Everything in Between (26 page)

* * *

Zae used a pair of needle-nose pliers to pinch the clasp of a silver butterfly closure around one end of her new length of chain link. The hook attached to the back of the butterfly fit perfectly in the loop of the other end of the chain. Five minutes of handiwork with a length of chain costing less than five dollars, and she’d made a cute new belt that harkened back to her high school days and her dip into punk fashions.

She went into her bathroom to try on the belt, wrapping it around her waist as she went. She closed the door behind her to view herself in the full-length mirror attached to the door. Even though she wore her skinniest pair of blue jeans, the belt was more snug than she’d expected it to be. Her waist size had been exactly twenty-eight inches for the past five years, and she’d purchased thirty inches of chain. The four-inch width of the butterfly clasp should have given her more than enough room for the belt to hang from her hips the way she had envisioned.

But the belt was snug. Tight, even.

She peeled off her jeans and tried it again. She had a bit more slack, but not as much as she should have had. Standing in profile, she sucked in her belly. The belt dropped, the butterfly sitting on her abdomen, which was no longer as flat as it had been. Her heart thumping a bit harder, she pressed on her abdomen with both hands.

Biting her lower lip, she went back into the bedroom, the tails of her shirt dancing at her upper thighs. She opened her briefcase and withdrew her personal planner. Already opened to the November calendar, she immediately noticed the little red circle she’d drawn around the date six days hence.

I’m probably just retaining water,
she told herself.

Nonetheless, she turned back to October and found the red circle she’d drawn around the twenty-eighth. She was as regular as a Swiss timepiece, and she expected her November monthly to arrive as scheduled. But just in case her abdomen knew something her brain didn’t, she went into the bathroom and put her jeans back on. Slipping on her shoes, she grabbed her purse. She tossed her new belt onto her bed, where it landed with a merry clink that sounded like laughter, as if it knew Zae was dashing to the nearest pharmacy.

* * *

“I’m so happy all of you could come for Thanksgiving dinner,” Zae said, standing at the head of her dining table.

Her guests—Cinder and Gian, Sionne, Cory and Chip—exchanged knowing glances. Zae’s invitation had been more like a declaration: come to dinner at her house, or else.

“I was a little surprised when you called,” Cinder said. “Since you’d said you wanted to have a quiet dinner with the kids with no fuss.”

“Well, things change.” Zae took her seat at the head of her dining table. “Anything can happen, whether you’re prepared for it or not.”

“I’m glad we’re all together today,” Eve said. “I love my family, and I’m so grateful all of you are a part of it.”

Cory gave her a sweet kiss on her cheek and raised his glass of sparkling grape juice for a toast. Rolling her eyes, Dawn clinked her glass with Sionne’s.

“The table looks great,” Chip said. “I can’t believe this spread.”

“Would you care to say grace?” Zae offered.

“I suppose I can muddle through,” Chip replied. He cleared his throat and took Zae’s hand on his right and Cinder’s on his left. “Dear Lord,” he began, “thank you for the gifts we are about to receive, and thank for the company with whom we share them. Thank you for the blessings you have bestowed on us this day and every day of our lives.” He squeezed Zae’s hand. “Amen.”

A chorus of amens followed, then hands began reaching for the dishes Zae had prepared.

“Would someone please pass the dressing?” CJ asked. “Mama wouldn’t let me taste it when she made it, and it smelled so good in the oven.”

“Everything looks and smells delicious!” Sionne said. He used a silver serving spoon to shovel baby peas onto his plate. They rained over a mound of mashed potatoes that looked like a miniature volcano oozing gravy.

Conversation died as Zae’s guests began to eat. Zae happily watched them. There was no greater compliment than the noise of cutlery and chewing at the beginning of a meal she had prepared with love and care. But then she noticed that Cinder wasn’t eating.

“Is there something wrong, Cinder?” Zae asked.

Staring at her plate, Cinder smiled and said, “Baby peas and baby carrots. There’s baby corn in the salad, and you made your gingered baby back ribs. I should have known that you’d be able to figure it out.” She looked up from her plate, tears swimming in her eyes. Gian put his arm around her. He swiped his linen napkin across his lips before pressing a tender kiss to her temple.

