by Jaye Diane
“Oh, don't worry. I've gotten boys' and girls' clothes. I don't want my grandchild dressed in only neutral colors.”
Deciding her mother was crazier than she thought, Robyn shook her head. “You must be wasting a ton of money.”
“It's okay,” Her mother said nonchalantly. “Once we find out the sex of the baby, you can have those clothes and I'll give the other clothes away to someone else.”
“Are you really okay with this?” Robyn asked her father.
Quintin shrugged his broad shoulders while smiling indulgently at his wife. “She's using her own spending money so it's not really bothering me. Yet.”
“So when's Devin going to be joining us?” Marjorie asked as they cleaned up the remnants of their lunch.
Robyn's heart lurched and her mind raced, trying to come up with an appropriate response.
“Oh, did you invite him?” Robyn asked innocently, trying to stall.
“Of course everyone is always invited,” Marjorie said in a huff. “That's not what I mean and you know it.”
Quintin laughed under his breath and wandered from the room, saying that he was going to his office.
“Well, then...” Robyn shook her head quickly. “If you're expecting him to come for my sake, better get those thoughts out of your mind right now.”
“And why is that?” Her mother frowned incredulously. “You two were just together two days ago.”
Even though Robyn knew her mother meant together in each other's company, not together physically, she still felt a blush rise up on her cheeks.
“We had a big fight,” Robyn said simply. “We haven't spoken since.”
“But-”
“There's nothing to talk about,” Robyn pushed on. “He and I are going to be the best parents we can for the baby's sake. But that's as far as it goes.”
Hearing herself say the words aloud filled Robyn with a fresh wave of sadness. She quietly filled the tea kettle with water and placed it on the stove to boil. She was aware of her mother's eyes boring into her but Marjorie remained quiet.
Robyn fished one of her maternity tea bags from her purse and looked for a mug. Her mother wordlessly handed her a mug and sat down at the kitchen table again.
“I've seen the way that you and Devin look at each other,” Marjorie said at last. “I saw it when we were all together for Christmas.”
Robyn's eyes widened, wondering how obvious she'd been. Of course she'd failed at keeping the baby a secret, but she'd thought she'd hid her other feelings well.
“I didn't know that you two had been together, of course, until we found out you're pregnant. But I thought you would be together soon. It was obvious that you two were falling for each other. That both of you were falling for each other.”
Robyn bit her lip and walked to the stove, mug in hand, staring at the kettle as if that would make it boil faster.
“I don't understand what went wrong. Help me understand.”
“Mom, I-” Robyn took several deep breaths before looking at her mother. Marjorie had tears in her eyes.
“I don't want you to miss this chance with Devin. He's a good man. And it was so obvious that he loves you as much as you love him. You two have to work this out.”
“I do love him,” Robyn confessed, fighting her own tears. But she'd cried so much over the past few months and where had that gotten her? “But it's just not meant to be. Love isn't always enough.”
“What does that mean, Robyn?” Marjorie asked, jumping up from her seat and rushing over to her daughter. “Did Devin cheat on you? Is that why you two broke up?”
“No!” Robyn hurriedly denied. She would never want her mother or anyone to think he'd betrayed her like that. “He was a great boyfriend and he was faithful. It just didn't work out. Can't we leave it at that?”
“If you didn't love him that would be different. I wouldn't push so hard. But-”
“Mom, please. I've had enough of this.” The kettle whistled and Robyn nearly snatched it off the stove before pouring the steaming hot water into her mug.
“I just-”
“No, Mom,” Robyn cut her off firmly. “What happened between Devin and I needs to stay between us.” As much as it can, anyway.
A couple of minutes later, Robyn entered her room, closing and locking the door behind her. She sat on the bed and sipped her tea, wondering if she'd made a mistake in coming to her parents' house. She'd assumed her mother wouldn't be that bad but Marjorie had been as adamant as ever. Well, it was too late to leave. That would just cause another confrontation because her parents knew she'd planned to stay through New Year’s Day.
