Vincent was standing at the sink holding a plate that had been spotless for several minutes. He let the warm water continue to run over his hands, losing himself in the slow, circular rhythm of his cleansing strokes.
He was taller now, though not by much. He had gained weight, too, as the time had passed. He had a man’s brawn to him. His skin had lost some of its youthful glow, but the difference was barely perceptible. He bore no sign of wrinkles, except where the water from the faucet had been streaming down onto his fingers.
“I’m home!”
A voice called out over the creaking of the front door. Vincent looked up. Jessica stepped into the living room and shed her coat on the nearest chair.
“Did you eat without me?” she asked.
She had changed very little. Her eyes shone with the same, wide curiosity as they always had. Her hair, still dark, was pulled back. And her face, still somewhat flat, wore the same, constant hint of a smile.
“I have a group to get settled in tonight,” said Vincent. “I tried to wait for you.”
Jessica dropped her bag and lowered herself into the chair across the counter. It was a process – she had gained much more weight than Vincent. Of course much of it, especially in the large, rounded part of her stomach, was not her own. “You’re working late again?” she asked.
Vincent raised his brow, then looked down at his watch. “I’m the one working late?”
Jessica waved a dismissive hand. “You know how crazy it is when we’re in session,” she said. “I have to be there.”
“Not in your current state you don’t!” said Vincent. Jessica looked down at the bulge in her stomach, rolling her eyes.
“You do know you’re the one who put me in this ‘state’,” she said, with a grin. “Don’t you?”
Vincent smiled back at her. He shook his head and shut the water off. The plate – now sparkling – he set in the drying rack. “Well you only have one more night,” he said. He circled the counter over to her and she spun around in her chair to receive him. He placed a hand on the upper part of her stomach. “So I thought just maybe you would be home on time.”
Jessica looked down at Vincent’s hand, smiling, and placed her own hand there as well. “She only makes me want to work later.”
Vincent sighed, but he didn’t argue. He didn’t disagree. “How is the legislation coming?” he asked. “Are the trade blocks finalized?”
“Nearly,” said Jessica. “We’re getting close.”
Vincent nodded back, and gave her stomach one final, gentle pat before turning away. He pulled his coat from the rack.
“Refugees?” asked Jessica.
“A family of them,” said Vincent. He threw his coat around his shoulders. “They’re getting here at 8:00.”
“8:00?” repeated Jessica. She cast a look down at her watch. “You’re leaving awfully early.”
“I don’t want to be late,” said Vincent. Jessica grinned.
“You’re taking a ground transport, aren’t you?”
Vincent bent down to retrieve his briefcase, careful to keep his back turned. He could feel Jessica smiling behind him.
“You’d save so much time if you flew,” she said.
Vincent pulled the case up to his hip by the handle. “Food’s in the oven,” he said. She rolled her eyes, and he smiled back. He crossed over to her once again and kissed her on the forehead.
“Hurry back to us,” she said.
“I will,” said Vincent, and he started for the door, still smiling.