Against the Odds (9 page)

“
Sounds good. I’m glad you
got some books in for men to read about
pregnancies.” 

“
Me,
too.” 

I fix dinner and Leah and I eat on the couch.
This is unusual for us; we always eat at the dinner table. I did
light a few candles to make it more romantic. Leah laughs because
we are both in our pajamas sitting under a pile of blankets eating
pasta by candlelight. “Ace, are you trying to create a ‘mood?’” she
giggles.  

I look at her and her big
pregnant belly.
Bed rest and pelvic
rest.
“No, no mood.” I stand and blow out
the candles. Leah and I have a very active sex life and this will
be hard enough to do without us thinking about it. 

“
Because for a minute it
looked like you were trying to add some romance to out pajama
party.” 

I smile at her as I sit back down on the
makeshift bed on the couch. She knows me too well. “Just trying to
save on the electric bills,” I lie and she laughs. 

Over the next few days, Leah alternates from
the couch to the bed. I keep some of her books, her laptop, her
cell phone, and her e-reader within her reach. Her Mom and Dad came
over with groceries and snacks and gave me some time to run some
errands. Leah reminds me to take the angel to Jamie’s gravesite and
she also asks me if I’ll get some wildflowers from her for Jamie.
She didn’t need to ask, I would have done that
anyway.  

“
Will you also stop by the
shop and check on it? Oh, and I’ll call Bethany and have her get
some books ready for you to bring back home.” 

I walk to the desk and get a pen and a
notebook. I sit down on the coffee table with the pen and tablet in
hand ready to dictate everything she says. “What are you doing?”
she asks.  

“
Taking orders. Is there
anything else you need or want while I’m away?” 

“
I’m sorry, am I
bossy?” 

“
No, you’re not, Sweets. I
just want to make sure I don’t forget anything.” 

“
Would you mind getting
your baby some mint chocolate chip ice cream?” She bats her long
dark eyelashes and places her hand strategically on her pregnant
belly. 

I laugh on the inside, although I try to
maintain a straight face on the outside. Leah is cute as hell, but
she doesn’t need to know that I think that about her. “I don’t
think my baby likes mint,” I joke.  

She laughs and says, “She does. In fact, it’s
her favorite flavor at the moment.” 

I laugh, too, and say, “At the moment.
Meaning her favorite could be something else next week.” 

“
Or tomorrow,” she
giggles.  

“
Mint chocolate chip it
is, then.” 

I kiss her goodbye and instruct Sue to call
me if anything happens. Sue and I talk about a few things she and
Mom have planned for Leah and for this I need a pen and paper. I
nod and write everything down that she needs. I’ll be gone a lot
longer than I intended to be. Sue assures me she has enough to keep
Leah’s mind occupied while I’m away.  

I go to the florist first before going to the
cemetery. I stay longer than usual. It’s been awhile since I have
been here and I have a lot to tell Jamie. I lay her pink roses and
her wildflowers down and I explain out loud to Jamie about the
angel the Chelsea got for her. I’m not sure anyone is close by
enough to hear me, but I don’t care. I always speak aloud when I’m
here talking to Jamie. I remove the weeds and the leaves from
around her tombstone. Leah usually does that and I can tell it’s
been awhile since Leah has been here. I take a picture of the
gravesite to show Leah. 

Next, I make all the runs that Sue has marked
down. Some of these things are things she could have done, but I’m
glad she included me. This is big and Leah will be excited, so, of
course, I wanted to be involved in it, too.  

I go into the bookstore
and everything seems to be running smoothly. Bethany and Dove are
working the counter and I am surprised to see Jo walk out of the
back room. She is wearing an apron that says,
Team Josephine.
I get an idea and
put it to memory to discuss it with Sue and my mom, later. I
reassure everyone that Leah is fine and that we appreciate all they
are doing to help out at the shop. Bethany hands me a stack of
books and Jo gives me the deposits from the last few days. The shop
is busy and I know Leah will be excited to hear it. Bethany is
working the register and doesn’t have much time to
talk.  

