“It’s so yum,” Angeni said to Freya in her overly saccharine voice.
Sasha’s phone vibrated in her pocket. An incoming text. A few seconds later, another vibration.
“I can take her now,” Angeni said after she’d finished about half the bowl.
Sasha handed her the baby and got up from the couch as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
It was Jay.
Yo.
Did my little note make it there?
Sasha didn’t realize she’d audibly gasped until Angeni said, “Everything okay?”
“Um, yeah,” Sasha muttered.
She collapsed onto the kitchen island, needing the sturdiness of it to hold up her body as it sagged in disbelief.
Dude. That was you?!
He sent a GIF of a man taking a dramatic bow.
Sasha: Jay. Dude. She, like, passed out when she read it. She went to the hospital and shit
Jay: oh shit. for real? serves her right i guess lol
Jay was still harboring the anger that Sasha had transmitted to him like a virus. She had to get back to him, help him see the pointlessness of it. Sasha looked over at Angeni, still trying to shove her tits in the poor baby’s mouth. She couldn’t help but feel bad for her.
Freya started to cry, probably annoyed with the tits in her face, and Sasha put down her phone and went to the couch.
“Can I help with anything?” Sasha asked.
Angeni didn’t even acknowledge her presence, though. Her tired, red-rimmed eyes were glued to Freya. Sasha could see the muscles of her jaw clenching.
The more Angeni tried to feed Freya, the more Freya cried—and cried, and cried.
“Everything okay?”
Sasha and Angeni turned to see that Aurora had come into the room. Aurora smiled at Angeni but didn’t meet Sasha’s eyes. Aurora hated her for kissing Erik. She could feel the hostility. Sasha wanted to explain how it was nothing, how Erik was just exhausted, looking for comfort. Men were all dumb creatures, taking too much solace in sexual connection.
“I just don’t understand why she’s not eating,” Angeni said.
“Can I make you some tea?” Aurora asked.
When Angeni didn’t respond, Aurora said, “I’m going to make you some chamomile,” and went to the kitchen.
“She doesn’t seem sick to you, does she?” Angeni asked.
It took a second for Sasha to realize that Angeni was asking her.
“I don’t think so,” Sasha said, unsure if that was the right answer. “I mean, maybe? I guess that would explain why she wouldn’t be hungry.”
“The stress of me being away would have compromised her immune system,” Angeni said. She was so bereft, Sasha found herself placing a consoling hand on her shoulder.
“She will be okay,” Sasha said. Needing something to do in this awkward moment, she stood from the couch and said, “Let me get your tea.”
When she turned toward the kitchen, she saw Aurora standing at the island, looking down at her phone, her brows knitted together in concern. It was only when she looked up as Sasha approached that Sasha realized Aurora wasn’t looking at her own phone, but at Sasha’s—with Jay’s text messages on full display.
