California Girls

by Susan Mallery

“I can’t believe this is happening,” her friend told her. “Zennie, thank you so much.”

  “You know it could take a couple of tries, right? I’m unlikely to get pregnant the first time.”

  “I know, but still. You just did it, you didn’t even think about it.”

  “I’ve already said I want to do this. Why would I wait?” She looked at the door. “Hayes isn’t joining us?”

  Bernie grinned. “He went home. I’m not sure he wants to face you right now.”

  “It was kind of weird. I did my best not to think about it while it was happening.”

  They both giggled.

  “How do you feel?” Bernie asked. “I heard there could be cramping after artificial insemination.”

  “There’s barely anything. A slight achiness, but it’s already fading.” She looked into Bernie’s eyes. “We’re doing this. We’re making you a family.”

  “I know. I can’t believe it.”

  Dr. McQueen knocked once, then entered the room. “All right, Zennie, you’re ready to go live your life. I’ve sent your local pharmacy a prescription for prenatal vitamins. Start taking those right away.” She put several papers on the counter. “These talk about what to eat and what not to eat. Also, there’s a basic list of restrictions. No alcohol or caffeine. Avoid hot tubs. You can do a home pregnancy test in two to three weeks. Come back and see me, regardless of the results. If you’re pregnant, we should talk and if you’re not, let’s get you going on monitoring your cycle. Fair enough?”

  “We have a plan,” Zennie told her.

  Dr. McQueen smiled at Bernie. “Good luck. I hope I get to see a lot of you at the visits.”

  “Me, too.”

  The doctor left. Bernie stepped back. “I’ll leave you to get dressed. And once we walk out of here, we’re not going to talk about it at all. Not until you take the pregnancy tests. I don’t want you worrying that I’m going to overmonitor you. I’m not even going to think about it.”

  “Me, either.” Zennie sat up. “Although we’re both lying when we say that.”

  Bernie laughed. “We both so are. But we’ll pretend to be normal. How’s that?”

  “It’s a great plan.”

  * * *

  Saturday morning Ali wanted nothing other than to sleep in and be lazy, but that wasn’t an option. She’d promised her mother to help finish going through the bonus room. Mary Jo would be working, so it would just be the sisters. If the three of them hustled, they should be able to finish in a few hours, or so Ali hoped.

  She parked next to Zennie’s car and walked up the front walk, pausing when her phone buzzed.

  Zennie joined her on the porch, then let her in the house.

  “Did you get a text from Finola?” her sister asked by way of greeting. “She’s canceling on us.”

  “No way.” Ali pulled out her phone. Sure enough, there it was.

  Sorry to bail. I just can’t face more memories today. I’ll make it up to you.

  Ali wrestled with conflicting emotions. On the one hand she understood her sister was going through a lot. On the other, there was still work to be done on their mom’s house and it wasn’t as if Finola was the only one going through emotional turmoil.

  “Go ahead,” Zennie said as they went upstairs. “Tell me why I shouldn’t call her a selfish bitch.” Her tone was more cheerful than chiding. “You always take her side.”

  “Not always. Just sometimes. As for today, while I appreciate what she’s dealing with, the least she could do was send us a minion to do her share of the hard labor.”

  Zennie laughed. “I like your style.”

  They reached the loft and stood staring at the half-open boxes, the mostly empty closet and the cabinets and drawers yet to be tackled.

  “Ugh,” Zennie said. “This totally sucks. Tell you what. We’ll work until noon, then call it a day and go to Bob’s Big Boy for lunch.”

  Ali grinned. “That is a perfect plan. You’ll probably get a salad, but I swear, I’m getting a burger and a milkshake.”

  Zennie wrinkled her nose. “A salad? You’re confusing me with Finola. I’m a burger girl all the way.”

  “You say that now, but Finola eats the way she does to stay skinny. You eat healthy because you’re athletic and see your body as a temple or something. It’s seriously depressing.”