“Figure what out?” Zae asked.

“That I’m pregnant.”

Zae’s breath left her in a rush. “I didn’t know you were pregnant! I thought you were just getting fat. I’m the one who’s pregnant!”

Forks froze in mid-air. Eyes widened. Jaws loosened on their hinges. Zae covered her face with her hands.

“Wait a second.” She circled in back of Chip and kneeled at Cinder’s side. “You’re pregnant? Really?”

Cinder nodded, her tears finally spilling down her cheeks.

Zae took her in a tight, quick embrace, then let her go to hold her hands. “But I thought you couldn’t…you said there was too much scarring…”

“The doctors were wrong.” Cinder hugged her abdomen. With her long, loose floral-print blouse molded to her body, it was easy to the see the baby bump she’d been concealing. “We’re due in late March. Gian and I were just as surprised, and I hope delighted, as you are.”

Zae began to weep. “I’m more than delighted. I’m so happy for you!” She laughed out loud. “I should have guessed when I saw you eating that ghetto pregnancy pickle!”

“A what?” Cory chuckled.

“Cinder was eating a giant dill pickle with a candy cane stuck in the center of it,” Zae explained. “Pickles plus peppermint equals pregnant, where I come from.”

“You come from the ghetto, Mama?” CJ asked.

“Boy, shut up, and be happy for your Auntie Cinder and Uncle Gian,” Zae directed, hugging Cinder again.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re all happy for Gian and Cinder.” Chip’s voice quivered. “Zae…uh…you’re pregnant? You’re having a baby, too?”

Still smiling at Cinder, Zae said, “Yes. And don’t act surprised because it’s all your fault.”

Chip touched her shoulder to turn her to face him. “I’m going to be a father?”

“Yes, damn it!” Zae snapped. “I haven’t been with anyone but you, so who else would be my baby’s daddy?” Rolling her eyes at Chip, she turned back to Cinder. “What about adoption? Are you still going through with it?”

“Absolutely,” Gian said. “We’ve already notified the adoption agency and they don’t have a problem with us adopting while we’re expecting. We might be able to adopt sooner, since we’d like to adopt an older child.”

“I’d love to welcome a ‘big kid’ or a baby into our family close to the birth of this little one,” Cinder said, patting her bump. “The more the merrier.”

“Or the crazier.” Gian laughed.

“I’m a father!” Chip blurted. He drew his hand down his face, pulling his eyes and mouth out of shape. “Just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “One day I’m plain ol’ Chip Kish, the next, I’m Daddy Chip.”

“I’m as surprised as you are, ‘Daddy Chip.’ ” Dawn scowled. “This is the last thing I expected from you, Mother.”

Chip spun Zae by her shoulders, to face him. “Were you going to tell me, or did you hope I’d just notice your waistline doubling in size?”

“I was hoping you’d figure it out.” Zae offered him a feeble smile.

“How long have you known?” Chip gulped down his wine and accepted when Gian offered to refill his glass.

“For a few days,” Zae answered, standing. “I bought that chain the other day to make a belt, and it was tighter than I thought it should be. I thought I was getting fat like Cinder. But it’s not fat. It’s your baby.”

“Our baby,” Chip muttered. Beads of sweat dotted his brow. “We’re having a baby.”

“This is crazy talk,” Dawn blurted. “Mom, you’re too old to have another child!”

“Congratulations, Mama,” Eve said, dabbing at tears. “I think it’s wonderful.”

“I hope it’s a boy,” CJ said.

“Chip just hit the deck,” Sionne announced. He helped himself to a thick slice of turkey from Chip’s plate.

Gian and Cory were already at Chip’s chair, which had fallen straight backwards with Chip still in it. They righted him while Cinder dipped her napkin in her water glass and then used it to wipe Chip’s face. More fond of the direct approach, Zae picked up his water goblet and splashed the water in his face.

He sputtered awake, dazed and confused through the water dripping from his nose and chin. “What the—?”

