Chapter Two
Nadia made it to her second trimester without event, and she felt better now that the riskiest part of the pregnancy had passed. Sayid also felt better, not just because she seemed more hopeful, but also because the nausea and the exhaustion seemed to have passed, leaving her far more receptive to his advances. It had been almost ten days since they had made love. Not that he was counting.
Sayid had just said his mid-day prayer on the floor of his office and was placing his prayer mat back under the desk when he noticed his supervisor staring at him from the door.
"How often do you people have to do that?" Hank Thompson asked in his slow drawl. Sayid's boss was a transplant from southern Virginia, just north of the Carolina border. He sounded out of place in Irvine.
"We people do it five times a day," replied Sayid. He wasn't offended. When he had first interviewed with Hank, he had thought the man to be something of a redneck, and he had been quite surprised when he had received the job offer, but it hadn't taken Sayid long to realize that it was only his own prejudice that had led him to believe Hank was ignorant and narrow. Well, prejudice coupled with semantics and considerable stylistic differences. Now he rather liked the man.
"Whew…" Hank said. "And I thought going from being Baptist to being Catholic was tough." He had converted to Catholicism at the request of his wife, whom he had married four months ago. "Anyhoo, there's a woman looking for 'ya."
"My wife?"
"I don't think so," he said. "She's real pretty."
"Well," said Sayid, smiling at the clearly unintentional insult, "so is my wife."
"Oh, I'm sure she is, but you said she's Iraqi too. This girl's as white as they come. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and everything. Cute English accent."
Sayid looked puzzled. "You mean Australian?"
"Mayhaps."
"Where is she?"
"In the conference room," his boss replied. "You takin' a late lunch with her?"
"Perhaps."
"Take as long as you want. Just be back by three. The big boss is calling a team meeting." The last two words he said with pronounced disdain.
"What for?" asked Sayid.
"For his own glorification, I reckon'. It's not like we haven't outperformed every other department. But he insists he's gotta motivate us."
Sayid laughed. "I will return by then."
Hank stepped out of the doorway. Sayid hurried to the conference room where he discovered the only blonde haired, blue eyed girl he could think would be looking for him, but he was still surprised.
"What are you doing here, Claire?" he asked, giving her a quick hug.
"I got a new job," she said.
"Here in Irvine?"
"No, silly, in Sydney. But it's a consulting firm and companies in the U.S. hire us sometimes. I don't usually travel myself, because of my son, but when I heard they were sending someone to L.A., I volunteered for the trip. Aaron's with my sister in Australia. So it's just me."
"It is wonderful to see you in person. I have not seen you since my wedding reception ten months ago."
He pulled out a chair for her to sit in, and then he sat next to her. "So what do you do?"
"I fire people," she said cheerfully.
His smile faded. "You do what?"
"I fire people," she said. "It's called efficiency consulting. Sounds fetching, doesn't it?" She winked at him, feigning more confidence than she felt. "Basically, companies hire us so they won't have to do it themselves."
Sayid frowned. "Are you here to fire me?"
She laughed. "Good God, no, Sayid. My firm wouldn't bother with this little telecommunications outfit. I'm going to hit one of the big businesses in L.A., starting tomorrow. I've got today off."
"You sound…you sound considerably upbeat about crushing people's livelihoods."
"Well I'm not," she confessed, shaking her head. "It's a horrible business, but someone has to do it, and at least I can do it kindly. I don't know how long I can stand it; sometimes I think I feel worse than the people I'm firing. But you wouldn't believe what they pay me to crush people. I might even be able to send Aaron to college one day."
They talked a little more about their relative positions, both laughing over the egregious salaries they managed to make for the work they did. He suggested they go to a local deli for lunch, and they continued the conversation there. Sayid ate while she sipped coffee. She asked how Nadia's pregnancy was fairing, and he answered optimistically.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair. "So, are you still footloose and fancy free?"
"Picking up the native idioms, are you?"
"I doubt that is native to Irvine. Are you seeing anyone?" He emphasized the word to show he knew the English slang.
She nodded.
"Really? What is he like?"
"Brass. Crude. Always saying the wrong thing and failing to ingratiate himself."
Sayid laughed. "You could practically be describing Sawyer."
She looked down at the table. "That's because I am describing Sawyer."
Sayid balled up his napkin and tossed it in his empty sandwich container. He looked at her with disbelief. "This is almost as bad as Locke."
She pretended not to be bothered by his criticism. She raised a hand in exasperation, smiled, and said, "Again with the encouragement."
"How did this even happen?"
"We actually hung out for a few days together after your reception, at least when I could get away from Charlie. Nothing happened then, or anything, but I had fun. I figured I'd never see him again, but he got this big job in Dallas—can you imagine that, Sawyer, an honest business man?"
Sayid shook his head. The press they had received as survivors had opened doors for many of them, and closed doors for others, namely Kate, who was in jail at the moment.
