Cancelled (11 page)

Johnathan impersonated an automaton at work on Friday. Most of the day, he zoned out in his chair, fighting the urge to put his head on his desk. Alex had come in a few times during the day, but he couldn't really remember what they had talked about. At 4:55, she appeared in his doorway again.

“You ready?”

Johnathan moved his wild gaze from his computer screen and adjusted his sight on his girlfriend.

“Ready?” she asked, again. Alex pointed to the clock above her on the wall. “Time to go. We're all having drinks at Fado's.”

“I drove today.” Johnathan had overslept his alarm to make the Metro into work on time.

“You drove? We have the Kennedy Center tonight. Driving will be a nightmare.”

Johnathan cringed. She had bought tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra's Vivaldi performance, just for him.

“I didn't sleep well last night. I slept through my alarm.” Johnathan rubbed his chin, trying to figure out a solution to the problem. He'd have to leave them to get drinks, drive home, and meet Alex at the restaurant for dinner.

Alexis put her bag down on the table in Johnathan's office and crossed the office before unceremoniously plopping into his lap. Her eyes sparkled. Johnathan's body tensed from the shock of her showing affection at the office, but relaxed when he felt her lips on his.

“I didn't sleep well without you, either.” Her breath tickled his neck, but he tightened his grip on her. She assumed he slept poorly because she wasn't there. Well, he wasn't going to correct her assumption.

Alexis pulled back and twisted her torso to face him. “Isn't your lease up next month?”

“Simms actually asked me if I wanted to buy it, I told him no. But, I hadn't thought about it, I guess I will have to renew it.”

Alexis frowned. “You're not getting it.” She stood up and took a few paces before turning back around. “I meant, maybe we shouldn't spend another night without each other.” Alex held her hands behind her back to hide her fidgeting.

Johnathan didn't move. With everything that had happened this week, he had forgotten his resolve to make a life with Alex. And here she was, asking him to move in with her! The dark feelings over the baby and theft began to lift, as hope for his future with her reestablished a place in his heart.

He broke out into a wide grin and jumped to sweep her off her feet. “I think that is a wonderful idea. I don't want to spend another night without you, either.”

Their make out session would have continued if someone clearing their throat in the doorway didn't interrupt.

“Guys? Drinks?” Eric pointed to his watch. He wasn't trying to make a concert, but he did have other big plans for the night.

Alex tried to pull away, but Johnathan kept her in his arms. “Alex just asked me to move in with her.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “So if I had been a few minutes later, you're saying the carpet would need a cleaning?”

Alex wriggled away from Johnathan and grabbed her bag. “Of course not.” She walked past Eric as he moved to give her room. “The desk.”

Johnathan grabbed his laptop off the dock and followed the laughter down the hallway.

Hours later, and perfectly satiated, his and her bare legs were still entwined with the mangled sheets at the foot of Alex's bed. Johnathan propped himself up on one elbow and delicately moved a few of her dark curls from her sweaty forehead. He leaned in to kiss her, and left her with a smile on her face.

“Are you sure you want me to move in?”

“You don't want to?” Alex rolled to her side to face Johnathan.

“Absolutely I want to. But it's a big step. I wanted to make sure we weren't jumping into anything too...soon.”

Alex laughed. “That's my line.”

Johnathan snuggled closer to her, his body already beginning to desire a second round. “What can I say, you're a bad influence on me.”

“Oh I am, am I?” Alex giggled as she felt his erection begin to grow against her leg, and his hands moving to cup her bottom.

“A very bad influence.”

Determination in her face, Alex pushed Johnathan away, hard. As he rolled to his back from the unexpected shove, she rose up to straddle him. Creating a curtain around his face from her loose tresses, she slowly explored Johnathan's mouth with her tongue.

He laid back in heaven. This beautiful, amazing woman wanted him. Nothing felt more right in the world than this moment. He groaned as she rocked against him. Before giving over to the pleasure of it all, he smiled at the thought of spending every night together, from now on.

8

A
nna Michaels inhaled a mixture of floral aromas, content to be home. The only member of her family without allergies, she was unhappily free to grow the plants she wanted. She forgot how refreshing the scents of spring could be, she might just come home right after Easter from now on.