Once again, Devin came to mind and Robyn closed her eyes, wishing that she could stop feeling so scared and insecure about a future with him. But after what had happened, the doubt played with her thoughts and emotions, and made her question how dedicated he was to her. The doubt made her question how much he cared about her. She'd been so sure that what they had was real and would last forever and then had been left with a broken heart. She never wanted to feel that pain again. Unfortunately, the feeling that was creeping in felt a lot like it and there was nothing she could do but wait out the storm.
Devin stepped off the elevator and into the lobby, headed to a late lunch. He'd been able to push thoughts of Robyn out of his head while he worked but the thoughts never were very far away. He didn't know what the hell to do now so he was just going to lay low, regroup and give her some space. Until he came up with a new plan, he was going to keep to himself.
“Fuck you, you bitch!”
Frowning, Devin made his way through the throng of people that surrounded the reception area of 50G Studios. He was still a few rows from the debacle but he saw Emerald standing at the glass island that enclosed the three receptionists at their desks. Instead of being at her own desk, Casey stood on the other side of the island, pointing a finger at Emerald.
“You can call me a bitch all you want,” Emerald said, her voice so low that he almost couldn't hear her. “We both know the real bitch is you. You pathetic bitch.”
“Go to hell!” Casey screamed again. “I knew that little bitch Robyn was a punk. But I didn't think she was desperate enough to ask you to speak for her!”
“Robyn doesn't even know I'm here, dumb ass,” Emerald said brightly, a mean smile on her face.
“Let me through,” James, one of the security guards ordered as he tried to push his way through the crowd. “Everybody move. Please disperse!”
“So your life is so pointless that you have nothing better to do than to come to bother me? You fucking loser!” Casey jabbed Emerald in the chest.
Devin tried to get closer before it could get ugly. He remembered very well that as a child and teen, Emerald had settled many problems with her fists.
“Do not touch me again,” Emerald said in a sugary sweet tone. “It won't end well for you.”
“Move!” Another security guard, Flynn, shouted from the opposite side of the huge lobby.
People stubbornly stood where they were, barely shifting.
“Nobody's scared of you, you stupid bitch!” Casey said, leaning over the counter. “Get the fuck out of here!” She jabbed Emerald again and in the blink of an eye, Emerald had her finger and snapped it to the side. Casey let out a blood-curdling scream.
Devin pushed his way through and put both his hands around Emerald's waist, yanking her away from the glass counter. But it was too late. Chaos erupted.
Two hours later, Devin and Emerald sat across from each other in a nearby diner, Charlie's, and he ordered a bunch of food, having missed breakfast and lunch.
“Well,” Emerald said, sipping her soda, “That went better than expected.”
Devin shook his head. Unbelievable. The woman had damn near started a brawl and all she could do was sit there looking smug?
“You're lucky you didn't get arrested.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it. Those other receptionists are my witnesses and backed up m
y story. Casey's the one who's lucky she didn't get arrested.” Emerald had something between a smile and scowl on her face. “Being that it’s the holiday season, I didn't want to press charges. Luckily your boss didn't want to, either.”
But Casey had still gotten fired. He couldn't help but feel a little bad, knowing how much she needed her job and how good she was at it. Well, when she wasn't hiding his messages and lying to his girlfriend, that is.
“You broke her finger.”
“It's too bad I didn't get to do more than that,” Emerald said with a serene smile. “That bitch sure had it coming!”
“I hope you got it out of your system.”
They paused while a waitress placed several plates of food on the table. Devin began eating his burger with gusto, feeling so hungry that his stomach ached.
Emerald picked at her double cheeseburger, taking a nibble and then plucking at the bun.
“Look,” Emerald said, crossing her arms over her chest, suddenly looking very serious. “I was there when you broke up with Robyn. I saw her wilt and become some imitation of herself. I heard her cry. I saw her lose her appetite and lose weight. I saw the bags under her eyes because she couldn't sleep. I was there. No one else was.”