"Anyway," said Claire, taking the lid off her coffee to sip it more easily, "his boss sent him to Australia for what he thought was going to be a business trip. And partly it was. But the other part included me firing him."
Sayid could barely respond, he was laughing so hard. "This is an unbelievable story," he choked out. "You had to fire him?"
"Yep." She took another sip of her coffee and put it down. "But, as I said, at least I can do it kindly. I found a good way to make the medicine go down."
Sayid didn't dare ask her what that way was.
"Hey," Claire said, trying to sound nonchalant while actually sounding a little defensive. "What can I say? He's sexy."
"Or so my wife tells me," he replied.
Claire raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Well, don't worry," she said with a smile. "I'll take care of the competition for you."
Sayid called Nadia to see if she would mind having Claire over for dinner that evening. She agreed readily and the four of them enjoyed a feast of take out together. Nadia did not contribute much to the conversation, but she seemed to enjoy listening to the pair recall memories from the island as they all sat drinking coffee together, except for Sigh, who was watching Beauty and the Beast for the forty-eighth time. He was going for a record.
When it was time for Sigh to be tucked into bed, Sayid said to his wife, "You had better bid farewell to Claire before you take him. She probably will not be here when you get back."
Nadia and Claire said their goodbyes and, when Nadia was out of earshot, Claire asked, "Why do I get the impression you are trying to get rid of me?"
"Uh…" What did he say? Claire, it has been wonderful seeing you; I have not seen you in ten months and probably will not see you again for well over a year, but I really want to have sex with my wife now before she grows too tired, so please shove off.
Claire laughed at his uneasy expression. "It's okay. It's okay. I know what those pregnancy hormones are like in the second trimester. For some women, anyway. But at least the nausea is usually gone, even if you don't get that crazy horniness kick. I mean, I was thinking about sex all the time."
"That is a lot of information, Claire."
"Are you blushing? I didn't think you blushed."
"And I did not think you talked openly about sex in front of married men."
"Well," she said, blushing herself, "now we each know something new about each other. Will you walk me to the door?"
By the time he reached the door, he had allowed his curiosity to overcome his reserve. He wasn't going to see her for a long time, anyway, so he might as well ask now before she walked out. Besides, he was a little worried about her uncharacteristic choice in beau. "So, you and Sawyer…are you…"
"Doing it?" she asked.
"Was that the elegant phrase I was searching for?"
She laughed and slapped him gently on the shoulder. But then she looked a little embarrassed and answered, "No. I probably would if he made the move, but he hasn't."
"Sawyer? We are talking about Sawyer?"
"Yeah. He hasn't tried anything serious yet." She shrugged. "Go figure that one out."
"So…what? He is taking you out to candlelit restaurants and for romantic strolls along the shore?" Sayid's disbelief was not veiled.
"No," she said, "He doesn't have any money for candlelit restaurants. He just finally found a new job. He starts next week in L.A., actually, so you might see him around."
"Really?"
"Yes, but he's only in L.A. three months at a time. Then he's in Sydney for three months. It's a back and forth kind of job for some international firm." She sighed. "Long distance relationship."
Sayid turned the doorknob and opened the door. "Well, keep me informed, because this is really quite fascinating…in a morbid sort of way."
She smiled that sweet Claire smile, like a little girl. "You can mock my choices all you want, Sayid, but I never asked what you saw in Shannon. Can't you just wish me well?"
He took her hand tenderly into his own. "I do wish you well, Claire. I have long wished you well." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I am sorry. You are like a little sister to me, and I cannot think that man is good enough for you. Good luck with all of your firings tomorrow," he said, "And have a safe trip home."
She gave his hand a little squeeze, and then she was out the door. Sayid waited for her to drive off before closing and locking the door. He hurried up the stairs and found Nadia brushing her hair at her vanity.
Sayid went into the master bathroom to brush his teeth. From there, he called to Nadia, "Come here a moment. I want to discuss something important with you."
When she entered curiously he pointed to the tube of toothpaste in his hand. "Now," he said, half-smiling, "an educated, intelligent woman such as yourself ought to understand that it is much more efficient to squeeze from the bottom. Why do you still insist on squeezing from the top?"
She let out a sigh of exasperation. "That is how I do it," she said and left.
"Senseless!" he called after her. "Pure laziness!"
From where she now sat on the bed, she yelled, "I like the top!"
"Very well," Sayid replied. "I will be certain to keep your preference in mind when I come to bed."
That was when the pillow came flying through the doorway and hit him with a thud. He rinsed off his toothbrush and carried the pillow back to the bed.
Later, after they had made love, she began to trace the outline of the muscles on his chest. His flesh was still hot and his body was still experiencing a slight shuddering. "Did you like that, Sayid?" she asked.
"Very much."
"Good," she said, and then she raised her head, her hair tickling his skin. She looked him directly in the eyes. "If you ever want anything quite like that in the future, then never again mention the proper way to squeeze toothpaste."