Chapter 11
Cat
We come down, and I see the one person I didn’t want to run into.
“Hey, Kate,” I say with a smile that’s only slightly forced. She’s lying on the couch with her forearm over her eyes, still in her work clothes. She sits up, looks at me and then at Ava, before rolling her eyes back over to me.
“Hi, Cat, you’re going out dressed like that?”
“Dressed like what?” I repeat, looking down at my clothes.
“Isn’t that skirt a little short for you? It seems more like your friend’s style.”
“Ho, ho, ho, Kate. It’s nice to see you too, and her friend has a name, it’s Ava.”
“I know what your name is. I chose not to acknowledge you, because looking at you is the last thing I want to do.”
“That’s what I get for trying to be nice to you, Kate. I guess we’re done with that now?” Ava smiles down at her, patting the side of her feet with her fingers. “You’re back to being a full-blown megawatt bitch with your stuck-up ass.”
“Why don’t you shut the hell up, Ava?” Kate says, kicking Ava’s hand away with her feet. “I can’t stand you.” She props herself up on her elbows ready to get off the couch to get at Ava.
“The feeling’s mutual,” Ava says, moving closer.
I have to stop this before someone gets hurt. Ava is not above fighting a pregnant woman, especially if it’s Kate. That’s not true; anyone else would get a pass except Kate.
“Wow, let’s settle down, ladies, and act like the grown-ups we are.
” I place my hand on Ava’s shoulder and stand in front of her.
Kate is sitting straight up in the middle of the couch, ready to launch.
I can’t remember a time when they weren’t mortal enemies; they’re like oil and water—they don’t mix.
“In answer to your question, Kate, no, I don’t see anything wrong with my outfit. It’s appropriate for where I’m going tonight.”
“And where’s that?”
I can hear the attitude in her voice as she’s staring daggers at Ava. I hear Ava whisper under her breath, “None of your damn business.” I’m hoping Kate didn’t hear.
“We’re going to a club in the Bronx with—”
“A friend,” Ava interjects.
“Why would you go to a club in the Bronx?”
“We were invited by a friend.”
“So that makes it safe? I see you must want a cap in your ass.”
Ava and I look at her and start laughing. Ava’s the first to answer her.
“First of all, don’t ever talk street slang, and second, don’t be such a snob, there are plenty of neighborhoods in the Bronx that are safe to stroll through without worrying something’s going to happen.
It’s the same as good ol’ Brooklyn. You have your bad parts and you have your good parts.
You have to be alert and pay attention to your surroundings. ”
“She’s right, Kate, we’ll be fine. We’re going to take a cab there and back.”
“Do what you want, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She closes her eyes and lies back against the cushions. It’s then that I notice she doesn’t look well.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I have a major headache that’s gotten worse since I’ve been talking to you and her. My stomach’s not doing too great either. Feels like I’ve been on a roller coaster all day.”
This is when the guilt sets back in again, and I feel like crap for being the worst sister that ever lived. I hope to God that I’m not pregnant.
“Can I get you anything before I leave?” I offer.
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all.”
“Room temperature ginger ale and crackers would be good.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” I grab Ava by the hand. “You, come with me.”
“Like I was going to stay with her,” Ava says, looking back at Kate with a sour look on her face.
I grab a can of room temperature ginger ale and the crackers from the pantry.
“Ginger ale and crackers, Cat?”
“So?”
“Gimme a break. Her pregnancy is supposed to be a secret, right?”
“That’s what I was told.”
“Who’s not going to know if she’s going around asking for crackers and ginger ale? She’s a wine drinker. She’s so obvious.”
“Are you saying she’s intentionally—”
“Trying to tell people she’s pregnant without actually having to say the words?”
“I don’t know.”
“I do. When’s the last time you had a headache and an upset stomach and asked for crackers and warm ginger ale?
” She frowns at me with one hand on the counter and answers her own question.
“That’s something only a pregnant person does.
You and I would self-medicate, pop two Advils, and call it a night.
She’s lying in there drawing attention to herself, when she could go home to her house where no one can see her. ”
“I don’t believe she would do that.”
“She’s your sister, and you feel guilty, so you can’t see as clearly as I can.”
“I have news for you, you can’t see too clearly either when it comes to Kate.
” Holding the stuff for Kate I go to the kitchen door.
“Our cab is probably outside.” She doesn’t say anything else but I know she’s not giving up on this theory.
