Post by mac on Jan 8, 2017 3:52:38 GMT
When they finished with the dinner, Arthur was reluctant to just... leave without paying. He wanted to take care of the bill but to his irritation when he looked at the small computer on the table with them, he saw the ‘pay check’ option was faded out. Great. So it was all taken care of. He appreciated the gesture, he really did. But it was so fucking annoying because he just felt useless. Before leaving the restaurant Arthur slipped a few bills onto the table for the waiter, figuring he’d take care of the tip if nothing else. If Chardonnay said anything about it he didn’t budge and he made sure to leave last so that she couldn’t try to snatch it away or something. It wasn’t even a matter of money or not – it was just a matter of pride.
Leaving her condo was awkward. Arthur wanted to get a kiss goodbye from her, but the one time he’d tried to do so she’d turned away and folded her arms across her chest. He was lucky that he didn’t make a lunge motion or anything like that. He’d simply moved a little bit closer to her, and she’d pulled away. He blew it off as nothing and tried to ignore the misery that settled in his stomach. When he pictured being in a relationship, he pictured being happy and romantic. Sure, he knew Chardonnay wasn’t the romantic type, but could she at least kiss him? Apparently not. He told her that he’d text her later and that he’d look into his family.
And he did. He got home, but rather than going to his place, he went to Susan’s. She welcomed him inside with a hug and asked him how the visit had gone. Immediately, Arthur felt a vast difference in the warmth he was given. When he explained the family situation to Susan at the table, she nodded slowly and thought to herself. She explained that she knew their father had high blood pressure and that their mother had many problems during the pregnancy with him. Arthur paused then, not even aware that was something that had happened.
She explained that their mother had just been weakened by the pregnancy – apparently Arthur was just as stubborn as a fetus as he was as a born human! Arthur smiled at the joke, though it was somewhat forced. It was so weird he didn’t know this about his birth, about his mother.
But, then, he’d never asked.
Later he called Chardonnay and told her that Susan had known of the disease and that she had taken measures to prevent it, but had never developed it. Even better – for their case anyway – was that Susan did have abnormally high blood pressure during her pregnancy but had not developed the disease. That relieved Arthur some, though he could tell Chardonnay wasn’t completely appeased by that knowledge. Afterwards, Arthur made sure to text Chardonnay daily. Even if he didn’t have much to say he tried to ask her questions: about her restaurant, about her family, about how she felt. It felt good to hear back from her more frequently than they’d talked before. It was different than in person talking – in fact, he kind of liked this better. Without Chardonnay physically being there, he felt more in control of what he said and less nervous under her gaze. She still told him when she got home safe and he appreciated that. He would occasionally glance at his phone during the shift, and respond to messages. Most of the time he got distracted by looking around the theater and responding to his employees, but occasionally he’d glance down at his phone. He must have acquired a habit of smiling at it, because one time Jasmin elbowed him in the side and teased him about it.
When Arthur got a call from Chardonnay about the results, he was out on a smoke break at work. He answered his phone, anxious, and when she told him the results he felt relieved. Finally, they knew she was healthy, and that they only had to watch out for certain things. He asked about her parents, then, and when she told him that she had actually told him first, he felt a sense of elation. She’d told him first. Not her parents, him. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she had told them first, honestly, but she hadn’t. He tried to keep his voice the same level it had been before, to not sound too desperate. But even when she hung up, he couldn’t fight a small smile that lit up his face. He extinguished his cigarette and put the remainder back into its carton, heading back into work.
As another week came to a close, Arthur realized he should probably tell more people than his family about this situation. Maxine knew, but Erin and her fiancé didn’t. Ironically, he’d gotten an invitation from her the other night to go to her place with that fiancé (he had a name – but it slipped Arthur’s mind again) of hers and some of their other mutual friends. He texted her, asking what day would work best. When she said a Saturday, he was reluctant to not be at his theater. However, his new hire was doing very well and was designated the manager for the night. He told them to call him if there were any new problems that arose, and left at around 3 PM on Saturday.
Once he left work he took a shower and changed into a plaid button-down and jeans. He got into his car and drove to Erin’s place, not too far from his own. At 6 PM he entered the house and Erin was already behind her minibar, mixing some drinks for her friends. ”Arthur! There you are,” she said, putting a drink down for the guy to her left. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and glanced at Arthur, who offered him a smile. ”So, you said you had something to tell me?”
Arthur didn’t know how he felt about this whole thing being said in front of everyone. He approached the minibar and was immediately rewarded with a shot. Erin leaned down and grinned.
”Well, I wasn’t going to say it in front of everyone,” He mumbled, but oh well. She’d probably tell everyone anyway. His palms were sweaty as he grabbed the shotglass and threw it back. The vodka was bitter, but he felt a little better after placing it on the counter. ”So, I’m going to be a father.”
The silence that followed was long. Arthur tried to pretend he hadn’t said that and asked for another drink. When he was ignored, his cheeks reddened and he saw Erin and her fiancé staring at him. ”What?!” He asked.
”What?! Arthur, since when did you even have a girlfriend?! Did you donate your sperm to someone?” Erin asked, aghast. Arthur shook his head.
”No – look – ok – we – well I just didn’t,” He sighed. He glanced at Erin, who looked entranced. ”I refuse to talk on this little vodka,” he said, with an eyebrow raised.
After another shot, Arthur created the faux (or sort of faux) story that he’d been seeing someone in secret for a bit. He said that after one time they’d slept together, she’d gotten pregnant, and now they were just – dealing with that. Erin was impressed and also in awe.
”Dude, congrats on getting laid, bro.” The fiancé said. Arthur gave him a deadpanned look. The more he interacted with the guy, the more he didn’t like him.
”Right. Well. More importantly I have a girlfriend now,” Arthur said, already wishing it was just he and Erin hanging out. All of these people were just way too much.
”SHIT! Really?! When are we meeting her?” Erin interrupted him, her face lighting up. ”Is she local? Is she your age?”
”Is she hot?” The fiancé spoke up. Arthur narrowed his eyes.
”She’s my girlfriend,” he emphasized, as Erin whacked her fiancé on the arm saying it was a joke. Arthur bought that, sure, but he still didn’t like it. ”She lives an hour away. She’s uh, the same age as me. We went to college together, actually,” when he said that he saw gears turning in Erin’s head.
”That ex you were talking about?” She asked. Arthur maneuvered the shot in his hands, watching the vodka slosh around.
”Er – not exactly an ex. I didn’t lie to you, but we didn’t actually – date. We just... sort of...” he took another shot. ”...hooked up, back then.”
The rest of the night had gone about as well as he expected. Erin wasn’t that bitter about him fibbing about having an ex – he supposed she was too happy with this asshole over here to care. After about four shots Arthur began to feel the effects taking over – he was giggly, he laughed at stupid jokes, he didn’t actually talk about much that was serious. At about 7 PM, Erin and her fiancé drunkenly fucked off to her bedroom and most of Erin’s friends had lost interest in him. He supposed he could go over to play Mario Kart with them, but that would require waiting for a turn. He pulled out his phone and saw a text message from a few hours ago – Chardonnay. Where did you say you were going tonight?
Arthur put the glass of Mike’s hard lemonade down on the counter and opened his keypad.
I’m at my friends place erin’s making drins and shit. He said, leaning an elbow on the counter. He could hear the loud music from the TV, and he couldn’t help but drum his fingers against his skull to the beat. The sound almost echoed. you still at work?