  Zennie gave her a strange look but before Ali could ask about it, she turned away and pointed to the cabinet. “Do you want to tackle that first, or finish the closet?”

  “Let’s finish the closet. That way we’ll have space to stack the stuff we think Mom’s keeping. We’ll keep the junk and giveaway piles out of the closet.”

  They carried out bins and boxes. Several fancy dresses hung on a rack.

  “We might as well leave those,” Zennie said. “I have no idea if Mom wants to keep them, but whatever decision we make will be wrong.”

  Ali agreed. Once the closet was empty except for the dresses, they moved in all the “keep” boxes before sitting on the floor to go through what was left.

  Ali opened a bin full of old Halloween costumes. Some were really elaborate while others were the inexpensive store-bought kind. She tossed out the premade ones and saved those her mother had created. She held up a beautiful mermaid dress.

  “I never wore this one. Did you?”

  Zennie shook her head. “It’s Finola’s. All the good ones are. I never wanted to be a princess or anything girly, so Dad helped me be a pirate or whatever.”

  Ali remembered the family discussions around Halloween. Zennie was right—she and their dad would go off to the garage and make something. By that point Finola wasn’t interested in going trick-or-treating, so Ali went to the grocery store with her mom to pick out a costume.

  Ali fingered the handmade costume with its beading and fringe-fishtail. At some point the costume would have fit her—not that it had been offered and she hadn’t known about it so hadn’t asked.

  For a second she thought about all the times she’d been the odd kid out. Her mother had been all about Finola and her dad had been all about Zennie. There’s been no third parent to be on Ali’s team.

  “How are you doing with canceling the wedding?” Zennie asked. “Do you need help returning gifts or anything?”

  “Thanks, but everything is done.” She wrinkled her nose. “I honestly don’t know what to do about the dress. I’m not excited about selling it or even donating it. I would love to give it to someone I knew needed it, but I don’t want to just put it in a donation box somewhere, knowing it will show up in a store and be priced at five dollars.”

  She looked at her sister. “I don’t mean that in a horrible way.”

  “I know what you mean. It was special and you want it to stay that way.”

  “I kind of do. Maybe I should look online for a group that finds wedding gowns for women in need or something.”

  “I have a friend who works in oncology at the hospital,” Zennie told her. “There was a patient who was thinking of getting married between rounds of chemo. Want me to check and see if she needs a dress?”

  Ali smiled. “I would love that. Just make sure she knows it’s going to need alterations.” She pulled her phone from her pocket. “I think I still have a couple of pictures of the dress. I’ll text them to you and you can forward them to your friend.”

  Giving the dress to someone in need would make her feel better about having to get rid of it.

  She found the picture and studied herself for a second. She’d been so happy to finally find the right gown for her wedding. Even as she’d been excited, Glen had probably been plotting his exit. She wondered when he’d changed his mind about them. There was no way she was going to believe he’d tricked her from the beginning. Even Glen couldn’t be that awful, and if he could be, she didn’t want to know. She’d reached a place where
she was sad but recovering from their broken engagement. The healing had come more quickly than she would have expected, which probably said something about their relationship.

  They went through more boxes. They found stacks of books they’d had as kids and put them in the donate pile. Zennie pulled out her letter jacket from high school.

  “I’m keeping this,” Zennie said, holding it up. “I wonder if I can get it dry-cleaned or something. It has to be dusty.”

  “Not to mention sweaty,” Ali teased. “You were so proud of that thing. You wore it constantly.” Given the fact that it was close to seventy degrees, even in winter, thick letter jackets were rarely needed for warmth.

  “I worked hard for it,” Zennie said, carefully folding the jacket and setting it by the door. “Dad and I were both really upset when I lettered and they told me I could only get a sweater. Seriously, it wasn’t the 1880s. Why would only guys be eligible for the jacket while girls got a sweater? Stupid administrators. But we prevailed.”

  “Dad was always really supportive of you,” Ali said. She wasn’t bitter—facts were facts.

