Just a Positive Pregnancy Test - London Casey Page 0,99
thing.”
“If you need help with Lucy, call me… or someone…”
“It’s okay,” Olivia said. “I’m trying to power through it all. Take it all in.”
“Aunt Mila!” Lucy cried out. “Come up here! I have a new fish! Come look!”
“New fish?” I whispered to Olivia.
“Your brother did it,” Olivia said. “I’m not exactly thrilled about it either.”
“Go get something to eat,” I said, rubbing Olivia’s arm. “I’ll be right back down.”
Up the stairs Lucy met me and took my hand, hurrying both of us to her bedroom.
There on her dresser was a much bigger tank.
“Oh… wow…,” I whispered.
Tyler. You are such a good father but such a pain in the ass.
It was a tank with a filter, light and everything else needed for tropical fish.
This wasn’t just for some goldfish that would live a month or two.
“Look,” Lucy said. “I got a new fish. It’s an angelfish. And after Olivia has the baby, Daddy said we’re going to get another one. Can you believe it?”
“It’s so cool, Lucy,” I said. “Did you name the fish?”
“Duh.”
“Let me guess… Angie?”
“No. Twyla.”
“Twyla? I love it.”
“Twyla is such a good fish,” Lucy said. “She helped me get dressed today.”
“Oh?”
“I held up two shirts and Twyla swam to the one she liked better.”
“Smart fish,” I said. “Hey, I’ve got some lunch downstairs.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Okay. When you are, come down. I’m going to go talk to Olivia.”
“Hey, where’s my cousin? Is he still in the box?”
“The box?”
“Yeah. I thought I heard Daddy saying he’s in a box because he’s small.”
My heart ached and swelled at the same time. “He’s in the hospital still, Lucy. But… he’s okay. Soon enough. I promise.”
Lucy nodded. Then she pointed to the fish tank. “Oh, this fish is driving me nuts. Twyla wants you to leave.”
“She does?”
“Look. She’s in the corner of the tank. That means she wants you to go. Sorry, Aunt Mila.”
“Well, I don’t want to make the fish mad.”
I planted a quick kiss on the top of Lucy’s head and left her bedroom.
That little girl’s innocence was something else.
Downstairs, Olivia sat at the table with the bag of food tipped over, one of the containers open, devouring food.
I would never say it but she looked like a raccoon with a knocked over garbage can.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“Shut up,” she said with a mouthful of food.
I took a seat and found my lunch.
A simple turkey sandwich that Edith and Ma somehow made into something so gourmet and delicious.
“Hey,” Olivia said. “Dot isn’t doing great.”
“Damn.”
“Tyler went to check on them,” Olivia said.
“You know, Buddy has been quiet,” I said. “He had been asking for more guitar lessons.”
“Yeah. I think they’re just getting ready.”
“I hate this. We’re bringing in new life and Dot is losing her life. How do you sort through those emotions?”
“I don’t know. I feel like I’m going crazy here. I’m so uncomfortable.”
“I bet. You look ready to pop.”
“I feel it. Doctor keeps telling me I’m healthy and there’s nothing to do but wait. I hate waiting.”
I smiled. “I know you do. Soon. Trust me, Olivia, soon. It was nice to meet Twyla.”
“Twyla?”
“The fish.”
“Oh. She changed the name again.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s had the thing for two days and it’s been Willow, Erica… I think Janelle… and now Twyla.”
“I love that girl,” I said.
Olivia laughed. “Me too. I can’t wait to see if there’s going to be a second one of her running around soon.”
I reached for Olivia’s belly and nodded.
I fought back all the emotion.
Soon… everything was just soon…
I stood outside our room at the inn.
The days just kept moving by.
I woke up and went to check on the houseplant on the porch.
It was still alive.
I still hadn’t gone inside the house.
So dumb, Mila… so dumb.
I heard and felt Silas creeping up on me.
His hands touched me and he pulled me close for a hug.
I shut my eyes and just felt so comfortable with him.
“I went to see Buddy and Dot today,” he said.
“I heard she’s not doing great.”
“Not at all. I sat there with her though. Gave Buddy a guitar lesson. That perked her right up.”
“You’re amazing, Silas,” I said. I turned to face him. “I just…”
“No,” he said. “We’re not doing that. No romantic crap outside the room. Can’t do it, darling. If you say something sweet, I’m going to have to say something sweeter. Then we’re going to end up in the room, tearing each other’s clothes off. Then how does that make us look as parents?”
I couldn’t contain it anymore as I started to smile.