Page 48 of Past Due

“Yes. Eventually.”

“Before the baby comes?” she asked hopefully.

“Probably.” I sipped my tea and prayed we would get off the subject of Ben and Aston for a bit.

“When are you going to have a baby with my uncle?”

I choked on my tea. After setting down my cup and dabbing my mouth with a napkin, I said, “We haven’t really discussed that yet.”

“Why not?”

Feeling Drita’s glare, I admitted, “It hasn’t come up.”

“Shouldn’t it? You’re getting married. Don’t you want to be a mother?”

“Yes,” I answered truthfully and without hesitation.

“But?”

“But I just had surgery a few months ago to fix my heart and my cardiologist was very clear that I need to wait at least a year before even thinking about pregnancy,” I explained, feeling pressured.

“Are you okay now? Your heart is healthy?” She seemed genuinely concerned.

“I’m fine. It was a really simple fix.”

“I’m glad you’re better now.”

“Thank you.” Not wanting to talk about my uterus anymore, I asked, “Are you in college?”

She took the hint and smiled. “I’m in my second year. Universiteti i Arteve. Art school,” she clarified. “You’re still in university?”

“I’m on sabbatical until the spring.”

“You study women?”

I smiled at the way that sounded. “I did my undergrad in women's and gender studies. Right now, though, I’m studying sociocultural anthropology.”

She frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It’s basically using culture and social customs and traditions to understand how people interact.”

“And you can get a job using that education?” she asked skeptically.

I laughed. “You sound like my mom!”

“Oh no!” she giggled. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it. And, yeah, you can teach or write or become a consultant for public policy centers, international companies, software design or the military.”

“And that’s something you want to do?” She wrinkled her nose. “Sounds boring! What will you do if you can’t find a job?”

“I have no idea,” I admitted. “I never really thought that far ahead. It’s always something I tell myself I’ll figure out later.”

“You’re going to be a wife,” Drita interjected in perfect English. She didn’t even look up from her cutting board as she said, “You finish school. You keep a beautiful home. You raise your children. You support Besian. That’s what you’re going to do.”

Taken aback by Drita’s stern instructions, I wasn’t sure how to react. On one hand, it was none of her business. On the other hand, well, she had clearly known Besian longer than I had. For all I knew, that’s exactly what he wanted—a traditional wife and family. I wasn’t against that, in many ways I wanted the same thing, but it was the expectation that bothered me.

“Drita!” Rina scolded.

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