She poured herself another glass of red wine and carried it with the phone out to the back patio. A half-empty pack of Virginia Slims laid on the decorative glass table next to her favorite chair. Pulling out one long white cylinder, she held it between her lipstick stained lips. Smoothly clicking the silver zippo from her pocket, the tip of tobacco glowed red. Nobody of her acquaintance would ever call her a smoker, and she wasn't.

Peony blooms surrounded her favorite chair, flowers Daniel called her “tattered carnations.” Sucking a long drag, she thought about her lost husband. If he could see her now, he'd know tattered was a perfect identity for her.

“We really messed things up, Daniel.” she whispered. Spying a little brown garden lizard sunning himself on the edge of a terracotta pot on the other side of the patio, she laughed. “And even if you were here, I'd still be the one to clean it up. You froze up when it counted. But you always tried to make it up to me.”

Her eyes glistened with guilt at begrudging the dead. She couldn't help she wasn't the one who ran out to pick up milk that night. She initially wished they had gone together, but she agreed with God's plan of keeping her around for Johnathan. He needed her. Before her eyes could truly blur with tears, she blinked back the emotion.

The “Buck” situation dealt with, it was time for her next unpleasant task: Calling Nancy Jean DuBose. She dialed the familiar number, dragging out her dread with each touch tone.

“Yes, ma'am.”

Anna pursed her lips at the impersonal greeting she'd endured for decades. Smashing her cigarette butt into a glass ash tray, Anna exhaled the last breath of stress relief.

“You know why I'm calling.”

“Just noticed the money gone, huh? Must be nice not to miss twenty-five grand.”

Anna poked her cheek with her tongue.
This woman.
“He missed it over a month ago. I asked him to let me take care of it, for your sake.”

Nancy Jean huffed. “What do you mean?
For my sake?
”

Anna paused and tried to think of a delicate way to say what she needed, but opted for her stepson's crassness.

“He's ready to throw your ass in jail. His words, not mine.”

The voice on the other end breathed audibly. Anna realized she had caught the calculating woman off kilter. Nancy Jean didn't plan on her own son calling the authorities.

“He wouldn't.”

“He still holds a grudge for every second you neglected him for a man.” Anna had suggested therapy and forgiveness to Johnathan, but the boy was stubborn. He never wanted to get over it. She eventually came to respect his wishes.

“Years ago. He can't bring charges now.”

“He doesn't have to. It was felony theft when you endorsed that check with his signature, and Jenn was a minor. I'll see she isn't held responsible.”

“That money is ours! It should have been here a long time ago.”

Anna blanched. She knew the estate was going to come up. Rising from her lounger Anna stood in her garden, prepared for the ultimatum she never wanted to give.

“You have two months to return what you bought and transfer anything left to me. I'll make up the difference, and it better not be the full $25,000." Anna took a breath, not 100% sure she was willing to make good on her threat. "I'll tell everything.”

“He'll hate you and so will she.”

“No they won't. I never knew for sure until the will was read, and even then, as executor I have no choice but to carry out it's provisions. I will apologize and Jennifer will come running to me, with custody of your other two children. You can rot in jail.”

Nancy Jean screeched at Anna, the full force of years of hate behind every word. “Bitch, you will never get another one of my kids.”

“Two months. Then I tell.”

Nancy Jean hung up on Anna. Swirling the glass of wine, Anna sipped it freely. She could only try to help him. He may not know it, but with a new baby and wife in the near future, there might come a time he regrets cutting off his mother. The ball was now in his mother's hands.

Kellie paced the small row in between the chairs of the waiting room of the office for Dr. Harper and his associates. Johnathan pulled open the glass door and immediately spotted the restless mother to be. Without hesitation, he closed the distance and gave her a light hug.

“You look great, Kellie. How are you feeling?”

Kellie's body tensed at the surprising greeting. She eyed Johnathan with a suspicious look. “I'm fine. And thanks?”

Johnathan took a seat and crossed his leg over his knee, revealing black socks with baby blue polka-dots. The color matched his baby blue tie perfectly. Kellie blew her bangs up in exasperation and took a seat next to him.

