Page 75 of Hide and Sneak
She nods, then gestures to my phone. “You try to call him. Maybe he’ll pick up for you.”
I doubt he will, but to my surprise, it barely rings twice before he answers, and I can hear multiple people laughing in the background. “Hey man,” he says cheerfully.
“Where are you?” I ask.
I’m not sure what his response is because Lila plucks the phone out of my hand. “Amos! What the hell is going on?”
Her eyes widen as she listens. I should’ve put the damn thing on speaker.
“A break? You need a break? Did the last three weeks off work wear you out?” Her voice steadily rises. “You quit your job. Then signed a lease three fucking days ago. And now you run off on your pregnant girlfriend? You can’t just run away. What are you going to do about this?”
Incredulity grows on her face. “How are you going to get your own apartment? You’re unemployed and buying alcohol doesn’t build credit! Get your ass back here and deal with this! Mandy is heartbroken.”
She isn’t the only one. The pain and disappointment in Lila’s tone is clear. I don’t know what Amos says, but Lila’s voice turns husky. “I have never been so disappointed in someone in my life. Do whatever you want, Amos. But don’t come to me for help ever again if you abandon this baby. Do you hear me?” She glances at the phone, then holds it out to me. “He hung up.”
The expression on her face is killing me, and she hugs me tight when I pull her into my arms. “Give it a few days,” I murmur, rubbing her back. “I think he’s panicking. He’ll be back.”
“Maybe.” She takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes. “Poor Mandy. I wish there was something I could do.”
“I know.” I want to make sure of one thing right now, because I know how Lila is when it comes to family, especially Amos. She looks up at me when I put my fingers under her chin. “But none of this is your responsibility. Do you understand that? This isn’t on you.”
“I know. You want to tell my mom that?” she jokes with a reluctant grin.
“I absolutely will.”
Things are subdued all evening. Lila doesn’t want to talk about it but I can see her turning it over in her mind. We cuddle on the couch to watch some TV and she dozes off with her head in my lap.
I make sure my phone is on silent, then text Amos.
Me
When are you coming back?
Amos
I’m not. Sorry to leave you there with Lila all pissed but you’ll be in your place soon.
Me
Where are you staying?
Amos
Away. Until I figure out what I want to do.
Me
This is bullshit. You have a baby coming and Lila is going to be worried about you once she calms down.
Amos
It’ll be fine.
That’s the attitude he always has. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. He’s in for a rude awakening this time.
It’s been ten days with no word from Amos. He stopped opening my texts and doesn’t take my calls either. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone who isn’t telling him what he wants to hear. I know Lila is upset, but other than asking if I’ve heard from him, she hasn’t wanted to talk about it.
She’s been focused on work while I’ve been working on my place. My house is finished and finally has running water, but I’m still waiting on electric. If it were warmer, I’d go ahead and move. We were lucky having such a warm Autumn but November came with freezing temperatures and early snow flurries.
