Mom says.
Alice reaches over and takes my hand, squeezes it. I’m immediately glad that she’s not carrying my child as well. She said we’d never know, but I think at some point I would, that it would be obvious, and the thought of my child with Quinn having a cousin that is also a half-brother or sister just gives me the creeps.
“And we have some news as well,” Paul says, visibly happy for me, and this seemed to be the best time to bring up what was going on with him.
“He knows already,” Phillip tells Paul. “I told him already.”
Paul goes red. “God dammit, Phillip!” he says and looks like he’s going to jump the table and strangle my younger brother. There’s a fight starting and I’m completely done with fighting.
“He didn’t tell me,” I yell and they all stop to look at me. “He said that you’ve got news. That’s it. So, just tell me.”
Paul takes a deep breath and sits down. His color returns by degrees.
“Damn it, Phillip,” he says between clenched teeth. “Can’t you control yourself?”
“That would take all the fun out of life,” he quips. And I think he’s a little right. I’ve controlled my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve controlled my job, my wife, my marriage. Look where it got me. Now I have no control over the things that matter – Quinn, my marriage, my child. It’s all uncertain, but I’m dreaming for things for us, and I’m making them happen.
“Just tell him the news, Paul,” Mom says.
“So Alice and I are pregnant,” he says, still angry.
“Not like that!” Alice exclaims.
“Sorry.”
“That’s great!” I say. Of course I know. Phillip didn’t tell me exactly what the news was but I’m not an idiot.
“And your baby with have a cousin,” Alice points out.
“Yes, she will.”
Alice grabs me as they’re leaving.
“You look happy,” I say to her.
“I am happy. And you... you look happy too.”
“I’m getting there.”
“I’m so happy for you and Quinn. You loved each other so much.”
“Yeah. And then we drifted apart. But we’re good now, or maybe we will be.”
“Marriage counselling, huh? You’ve got to love that.”
“I sure has its moments.”
“I bet. Judd, do me a favour?”
“Sure.”
“Remember how you said not to let wanting a baby destroy the love between Paul and me?”
“Sure.”
“Well, don’t let the things between you and Quinn destroy your love. Rise above them. Be better than them.”
“That’s good advice.”
“I’m a counselling veteran.”
“Ah.”
“You look older,” she says.
“You’re the second person to tell me that today.”
“Well,” she says, looking at my face carefully, “not older. I don’t mean that. I don’t mean wiser either. I think I mean that you’ve been through some things and you’ve grown. It’s a good look on you.”
We hug and they leave. I’m a little sad. I missed out on telling my family about our baby the proper, joyful way. I should have stood with Quinn at a gathering and told them and they’d have toasted us and laughed with us, shared our joy.
But that moment passed me by never to materialize. I sigh for many moments lost to fate and foolishness. But then, there is no point of dwelling on what could or should have been. All that matters is the future, what could be or what I can make happen. I guess I’m growing.
Quinn calls me after dinner and she’s in a good mood and my spirits lift with the sound of her voice. She doesn’t sound so tired either. I tell her that I’m worried about her and she says she’s fine.
“How’s your stay,” she asks me.
“Good,” I say. “I gave Phillip back the Porsche.”
“Good.”
“Hey, I... Well, I’d like to come home, if that’s okay. For good, I mean.”
“Sure,” she says and there’s a lilt in her voice. I think it was happiness, but I can’t see her face to see she’s smiling. I imagine it. I imagine she’s doing a little dance like I did at the office. “What about your flat?”
“I’d be happy to say goodbye to that place.”
“Okay, so when you come home, you can, well, come home.”
“Yeah.” Now I’m dancing and I nearly fall off the roof.
“When?”
“Tuesday, a bit after lunch. Wade’s taking the week off. Damn it! I almost forgot.”
“What?”
“Wade got himself married.”
“What? When?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say. But he’s in Mexico on his honeymoon and won’t be back till next week. That gives me a little holiday.”
“You won’t stay longer.”
“No,” I tell her. “I’m keen to get back home. I’ve got a date to organise.”
“Oh, yes,” she says. “I hope I’ll be suitably impressed by the arrangements.”
“I think you will.”
“Then I can’t wait. Hey, Mary called me yesterday.”
“Oh yeah? Grant called me too.”
“What did he want?”
“He asked me how I was doing with my assignment.”
“Mary asked me about the same thing.”
“Oh, and...” I say with a laugh, “they know about us making fun of them in the car. Turns out they said that deliberately – or, as Grant says, intentionally – to get us to laugh. Kind of to end things on a light note, I think.”
“Clever.”
“I did work though. Anyway, I’ll let you go.”
“Sure,” she says. “Oh, when you get back, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“Okay,” I say. Not like the last surprise she gave me, I hope.
“See you Tuesday then. I love you, Judd.”
For some reason I’m speechless. It was like she was saying it for the first time. I’d heard her say it plenty of times the last few weeks, but this was the first time she’s used it unconsciously, naturally.
“I love you too,” I say with as much meaning I can give four words, and we hang up. I lay down against the cold shingles and look up at the stars and thank them, or I thank whoever is up there that’s in my corner at last.
In the next episode of Twenty Four Weeks…
Judd and Quinn have their first date… Quinn faces the truth about her family…
“Pants back on,” the doctor says, and I comply, sitting down in a chair with a sigh. “That just leaves a urine sample and blood tests. I recommend your wife get tested too.”
“She is.”
“And you’re not having intercourse?”
“No.”
“And do you need me to recommend counselling?”
“No. We’re sorting that out.”
“I see you have your ring still on. Habit or hopefulness?”
“A bit of both, actually.”
…
“Quinn’s problem had very little to do with which penis she preferred,” my mother explains. “It had everything to do with which heart. You know that already. And she chose yours because you have the bigger heart. She saw that because this pregnancy tested your heart and Wade’s and yours was stronger. Yours didn’t let her down.”
…
I pay the owners what I owe them and pack my meagre belongings into the back of my car. I don’t own much, I haven’t needed to for a while. It’s odd to realise how little you actually need to survive, to live. I leave the television and the sofa, close the door behind me and that chapter of my life comes to an end.
…
“Well, yes, but there’s more.” She moves her head like she means me to follow her. I do, down the hall to her bedroom…
“You did this?” I ask her, pleased and also frightened by what this will mean.
“I had help.”
“This is what you were u
p to the last two days?”
“Yes. Is this okay?”
“It is.”
…
"You’re not coming up?” she asks.
“No. It’s date night, remember? I’ve got a few things to sort out. You go up and get ready and I’ll pick you up at seven. Wear something warm.”
“Okay,” she says and heads up to our apartment. I drive back to the station to change and prepare. Tonight is going to memorable. The best bit about it is its virtually free.
…
We hold hands in the elevator. She looks down, demurely. I glance at her often, wonder how my luck has changed so much. In our apartment I lead her down to her room – our room…
…
It’s been half an hour in the car, in the silence.
“Are we going to talk about last night?” she asks me.
I exhale deeply. “Sure,” I say…
Download regularly the Episode Guide for updates on this series. Additionally there is an Adult version (contains adult themes, coarse language, sexual references, high-level sex scenes and some violence) and downloadable audio books of these episodes (adult version).
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