don’t like it there, she can fly back.”
“What about her job?” He could give up his bedroom to Ella and Dot. Move out to the couch. They could stretch the food budget.
He just didn’t want to.
“She can take a leave. She’d have to, anyway, once the baby comes, to help out for a bit. But with hairdressing it’s not that big a deal. She can always do her regulars from home. Or go in after hours. It’s not like Gilda would care. We could get assistance if we needed to. Food stamps and all.”
Ella’s mom had had the same chair at Gilda’s Hair Salon since he and Ella had been kids.
“And if we stay in Arizona, she can get a job out there. Everyone needs haircuts. That way Mom can drive and we can drop you at work or school.”
He couldn’t picture Dot at the Valley Salon and Spa a couple doors down from Harmon Hardware and Electronics. He’d never been in there, but even from the outside, with its pretty curtains and fancy gold lettering, he could tell it was nothing like Gilda’s.
But there was always Phoenix.
“When were you thinking about coming?”
“I’m not sure. I have another doctor’s appointment in a few weeks. They’re going to do an ultrasound.”
A test to look at the baby. His baby? It was someone’s son or daughter. He should identify with it. Care.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, more because he thought he should than because he wanted to know. He wished the child Ella carried good health. He just didn’t feel any ownership of it.
“Yeah. It’s standard now to do the tests.”
Standard tests. They were covered by insurance. Mark sat up straighter, drawing a long breath of air into his lungs. “Your insurance will cover the pregnancy.”
She had to stay in Bierly at least until the baby was born. Had to stay employed at the plant. What a relief.
“I know.”
“You can’t quit until after the baby comes. We aren’t married yet and my insurance benefits won’t cover you until we are. Even then, they won’t cover pregnancy until after you’ve been on the policy for a year.” He’d been able to switch from his old plan to the jelly plant’s group insurance plan.
“It’s okay, Mark.” Her voice softened. “You don’t have to do all your worrying and planning up front. I’m not going to quit. Maybe later I will, but not now. I’ve got over a month’s vacation saved up and then I’ll check with HR to see about that leave thing.”
“FMLA is only for twelve weeks,” he said slowly, his mind coming out of its deep freeze. The Family Medical Leave Act. He’d had several employees take advantage of the government program.
“Bonnie took off almost her whole pregnancy and two months after, too, because she breast-fed.”
“HR approved the leave. I’m not saying you can’t get it. Just that the family leave you’re talking about only covers twelve weeks. So you can get more time off, if the company approves, but you probably would only get paid for the three months. The rest would be without pay.”
“But they’d hold my job, right? They did Bonnie’s.”
“If they approve the leave, then yes, they’ll hold your job. The family medical leave through the government is a given.”
“That’d be okay, then. Wouldn’t it? I mean, it’s not like I make a ton. Mom already said I should give up my apartment and move back in with her.”
The back of his neck throbbed. He’d worked a machine for most of the night, making up for production time lost by a new hire who was struggling. Mark saw potential in the older man and wanted to give him a little more time to catch on.
“Giving up the apartment’s probably a good idea,” he said now. As he remembered it, the lease specifically disallowed children. “And then we can talk about you coming out here.”
“You don’t sound angry.”
“I’m not angry.” How could he be? If she really was pregnant with his baby, he’d done this to himself.
“But you ain’t happy.”
“I... There’s a lot to think about, Ella.” More than she knew. Way more than she knew. “I’m just hearing about this for the first time. You’ve got to give me some time to let it sink in.”
“I just...I thought...I knew you’d be shocked, and all, but I thought, once you knew, you’d be happy. It’s our baby, Mark. Yours and mine. We made him.”
Him. She couldn’t know the sex yet, but that child could very well be male. A