Chapter 20

Over the next few days, those following the dinner—and Abigail did pay for it just in case there was any doubt in anybody’s mind—I got looks from the both of them. They seemed to be waiting for me to do or say something that might indicate how I was doing in getting past my grief at the death of my dad, which I both was and wasn’t. But, I did have a problem.

In spite of what I saw as major put downs by Abigail, if not Harriet as well, in what I’d overheard; I did need to keep in mind that they, and especially her, had done a lot for me in the wake of my dad’s death. They got credit for that no question. But, stay at their place, not a chance, and now I had to announce that decision and weather the storm, if such were to be the case, that would come of it, my decision.

“No, Abbs, I just can’t do it. It would be too hard on me. Be near the babies, yes that would be good for me. But, you and Owen. I have to say I do appreciate big time how good you’ve been to me and to my dad. But Abbs, knowing you’d be in the place next door doing each other almost nightly. I just couldn’t bear it. And, yes, I am fully aware that you granting me mercy just a short time ago was a onetime thing. I needed it bad. And well, it just wouldn’t work for me being so close to you all of the time. I’m sure you can see what I’m about here,” I said.

She nodded her understanding and did seem to be genuinely disappointed that I was opting to move back to Tucson.

“Okay, Sam, I guess I do see your point. I wish it might be different, but I do understand. Can I ask, what about selling your house to Harriet? Is that still on the table?”

“Yes, that is fine with me. I guess I can get me a lawyer and have it all written up and done. I mean I do have the deed outright according to your Mister Johnson,” I said.

“No need for you to find a lawyer. I’ll just have Owen set things up with Cedric,” she said. “I mean if that would be all right with you.”

“Okay, and that’s just something else I have to thank you for,” I said, and yes I was being sincere in what I was saying.

I did meet with Mister Johnson and Harriet was there when I did, and it was all done, well, the paperwork was, in one sitting.

I’d been staying at the house, their house, for the days after the funeral and before meeting up with the lawyer, but I’d since moved back to dad’s place to get it ready for Harriet to take over. I would be packing up the few things, mostly clothes, that I’d brought up to the city, and doing a bit of packing up of things of dad’s that I wanted to keep and put into storage somewhere. I did get physical help from Abigail in doing the packing and deciding what to keep and what to give to Goodwill; well, I was wheelchair ridden.

I was ready, even anxious, to move back to Tucson.

“Are you sure!” whispered Harriet. There had been no need to whisper. They were sitting amongst a very noisy lunch crowd at Milano’s.

“Yes, I had myself checked yesterday. I’m pregnant as hell, and it very well could be Sam’s. The timing is right,” said Abigail. Frankly, I’m shocked. I know his injuries, though they had taken away his legs, hadn’t taken away his, well, his ability to do the deed; but I’d been pretty sure that his sperm was not going to be viable. I guess I may have been wrong about that.”

“So you’ve got to tell your man,” said Harriet, “but how about Sam?”

“I don’t know. I guess Owen and I will be making that decision. Well, I mean if Owen doesn’t divorce me,” said Abigail.

“You think he might?” said Harriet.

“No, he already knows that I slept with him. But this is a major complication. If it were anyone else but Sam, it might be iffy, but in this case, no. Sam’s not a threat to him and he knows it. I mean I suppose he could, divorce me that is, but I really don’t think that he will,” she said.

“Hmm, I guess you’re right. And, of course it still could be Owen’s right?” said Harriet.

Her friend sighed. “Yes, it could be. I guess it’s actually a fifty-fifty thing. But, I guess we’ll be seeing,” said Abigail.

“For sure,” said Harriet.

In spite of what she’d told Harriet, she was nervous. Telling her man that she was pregnant and that it might not be his was turning out to be more difficult than she’d originally thought it would be.

She heard the back door open he close. He was home.

“Hi, honey,” he said.

“You too,” she said, but she was looking down.

“Honey?” said Owen.

“Owen, I need to tell you something, something kinda big,” she said.

“Abigail?” he said.

“Owen, I’m pregnant and it might be his,” she said. The look on the face of her husband was something. But not something bad, not anger, not questioning, not anything that might have been expected. He seemed almost—relieved!

“Owen?” she repeated. “Did you hear me, understand me?”

“Uh—yes dear, I did,” he said.

“Owen, what’s going on?” she said.

“Abby, I understood you, yes. The truth is I have been keeping something from you for a long time, since the beginning actually, the beginning of us,” he said. “I guess that this might be an opportune time to out myself.”

Abigail Cord smiled. “You’re not gay for damn sure,” she said. “So what could it possibly be that you’d be talking about outing yourself about?”

“Abby, the child, is most certainly Sam’s and not mine,” he said.

“No, it could very well be yours,” she said. “We’ve been doing it so much I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before now.”

“No, no, Abby, it hasn’t happened because I’m sterile,” he said. She looked at him with a very questioning expression now.

“But...” she started.

“A birth defect maybe, that’s what the doctor told me. I’m not sure, but that’s what Doctor Rosen said might be the cause,” he said. “Like you were saying, we’d done it so often that I just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t gotten you pregnant. I knew it wasn’t you; you’d already had the girls. So why? So, I had myself checked. I’m sterile as hell.”

“Wow!” she said. “Okay, so we’re both sort of outing ourselves today. That leaves the question about how do we handle this, situation.”

“You’re not angry with me?” he said. She smiled.

“No, I’m not angry. You’ve been so good to me, and really to Sam and Aaron, that there is no way I could be angry with you. Hell, I went and had sex with the man without telling you, and you didn’t go off on me. And now add to that, I’ve even managed to get myself pregnant by the man and you still didn’t go off on me. No Owen, you definitely get a pass,” she said. His look was pure relief.

“Thank you dearest wife, I am so damn glad I married you. But, like you said, there is still the matter of Sam,” he said.

“So?” she said.

“I guess we have to tell him, but maybe now isn’t the best time. I mean so soon after his dad and all. But you tell me,” he said. She shrugged.

“You mean because he is still kinda down about his dad,” she said.

“Yes,” he said.

“I see what you mean. Telling him could make him feel good or maybe more desperate. I mean it could go either way. Yes, I do see what you mean,” she said.

“So we wait?” he said.

“Yes for a while at any rate. I’m Three months along. Maybe another couple of months and I will let him know. In the meantime maybe we could come up with something that would make it easier for him to digest when I do tell him,” she said.

“Yes, let’s do think on that. I do not want to add to the man’s stress level,” he said.

“Me either,” she said.