It took Ben only about a half hour to get the food and return to the apartment.Ella was still lying down.Hearing Ben come in, she got up and went to the small dining room table that he had in his kitchen.Ben put out the food, and Ella gobbled hers up at lightning speed.After they ate, Ella said she was really tired from riding on the bus all night and asked if she could take a shower followed by a real nap.Ben readily agreed, saying he had some studying to do.Ella showered quickly and put on her pajamas.She all but dove head first into his bed and was sound asleep the second her head hit the pillow.
It was strange.In the past, they would have been flirty.Ben might even have suggested he join her in the shower.Today, it was as if they were unsure of the rules of the road any longer.Were they lovers?Friends?Strangers?Both Ben and Ella were keeping their emotions close to their chests, and neither was doing much to close the distance that had somehow crept between them with the news of a baby coming.
Around 4:00, Ben checked on Ella.Seeing her still sleeping, he considered running to the store to get some dinner.However, once again, he was not sure what she would be able to eat.He would never have guessed hot dogs for lunch.So rather than getting something wrong, he decided just to wait until she woke up.
Ben wondered if maybe Ella would be up for going out.They had been cooped up in the small apartment all day.Watching her sleep, he had been moved by how small and young she looked.It was mind boggling that in a few months, he and Ella could have a family of their own.She looked entirely too young for that.He had a moment of guilt that he had changed the trajectory of her life.
He also hated seeing her so sick.He hoped that did not last long.He did not remember his mom being so sick with his little sisters.Of course, he was very busy being a teenaged boy with school and sports, so he might have just missed it.Truthfully, he had tried to block out most of his mom’s pregnancies.He loved those little turds dearly, but they had come out of nowhere.He had been an only child for fourteen years, and that had been working for him pretty well.Little sisters were the last thing on Ben’s radar as he entered high school.To make matters worse, his mom was gorgeous, and his buddies had teased him mercilessly when they found out his mom was going to have a baby his freshman year.It wasn’t any better when she did it all over again.Ben loved those girls, but wow, it had been a lot at that time.
Now thinking about having his own child, Ben was filled with equal parts fear and excitement.Before Lizzy and Lola were born, he had no idea how funny little kids were.His dad often said no one who had kids needed cable because they provided the entertainment.Ben had experienced that firsthand.
He wondered if Ella was at all excited about a baby.So far he hadn’t really been able to get a good read on where her mind was.In the past, she had made comments about having helped raise her six siblings.He worried that all that responsibility placed on her at such an early age might have soured her on kids.Giving Ella a soft kiss on the top of her head, he returned to the kitchen and continued studying.
It was just after 6:00 when Ella finally emerged from the bedroom.Her hair was all over her head, and she had sleep still in her eyes.“What time is it?”she asked, yawning.
“A little after six,” replied Ben, extending a hand to her, trying to draw her closer.
“Six?Why did you let me sleep so late?”
“Why not?”asked Ben.“You have had a hard few days.Thought you could use the sleep.Feeling better?”
Nodding, but not moving closer to him, Ella replied, “Actually, I am.I think I will freshen up, and maybe we can talk about getting some food.I am hungry.”
Giving her a thumbs-up, Ben replied, “A-okay.Want to order in or go out?”
Without missing a beat, Ella said, “If it is okay with you, I would really rather we stay here.”
“Okay.How about pizza?Or is that too greasy?”Ben asked.
Ella seemed to contemplate that for a moment, then smiled.“Actually, that sounds divine.Can we get Italian sausage, green peppers, and extra cheese?Oh, and some cheesy bread?”
Ben could not remember Ella eating such greasy food before, but if that’s what she wanted, that was what she would get.“Sure, I will call D’Amores and have it delivered.”
Reaching over and giving Ben a quick peck on the lips, Ella said, “Great!I will be back in a minute.”
That was the first time since Ella had stepped off that bus that Ben felt a connection to her—the real her, the her he was madly, deeply in love with.It was as if the walls Ella had erected upon hearing about the baby were down, at least for a minute.If extra cheesy pizza and bread helped him feel closer to her, he would keep her in greasy fast food forever.
Ben prayed that she kept those walls down long enough for them to have some serious conversations that they were going to have to have very soon.He wasn’t afraid of the conversations.He was afraid of Ella ducking behind those concrete walls she put up whenever she felt threatened.He needed her to know that he would never do anything to hurt her or their baby.She just needed to trust him.
The food came, and Ella dived into the pizza like she had not eaten in weeks.She ate more than her share, but Ben did not care.He was happy to see her eating and not sick.After dinner, as they snuggled on the couch, Ben decided it was time to bring up the elephant in the room.
Ella was seated next to Ben, and he had his arm around her.He liked the air-conditioning freezing, a holdover from living in Arkansas.Ella had not grown up with air-conditioning and was always cold.So Ben had thrown a blanket over her legs to keep her warm.
Clearing his throat and giving Ella a loving look, Ben asked, “How are you feeling?Better now that you have your belly full?No nausea?”
Shaking her head no and giving him a smile, Ella replied, “Nope.Feeling pretty good at the moment.But I must tell you that it can change on a dime.So be prepared.”
Giving her a salute, Ben said, “Understood.”
Ben was amazed at how right Ella felt in his space, given she had literally never been there before.They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and said, “I almost hate to ask this, but where do your parents think you are?”Given that she had always been so secretive about their meeting in San Luis, he found it impossible to believe that she had told them she was going to hop a bus and come and visit a boyfriend they knew nothing about.He was not wrong.
“Umm…” Ella hedged.“I have been staying at my cousin Julia’s.They think I am still there.She has promised to cover for me for a few days.”
Turning Ella so he could look into her eyes, Ben asked, “So they have no idea about us or the baby?”
Shaking her head, Ella softly replied, “No, I wanted to tell you first and get a plan before I told them.”
Nodding Ben replied, “That makes sense.So I guess it is time for us to start making plans.Earlier we agreed you were going to have the baby.Have you thought about what you want to do after that?”
