‘Hello!’
A foot or an elbow or whatever it was emerged again, like a creature surfacing from the depths.
‘Poke once for yes and twice for no,’ she told it. ‘Do you have a teeny tiny lil dick?’
She waited. And then came a firm thump right beside her belly button. She laughed.
‘You better not be using it to poke me – that would be uncool in the extreme.’
Two thumps answered this statement.
‘Do you want pancakes for breakfast?’ A single thump.
‘Good, Me too.’ Ali grinned. She pulled up the camera app on her phone, aimed it at her belly and started to record.
‘Is your dada ever going to forgive me, do you reckon?’
She held her breath the better to see the baby’s movements. She gasped as a ripple spread from left to right across her belly followed by three fist-sized bumps. It felt so strange.
‘Whoa! Three! What kind of answer is that!’ Ali was indignant but the bump appeared to go silent again.
She watched the video. It didn’t look quite as dramatic as she’d thought. Still, he couldn’t ignore this, she reasoned. She killed the sound on it so Sam wouldn’t hear her question and shared it on their WhatsApp thread.
The message blue-ticked right away and she could see he was typing.
Cool, when’s the scan again? This one’s the big one, yes?
Yep. It’s the one where we can find out the flavour, and they can tell us if things are looking … OK. Health-wise, like. It’s next Monday. 2 p.m. on the second floor.
Cool. See you then.
Sam?
The message blue-ticked but Sam seemed to be wavering on responding. Finally, he started typing again.
Yes.
I’m doing a post on my Instagram on the Friday before the scan.
It blue-ticked. He said nothing. Ali exhaled and ploughed on.
I’m apologising for my actions. I’ll be explaining what happened, sort of. And …
She hovered above the phone. His status read ‘online’. He was waiting.
… I’ll be telling them about this pregnancy.
She hit Send. He read it. Now she waited.
Fine, Ali. If that’s what’s important to you.
Oooof, that’s not good. She cringed. She wanted to defend herself; she needed to apologise so she could get on with her life; still she felt there was little point in explaining. Anything she said, he would turn on her. He was a stubborn fuck. Well, she could be too.
What’s important to me is having enough money when this baby arrives. I was offered a very lucrative one-off deal for this apology post and I’m taking it so that I can look after the baby when it comes. See you Monday.
Chapter 14
Ali paced the living room, checking out the front window every few minutes. Liv was edgy too, plumping and re-plumping the pillows on the couch.
‘Where is she?’ she demanded.
‘Why are you so nervy?’ Ali lashed back. ‘I’m the one who’s about to re-enter the Insta fray; you’re just waiting for her to get here so you can hang around pretending to act nonchalant!’
‘No, I’m not. Shut up!’ Liv began pacing after Ali. ‘I just want to say hello. It’s polite to greet a guest in your home.’
‘LOL. OK, whatever you say.’ Ali grinned. ‘But stop pacing after me. This room is too small and has too many clashing patterns for two people to pace in here at the same time.’
‘Sorry, sorry.’ Liv back off and checked her reflection in the mirror above the fireplace. ‘It’s just … has she ever talked about me?’
‘She said your thesis was “terrifyingly prescient”.’
‘Really?’ Liv’s eyes widened and a flush crept up her neck. ‘She said that?’
Ali gave another glance out the window.
‘Finally!’
Amy stomped up the driveway in a look that could only be described as ‘off-duty’ bondage – a neon-green fishnet bodysuit with various leather straps.
‘She’s definitely a change of pace from aging professor territory,’ remarked Ali, referring to Liv’s previous paramour, her college tutor, Emer Breen. ‘Do you think she likes women? How do you tell? Is there some kind of divining rod?’
The doorbell rang.
‘I feel like a divining rod would work better for the gay boys.’ Liv winked. ‘I’m gonna ask her out today.’ She steeled herself.
Ali moved to the door and into the hall. ‘You better. This is probably our last job together, so she won’t be coming around again.’
Liv just nodded decisively.
‘Hey.’ Ali swung open the door to Amy’s raised palm. She was glued to her phone and clearly in full rant mode to the person on the other end. Ali stood aside and ushered her in while Amy didn’t even break flow.
‘Well, I realise that, Hazel, but I’m not on your goddamn payroll and maybe you should’ve been vetting these Jennys more closely. I’m good at my job, hun, but I don’t have the time to clean up every single mess. And I’m on a retainer with Shelly and Ali. Plus, my name ain’t Jenny. I’ll discuss the summit with my clients and then we’ll get back to you.’
She ended the call and her focus snapped to Ali. ‘Is this what you’re wearing?’
Ali glanced down at her Courtney Love tee shirt and ripped jeans.
‘What? I just put fresh tan on and everything.’
‘I can see that.’ Amy mimed being blinded. ‘Wash it off ASAP. I’ve got a MUA coming to do your face. We need every detail of this mea culpa to be in keeping with the messaging. You can’t go on there looking grand, Ali! You need to look stun, obvi, but in a kind of beaten by life, tragic way.’
Liv giggled from the living room door and Ali shot her a withering look, though Amy’s whole demeanour changed at Liv’s appearance.
‘Liv! That last chapter you sent through is so spot on, gave me chills.’
‘Not flutters?’ Ali piped up mischievously.
‘What?’ Amy glanced over vaguely.
‘Shut uu-up, A-li,’ Liv was withering. ‘Not everyone watches Horn Island!’ She turned swiftly back to Amy. ‘I’d actually love to sit down with you to really unpack some of the elements that are still a bit underdeveloped.’
‘Sure, what about dinner?’ Amy was already tapping on her calendar app. ‘Tuesday?’
‘Great.’ Liv beamed. ‘I’d love to try that new dim sum place on Camden.’
‘Will I just go and rehab my own image so?’ Ali interjected, pretending to be in a huff. ‘I thought you said we’re aiming to get it out before tonight at seven p.m. The Friday Insta rush?’
‘Yep.’ Amy smoothly switched back to her usual take-charge voice. ‘Go take that Courtney Love top off. Could you have picked a more inappropriate one? We don’t want to give them anything to bitch about in the comments, Ali, and Court, God love her, is just too divisive.’
‘Right …’ Ali rolled her eyes, but Amy fixed her with a look.
‘Ali, clothes are political. I want to see options in white, grey and dusty pink. Go.’