He swallowed several times, not knowing what to say. He'd suffered too but ultimately it had been his fault. If he'd just had more faith in Robyn. If he'd just talked to her about what he thought was going on.
“So I caused a scene at your job. So what? It didn't involve you. I was trying to get Casey in trouble and that's the least she deserves for all the pain she caused my friend. So if you plan to lecture me, you'd better think twice.”
“I'm not going to lecture you. But don't act as if this was minor. That was childish and dangerous.”
“Damn, Devin, call it what you want. I don't care. But before you start to point the finger at me for the scene I caused, maybe you should point the finger at yourself too. Because you believing in Casey so much while not believing in Robyn is what got us into this mess. Now I've just started to forgive you. Don't make me regret it.”
“You're right,” Devin said, nodding sadly. “All of that stuff Casey pulled wouldn't have meant anything if I'd been the man that Robyn deserved.”
He dropped his burger and looked at his hands. The future was looking more and more uncertain the more he thought about it all.
“Don't start that,” Emerald said, slapping his hand. “You two are on the road to recovery. Let's keep the past in the past now. But I wanted that bitch to know she wasn't going to get away without some kind of consequence for what she's done.”
He had to admire Emerald and the way she always stood up for Robyn. Their relationship truly was remarkable.
“About us,” Devin said, meeting her eyes with his, “I guess she didn't tell you. But we haven't reconciled. In fact, it's the opposite.”
“What?” Emerald asked so loudly that nearby diners stared curiously in their direction.
“We had an argument and I don't know what to do now. She won't take me back.”
“Where's that confidence from a few days ago?!” Emerald huffed. “Where's that man who knew what he wanted and was going to go get it? You told me that Robyn was going to be your wife. Are you really going to let an argument get in your way?”
“It's not that simple, Emerald. When you talk to her, you'll see for yourself.”
“It is that simple,” Emerald said. “You two belong together. Nothing else matters. The hardest part is over already.”
“I'm going to wait until she comes back home and we can try talking again.”
“Back home?” Emerald frowned. “Oh, that's right. I forgot she was going to her parents' house until after New Year's.”
Devin nodded quietly. His mother had already sent him no less than a half dozen messages telling him to get to the Phillips house as soon as possible.
“You know what?” Emerald said, grabbing her double cheeseburger and taking a huge bite out of it. “I’m on sort of a permanent vacation. I think I'll go visit Quintin and Marj myself!”
“What do you mean, permanent vacation?” Devin asked, going back to his own food, his meat loaf, this time.
“Oh, I got fired. My boss is a jerk.” Emerald swallowed her food and sipped her drink again. “Hey, can you give me the fax number for 50G? I know they're looking for a new receptionist and I have to send my resume as soon as possible!”
Devin couldn't help but laugh at her bright smile before finishing his meal.
Robyn woke the next morning with a severe headache. She stumbled to the bathroom as quickly as she could, her stomach lurching painfully. Relieved that she made it to the toilet in time, Robyn hung on, retching again and again.
“Sweetie, are you alright?” Her mother asked from outside the open bathroom.
Robyn turned her head to answer but didn't get any words out before vomiting again. She weakly flushed the toilet, her stomach feeling calm at last. Her throbbing temples made her head feel very heavy. Marjorie rushed over to help her up from the floor. With aching knees, aching back and aching head, Robyn felt beaten down and worn out.
Her mother stood near her while she rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth, then ushered her back to her room.
“My head is killing me,” Robyn complained, laying back down.
“Let me get you something for the pain,” Marjorie said, hurrying out of the room.
Robyn turned to lay on her side. Her body seemed to tremble from vomiting so much. She supposed the migraine had made her vomit more than usual. She wished she could just go to sleep and not feel anything.
Marjorie came back in, two pills in one hand and her cell phone in the other.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Robyn asked, looking at her mother through slitted eyes. “Please don't call Devin.”