  “He was.”

  They moved on to another set of boxes. Ali opened the first one and groaned. “I think we’re going to have to keep these. You know how Mom is.”

  She held up several items of baby clothing. Little dresses and onesies, all well-worn but clean. There was a beautiful white dress that Ali didn’t remember wearing but knew they all had for their christening.

  She waved the dress. “Hard to believe we were ever this small,” she said. “Mom is keeping the grandkid dream alive, that’s for sure. And we keep disappointing her.”

  Zennie looked at the dress, then glanced away. She started to speak, pressed her lips together and cleared her throat.

  “What?” Ali demanded. “You’re acting weird.” She tried to figure out why. “Did you get back together with Clark? Oh my God, are you in love with him and thinking of getting married?”

  “What? No! Why would you think that? Clark and I aren’t together, I’m not in love. The best first date I’ve had in months was with a lesbian.”

  Ali made a mental note to come back to the lesbian comment. “So what’s going on?”

  She half expected her sister to deny anything was, but instead Zennie said, “You have to swear not to tell anyone. I mean it. Completely swear.”

  “I swear.”

  Possibilities flitted in and out of her head. She doubted Zennie was sick and if there wasn’t a guy, then what? She was moving out of state? She was getting a cat. No, not a pet. That wasn’t swear-worthy. Maybe she wanted to go back to school for something.

  “You remember when Bernie had cancer?”

  Ali’s heart sank. “No. Don’t tell me it’s back.”

  “It’s not. She’s doing great. But because of the surgery and stuff, she can’t have kids. She and Hayes and I talked and well, I’m going to be their surrogate.”

  Ali processed the information. “I don’t know exactly what that means. Are you going to have a fertilized egg planted inside or are you donating the egg and then having the baby?”

  “I’m donating the egg.” Zennie’s eyes brightened. “I had the procedure yesterday.”

  “What?” Ali’s gaze dropped to her sister’s annoying flat stomach. “You’re telling me that you could be pregnant right this second?”

  “I could.”

  The news was astounding. “That’s incredible, Zennie. What an amazing gift to give your best friend. Or anyone. A baby. You’re so generous. I don’t know if I could do that for someone. But you are. Are you excited? Or scared? Or both?”

  Zennie laughed. “Kind of both. It’s not real. I mean I was at the doctor’s office and they inserted sperm, but it doesn’t feel real. I’ll take a pregnancy test in a couple of weeks to find out for sure.”

  “Good for you. Congratulations. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

  “You have enough on your plate, but thanks.”

  Ali waved away her comment. “I’m doing great. The wedding is canceled, I might have a solution for the dress problem and I’m, ah, going to move in with a friend while I figure out my living situation.”

  At some point she was going to have to admit she was moving in with Daniel, just not today. Finola’s words still stung.

  “My point is,” she continued, “I’ll have plenty of time to help with your pregnancy.” She frowned. “Although I’m not sure what I could do. I guess at least offer moral support and buy you shea butter so you don’t get stretch marks.”

  “Do I need shea butter?”

  “I have no idea. You should probably look it up.”

  Zennie reached across the box and squeezed her hand. “Thanks for getting it.”

  “Of course. Mom’s going to kill you, by the way.”

  “I know. That’s why I made you swear. I’m going to wait until I’m sure I’m pregnant before saying anything. I’m afraid she won’t understand at all.”

  Ali grinned. “Not even a little. After years of hounding us for grandchildren, she’s finally going to get one, only you’re giving it away. I think she might have a comment or two to say about that.”

  Zennie groaned. “Of that, I’m sure. But for now, you’re the only one who knows. Well, you and Bernie and Hayes.”

  “Speaking of Hayes, how did you get the sperm?”

  Zennie’s mouth twitched. “Really, Ali? You’ve been with a guy.”

  “You didn’t have sex.” She thought for a second. “Oh no. You’re kidding. He had to do that at the doctor’s office.”

