Page 20 of The Wedding

“Yes, yes, very nosy of me.” Monique’s phone beeped. She checked it before tucking it in her bag and leaning back in her seat. “Speak of the devil and she appears. Etta wants to meet me for lunch sometime next week. I doubt it’s for pleasure.”

“You think it has to do with business?”

“Certainly. She asks for my advice all the time.”

The way she said it implied that there was nothing odd about that.

“Look, Jamie,” Monique continued, cupping her hand over the top of her glass, “I know Etta, and I know that she is madly in love with you, and has been since before she evenrealizedit. She’s changed – for the better – since getting involved with you. It may be hard to believe sometimes, but she thinks the sun rises and shines on your cute ass. The fact she hasn’t asked you to marry her says nothing about you and everything about her. Mostly that she’s still denser than I took her for.”

“In all fairness, I haven’t really thought about marriage.” It was the truth. Jamie was still adjusting to living the high life with Etta. She was content to be a “girlfriend.” Maybe she would start thinking of wedding bells one day… but for now, she was still in her twenties and Etta was still, well, Etta.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s concerning that she hasn’t asked you.”

“Er…”

Monique pulled her phone backout.

“You’re not…!”

“Oh, calm down. I’m simply replying to her. About business.”

“Hmm.”

“Well,” Monique said, putting her phone down. “At least you don’t have to worry about this,” she pointed to her stomach, “changing things in your life anytime soon.”

“As I’m well aware. We don’t have any plans to have kids anytime soon, if ever. We haven’t talked about it much, actually.” Was that something they should get on? Jamie had always assumed that Etta didn’t want kids.But what about me? Do I want them?

“It’s all right. I was shocked, for sure, but I wanted this eventually. It’s just happening a few months earlier than I anticipated. Guess I should be grateful I don’t have to jump through all the hoops possible. Just having it happen on the first try takes those nerves away. Nope. Now I have new mother jitters.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“I better. I’ve got the best midwife on the coast, let alone the region. If something goes wrong, then it truly wasn’t meant to be.”

Even now, when everything seemingly went right for this woman, Monique was paranoid that everything would fall apart. This went deeper than her shitty ex. Other things had happened in her life to give her that cynical outlook. “It’ll be fine,” Jamie reiterated. “I firmly believe that.”

“I believe it foryou. All of this will pass eventually. The business issues… the lull in your love life…”

“I hope so. I’m riding it out right now.”

Monique held up her glass. “To an easy future for the both of us.”

Jamie hurried to hold up her glass as well. “May we both be fat and happy and in love.”

“I’m getting much fatter much faster than you.”

Their glasses clinked. Jamie couldn’t argue with that.

Chapter 8

The flu returned with a vengeance.

Jamie woke up three days later, running to the toilet. For an hour she lingered, only moving when Etta finally got up to get ready for work. Jamie greeted her on the bathroom floor, hair tangled and smelling like her stomach contents.

Etta called for Beatrice, and she in turn called the doctor. By the time Etta had clothes on, Beatrice informed them that the doctor would be by at ten.

“I’m sorry you still feel awful.” Etta pulled the blanket around Jamie as she curled up in their bed. “You don’t feel like you have a fever. Maybe it’s a 24-hour relapse and you’ll be back to normal soon.”

“Maybe…” Jamie clutched her girlfriend’s hand. She wished she didn’t have to go, but Etta was already grabbing her briefcase and checking for her phone.