I hung up the dress, grabbed my bag, exited the dressing room and Phylenda, April, Danny and I walked to the cash register.
When I handed over my credit card, Phy asked, “You gonna let me in on your sudden need to have a fancy tight dress?”
I turned to her and didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I figure I better wear fancy tight dresses while I got the chance, seein’ as, in a few months, I’ll be big as a house.”
Phy wasn’t one to show her emotions, she didn’t give much away. She’d learned to hold things close and not expose anything, give anyone a weapon they might use against her.
But Phy was changing. Nearly losing her man a different way and him being made into a hero by town’s talk and his own actions had a way of doing that. Darryl did what he did and he showed his true self, maybe late, but he did it. She found herself in the position of having a man who she could be proud of and her kids having that kind of father. For years, Darryl’d been working hard to show her he was that man but she couldn’t ever trust it. He put his life on the line to save mine and that was different. She wasn’t used to being able to hold her head up high but I could tell she was getting used to it and I could also tell she liked it a lot.
Therefore, when she read my meaning, her eyes went wide then they grew wet.
“You’re serious?”
“Doc told me today.”
“How far along?”
“Ten weeks.”
Phy blinked, I giggled, leaned close and whispered, “Yeah, I think it happened the first time we did it.”
She whistled and said, “Shee-it, Colt’s swimmers must be super-powered.”
I didn’t doubt that, practically everything about Colt seemed super-powered.
I signed the receipt, took the bag and we headed into the mall, making a bee-line toward Jessie’s favorite shoe shop.
“I’m scared,” I told Phy, my eyes on the kids who were wandering ahead of us aimlessly, taking in all they could around the mall, probably wondering what they could ask their Mom to buy them that she wouldn’t say no to.
“Why?” Phy asked and I looked at her.
“I’m not exactly twenty anymore.”
“Women havin’ babies later and later, seems to work for them.”
I looked back at Danny and April. “Yeah, maybe so, but doesn’t seem much works for me and Colt.”
I jumped when Phy’s arm went around my waist and I looked back to her. She wasn’t open and she wasn’t touchy either but now she was close.
“Feb, that was then and this,” she put her other hand to my belly, “is now.”
I pressed my lips together and I felt my own eyes get wet.
She smiled at me as I breathed deep.
Then she dropped her hands, shouted at her kids and we turned into the shoe shop.
* * * * *
“What’s the big to do?” Dee asked, arms crossed, eyes on me, much like Jessie and Meems (though their arms weren’t crossed), all of us scrunched into Mimi’s little office at the back of her coffee shop. “I gotta get back to the bar.”
“Jeez, Dee, you act like that bar’ll crumble to the ground, you’re not in it,” Jessie muttered and Dee swung her eyes to Jessie.
“Yeah, well, I love Darryl, we all love Darryl, we all know why we love Darryl, that don’t mean Darryl can hold down the fort without a little help,” Dee retorted, being generous with her words for, hero or not, once Darryl recovered and got back to work a couple of weeks ago, he had not, unsurprisingly, changed. “Ruthie’s on vacation, Cheryl’s not on until seven, Morrie’s at home with the kids, Jackie’s watchin’ Ned’s babies and Jack’s in the office, payin’ invoices. Not to mention, Feb’s here, actin’ weird and goin’ shoppin’ with Phy, of all people.”
“Yeah,” Jessie’s eyes swung to me and they held accusation clear as day. “Why’re you shoppin’ with Phy?”
“She has the day off and she needs to get out of the house every once in awhile,” I told Jessie.
“But I’m your shopping buddy,” Jessie told me. “Phy’s your movie buddy.”
Since the incident I had taken to spelling Phy’s nursemaiding Darryl by taking her to the movies. When I did this whoever was available, Mom, Dad, even Colt, watched over Danny and April and also Darryl.
“Today, Phy’s my shopping buddy,” I said to Jessie.
“Well, don’t think I’m gonna be your movie buddy. I don’t like goin’ to the theater. You can’t pause the movie if you all of a sudden find you want some Raisinettes,” Jessie decreed.
“Can we get to the point of why Feb’s asked us here at all?” Mimi put in.
“Yeah, I gotta get back,” Dee repeated.
“You said that,” Jessie told her.
“All right, guys,” I cut in, “eyes on me.” When they turned me, I went on. “You have to swear, I tell you this, you keep it a secret, no one, no husbands, no friends, no parents, no sisters, you tell no one, not until nine o’clock tomorrow morning. Got me?”
Their faces had all changed, gone curious and expectant. They were getting used to a February Owens who shared and I found they liked it a whole lot. Since they did, I also found I did it a whole lot more.
“Colt asked you to marry him,” Mimi breathed her very wrong guess.
“Hallelujah!” Dee shouted before I could confirm or, more accurately, deny.
“I get to be Matron of Honor!” Jessie screeched.
Before I could say word one, Mimi turned to her and demanded to know, “Why do you get to be Matron of Honor?”
“I found her first,” Jessie said to Mimi.
“So? You got to be my Matron of Honor and Feb got to be your Maid of Honor and that means I get to be Feb’s Matron of Honor,” Mimi returned.
“Guys,” I tried to interrupt.
Jessie ignored me and said to Mimi, “Yeah, but I still found her first.”
“What you’re sayin’ is, I’m forty-two years old and I’m gonna die not bein’ anyone’s Matron of Honor?” Mimi retorted.
“Guys,” I repeated.
“It ain’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Jessie told her.
“Yeah, so, why you want it so bad?” Meems shot back.
“Guys!” I shouted. “Colt didn’t ask me to marry him. I’m pregnant!”
