married, exited and passionate with each other,
Miranda: has a son, Otis (2), young,
Andy: thin, white, artist,
Bernadette McClellan: handsome, silver-haired, does not tolerat any nonsense,
Greg: school mate, curly sandy hair,
Prologue
Sue Ann and his boyfriend Chuck says that they love each other and Sue Ann has no other choice than having sex, otherwise he would leave her.
One
Sue Ann was at a football game and it was very hot. She did not feel very well. She throw up the second time and decided to tell Chuck today, that she is pregnant. At home she was very quite at dinner but her mother, Donna Jo, always tries to push away the silent, quiet spaces Sue Ann loved so much.
Ralph was Donna Jo's new husband, who did not care about very much. Sue Ann sat across the table, helping to feed Ralphie Jr. After dinner she went to her room and listened to a Beatles album, that Chuck had given her to her birthday. It is one of the things they have in common. She ran a hand over her hard belly. She already dreamed about her life with Chuck and their baby, about the curtains and so on.
She changed into an outfit she knew Chucks likes and went for a ride with him.
Two
They went up the mountain to their favourit place. She told him that she is pregnant and Chuck's reaction was so violent and unexpected that she burst into tears. He made no move to comfort her and, instead, banged his fist against the car door. After a short while he asked her how much an abortion would cost. But abortion was no choice for Sue Ann, it is murder. By ten o'clock they had agreed they would get married and he would work parttime.
Three
Chuck Ryan had been a winner all his life. There was such a lot of responsibility in being the perfect golden boy. For him Sue Ann seemed like a kid sister and kid sisters did not get pregnant. Women got pregnant. Sue Ann was telling her parents that he and she were getting married. Her stepfather freaked out but her mum kept cool.
He took his finals and got mostly As. They went to the Happy Haven Wedding Chapel after graduation.
Four
For Sue Ann, the waiting for her wedding day was the strangest time of her life. On the one hand she felt excited and happy but on the other hand it seemed to be unreal.
Donna Jo was trying to put a good face on things. But Sue Ann was very frighten about the baby and she also knew that Chuck was not as thrilled about the coming marriage as she was. He did not care about the wedding things and just agrees to Sue Ann's suggestions.
Five
It was the day of their wedding and they two drove to the wedding chapel. Sue Ann was like a child in Disneyland, all shiny-eyed and flushing with excitement. Chuck was thinking about, why he was sitting here beside this girl for whom he felt absolutely nothing. The minister had started the ceremony and Sue Ann had promised to love, honor and cherish.
Now the minister was asking him and he said, no, he cannot do this. He brought her back home and Sue Ann jumped out of the car and ran to her mother.
Six
Sue Ann had heartsickness and did not believe in any romantic thing anymore. Everything is a big lie. Donna Jo wanted to say, that Chuck got very mean and how it just did not work out and nobody had to know that they did not get married.
Sue Ann had the feeling that she is falling and there is no one to catch her. She wanted to stop it, she could not handle this situation and she did not want to grow up yet. They talked about the case of given the baby up for adoption, but Donna Jo said: " Do not you ever let me hear that out of your moth again. You gotta take the consequences for what you did, same as me. You are gonna have this baby and your are gonna raise it."
Reverend Sylvester had recommended the Parkington Home and it turned out to be a pretty nice place.
Seven
Sue Ann settled into a routine. Her room mate was Marta Alvarez, a fourteen-year-old. Sue Ann was the older one and played mother to Marta. Sue Ann welcolmed the new clear space she was finding herself. She did not feel so frightened anymore. She wove an imaginary cocoon around herself and the baby within her and felt warm and loved.
She experienced the core of her femaleness now. She loved being a woman. The months passed and she learned to type, learned to cook and studied history, English and math. She did prenatal exercises and learned about caring a baby. She also went to the friday afternoon rap session, where the girls could talk about der family problems. During the rap session she got her first contractions and finally they called the doctor.
Eight
Nine
Don and Renee DeReda were a dream couple and they wanted to get a baby, but it did not happen yet. They were still waiting for 2 years. There was too much pressure and they were both worried. They went to the doctor and did a test. Don was infertile and they decided to adopt.
Ten
Sue Ann was trying to care for her baby. In her daydreams the baby had been like a doll, a docile object without a will of its own. Although she was amazed to be responsible for a living creature. She named the baby Elizabeth after the little red-haired girl on The Waltons. Elizabeth was the prettiest baby in the nursery.
Every time Sue Ann tried to talk to her mother about important things, she changed the subject. Donna Jo seemed to see the baby as a mirror image of herself. That made it difficult for Sue Ann to choose the way she wanted to live. She wanted to tell her mother that Elizabeth could stay in a foster home for week to get her head straight, but Donna Jo immediatly forbid it.
Eleven
In the church the Reverend asked her what she answered when the devil asked her to give away this child and she answered, "I said-I want to keep my baby!"
Renee and Don went to the County Bureau of Adoption, it was very hard for them to live with their frustration. They had already waited for 6 months and now they had to get used to waiting.
Thirteen
It hurt Sue Ann to think about the time for Elizabeth. Everthing had changed and there was no point in wondering "What if.". Sue Ann and Elizabeth now shared ger old room. She liked the child being so close. Sue Ann managed the child caring very well. She said to her baby; "I love you, Elizabeth. I love you so much."
