Deadly Expectations (60 page)

Show off.

I was pleased, his quick success made me look good.

"We need to clear again and then we can wake up," I told him, vaguely remembering Paul’s voice saying Marie would arrive soon.
 
"I think we’re out of time today.”

He sneezed first and his eyes were already open when I opened mine.
 
Then he took in a deep breath and sank back in his chair.

"Do I look as tired as you do?" he asked me.

"Uh," yawn, "huh."
 
Patrick yawned in reply and nodded.

“Do you think you can practice that on your own?” I asked him.

“I can … you just made up teaching that?”

I nodded.

“Thank you, Anna.
 
You’re a good teacher.”
 
He stood and helped me up then he kissed my cheek.

“Most welcome Patrick.
 
You’re a good student,” I replied.

We took our places back at the table.
 
Paul had kept one empty next to him for me.
 
When I sat down I closed my eyes and leaned on him.

“I don’t know how not moving could be so tiring,” he said.
 
“You’ll sleep well tonight.”

“How’s your head?”

“Sore … I don’t think anyone is drinking tonight.”

I closed my eyes and tried to get my energy back.
 
When I opened them Patrick had come back up with coffee for himself.
 
There was an empty seat left next to Keith.
 
For Marie I supposed.
 
It didn’t take long for her to arrive.
 
We already had customers taking seats upstairs with us so she kept her voice down but her displeasure with Keith’s new look was obvious.

She glared at him then at Patrick.

“What stupid bet was it this time?” she quietly demanded.
 
Keith and Patrick both looked back at her innocently.
 
Paul snickered.
 
They both looked afraid of her.
 
Keith more so than Patrick.

“At least you both lost … who did you lose to?”

They pointed at me.
 
I tried to look aghast.
 
Marie was furious.

“Blaming our guest,” she quietly fumed.
 
“I hope it grows back in patches.”

Then she spoke to me across the table.
 
“I’m so sorry Anna.
 
They try and have this old boy’s club thing going but they just wind up making fools of
themselves
.”

“Marie, you’re more patient than I would be,” I elbowed Paul and he pulled himself together.
 
The other men were still laughing and at least I could keep mine in line.

Chapter 45

I hurried down to the ladies room to give my legs a quick stretch.
 
Marie was waiting for me when I got out of the stall.

“Hi Marie,” I said as I washed my hands.
 
She disappeared into another stall and started talking.

“You know I was sixteen when I met Keith … he was thirty.
 
Grade eleven.
 
My parents found out when I was in grade twelve.
 
They freaked out on me but there was nothing they could do … they couldn’t prove we were sleeping together.”

Please Lord, I thought, I never wanted to hear this come from a woman on a toilet.

“Keith insisted I finish high school and put me through my first year of university.
 
I was still living at home until my eighteenth birthday when we got married and I moved in with him.
 
They had warmed up to him some by then … couldn’t really be against someone who felt my education was so important even if he was almost twice my age."

She stepped out of the stall and turned both the hot and cold on full.

“I’m second year now.
 
We quit being careful when we got married and have been trying ever since.”
 
She looked at my stomach.
 
“Was it hard?”

“Was what hard?”
 
I asked.

“Getting pregnant.”

“Oh, that,” I said.
 
“Nothing’s a hundred percent … not unwelcome though.”

I waited for it; for the woman I just met to talk to me about reproduction in a ladies room.

 
“I’m a week late,” Marie said.
 
“I told Keith I saw the doctor and
he’s
flooded with late stressed out university women right now.
 
I’m taking six classes and working here most nights.
 
I told him the doctor said to quit the job or take a couple fewer classes next semester or he’s going to have me on tranquilizers.
 
But I’m so tired and the last couple of days I threw up between classes.
 
Keith is so down about us not being successful I just don’t want to have to tell him no again.”

She looked down too.
 
I’d never thought about having children until it happened to me.
 
There was nothing I could draw on to relate to the frustration and failure they had been going through.
 
What I did know was that I liked her and I wondered if we’d always gotten along.

“You already told him the doctor said no.
 
You should find out.
 
At least you won’t have that worry on top of everything else.”
 
I offered.
 
“I’ll come with you to the drug store if you want to do it now.”

