With a frown, I picked up my ringing phone. “Hey, Jada,” I said with more enthusiasm than I felt.
“Hey, sister! How are you?”
“I’m just pulling into my house, actually. Going to get a few things from here.”
She snickered. “How are things going now that you are officially living with Max?”
“Good. I mean, it’s really no different.”
“So I don’t need to plan a wedding soon?”
“Hardy har-har,” I mocked. “Did you call for something besides to annoy me?”
She laughed. “Yes, actually. I think we picked out the baby’s name.”
“And?” I asked, pulling into my driveway and turning off the car.
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you for being mean.”
“Maybe I’ll call Cane because you know how forthcoming he is about all things baby,” I said, taunting her. Cane had called to tell me that Jada was pregnant before Jada had a chance to, much to her chagrin. It was the best New Year’s Eve news I’d ever gotten. He went on and on, ignoring Jada’s protests in the background. It was pretty adorable.
“Don’t even,” she warned, making me laugh. “If it’s a boy, it’s going to be Benjamin Thomas. Benjamin is after his grandfather and Thomas after Dad. We’re still a little unsure about a girl’s name. I like Anna Marie, Anna after Mom and Marie after Cane’s grandmother. Cane likes Carmin Elizabeth. I have no idea why.”
“Oh, Jada! I love them!” I squealed, giggling at Cane’s randomness. “Why won’t you just find out if it is a boy or a girl? I want to buy blue or pink, not green and yellow.”
“Cane wants to be surprised, so we’re going to be surprised. But I think it’s a boy.”
“That’s funny because I think it’s a girl,” I said.
“So does Cane,” she laughed. “He’s sure it’s going to be a girl. He said it’s his payback for being a hellion.”
I saw my neighbor, Gladys, come out of her house and look strangely towards my car. “Look, Jada. I need to go. Gladys is giving me the stare down and I feel weird sitting here ignoring her.”
“Go. Love you.”
“Love you,” I replied, getting out of the car. Gladys gave me a little wave.
I made my way across the lawn towards the grey-haired old lady that lived next door. Gladys was a sweet woman. She made me chicken noodle soup when I came down with a bad case of bronchitis one fall. Last winter, she fell and hurt her hip. I visited her a lot, bringing her the crossword puzzles she liked and her mail in the afternoons.
Gladys had lived in the neighborhood for years, maybe even decades. She knew who lived where and how many kids they had. For a woman that didn’t get around a lot, she didn’t miss much.
“Hi, Gladys,” I called out. “How are you?”
She ambled down the few steps on her porch and made her way towards me. “I’m good, dear. How are you?”
“Great.”
“Have you moved? I haven’t seen you around much lately.”
I smiled, tossing my car keys in my purse. “I am in the process of moving, actually.”
“I hate that. You’re such a nice neighbor.” She smiled sadly.
“I don’t know what I’m doing with the house, so I’ll be around off and on for a while. Most of my stuff is still here right now.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Have you had someone checking on it for you?”
“No,” I said. “Just the pool guys every-other-week as usual.”