  “Yup. In a separate room. I tried not to think about it while it was happening.”

  Ali giggled. “I’m sure he was grateful. I know it’s really great that you can do this for them and when they have a baby, they’ll be so happy, but sometimes, science is just plain weird.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sunday morning Zennie met her friends to go running in Griffith Park. The sky was clear, the air cool. Bernie had texted to say she was sleeping in and wouldn’t be joining them. Zennie felt a faint sense of relief. She knew her friend was anxious about the possibility of a pregnancy and would be watching for any signs. As it had been less than forty-eight hours, no one was even sure there was a pregnancy, let alone signs.

  Zennie told herself that wasn’t fair. Of course Bernie wanted to know what was happening. They all did. It was a big deal. But the only thing they could do was wait. She was determined to put the pregnancy out of her mind as much as possible and just live her life. Somewhere between two and three weeks from now, she would take a pregnancy test and they would all know—unless she got her period first. Regardless, she was not going to dwell on the fact that she might be “with child.”

  Two more cars pulled up in the mostly empty parking lot. The friends would run up in the hills, close to the observatory. The path was steep and challenging, but they’d done it before. Zennie enjoyed the change and the fact that there was more focus on running and less on conversation. For most of the circuit, they could only go single file.

  Cassie, a short, plump blonde, and DeeDee, a lithe Korean with deep purple streaks in her long hair, had come together. Gina, a tall, fit brunette, got out of the second car and waved.

  “How’s everyone feeling?”

  Cassie pulled on a baseball cap and squinted at the sun. “Hungover. Ugh. I was out too late.”

  Gina grinned. “Didn’t you have a hot date with that new guy? How did it go?”

  “The parts I remember were great.” Cassie sighed. “He’s really sweet. He owns a pool-cleaning business and he’s been divorced for two years. No kids.”

  “I sense a third date in the making,” DeeDee crowed. “And we all know what that means.”

  Cassie and Gina shared a high five.
“Sex!” they yelled together. “Woo-hoo!”

  “You’re all in a mood,” Zennie teased, thinking her night of yoga, movies on demand and herbal tea had very little in common with how her friends had spent their Saturday evening.

  “One of us is going to get some,” Gina said. “Hey, you passed three dates with Clark before it all ended. Did you do the deed?”

  “I don’t keep to a calendar.”

  DeeDee put her hands on her hips. “Zennie isn’t like us. She doesn’t allow herself to be ruled by her base nature. We should admire and emulate her.”

  “I’d rather get laid,” Gina admitted. “I’m in a dry spell and I’m running out of batteries.”

  They all laughed and headed for the trailhead.

  The first mile was on relatively flat ground where they could run abreast. Conversation flowed easily. Most of the talk was about who was dating and who wanted to be. Cassie filled them in on every detail of her date, including the heavy petting before she’d gone home.

  “What about you, Zennie?” Gina asked. “What’s new with you?”

  Zennie thought briefly of her Friday afternoon procedure but knew it was too soon to bring that up. “I spent yesterday morning at my mom’s house,” she said instead. “She’s getting the house ready to sell so she can move to a smaller place by the beach. There’s thirty years of crap everywhere. Ali and I finished the bonus room, so at least that’s done. But there’s still every other room.”

  “We’re entering that stage of life,” DeeDee told them. “First they downsize, then they start getting sick.”

  “That’s cheerful,” Cassie muttered.

  “You know it’s true. Soon we’ll be the sandwich generation, raising our own families while caring for our aging parents. It’s a thing.”

  “Don’t tell me that,” Gina said. “I’m an only child. There’s no one but me.”

  Zennie hadn’t thought about the next few years, but realized if something happened to either of her parents, their care would fall on her and her sisters.

  They reached the next section of the trail, where the path was steep and narrow. Gina took the lead, as she always did. She was an X-ray technician who had run hurdles all the way through college. She competed in triathlons a couple of times a year and often talked about how she should have tried harder to make the Olympic team when she’d been younger.