“I don’t envy his position, Angel. The Russians aren’t going to go quietly. Sorry, that was a stupid thing to say.”
“You’re right. That’s what I’m most worried about.”
“You have to talk to your mom, sweety. Your folks are bound to become suspicious if they don’t see the two of you as per normal. You’re going to have to tell them something.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Wanna split a pizza?”
“Definitely. No pepperoni, though. The heartburn is killing me.”
“Ooh, heartburn, piles, underboob sweat. I can’t wait to be a mom.”
“Keep it up, Sunshine. You’re not making any friends here.”
Josie laughed and blew me a kiss.
“Fine, veggie pizza it is.ANDI’m sacrificing big time over here.”
“Get the meat on the side, Mother Teresa.”
“I think I’ll survive one meat-free pizza. I need a fucking holiday!”
“You’re welcome to go to our beach house in Spain, Angel. It will be good for you. Get away from it all for a bit.”
“Sounds wonderful There’s just one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Wherever I go, I’ll be taking my mind with me.”
“Okay, smarty-pants. Good point. Remember, the offer stands.”
“Thanks, Josie.”
After our meal, we went back to Josie's apartment. She went out with some work colleagues, and I relaxed and flipped through the series on Netflix.
Josie was right about my parents. I’d have to come up with a story and that too fast. Mom was like a bloodhound when it came to sniffing the truth out of me. There was no way I could lie to her face without her picking up on it. The woman was a human lie detector. It was either that or the fact that I happened to be a completely useless liar.
What would I say, though?
‘Hey, Mom, guess what. Max is a drug smuggler and I’m an idiot’,didn’t seem like a viable option.
I could say that we were taking a break. No. If I did that, she’d ask me what he’d done. Bad idea. I’d have to fib and tell her he was away on business. That was a good option, but it had its limitations.
Oh, hell. That would have to be my go-to for a while. If the human lie detector gave me grief, I’d blame it on the pregnancy. Thank God babies in utero weren’t born with the ability to speak, or parents everywhere would be royally screwed.
I decided on a sci-fi series. I figured life was stranger than fiction, so what the hell. As predicted, I had to inhale an antacid after the pizza I shared with Josie.
“Oh, when will the fun end?” I said out loud, like the true drama queen, pregnant specimen I’d become.
And, as if the universe heard my plaintive cry and decided to fuck with me one more time, my phone rang. It was Mom. Ho hum.
“Hey, Mom.”
“My love. How are you? I haven’t heard from you in a few days. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. Sorry, it’s been a little hectic at work.”