April 27, 1999
Couple offers baby more than single parenting
By Malinda Ruble
Staff Writer
Jennifer and Ray had known each other almost all of their lives. For years, they seemed to hate each other. And then one day, like most high school love affairs, a spark ignited. The two had dated for nearly a year and a half before they even kissed. After many late-night talks, the couple decided it was time to move their relationship to the next level &emdash; making love.
Jennifer was 15, almost 16, and Ray was 18 on that night when they "just decided to do it'' at Ray's parents' home.
"It sorta just happened. I used to never understand how it just happens,'' said Jennifer.
It was the first time for both of them.
Not wishing to get pregnant, the couple used a condom. But just months later, Jennifer found she was pregnant.
"We'd figured it was the second or third time we had sex. My friends think you can't get pregnant if you use a condom. I tell them that I'm proof it can happen,'' she said.
Telling her parents was perhaps one of the most difficult things for Jennifer to do.
"My mother and father gave me the choice to have an abortion, I said, 'no.' They said if I wanted to stay home, I had to give up the baby or move out. I moved out. Ray and I had planned to get married after I got out of high school, so we just moved it up a couple of years,'' said Jennifer.
"We had decided at first to just move out and then live together. We looked at the ups and downs of it and we talked to a lot of people. We went through counseling to get our marriage license. We learned we knew a lot more about each other than we thought we did,'' she said.
Today, Ray and Jennifer Kleba have a beautiful 4-month-old son named Adrian. Ray works full time and Jennifer goes to school all day.
Being a wife, mother and student at 17 has been a challenge for Jennifer.
"School is a big challenge. But I read my homework to Adrian to keep him occupied and that way I get it done. And money is a challenge,'' she said.
Now Jennifer's parents assist whenever possible.
"They went from wanting me off of the face of the earth to anything you need,'' she said.
Looking back on their decision, Jennifer said she has no regrets.
"We always thought I could get pregnant. We were ready to deal with it. I've never regretted not having an abortion. I never thought it was right and I never will. I don't see the point of it,'' she said. "I guess if we would do it all over, we would wait until later, but for the most part, it's turned out ok.''
And for Ray and Jennifer, marriage was the right decision for them and Adrian.
"I didn't know if he's the one, but I think he is (for me). And my dad was gone a lot and I knew what it was like to have a dad gone and I think it's a good bond. You can't just have a mother bond. There are times when he just wants his dad,'' she said with a grin.