I'm taking a Creative Writing course this quarter because I though maybe it would unblock the writer's block I've been having. It kind of is and I'm feeling the desire to write again a little bit, so I thought I would share one of the assignments with everyone. It's a dialogue exercise that we had to create between our protagonist and another character in our overall story. It's supposed to be fiction, but a lot of the story (save some obvious parts), is loosely based on the beginning of mine and Felix's relationship. The best part? Because it's fiction, anything can happen and I've thrown in some heavily controversial issues that I think epitomize that saying between lovers about "going through so much together." Many relationships go through a lot, but I've decided to push it a little further in my short story and make them go through practically everything. So if you find this dialogue a little upsetting or the story offensive, don't worry, that's why they call it fiction.

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“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Yelena said from her place on the stairs. Her hair, dyed blonde now, wavered in the wind and despite the fact that the day was such a beautiful one, her tone and demeanor were beyond gloomy. This statement seemed to surprise Alex, if just a little. She had told him before how deep her history went with this particular kind of situation, but he wouldn’t find out how deep until further into the conversation.

“If this is what you want to do, then we should do it, but this isn’t how I was raised.” He looked up at her, leaning over the railing of the stairs that led to the second floor apartment.

“I’m not ready for this, Alex.” Her life had just come alive, really and it would be detrimental to her progress, especially since it had barely been over a year since they’d decided to be “together.” “I’m only twenty-one and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Not a good idea?” He asked, his eyebrow rising in question. He rubbed his forehead with a hand and looked at her again, slightly confused. “It’s not a good idea to allow someone to live?” He could feel his background and beliefs coming into play and, despite the fact that she was visibly shaken and upset, “It’s not a good idea to create a stronger bond between us by having a kid?”

“I told you, I’m not ready for it. I can barely support us, let alone bring somebody else into this situation we’re living in.”

“I’ll get a job.” He said flatly, nearly cutting her off, but she shook her head.

“Where?” Lena raised her brow in question this time and cocked her head to the side. Anyone else passing by and looking at her would have noticed that the subject had her visibly upset, her cheeks washed with tears. “Where are you going to get a job that’s going to support us when I have to take time off to care for this baby?”

“Don’t you worry about that, I said I would-“

“But you’re not listening! I told you all ready that I don’t want to have this baby and I’m not going to let you just come in and ruin my life like this.” Alex was shocked at this, only able to stand there and look at Lena like she was insane, like the pregnancy had all ready took over her hormones to the point of no return.

Alex shook his head and took in a deep breath. “Len…” he walked around to the front of the stairs to sit on a lower step. “I’ll do whatever it is that you want to do, but I really don’t want to do this.” Lena had been becoming a strong, independent woman when Alex came into the picture and now he was feeling that superiority complex that she had. Because he didn’t have a job and she had to support them, because he did nothing but play Xbox Live all day, because she busted her ass and the light bill was still past due and the rent was late… Lena couldn’t count on him… for anything. She couldn’t believe him when he said he would get a job, especially since the relationship was still so new. Alex was the kind of guy that would come in, use a girl and all her spoils and then leave without a word… but he would change, he decided. For this girl, he would change.

Alex looked down, almost ashamed now that something like this had happened. The abortion wouldn’t stop him; he would try until she got pregnant again. She would be his girlfriend, the mother of his child and his wife. Lena would know what it was like to have her spirit taken from her, just as she had made the decision to take the spirit of their baby.