I hope for Kate’s sake Ava’s not right about this ’cause Nick is not going to be happy.
Nick
“Well, fancy seeing you here.”
“Mom, you called me today, and I told you I was coming over.”
“The only son I gave birth to has decided to come visit his dear mother.”
“Mom, are you okay? Is it time for me to make that call to admit you?”
“You would do that to your own mother, the woman who gave birth to you, gave you life, brought you into this world after twenty hours of hard labor, refusing any kind of pain medication for fear my child would be somehow affected by it?”
“In the blink of an eye.”
“That’s what I get for being a loving and supportive mother. An ungrateful child.”
A crooked smile on my face, I walk across the kitchen, where my mother is sitting at the table flipping through a magazine. I lean down and plant a kiss on her cheek. “What’s this all about, Mother?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You, acting like you didn’t know I was coming over here. What’s going on?”
“I received an interesting yet strange call the other day from Chris’s mother.”
“And what was that call about?” I take a seat across from her watching her flip through her magazine.
“Go ahead, take a wild guess.”
“The annual charity Christmas ball.”
“No.”
“Then I’m out of guesses, Mother, why don’t you just tell me.” She puts the magazine down, folding her hands on top of it, looking me in the eyes.
“She wanted to know when would be a good time for us to have lunch to discuss the upcoming nuptials of our children.”
“Hmmm.” Shaking my head, I pull my lips together.
“Hmmm, is that all you have to say?”
“For now. What else did she say?”
“I thought maybe she was on some kind of hallucinogenic medication. Because my son, my one and only son, wouldn’t be engaged and not have the common courtesy to tell his own mother. Would he?”
I open my mouth, and she holds up one finger to silence me.
She hasn’t done that in a while, which tells me she’s not happy.
“Don’t answer that. You’re engaged to a girl I’ve never actually met.
I’ve met her parents, her brother, and her sister, but not this supposed fiancée.
If I recall, I’ve seen pictures of her, and I’ve also seen her at various functions.
She’s very lovely to look at, but I haven’t been formally introduced to her.
I’m going to ask you, which I shouldn’t have to, if it’s true—are you engaged to Kaitlin Reed? ”
“No, Mother, I am not.”
“That’s good to know. Not good for her mother. She needs to lay off the meds.” She unfolds her hands, relaxing in the chair. “Where would she get the idea you and her daughter were getting married?”
“She’s pregnant.” Her eyes open a little wider as she taps her fingers on the table.
“Candice? It’s worse than I thought. Isn’t she a little long in the tooth to be pregnant? I mean, really? If she is pregnant, I hope you’re not going to tell me you got her pregnant.”
“Don’t even go there, Mom.” I don’t want that thought in my head. “Kaitlin’s pregnant, and the baby might be mine.”
“She’s pregnant but you’re not marrying her? You need to start explaining now, give me the short version.”
“After she told me, she brought up the possibility of marriage if the baby is mine. Kate decided to skip over getting the paternity test and told her family we were engaged. I was upset and told her to find a way for everyone to keep their mouths shut about the fake engagement. There will not be a wedding, even if this is my baby, and no one knows about her being pregnant.”
“This is something I would expect to hear from your father. Are you taking a play from his play book?”
“God, no.”
“Are you in a relationship with this girl? Do you or did you care about her?”
“No. No. And no.”
“This is not my proudest moment as your mother. With that said, I love you. I know you’ll do the right thing if this child is yours. If this is my grandchild, I will do my duty by loving it and spoiling it like a true glam mama should.”
“Glam mama? You’ve given yourself a title for a grandchild you may not have?”
“I’ve always wanted to have a grandchild. It may not be the way I want it to happen—who am I kidding, it absolutely isn’t the way I want it to happen—but I would love to be a grandma.”
“It isn’t the way I would want it to happen, either, so let’s hold off on the grandma talk. I need to talk to Kate about her mother.”
“When did she make this announcement to her family, and why did she without speaking to you first?”
“It was the night Cat came back.” It dawns on me that Kate must have felt threatened.
“Catherine’s back? I haven’t seen her in ages…since before she left for college.”
“Yep, she’s back.”
“Is Kaitlin anything like Catherine?” She’s giving me a knowing look.
“No, not at all.”
“In what ways are they different?”
“What do you want me to say, Mom? Cat is warm, genuine, and she’s the type of person you can be yourself around. Kate is the opposite of those things.”
“Does she still look the same? I remember her being a very cute girl.”