Theo and Kimberly’s Story

Theo and Kimberly had just celebrated their six-month anniversary of dating. He still couldn't believe she wanted to date him. And he couldn't believe how well it was going—until this. 

Sure, they had talked about having kids, but in the future, when they were both settled with stable jobs, a little bit of savings, and a clearer plan for their lives. It seemed irresponsible to raise a kid now.

Already he could see their future crumbling: he wouldn’t say the right thing, she’d get an abortion and resent him, or he’d resent her, or she’d keep the baby but the stress would break them apart, and she would live the single mother life she’d dreaded and he would feel like a failure as a man. How on earth was this going to work? 

Kimberly texted him in the middle of his shift: 

I’m crashing out

I just don’t think we can do this. Like I don’t know how

Theo felt his heart rate spike. They couldn't keep going in these circles. He swiped over to his browser and Googled the first question that came to mind. He was asking for Kimberly—but he was asking for himself too. 

He honestly hadn't expected many resources for partners. He had just hoped to find something written for women that sounded good that he could send to her. He was surprised to see one of the top search results: “How to help your girlfriend.” That was exactly what he needed. The fact that it existed at all made him feel less alone. Maybe this situation wasn't as crazy as he thought. 

As Theo read, he felt his pulse slow. For the first time, he named his fears— and his hopes. Underneath his anxiety about whether he could do this well was the excitement that maybe he could. That maybe they could, together. 

When he finished the first session, he saw others specifically for women. He copied the link and texted it to Kimberly as fast as he could. 

hey - found this site

it’s pretty cool, they had a session for guys 

here’s one I thought u would like

Fifteen minutes later, she responded with another link:

Thank you for this babe. Here’s another good one. Want to talk tonight about it? 

For the first time since the positive pregnancy test, Theo began to imagine a future where they could actually make it through this together. Where this whole situation could make their relationship stronger. He texted back: can’t wait. See u soon.