Fourteen
As the summer wore on Donna Jo already interfered too much and most of her friends were like strangers now. One day, when the heat in the apartment was unbearable, she joined a few kids in the cool water in a swimming pool for just a few minutes, while the baby was asleep, but then Donna Jo came back home and made Sue Ann a bad conscience.
Fifteen
Sue Ann went to Miss Finer to find a new place to live. It was very difficult because Sue Ann was just a kid and had to care for Elizabeth too. Actually she would get child support but Sue Ann did not want anyone to go after Chuck because she still believed that he would come back.
Sixteen
She tried to find a new place to live, but it was not that easy with a child and so little money, so in the end she stayed in a small bungalow. Sue Ann did not like it, but it was the only choice. The landlord made sexual innuendos to Sue Ann. She tidied up the whole apartment. She felt satisfied. Sue Ann met a young girl, who also lived there with her little son and her boyfriend Andy.
The DeRedas started to think about an older child.
Andy and Sue Ann had both a passion for painting and they painted together. During dinner Miss Finer visted her. In the night Andy came in her room and warned her, because this was a dangerous place.
Eighteen
Andy and Miranda woke her up, because there was important business to do. They took thrown away things from the rich. But then they made a diversionary tactic and Miranda stole something. Sue Ann did not feel well about this happening, she felt uncomfortable.
Nineteen
Sue Ann sold a few of her pictures and the DeRedas bought some. Sue Ann enjoined being in the park and to feel the fresh air but she also missed Chuck a lot.
When they came home, Sue Ann knew something was wrong, because the door was unlocked. But Andy left her whitout taking care of her. When she entered the room, there were a lot o f people, loud music and smoke. Mirande was the reason for all this and the people were drunk and stoned. At least Elizabeth and Otis were away from that disgusting sight.
But then Sue Ann found out that Mirande gave the babies vodka and she freaked out and then she got all the strangers out of her apartment but then Rico, a friend of Miranda, came to her. He was furious and grabbed her and pulled her to him. He tried to rape her but fortunatly Miss Finer came to look after Sue Ann and helped her. They decided to find Sue Ann a better place to live.
Sue Ann moved to the McClellan Home. There were very strict rules.
Twentytwo
It was easy to make friends there. They had the informations and services, which Sue Ann needed. Donna Jo was still trying to get her home, but Sue Ann felt as if she did the right thing. Now she was also able to go back to school, and she realized how much she missed it. She was worried whether she should tell the other kids about Elizabeth or not. She was not ashamed but it made her so different from the others. She wanted to fit in.
Twentythree
Sue Ann found a job and worked as a split shift. At school Greg started to talk to her and wanted to went to the lake, Sue Ann felt very dizzy and flattered, but she could because of Elizabeth but she did not told him about her.
Sue Ann started to went to a meeting for teenage mothers, just like the rap session and there she talked about Gregg. They all knew the conflict between being responsible for there child and to have fun with other teenagers.
Few nights later, she was working at the drive-in. It was quite exhausting. Gregg came to buy something at the drive-in and there she told him about Elizabeth.
Twentyfive
She was very exhausted because of work, school and caring for Elizabeth. Her mind felt dead, sealed off from the rest of the world by fatigue and worry.
Twentysix
Andy kept in touch with her. They sometimes met in the park. But even Andy recognized that Sue Ann was extremly tired. He said to her, that she was simply too young to handle this situation with the baby. Back at home Donna Jo and Ralph waited for her and Donna Jo tried again to persuade her to come back home.
Twentyseven
The waiting for a baby made Don DeReda so helpless, it depressed and angered him. Out of a depression he decided to take an older child, a racial mixed one or a handicapped even.
Twentyeight
Sue Ann felt no joy or sense of accomplishment. She kept getting thinner. The worst of it was a growing change she felt toward Elizabeth. In the past, the baby had been the only bright spot but now she was impatient with the child. She no longer jumped when Elizabeth cried, no longer dropped everthing to comfort and satisfy her.
Twentynine
At work Chuck was waiting for her. He was very cold and it he was just there to do the "right" thing, he wanted to pay half of his paycheck, but he did not want to come back or to see Elizabeth. For Sue Ann everthing felt wrong. He gave her some money and then he was gone.
When Sue Ann came back home, Elizabeth started to cry again and out depression Sue Ann started to scream at her and then she grabbed her and shook her furiously. Then she hurled the baby down with such a violence the whole crib shook. She realized what she had done and started to apologize. They called Rea Finer, when she came Sue Ann wanted to sign the adoption papers.
Thirtyone
Renee and Don were in bed when the telephone rang. It was Miss Finer who wanted to tell them that she had a baby for them. They could hardly believe, but they were full of happiness.
Sue Ann was sure to made the right decision.
Thirtytwo
Sue Ann was worried if she would feel regret in a few years and Miss Finer told her about herself, that she does not forget but also does not regret.
Renee and Don immediatly loved Elizabeth and in the end Elizabeth called her "mama".
Slam (by Nick Hornby)
Dear Nobody (by Berlie Doherty)
Juno (film)
Facts ( abortions, etc. )
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