“And?” Like her mom, she can shoot laser beams from her eyes and to avoid blindness, I stare at the pattern on my oriental rug.
“I don’t know.”
“What da fuck?” She grabs my hand and starts to drag my ass off the couch but I play dead and hold my ground.
“Wait, wait. I’m not quite ready.” At the thought of the stick turning positive, my heart races in an almost panic attack.
“A little late, cuz.”
“No, no. I’m totally fine having kids. I simply don’t want to take the test. Not yet. But I promise, if period doesn’t arrive by Saturday, I will.”Maybe.
“You mean Aunt Flo?” Rose snorts out a laugh, recalling our middle school banter.
“Shark week?”
Her eyebrows raise with a snappy comeback. “Red wedding?”
I have a million.“Riding the crimson wave.”
“You win.” Her smile softens as she sits back down beside me. “Doesn’t your sexy bodyguard want children?”
I point up at the loft, picturing a toddler falling down the stairs. “He does but we said we’d wait until we saved for a bigger place. Where will we put the bassinet? There’s barely room for our futon and dresser.”
“You do know, there is a whole ’nother floor above our apartment. I’m sure Uncle Vinny would give you a good deal.” I don’t know how she says this with a straight face.
Her rental agreements include blind dates with his cronies. I can only imagine what he will extort now I’m married. “You suppose he’d do a Rumpelstiltskin?”
“I’m a little light on my fairytale lore. Remind me?” Standing, Rose walks over to the fridge, and grabs a couple of cold ones. When she hands me a bottle, I leave it unopened on the coffee table, a sharp reminder of how my life is going to change.
I hate being out of control. “So, the story is basically about this imp creature who helps a girl spin straw into gold. In payment, she has to promise her firstborn to him.”
“You don’t honestly think Vincent would charge a whole baby as rent?” She takes a sip of brew while I settle for water.
“Not literally, or course not. But, if I have a boy, he might lure him down the wrong path.”Maybe that’s what’s been bothering me.
I tap my glass to her bottle and as I sit down next to her, she pats my knee. “Suds would never let that happen. Maybe you could tradehim?”
“Excuse me?” My eyebrows raise. No way will I let him date Vinny’s cougar friends.
Rose lets out a guffaw and when beer spews, she runs for a paper towel. “I meant you could trade his fixing up the apartment for some bucks off the rent. Seriously Sam, you’re losing it.”
It’s not a bad idea. My old apartment would be close to the office and we’d have built-in babysitting but walking past Joey’s open door would never work.
I mimic his voice, “Yo, loser, what’s shakin’?”
“Mmm. True, he could be problem. Maybe you could use the fire escape as a back entrance?” She sips in silence and asks, “Sooo… I thought you were on the pill?”
“I was or rather I am. The only thing I can think is my doctor changed my prescription.” It’s way too embarrassing to mention how I ignored his warning so I leave that part out.
“C’mon, hun. Let’s just go find out.” She tugs me off the couch and I’m ready to go until I think on all the stuff I need to do.
Then, I freak. “Nope. Nu-uh. Not happening.”
“Denial is not only a river in Africa.” With an arm around my waist, my cousin pulls harder but as we pass the stair’s metal railing, I take hold and refuse to budge.
“Later, after you leave.”
“You, my dear cuz, are fuckin’ hopeless.” She loosens her grip, chugs the last of her beer, and slips into her black hoodie. “Youdoknow the bingo crowd is laying odds if it’s a boy or a girl. Not only that, they’ve decided Saint Mia should be the godmother.”
