Margo's Got Money Troubles
by Rufi Thorpe
Contents
Chapter Three
Overview
Margo tells her mother she’s pregnant, hears blunt truths about Shyanne’s past with Jinx, and recognizes her own desire to keep the baby. She cancels the abortion, informs Mark—who ignores her—and receives minimal reassurance from Jinx. Refusing to seek money from Mark, she buys a used stroller. After Bodhi’s birth, isolation and conflict with roommates culminate in a night walk that hardens Margo’s resolve.
Summary
After hearing the eight-week heartbeat, Margo visits her mother, Shyanne, and shares the news. Shyanne refuses caretaking and frets about appearances, even proposing to frame Mark as the predator. Margo defends her agency. In the bathroom, Margo recognizes her mother’s thwarted dreams, returns, and lies in Shyanne’s lap as Shyanne recalls meeting Margo’s father, Jinx, and choosing to keep Margo despite his marriage.
Shyanne admits past abortions and tells Margo that keeping a baby will “ruin” her life—but that sometimes ruin is what one wants. Margo, already scheduled for an abortion, realizes she cannot go and later cancels it, acknowledging a fierce, inexplicable desire for the baby.
Weeks later, Margo emails Mark at sixteen weeks to say she’s keeping the baby so he can’t dissuade her. He never responds, wounding her sense of worth. Calling Jinx brings terse reassurance, which steadies her only slightly.
At Goodwill, six months pregnant, Margo and Shyanne hunt for a stroller. Shyanne urges legal action and money from Mark; Margo refuses to involve him and, despite tears, buys a battered blue stroller, clinging to pride as purification.
After Bodhi’s birth, Margo reels from sleep deprivation and isolation. Becca goes quiet; friends fade; her roommates resent the baby. One night, during Bodhi’s relentless crying, a confrontation drives Margo outside. Walking the neighborhood calms Bodhi and, despite exhaustion and anger, Margo feels a fragile, hard-won strength as she circles the dark streets.
Who Appears
- MargoProtagonist; rejects abortion, commits to keeping her baby, buys a used stroller, gives birth, and perseveres through isolation.
- ShyanneMargo’s mother; stern, nostalgic about Jinx, warns motherhood will ‘ruin’ life, pushes for child support, yet offers tactile comfort.
- MarkMarried former lover; pressures abortion earlier, then ignores Margo’s decision, providing no support or response.
- JinxMargo’s father; recalls past with Shyanne, later offers brief, calming assurance about Margo’s choice.
- BodhiMargo’s newborn son; his constant needs intensify Margo’s exhaustion, isolation, and late-night resolve.
- BeccaFriend who grows distant; offers minimal congratulations after birth, then falls silent.
- Kat the LargerRoommate; confronts Margo during a sleepless night, demanding quiet and forcing her outside.
- Kat the SmallerRoommate; timidly interjects during the confrontation but provides no help.