Last of all, I get the ice
cream. I get several pints of Ben and Jerry’s brand of different
flavors. Actually, I get two pints of every flavor. If Leah doesn’t
eat it, I will
— after the championship
fight. I also pick up some board games and some cards for me and
Leah to play later. We still have a long way to go and I’m worried
she’ll get bored and depressed.  

I put everything away and hand Leah her ice
cream and a spoon. “What took you so long?” she jokes and she puts
a large spoonful into her mouth. 

I say, “Be careful, you’ll get a…” 

 “
Freezy head,” she
interrupts, squinting her eyes closed.  

Before Sue leaves, I tell her about the apron
the Jo was wearing. I also tell her about my idea and she likes it.
“Do you think we can pull it off for Saturday?” I
ask.  

“
It doesn’t give us much
time, but I think we can get everything together. I’ll know today
if Saturday is doable.” 

“
Great, thank you. If you
need anything, let me know.” 

 “
I’ll call you
later, Robert, Just take care of Leah,” she says before
leaving.  

Always,
I think to myself.  

This week Leah and I
played chess, ate ice cream, read and she called Dove to see if she
would bring over the books, receipts, and the deposits every week.
Dove says she can do it on Saturday. So, on Saturday, I help Leah
with her shower and she insists on wearing a sundress and not
pajama’s. She says if Dove comes over she wants to be dressed. I
don’t argue with her. I spend the day cleaning while Leah sits
there. I know she wants to do something. I asked her would she like
to start knitting and she throws a pillow at me.
I was just trying to help, I swear.
She makes me fold the blankets and put the
pillows away. I know she wants it to look like she is fine when
Dove comes over. Although Leah is still lying around, she appears
to be just relaxing. I know this is the look she is trying for. The
doorbell rings and Leah sits up a little straighter on the
couch.  

I take a deep breath before opening the door.
Thankfully in walks Mom and Sue, first. If Leah gets mad, I want
them to take some of Leah’s wrath, too. Leah smiles when she sees
them and thankfully she smiles even bigger when the others walk in
after them.  

Today is the baby’s gender
reveal party. Everyone walks in wearing either a pink or a blue
shirt that says
Team Pink
or
Team Blue.
Everyone was asked what they thought the gender
would be and Mom and Sue had shirts made for them to wear. I am
surprised to see how many people of the guys are wearing pink. Jo,
Carl, Bethany, Kyle, Dove, Gus, Mason, Angel, Emma, Alec, Sara,
Donovan, Brea, Vincent, Brooke, Brice, Molly, and Adam are all
here, wearing pink or blue shirts. I greet them with a smile as
they make their way over to Leah, who is still lying on the couch.
Looking over at Leah I am happy to see the she is smiling. Our
attorney, Bruce, and his wife, Mason’s mom, Lilly also show up
wearing matching Team Blue shirts. I have never seen him wear
anything but a suit. He seems a little out of place in a tee
shirt.  

The house is bustling with
people and food. Mom and Sue arrange the food on the table and Leah
sits up further on the couch with her legs elevated.
Good girl.
I walk around
the room and do the things that Leah would normally be doing. I
think I’m doing it correctly. I’m making sure drinks are full and
engaging in conversation where it seems to be lacking. Leah smiles
at me and gives me a wave, as she talks to our guests. For the
first time, I notice a table full of gifts. I walk over and pick up
a wrapped item. The gift is wrapped in baby bottles and baby
booties of all colors.
A baby shower? I
thought this was a gender reveal party.
 

When I see Sue, I say, “I thought we were
doing the baby’s gender reveal.” 

“
We are.” 

“
There’s a table covered
with gifts.” 

“
I know. Molly thought it
would be nice to turn this into a baby shower, too. I thought it
was an excellent idea, so we did.” 

“
Molly’s idea, huh?” I say
looking around the room for her. 

“
Yes. She’s over there
talking to Leah.” 