“You passed out, Papa,” Dawn said.

“Are you okay?” Gian asked. “You gave yourself a knock on the head there, kid.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Chip insisted. He stood, wobbling only a little bit. Zae steadied him with an arm around his waist. “Could I have a word with you in private?”

“We’ll be right back.” With a smile at her guests, Zae left the dining room with Chip. They went up to her bedroom, where she sat him on the bed and got a cool, damp towel for his face.

“I know this is a shock to you,” Zae began, sitting beside him. “It was a shock to me, too.”

Chip, breathing slightly hard, pressed the cool towel to the back of his neck.

“We should have been more careful,” Zae went on. “I thought I had my dates right. There’s such a small window of fertility, and I was mindful of the days I was ovulating, but—”

“This is the best thing that has ever happened to me besides you,” Chip said earnestly. “My God, woman, are you trying to apologize for this?” He pressed a reverent hand to her abdomen. “For this?” He blinked away the tears threatening to fall. “Don’t you dare, Zae. I didn’t know I wanted this until you gave it to me.” He kissed her, hard, pressing her onto the bed.

Zae reveled in his happiness. She hadn’t realized how worried she’d been about his reaction until now, now that his touch eased away the tension she’d been carrying. Chip stroked and caressed her as if she were the most priceless thing under the sun, and kissed her as if he drew life from each kiss. He bared himself physically and emotionally, his tears dampening Zae’s skin with each kiss he pressed to her abdomen. Zae’s uncertainty regarding her pregnancy melted. With Chip’s eager acceptance, she no longer thought of it as her pregnancy. Now, she thought only of her baby.
Their
baby.

With Chip’s breath in her ear, his hands clenched in her hair, and his baby in her belly, they were joined more completely than ever before. There was no turning back, not that she’d ever considered doing so. But as for moving forward, Zae resolved to take her time. She would do what was best for her children, her new baby, and certainly for Chip.

Whether he liked it or not.

* * *

“Why didn’t you use condoms?” Dawn demanded the instant Chip and Zae stepped into the living room. “You
always
use condoms. You have a different brand for each girl you’ve dated, why didn’t you pick one to use with
my mother
?”

“I didn’t think I needed to,” Chip answered. “I figured Zae was on the pill or had an IUD.”

“I’ve been celibate for eight years,” Zae said. “The pill makes me fat and I’m not a fan of having foreign objects lodged in my uterus.”

“You could have gotten that shot,” Cory suggested. “You only have to get it once every couple of months. There aren’t any negligible side effects, either, and—”

Eve shut him up with a subtle kick.

“I’ve had an IUD for three months now,” Dawn announced haughtily. “It’s not so bad.”

“I’m done,” CJ said, setting aside his cherry pie. “I’m going to my room.”

Zae stared at Dawn, her eyes bulging. “You’re on birth control?”

“Well, it had to be me or Sionne, and he can’t remember to put the toilet seat down. There’s no way I’d leave him in charge of safeguarding my reproductive status.”

From the buffet where the desserts were lined up, Sionne shrugged as he licked meringue from his fingertips.

“You and Sionne are having sex?” Zae stormed to Sionne, who shrank away from her. “You’re sleeping with my little girl? My
baby
?” she shrieked.

Staring in wide-eyed fright at Zae, Sionne seemed to consider hiding behind his mountainous stack of pumpkin pie, coconut cake and honey bread. But then he suddenly took off, weaving through furniture and people like a zebra trying to outmaneuver a cheetah. He left the front door swinging on its hinges and ran down the driveway, his dessert platter balanced in one hand.

“Now look what you did, Mama!” Dawn cried.

Zae sat heavily in an armchair. “My head is spinning. I can’t breathe.”

“I’ll get you some water,” Cinder said. She rushed into the kitchen.

“It’s just an anxiety attack,” Dawn snapped. “It’ll pass.”

Cinder returned with a glass of ice water, which she pressed into Zae’s hand. “Honey, Dawn is nineteen years old. She’s not a baby anymore. She’s careful and she’s in a committed relationship. This is a shock, but—”