Everyone’s gaze came to me then they froze.
When I handed over my credit card, Phy asked, “You gonna let me in on your sudden need to have a fancy tight dress?”
I turned to her and didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I figure I better wear fancy tight dresses while I got the chance, seein’ as, in a few months, I’ll be big as a house.”
Phy wasn’t one to show her emotions, she didn’t give much away. She’d learned to hold things close and not expose anything, give anyone a weapon they might use against her.
But Phy was changing. Nearly losing her man a different way and him being made into a hero by town’s talk and his own actions had a way of doing that. Darryl did what he did and he showed his true self, maybe late, but he did it. She found herself in the position of having a man who she could be proud of and her kids having that kind of father. For years, Darryl’d been working hard to show her he was that man but she couldn’t ever trust it. He put his life on the line to save mine and that was different. She wasn’t used to being able to hold her head up high but I could tell she was getting used to it and I could also tell she liked it a lot.
Therefore, when she read my meaning, her eyes went wide then they grew wet.
“You’re serious?”
“Doc told me today.”
“How far along?”
“Ten weeks.”
Phy blinked, I giggled, leaned close and whispered, “Yeah, I think it happened the first time we did it.”
She whistled and said, “Shee-it, Colt’s swimmers must be super-powered.”
I didn’t doubt that, practically everything about Colt seemed super-powered.
I signed the receipt, took the bag and we headed into the mall, making a bee-line toward Jessie’s favorite shoe shop.
“I’m scared,” I told Phy, my eyes on the kids who were wandering ahead of us aimlessly, taking in all they could around the mall, probably wondering what they could ask their Mom to buy them that she wouldn’t say no to.
“Why?” Phy asked and I looked at her.
“I’m not exactly twenty anymore.”
“Women havin’ babies later and later, seems to work for them.”
I looked back at Danny and April. “Yeah, maybe so, but doesn’t seem much works for me and Colt.”
I jumped when Phy’s arm went around my waist and I looked back to her. She wasn’t open and she wasn’t touchy either but now she was close.
“Feb, that was then and this,” she put her other hand to my belly, “is now.”
I pressed my lips together and I felt my own eyes get wet.
She smiled at me as I breathed deep.
Then she dropped her hands, shouted at her kids and we turned into the shoe shop.
* * * * *
“What’s the big to do?” Dee asked, arms crossed, eyes on me, much like Jessie and Meems (though their arms weren’t crossed), all of us scrunched into Mimi’s little office at the back of her coffee shop. “I gotta get back to the bar.”
“Jeez, Dee, you act like that bar’ll crumble to the ground, you’re not in it,” Jessie muttered and Dee swung her eyes to Jessie.
“Yeah, well, I love Darryl, we all love Darryl, we all know why we love Darryl, that don’t mean Darryl can hold down the fort without a little help,” Dee retorted, being generous with her words for, hero or not, once Darryl recovered and got back to work a couple of weeks ago, he had not, unsurprisingly, changed. “Ruthie’s on vacation, Cheryl’s not on until seven, Morrie’s at home with the kids, Jackie’s watchin’ Ned’s babies and Jack’s in the office, payin’ invoices. Not to mention, Feb’s here, actin’ weird and goin’ shoppin’ with Phy, of all people.”
“Yeah,” Jessie’s eyes swung to me and they held accusation clear as day. “Why’re you shoppin’ with Phy?”
“She has the day off and she needs to get out of the house every once in awhile,” I told Jessie.
“But I’m your shopping buddy,” Jessie told me. “Phy’s your movie buddy.”
Since the incident I had taken to spelling Phy’s nursemaiding Darryl by taking her to the movies. When I did this whoever was available, Mom, Dad, even Colt, watched over Danny and April and also Darryl.
“Today, Phy’s my shopping buddy,” I said to Jessie.
“Well, don’t think I’m gonna be your movie buddy. I don’t like goin’ to the theater. You can’t pause the movie if you all of a sudden find you want some Raisinettes,” Jessie decreed.
“Can we get to the point of why Feb’s asked us here at all?” Mimi put in.
“Yeah, I gotta get back,” Dee repeated.
“You said that,” Jessie told her.
“All right, guys,” I cut in, “eyes on me.” When they turned me, I went on. “You have to swear, I tell you this, you keep it a secret, no one, no husbands, no friends, no parents, no sisters, you tell no one, not until nine o’clock tomorrow morning. Got me?”
Their faces had all changed, gone curious and expectant. They were getting used to a February Owens who shared and I found they liked it a whole lot. Since they did, I also found I did it a whole lot more.
“Colt asked you to marry him,” Mimi breathed her very wrong guess.
“Hallelujah!” Dee shouted before I could confirm or, more accurately, deny.
“I get to be Matron of Honor!” Jessie screeched.
Before I could say word one, Mimi turned to her and demanded to know, “Why do you get to be Matron of Honor?”
“I found her first,” Jessie said to Mimi.
“So? You got to be my Matron of Honor and Feb got to be your Maid of Honor and that means I get to be Feb’s Matron of Honor,” Mimi returned.
“Guys,” I tried to interrupt.
Jessie ignored me and said to Mimi, “Yeah, but I still found her first.”
“What you’re sayin’ is, I’m forty-two years old and I’m gonna die not bein’ anyone’s Matron of Honor?” Mimi retorted.
“Guys,” I repeated.
“It ain’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Jessie told her.
“Yeah, so, why you want it so bad?” Meems shot back.
“Guys!” I shouted. “Colt didn’t ask me to marry him. I’m pregnant!”
Everyone’s gaze came to me then they froze.