“I'm not calling him,” Marjorie assured her, pressing the pills into her hand. “I'm calling Angelica. I was supposed to go into the restaurant for a few hours but she'll understand why I can't.”
“No,” Robyn said urgently, feeling guilty. “Don't stay home on my account. I'll be fine after a little while.”
Robyn reached for the bottled water that was on the night stand and swallowed the pills.
“But your father's not here, either. He went in to the shop so-”
“Mom, I'll be fine. I've had worse morning sickness and migraines than this. Once the pills kick in, I'll be back to normal.”
Her mother looked doubtful.
“I mean it, Mom. You have a business to run. If I need help, I'll call you. Promise.”
After her mother had brought her tissues, extra pillows, a bucket and some snacks she finally left, making Robyn promise more than once to call her if she needed her for anything. Robyn lay in the bed praying for some relief from the headache and was at last rewarded when she began to doze off.
She woke a couple hours later, her phone ringing repeatedly. Sitting up, thankful that the headache was gone, Robyn sat up and reached for her phone. She felt so queasy and remembered that she'd been too ill to eat anything for breakfast.
“Hello,” She said into the phone without looking at the screen, thinking that it was her mother.
“About time!” Emerald exclaimed. “I've been ringing this bell for forever and I've called you even more than that!”
“You're here?” Robyn said, getting out of the bed as fast as she could.
“No, I'm ringing my own bell,” Emerald said sarcastically, laughing loudly.
“I'm coming,” Robyn rolled her eyes and hung up but she had a grin on her face. She was so happy that her friend was there.
After she let Emerald in, they hurried to the kitchen and prepared a late breakfast while making small talk. Sitting at the breakfast table, Robyn ate a plain toasted bagel and some strawberries while Emerald put a mound of cream cheese on her own bagel and sipped coffee.
“So I have news to tell you!” Emerald said enthusiastically while she ate.
“You found a new job?” Robyn guessed.
“That would be a miracle,” Emerald laughed. “No. That's not it. I got Casey fired.”
“What?” Robyn questioned. She hadn't expected or wanted to hear anything about Casey for the rest of her life.
“I went there yesterday and of course she's such a hot shot, she came rushing to speak to me even though one of the other receptionists was closer to me. I asked her to give me a pass upstairs to see Devin. But I said it with a nasty attitude while smiling so no one would guess what was going on. I got her really riled up until she was yelling and going crazy!”
“You didn't!” Robyn said, frowning in disbelief.
Emerald nodded. “A whole crowd ended up around us and she looked like a psycho. Then the bitch had the nerve to poke me in the chest twice. I grabbed her finger and snapped it in half!”
“Oh my god,” Robyn breathed.
“Devin grabbed me and pulled me away-”
“Devin?” Just the mention of his name filled her with heartbreaking warmth.
“He appeared from somewhere,” Emerald went on, “Anyway, he grabbed me and pulled me away. Some guy tried to grab me too and he and Devin started yelling at each other. Two security guards rushed over and grabbed Casey. That bitch was on top of the counter screaming her head off. Another security guard told Devin that he was going to call the cops but then Devin called out to the other two guards- I guess he knows them. Anyway, those two guards told the third guard not to call the cops. It was crazy. Then Casey starts yelling to Devin that she's sorry and he pretended not to hear her. By then, everybody was pushing everybody else and I thought it was going to be a riot.”
“Damn, Emerald, I can't believe you did all that.”
“I just wanted to get Casey in trouble. And I succeeded. I bet she's learned her lesson.”
“I would say so,” Robyn agreed, shaking her head. “Did Devin get in trouble?”
“No,” Emerald assured her. “The other two receptionists – Lacey and Tasha – told the big boss, the president, what happened. I'd gone up to the counter and quietly asked to be let upstairs and Casey snapped at me and started acting crazy. Even the cameras backed up everything. Casey was fired instantly.”