Page 18 of Unexpecting

″Just have a look.”

″Oh.” She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. “Go ahead.”

I fixed a smile on my face as I rose and peered into the stroller. Cute, girly blanket, stuffed elephant shoved beside him, little sweet face… ”Ah!”

″What?” The mother was on her feet.

″No, no, sorry. It’s just…” That was the ugliest baby I’d ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on! But you can’t tell a mother that. She’d probably try to push me off the subway platform for saying such a thing. “Ah-dorable,” I said with such false enthusiasm I was almost yelling.

My Harry Potter cutie looked up with a frown, and the woman scowled at me. “Please don’t wake him up.”

″No, no, of course—sorry.”

After that, I stayed huddled in my seat. I was sure my cheeks were as red as my hair since they felt warm to the touch. I’m glad I never mentioned I was thinking of having a baby, or the mother might have cursed me with ugly baby syndrome or something. What happens if I have an ugly child? Will I still love it? I’m sure all these offers of help would dry right up if the baby came out being green or something. I’m sure Elphaba’s parents (from Wicked, of course—such a good show!) were avoided like the plague when she came out looking a little funny and green. Everyone is always worried about having a healthy baby. Is it totally shallow and selfish to want your child to be good-looking as well?

But I was getting way ahead of myself. I shouldn’t be concerned with having an ugly baby before I’ve figured out exactly how to conceive one on my own. And how am I supposed to do that? I’ve got to hit a sperm bank unless I can find a nice man to loan me some sperm. I wondered what Harry Potter-reader would say if I suddenly asked him. Hey, there, my name’s Casey, and I’d really appreciate it if you filled this cup for me since you’re so cute and I like the fact you can read! Don’t worry, once I’ve got what I want, I’ll never bother you again.

Sure. He’d hit that emergency bar and hop off the train so fast, probably with both hands protecting his family jewels as he ran screaming toward the nearest exit.

When the subway hit my stop, I slid off as inconspicuously as possible. The mother was sitting with her eyes closed, and the cute guy had gone back to his book without giving the weird woman who talks to strangers in the subway another thought.

It’s a short walk from the subway to my store. When I got there, I found Hannah, who also works part-time, looking strained at how busy the store was. The afternoons are usually fairly quiet, but this weekend was Gay Pride Weekend and the wine store was located smack-dab in the centre of the alternative lifestyle district.

The afternoon flew by until Hannah left at seven. I let her go a few minutes early so that she could bring me back something to eat, and duringa short lull in customers, I sat hunched on a box of wine behind the cash register eating my falafel as fast as I could. It’s not my first choice of food and it always gives me heartburn, but beggars can’t be choosers, can they? I was concentrating on not dropping sauce on my shirt, so that when the bell on the door dinged, I didn’t look up with my usual welcoming smile until I heard voices.

″I see a head over there—is that my favourite wine goddess?” trilled a male voice. An effeminate voice, but male nonetheless.

I glanced over the counter. “Hi, Cory.” Cory is one of my favourite customers. He’s big and black and beautiful and very, very gay. “Let me just finish here…” I swallowed one last bite and stood up. Then I almost choked when I saw who had just walked into the store behind Cory.

How the hell did Morgan know this was going to happen?

Chapter Nine

“Heartburn is a common ailment during pregnancy.”

A Young Woman’s Guide to the Joy of Impending Motherhood

Dr. Francine Pascal Reid (1941)

“Fuck a duck,” Ibreathed.

″Well, I’ve never tried that,” Cory simpered, “but if you insist, I’ll give it a go.”

″Casey? Casey Samms?” asked the man standing beside Cory. The man I was staring at with an expression of amazement, disbelief, and complete shock.

″How…” I couldn’t even finish the thought.

″Oh, my God!” David Mason exclaimed. “Is it really you?”

Cory’s bald head swiveled between me and his friend. “Do you two know each other? Did I do a good thing?”

“David?” I whispered. “Is that really you, or is this some sort of weird falafel-inspired daydream? I knew I shouldn’t have eaten it so fast because now I’m going to get the worst heartburn in the history of the burning of the heart if the heart really can burn from eating a falafel.” I noticed Cory looking at me with a strange expression, but David had a look of amusement and—could it be? —affection mixed with surprise on his still-handsome-but-now-with-some-wrinkles-in-the corner-of-his-eyes face. It made me feel warm all over. “Sorry. Babbling.”

″You always did that.” David smiled wistfully I hoped it was a wistful smile!

″Oh, how fun!” Cory clapped his hands with a deafening smack. “You do know each other! Let’s have a reunion!”

″I can’t believe this,” David said, shaking his head. “How long has it been?”

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