Molly and I have a history together. After
the accident that killed Jamie, I left Leah out of guilt and turned
to drugs. I met Molly when some guys tried to proposition her and
we started hanging out together after that. She was also on drugs
and we ultimately became lovers. It was an unorthodox relationship.
When two people are running away from something and turn to drugs,
nothing makes sense. I have a lot of guilt for leaving Leah and a
lot of shame from being with Molly. We both overdosed on drugs, we
both got help, and lucky for me, Leah took me back. She knows about
my and Molly’s past and I think in a way, Leah is grateful that I
had Molly while living on the streets. Molly met an ex-drug user
named Adam who turned preacher and they have recently married. Leah
and I and Molly and Adam remain friends and for that, I am
grateful. I am also happy for Molly that she found such an amazing
person.  

I walk over to where Molly and Leah are and
Molly stands up and hugs me. I hug her back and look at Leah over
Molly’s shoulder. Leah smiles at me. I say to Molly, “Doll, you
look incredible.” 

“
Thank you, Bobby. You do,
too. Leah was just filling me in on everything. What a week,
huh?” 

I know that Leah didn’t
hold anything back from Molly. She also considers Molly, a close
friend. “Yeah, it’s been a crazy week.” I look at Molly who is now
sitting down and she is wearing a pink tee shirt that says
Team Pink
across it. “I
hear that you’re responsible for turning the gender reveal party
into a baby shower/ gender reveal combo.” 

“
Responsible? No, but I
did think it was a good idea.” 

Leah smiles and says, “It
was a
great
idea.
I’m so happy to have everyone here tonight. I’ve missed them
terribly.” 

“
Bobby, this is a very
nice party,” Molly says, looking around the crowded room. “You
should go into party planning.” Molly pinches her tee shirt at the
shoulders and lifts it slightly. “This was a great
idea.” 

At that time, Mom claps her hand and gather
everyone near her. The girls play a few baby shower games and the
guys have a beer or two. I sit at the bar behind Leah and watch
her. She smiles and laughs and it makes me happy. Leah doesn’t show
any signs of depression and I release my girl is a fighter. When
she stands up from the couch, I rush over to her. “Going somewhere,
Sweets?” 

“
I thought I would go to
the restroom, if that’s all right with you?” 

“
Let me help you.” I offer
her my elbow and she takes it. 

“
You do know, I can walk
by myself, don’t you?” 

“
I do. I just wanna walk
with you.” 

Leah

Robert walks me back to the party and helps
me to sit down. I sit upright but prop my feet up on the coffee
table. I look up at him and smile. It’s my way of asking if this is
all right without actually verbalizing it. He smiles, nods, and
walks away. Although the room is full of people, I know that Robert
is watching me. 

Dove asks about the nursery, and Angel and
Emma proudly give a grand tour of the baby’s room. I have to smile
when I remember coming home and our friends had painted the walls,
hung curtains, and set up the nursery with everything needed to
care for a baby.  

Robert sits with me when it’s time to open
the gifts. I’m excited to see all of the receiving blankets,
sleepers, and even an infant car seat and a swing.  

After we all eat, Mom and Margie walk around
with a platter of foil-covered cupcakes. Everyone takes one and I
can hear squealing coming from Molly. Mom says, “This is the moment
when we reveal the gender of Robert and Leah’s baby. Although it
was supposed to be a surprise for everyone, the doctor kind of
ruined that for them.”  

“
He didn’t ruin it for us,
he enhanced it for us. We were able to refer to our baby as a he…
or a she, this week, because of him,” I interrupt. 

“
Can we have all of the
Team Blue members to the right of the room? And the Team Pink
members to the left.” 

Robert holds my hand as we watch everyone
join their designated group. I laugh when I see how many couples
picked differently. Molly and Dove walks around taking pictures as
they have done throughout most of the party. I’m excited to see
that professional pictures are being taken of the
event.  

Margie smiles, and says,
“Now it’s your turn to know what
they
already know. Please, remove
the cupcake wrapper and hold up your cupcake.”