She seemed to brighten a bit then her expression changed.
 
“Keith never lets me run around the mall alone.
 
If he can’t come with me one of his buddies does.
 
There was a girl my age raped a year ago … they never caught the guy.”

“You won’t be alone.
 
I’ll take care of it.
 
When they hesitate we’ll run for it.”

Then she cheered up.
 
“Okay … I can show you around here a bit.”

When we got back upstairs I stood behind Paul.

“My calves are cramping up from all the sitting … I need to walk around or they’ll be in knots.
 
Marie’s coming with me,” I told Paul, loud enough for Keith to hear.

Keith checked his watch.
 
“I have a section to cover now, can you go with them Paul?”

Paul started to stand so I pressed my hand hard on his shoulder and my other arm around Marie’s waist.

“I will guard this young one with my life,” I told them.
 
I was dead serious but she didn’t know that and she covered her mouth as she laughed.

Keith hesitated and looked at Paul who nodded at him.
 
“Well …” he said.

“‘kay … bye,” I said as Marie started dragging me to the stairs.

We hurried down and to the main door to the restaurant.
 
I cast my senses back to the table and felt
Warren
coming down the stairs as we walked out into the mall.

“Bet he changes his mind,” Marie said not slowing down.
 
We took a right when we got to the main concourse and I quickly looked back as we rounded the corner.

“You’re right …
Warren
.
 
He could have sent someone in a less obvious shirt.
 
He’ll be easy to keep an eye on wearing red.”

“
Grrr
,” Marie laughed.
 
I noted the stores as we walked by then I pushed her into a record store.

“You like music?”
 
I asked.

“Sure,” she said.
 
We looked around for a few minutes.
 
She found a couple of CD’s on sale she’d been looking at for a while so she got them.
 
When we left we cautiously approached the door and spotted
Warren
on a bench two stores down.
 
I looked the other way and there was another bench with a jewellery kiosk just past it.
 
A garbage can and a couple of decorative fake trees.

“When he looks the other way we’ll run and hide over there,” I pointed.

She nodded.
 
“Have you done this before?
 
This is turning into the most covert girls’ night I’ve ever been on.”

I laughed.
 
After a minute
Warren
checked his watch and his attention wandered.
 
A couple of women in short skirts walked past him heading back the way we came and he obediently watched them go.

“Now,” Marie said and we ran to the trees behind the kiosk.
 
It was hard enough to see
Warren
on his bench so hopefully he wouldn’t see us.
 
After a couple more minutes he went to peek into the music store,
then
he walked in the door.
 
We waited.
 
When he came out he was on the phone so I quickly took mine out and turned the ringer down.
 
After another minute it rang.
 
Keith must have had to go and get Paul.

“Hello?”

“Hey
Rach
,” Paul said.
 
“Where did you two get to?”
 
Wow, direct.
 
I thought he would at least try and sound interested in what we were doing.

“There’s a smoke shop … Marie’s thinking of getting her dad a humidor for Christmas,” I told him.

Marie covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
 
I heard Paul’s palm rustle on the phone then after a few seconds Warren went back the way we came.
 
The smoke shop was six stores back.

“Pardon Marie?”
I called out like I was trying to hear her across the store.
 
“I have to go, love you.”

She grabbed my hand and we ran to the stairs to the second level of the massive two story mall.
 
We didn’t stop until we got to the drug store.

“What did we just do?”
 
Marie asked me.

“Gave
Warren
the slip.”

“Is Paul going to be mad at you?”

“Not our fault
Warren
got there after we left.
 
We had no idea he was following us.
 
And besides, do you really want to hang out in the family planning aisle with him?”

“
Eew
, no.” she laughed.
 
She got a box with two pregnancy tests in it.
 
I got some time for our phones and a bottle of Advil for Paul.
 
I had a feeling that he would be using my minutes up fast tonight.
 
The Advil was for the headache I was making worse.
 
We paid and left as my phone rang again.

“Hello?”

“Rachel …
are
you two okay?”

“Hi … yes.
 
She’s showing me the pirate ship.”

More palm rustling on phone.
 
Marie was grinning.
 
We were nowhere near the pirate ship.
 
I’d read the brochure in the room.