Mom at Sixteen Page #6

- I haven't, but I will soon.

- Good.

- Look, this is Charley.

- This is Coach Bob.

- He's so little.

Yeah, they all start out this way,

you know.

You wanna hold him?

Yeah.

Charley.

Say hi to Bob.

- Look.

- Hey.

Yeah.

Hi.

You like that? Yeah, you like that.

You like that, don't you?

Oh, he's a strong one.

Look at him.

He's so cute.

Yeah.

Big yawn.

He'll never have that.

Hi.

A dad to hold him

and tell him about the world.

This is a great room. I thought

you didn't have a baby.

Oh, we don't. We're still trying.

Oh, but you've got all this stuff.

Well, we bought it when...

We lost a baby.

We just kept it for whenever...

Well, for when we have one.

You know the first feeling I had

when I was pregnant? It's like...

...there were guppies swimming

in my stomach.

- Did you feel the guppies?

- I've never been pregnant.

But I thought you said you lost a baby.

Well, we were gonna adopt a baby.

But the birth mother changed her mind

at the last minute.

Jacey, here.

You know we have to call your mother.

You know that, right?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Hi, big guy.

- Do you think we choose our parents?

- I don't know.

I saw a psychic on TV once

who said that...

...little souls choose who to be born to

before they even get here.

Why would anyone choose me?

Jacey, why are you here?

I just needed someone to talk to.

I mean, my mom was making me pretend

like this never happened, you know.

Like Charley isn't my son,

and I should just go on with my life.

But I can't do that.

And she just won't even listen to me.

I appreciate you bringing them home,

Mrs. Cooper.

But I know my daughter,

and she is not prepared to mother a baby.

Charley.

- What?

- His name is Charley.

You call him "the baby,"

like we don't know who he is.

Jacey, I think if anybody

knows who he is, it's me.

If Jacey tries to raise a child,

she'll drop out of high school...

...she'll never go to college,

she'll never have a life.

It's just a different kind of life.

Mrs. Cooper, come on.

You're a teacher.

You know what happens to children

when they drop out of school.

There are other kinds of schools

these days for young mothers.

There's schools where

they can go to their classes.

There's a full daycare program

right on campus.

Excuse me, but you don't have

any children yet, do you, Mrs. Cooper?

No.

But I have counseled young girls

for many years.

And I feel honored that Jacey

has trusted to come to me.

I'm glad she trusted you.

I am. Trust is very important.

I trusted Jacey.

I trusted Jacey when she told me

she wasn't having sex with Brad.

Yes, she made a mistake.

But the result of that mistake

is a beautiful baby boy.

You've all had five months

to fall in love with him. With Charley.

But now I think Jacey needs to open up

the discussion of her options.

What options?

Really, what options?

I think we've exhausted all the options.

Jacey, a baby can't thrive this way.

A baby has to know who the mother is.

I have nothing but admiration

for what you have done.

But right now you have a daughter here

who needs to find out what's best for her.

And for you. And for Macy.

And for Charley.

I think I know what's best

for my own child.

And I think I know what's best for mine.

Your child? All right.

You gave birth to Charley, and in

that sense, Jacey, you are his mother.

But there's a heck of a lot more

to mothering than that.

Who stayed up with him for 48 hours

when he had the croup?

Who drove him around half the night

every night for two weeks...

...when he was teething and couldn't sleep,

and still got home and got you to school?

Who came home in the middle of the day

when the babysitter said...

...he was spiking at a fever of 104

and it would not go down?

Who rushed him to the emergency room

and stayed with him for three hours...

...and somehow managed

to get over to that mall...

...and pick you and your sister up

at the appointed hour?

That's what makes a mother.

Are you prepared to do it?

Hi, honey.

The girls are in there.

- The girls?

- Aren't you here for the mothers' group?

- I don't know if I'm in the right place.

- Well, you have a child?

Yes. Yes, I have a 5-month-old son.

Then you're in the right place.

Legally, we're supposed to have the same

rights every mother in Massachusetts has.

- But that's not true.

- What do you mean?

You can keep your baby as long as

you can "prove" you can care for a kid.

Support it, get a job, pay rent.

But no teenager can do that.

Exactly. Which means if

you wanna keep your baby...

...and your parents don't wanna help,

you're totally screwed.

I'm not sure who the father

of my baby is.

I know it's one of three guys,

but I'm just not sure which one.

God, I forget what it's like to

be a normal teenager, you know?

All my friends ditched me.

Their parents say

I'm a bad influence on them...

...which is so lame because

they're all having sex too.

So I've decided I'm giving

the baby up for adoption.

Really?

Look at me. I can't be a mom.

And all the guys I was with

are way too immature to be fathers.

I could never give my baby up

and never see her again.

I'm getting an open adoption.

I get to see the baby sometimes.

And they send me pictures

and letters and stuff.

The parents are okay with that?

They want me to be involved with the kid's

life from the beginning so I'm not a mystery.

The kid will know I'm his birth mother.

I just won't be the mom.

So you choose the parents?

You look through a booklet

of couples who want a baby...

...read about their families,

you choose one, and they set it up.

That's a little dressy for stir-fry,

isn't it?

I just thought I'd spruce things up a little.

You look great.

Thank you.

By the way, Dr. Landau called today.

He wants to know if we wanna do

another round of in vitro.

Yeah.

I told him that we were gonna

let nature run its course.

And I put our names

on the adoption list again.

You did?

I realized we're gonna be great parents.

It doesn't matter

where he or she is from.

So tell me...

...think this stir-fry can wait

for a little while?

Why?

Really shouldn't eat

before athletics, really.

I love you.

I love you too.

Hold that thought.

Hold it. I will be right back.

Are you gonna stay right there?

You're not gonna move?

Yeah.

- Hi.

- Hi.

What are you doing here?

I just... I wanted to know

if I could see him.

- Yeah. Sure.

- Yeah. Great.

- Where is he?

- He's right there.

Oh, my God.

He sort of looks like me.

Especially in the eyes.

- His name is Charley.

- Charley?

That's his name?

- My middle name's Charley, and...

- I know.

Yeah. That's the one thing my mom

let me do. Name him.

She wanted to name him Casey.

Jacey, Macy and Casey.

Like putting a target on his back.

Yeah. Yeah.

You think I could hold him?

Yeah, sure.

Hi, Charley.

Come here, big boy.

- What, is he okay?

- Bless you.

Of course. Yeah.

It's just a sneeze. He's got a little cold.

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