Consequences

     One afternoon, a few months later, Betty was out shopping with Midge and had gotten suddenly ill. She had raced to throw up in the bathroom.

“Sorry Midge. Lately drinking even a little glass of wine makes me barf. Guess I need to stop for a while.” She was apologetic to Midge. Her emotions have been in a turmoil

lately.

“Great idea Betty. I think you’ve been drinking too much since the engagement.”

    But, even after Betty stopped drinking, she was still sick, though mostly in the mornings now. After a few days of this, she went to see her doctor. He took blood and urine

samples. She was very busy with planning the wedding with Veronica, and did not need the flu slowing her down. She refused to think of any other reason she may be ill. The

doctor would call her if the test results were abnormal.

    The wedding was now a few days away. There was to be one last party-the wedding rehearsal dinner and dance.  It was taking a toll on her nerves, being so close to Reggie,

but not touching him. She could not forget their night of wild lovemaking. And from the hot looks he sent her when he thought no one was looking, neither could he. He glared at

her when she attended their functions with a date, which she refused to think could have been jealousy.

     Betty could never look at Owen and Archie the same after that either. Archie had never made her feel like she had felt after  she slept with Reggie. She knew now why she felt

so down and sad since Reggie became engaged to Veronica. She was in definitely in love with Reggie Mantle. The thought truly horrified her. “Why Reggie of all people. Must

Veronica and I always be destined to love the same men?”

“Archie, I think we need to go out with other people. I’m not ready to settle down. I met a couple of  Reggie’s friends recently, and I want to date them.” He was amazed at her

words. They had agreed to meet for lunch at the mall. He thought she wanted to try again with him.

“You’re dumping me for other men, Bets? What the fuck?”

“Come off it Archie, do you think I didn’t know about you and Cheryl? It’s ok, really.” She now understood what passion was. It was awesome to say the least. Betty kissed his

cheek to show she really didn’t care, and she left him there, gaping at her, in the mall restaurant. Archie had actually been thinking of totally dumping her, but could not find the

nerve to do it. Now Betty had beat him to it. He had once asked Reggie to tell her for him, but Reggie refused, threatening to kick his ass if he hurt Betty. Now that Betty broke up

with him, Archie did not like it. Betty was through with him. He was so upset about this that he called Reggie about it that very afternoon.

“Some pal you are Mantle. What’s the deal introducing Betty to some of your friends? She just dumped me.”

“What? Oh, yeah. It’s about time Bets dumped you. Have a nice life with Cheryl. Get over it.”

Reggie was deep in thought after Archie slammed down the phone in his rage. Betty was dating still dating Owen?  He had a hard time swallowing and had to fight for control.

He had a very important presentation for the senior executives at Lodge Corp in a few moments.

 What Reggie did not know was that  Betty was  frantically making plans to leave town right away.  She had a good reason why she could not stay around.

 Two weeks ago, the bridesmaids had a final fitting for their dresses. Betty’s dress was snug and she could barely zip it up. It was very tight in the breast area. This made

Veronica extremely angry.

“I can’t believe you gained weight Betty! You knew the rules. Everyone had to be able to fit in her dress. No overeating or dieting, plus you have just too much cleavage showing!”

Now they would have to have expensive last minute alterations to make the dress fit.

“Sorry Ron. I guess I’m nervous and can’t keep from eating. You keep having these parties with all of that yummy food.” She looked so repentant that Veronica relented and

stopped shouting at her.

“I forgive you Betty. Please just do not gain any more weight. OK?”

    Betty knew why she was gaining weight and she hoped she could keep the weight from showing until after she left town.  Her doctor called her in to see him and he gave her

somewhat startling news. She was pregnant. She really wasn’t surprised. She had made love twice without any contraceptives. The nurse gave her pamphlets on her options:

she could have an abortion, opt for adoption, or just keep it. She knew immediately knew what she wanted to do: she wanted to keep her baby. She would not let anyone in town

know of its existence. Betty had lied to Archie and Reggie about dating  others because she did not want to be bothered with questions if anyone  guessed her condition.