“Alright. What's your deal?”

Johnathan took a breath. This wasn't going to be easy. He twisted in his chair so he could properly face her.

“I'm very sorry about how I treated you last time. I have...issues. My own mother takes the worst mother of the century award, hands down. So that's where I come from. But, you and I are having this baby together. I can't be a good father if I'm mean to you."

Kellie fidgeted with the knotted end of the drawstring on her maternity shirt. “Why does your Mom take the bad mother award?”

Johnathan sighed. “She makes those wild animals who eat their young look nurturing.”

Her eyes widened and Kellie nodded. “I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have tried to make you just a check. From the moment I told you, you haven't ever acted like a jerk, until the drug thing. But we can all be jerks, sometimes.”

Before Johnathan could answer, the same nurse with the yellow see-through clipboard called Kellie's name. Once again, he stood sentry in the hallway as she was weighed and gave a urine sample.

He offered his hand as Kellie adjusted herself onto the hard exam table. Dr. Harper joined them momentarily.

“Hello, Kellie.” He took a look at Johnathan. “And Mr. Michaels.” Johnathan lowered his eyes. “Are we ready to see this baby?” Kellie grinned and nodded.

The ultrasound fascinated Johnathan. As Dr. Harper moved the wand over Kellie's barely there baby bump, he could see his child's head, arms, and legs. And it was only a few months old! Just then, Dr. Harper turned the screen more towards him and Kellie.

“Well, there it is.”

Johnathan scrutinized the screen, but he didn't see anything but a line.

“You are having a baby girl, folks.” Dr. Harper smiled at their shocked faces.

Kellie grabbed Johnathan's hand as he repeated Dr. Harper's words in a whisper. “A baby girl.” He turned to look at Kellie who had tears in her eyes. He didn't notice the same in his own as he broke into a wide smile. He was going to have a daughter!

Murmurs between Dr. Harper and the nurse broke the spell.

“What is that?” Kellie squeezed Johnathan's hand as a very large needle was handed from the nurse to Dr. Harper.

“It's okay, Kellie. The needle is long so we can get to the amniotic fluid. It's not going to hurt you or the baby, but we need to check for genetic abnormalities given Mr. Michael's family history.”

“Okay” Kellie's voice was very small.

“Do you want me to go?” Johnathan didn't want Kellie to feel embarrassed.

“Please stay?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Distract me. Tell me about your work," Kellie demanded as the the doctor rubbed a local anesthetic on the side of her belly.

“My work?”

“Yes, your work.” Kellie winced.

“Um.. well” Johnathan could see the large needle about to plunge into Kellie's skin. He jumped into explaining the Bluebird. “We're working on the armature of an autonomous helicopter that can fly into adverse situations and pick up packages of one meter in any dimension and drop off packages of the same size. We're calling our part of the Bluebird the Claw. It doesn't work yet, but we made part of it twitch the other day. The software and the hardware aren't getting along, and that's why Eric and I are working such long hours—”

“We're all done, Mr. Michaels.” Dr. Harper smiled at the young man with a very pale face.

“Thanks. I didn't know you did all that.” Kellie used the napkin handed to her by the nurse to wipe off the goop. Dr. Harper handed an ultrasound picture to Kellie, making her look at Johnathan. “Can you print another one, for him?”

Dr. Harper handed a stunned Johnathan his copy of the ultrasound, showing the baby's head. Johnathan looked down at the picture and smiled. He couldn't wait to tell Anna.

“The results will take six to eight weeks. And while some form of penis should have been visible, calling the gender is always risky, so I wouldn't go out and buy all pink, just yet. The amniocentesis will also confirm paternity and the baby's gender.”

“Thank you, Dr. Harper. See you in a few weeks.” Kellie steered a quiet Johnathan out of the exam room and back into the waiting room. She saw her mom waiting in the corner by the exit.

Johnathan spun around, grabbing Kellie's attention. “I'm moving out of the city to an address that's closer to you. I'll email it to you.”

“Will your phone stay the same?”

“Oh, yeah. I'm keeping my cell. By the way, my stepmother would like to meet you. You think we could do dinner with her sometime?”