The prince’s choice.

Hortavie recalled the conversation she had a few days earlier with Roxane.

- ROXANE: The news of the day is that the prince will soon return to the country to look for his wife!

- HORTAVIE: Ah, that's good, that's his business!

- ROXANE: Hmm! What kind of answer is that? I expected you to gloat!

- HORTAVIE: Gloating because?

- ROXANE: No, but you've been a single mother for many years now! It's time for you to think about having a man by your side and you have to think about Mimie too! Poor thing, she deserves to have a father around. Yes, Daniel hurt you, but let me tell you, not all men are like him!

- HORTAVIA: I'm sorry, I beg you, spare me this conversation! I have already said that men and I are finished and it will remain so until my death.

Roxane and Hortavie have been best friends for almost five years now. They met in the first grade when they were 18 and 17 years old respectively. Roxane was a girl with a bit of a social standing, but that social standing didn't mean anything to her. She didn't care about it, that's why she chose to go to a public high school and not a private one dedicated only to rich kids. She was sociable and accepted everyone without exception. Money, or rather social status, was not a barrier for her. At that time, she lived with her parents: Papa Ebenezer and Mama Mado. She was an only child, but that didn't bother her because she considered her best friend Hortavie, whom she had met at the beginning of the year, as her best friend and her little sister at the same time. Hortavie was kind of the opposite of Roxane. She came from a poor family that only had the necessities to survive and not a superfluous for secondary needs. Otherwise, she was a very calm and composed girl, especially happy because at the time she was dating Daniel, her first love. The two of them had met in the third grade, so they had been together for three years. Hortavie was so in love with him. She couldn't stop talking about him and swearing by him until she got pregnant in her senior year, which was when she turned 18 and her family kicked her out of the house. In fact, she was sad, but what made it worse was what happened next. She had packed her bags to move in with Daniel who lived alone, but he refused and even told her that he didn't know she was serious about the pregnancy and that he wasn't ready to take on the child. Hortavie sat outside her door and cried her eyes out. She had imagined that everyone could ignore her, but not Daniel anyway, but, he had done so to the point of calling her a girl not serious. She had no choice but to call her best friend Roxane who came to pick her up in her car.

- ROXANE: Oh, my darling, I'm here, don't cry anymore! Roxane held her arm to help her up.

- HORTAVIE: I had imagined everything Roxie (short for Roxane), everything but this! What have I done to Daniel? What have I done to Daniel? Roxie, a three-year relationship where everything always went well. Daniel swore that he loved me to bits and that he would make me his wife and the mother of his children. Now that I'm pregnant with his child, he rejects me. Roxie, please tell me I'm dreaming!

Hortavie was crying, she was in so much pain. Snot was running out of her nostrils to the point of entering her mouth. Her eyes had turned red and pale. She was shaking all over and couldn't even walk properly.

- ROXANE: Just calm down first, honey, okay? Get in the car and let me deal with him!

She sat in the car and Roxane put her luggage in the back seat, then went to knock on Daniel's door. Knock! Knock! Knock!

- ROXANE: Open the door, you irresponsible person! So it's like that now? You bastard! Let me tell you that your ending will be shit, you idiot! You dare to break my friend's heart? The one with whom you spent the most beautiful moments of your life? The one who is carrying your child? No, but men are fucking incredible!

Daniel was lying in his room, fiddling with his phone as if nothing had happened. He could hear what Roxane was saying, but he didn't care. After spending over ten minutes knocking and blaming him while Hortavie cried in the car, Roxane decided to let it go since she knew he wasn't going to open the door. She went to start the car and left with her friend.

- ROXANE: Don't cry anymore, my dear. It'll pass. I know how you feel, because I too experienced a deception that almost cost me my life, but now when I think back on it, it makes me laugh. I'm very happy now and so will you, so stay calm okay?

Hortavie did not have the strength to open her mouth to say anything. She could only express herself by crying.

- ROXANE: We're going to go home, aren't we? I'm going to fix up the guest room, because now it's going to be inhabited by a pregnant woman, ikiiiii (wow). Wait, do you even know that you're going to bring a beautiful baby into the world? I'm already happy at the thought of him calling me auntie, huh.

Hortavie may have been crying, but Roxane found the right words to make her smile...

She smiled, but she didn't say anything.

- ROXANE: There, I like it when you smile like that!

It was 2:00 a.m. when the two young women arrived at the house.

- HORTAVIE: Paa Ebenezer and maa Mado are already asleep, I'm sure!

- ROXANE: Yes yes, that's why we have to get your luggage in quietly.

- HORTAVIE: Okay!

They put the luggage in the guest room, or rather Hortavie and her baby's future room, and went to Roxane's room.

- ROXANE: I prefer that we sleep together today, because I know that if I leave you alone, you will cry even more. Oh yes, I'm telling you that I've been there myself!

Hortavie burst into tears again and ran into Roxane's arms.

- HORTAVIE: Thank you for everything Roxie, you are the best!

- ROXANE: No, you're the best here because there are now two of you and not one. Haha!

Even Hortavie burst out laughing even though she had tears in her eyes.

The two girls slept until morning and it was the noise when the parents knocked on the door that woke them up.

- MAMMY MADO: Roxane, your father and I are going to work.

- DAD EBENEZER: And it's eight o'clock, so you better get up so you don't miss your language class.

Roxane was the first to get up and she opened the door. That's when Hortavie got up too.

- ROXANE: Good morning mom and dad (stretching and yawning). Ah, I'm going to do the class there after only, because today is going to be a bit of a busy day. Look!

She opened the door wide and they peeked in and saw Hortavie sitting on the bed, looking pale.

- HORTAVIE: Hello paa Ebenezer, hello maa Mado.

The parents were not surprised to see her there since they knew that the two were best friends and often called them "the twins" so they shared almost everything together. But what intrigued them was the look on Hortavie's face.

- MADO MOM: Yes, hello. Hortavie, why are you making that face, girl?

Hortavie felt her bones crush and her heart break into a thousand pieces, then she collapsed to the floor and burst into tears. Roxane went to pick her up and take her in her arms. The parents entered the room.

- PAPA EBENEZER: What's going on?

She wanted to answer, but she couldn't, so Roxane took over.

- ROXANE: Well, she's pregnant and her parents kicked her out of the house, and what's even worse is that Daniel refused to assume paternity and kicked her out.

The father and mother looked at each other. They were stunned!

- MADO MOM: Wow, that's hot!

She went to hug Hortavie and the father did the same. So all three were hugging her at the same time, while comforting her.

- DAD EBENEZER: Don't worry, you know you're welcome here!

- MADO MOM: And it's true! You don't have to worry, Hortavie, you know that we all love you here and that you have added a touch of happiness to the family, because Roxane has learned a lot from you. Look, for example, since she met you she has become good at math, because she learns from you. If you are rejected, it is because you have not understood life, my little one. This is your home and you know it...

- HORTAVIE: Thank you very much!

- ROXANE: You're welcome! Well, Mum and Dad can go to work, I'll look after her until you get back so you can help me.

Everyone laughed, even Hortavie. The parents left and Roxane stayed behind to arrange the guest room as planned while her best friend was in her own room, digesting her disappointments.

Yes, this was the story that had made Hortavie decide never to be in a relationship again for fear of being disappointed a second time.

She had decided to be a father and a mother at the same time for her daughter, Mimie, who was now 3 years old.