People may become suspicious if she did not date anyone since Reggie’s engagement and she turned up pregnant. No one could ever know her true feelings about him. How

could she go out with Archie or anyone else for that matter, when she was carrying another man’s baby? Betty confessed all to her sister Polly. She would need her help in this

grand deception. She knew Reggie couldn’t risk her having a baby, and may make her get rid of it.

“Polly, I’m in deep trouble. Uhh, Sis, I’m pregnant and I want to keep the baby. Reggie Mantle is the father, and I can’t let him know about it. He said he’d pay a doctor if I got

caught, but I don’t want that. Will you help me? I have to keep the baby a secret from him.” Polly was surprised because she knew her sister wanted to remain a virgin until she

married.

“Of course I’ll help you, darling. Come and live with me. I miss you so much. I would love to have a baby around. You know I’d never judge you. But I have to ask. Do you love

him?” Polly knew all about passion. She was in love with a female coworker and refused to acknowledge she was a lesbian. Maybe Betty and the new baby could help her

forget this woman. Polly would be too busy being an auntie to think about sex and love, she hoped. One day she might confess this to Betty, but not now.

“Yes I do, Sis. I’ve had him around for so long that I just took him for granted. I thought Archie was the one, but I was so wrong. I’m such a fool. Now I’ve lost him forever. But I’ll

have his child.”

     Betty sniffed back her tears. Polly was going to help Betty find a job and a doctor  in California. They would set up a new life in order to keep the baby’s existence a secret.

They would invent a husband who would ‘die’ suddenly. Polly knew they couldn’t tell their crazy brother Chick because Chick was stuck in the fifties and was very protective of

them, even more so now that their parents were dead. He’d kill Reggie in a heartbeat. Then ask questions later. Polly had a policeman friend of hers help them make up a fake

husband’s identity. If someone hired a detective to check, the ‘father’, William Simonson, was dead, and had a false identity trail. No one in Riverdale would know the baby even

existed. Riverdale was a town with  very old-fashioned values. Very few people lived there with children born out of wedlock. Betty was afraid that the powerful Lodges or Mantles

might try to force her to have an abortion, or take the baby from her. This was Reggie’s baby and all she would ever have of him. She would protect it with her life. The price she

would pay for having this baby was never go back to Riverdale. She would never see Reggie or Veronica again. Her heart ached at the thought, but she had his baby. It would

be have to enough.

    Veronica was happy to see Betty took her warning to heart, and stayed away from her man.

“We don’t need to double date anymore, Betty. The celibacy is off. We  decided it was too much torture. I’m stopping taking the Pill on our honeymoon. We want kids right away.

Reggie is insatiable. Tee hee.” Veronica giggled in a way that Betty felt was very irritating to her ears.

“That’s just great Ron.” God how I hate this bitch. They chatted a little longer about some wedding detail and finally she was able to get Veronica off the phone. Betty had gritted

her teeth through the whole phone call.

     Betty ranted and raved about them making love so much for an hour before she fell into an exhausted sleep.

I have to think of my baby. Fuck her. I’ll always know I had his child first.

     She had to console herself with that thought. During the rehearsal dinner two days before the wedding, they absolutely could not avoid being close to each other. Betty found

she would become dizzy from the closeness of him. Reggie would steal looks at her, when he thought no one would notice. There was something not right with Betty. His eyes

narrowed as he studied her. Was her breast larger? Every time he came close to her, she scurried away. She had to avoid him at all costs so she would not throw herself in his

arms, and tell him about the baby. She was getting warm and giddy just being in the same room with him. It was getting to be too much for her, so she whispered to Archie,

who was the closest person to her.

 “I’m not feeling well, Archie, please, can you take me home?”

“Sure Bets. You ok? You look very pale. Do you need to see a doctor?

“No, I don’t need a doctor, can we please just go now? Let’s tell Ronnie we’re leaving.” Betty was in a panic. She felt so ill. As she made her way to tell Veronica she was

leaving, she fainted dead away. There was a scurry of activity, with Reggie pushing everyone out of the way, so he could pick her up, barking orders.

“Get a doctor! Betty fainted!”