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Chapter Thirty Seven
October 1968
At six months pregnant Angela could no longer hide her widening girth, and had finally given in and started wearing maternity clothes. Rose still couldn't believe her friend was pregnant, and every time she saw her she was always a little surprised to see the growing belly. Unlike other expecting mother's she hadn't gained any weight on the rest of her, but that didn't stop her from complaining constantly. Rose knew that pregnancy was no picnic, but she thought Angela might've been overdoing it.
"I'm so fat." Angela groaned, picking up the magazine from the coach and throwing it on to the coffee table, collapsing into the seat next to Rose.
They'd only moved into the apartment a month ago and yet it was already covered in mess. Baskets of clothes, dishes in the sink, bags filled with baby stuff thrown in the corner. Angela wasn't much of a housekeeper, and Danny was even more useless in that area. Even if the apartment was spotless it wouldn't look like much. A small and dingy one bedroom was all they could afford.
"You're not fat, you're pregnant." Rose said. "And the fatter you get the healthier the baby will be."
"I can't believe I have three months left of this shit."
"They'll fly by."
"God I hope so." Angela said. "I want him out now."
"You think it's a boy?" Rose asked. "Or just hoping?"
"Hoping." Angela said. "I want a boy."
"Why?"
Angela shrugged. "It's easier for boys. Besides, he may not have the Shepard name but he's still a Shepard, and that means something 'round here."
Rose knew that all too well, and she couldn't help but feel bad for the kid. Not even born yet and he'd already have the baggage of his parents and uncles. It proved that no one ever truly got a clean slate - we're all products of our parents mistakes.
"You still working?" She asked.
"As much as I can." Angela said. "Don't think I'll be able to much longer. Being on my feet that long's killing me."
"You know, they're looking for a receptionist at Sam's dad's office." Rose said. "I could put in a good word for you. You'd have to be trained o'course but at least you won't be on your feet."
"You'd do that for me?"
"Course." She said. "But if you get the job please don't mess it up."
"I won't." Angela said. "Thanks."
"No problem."
She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to be giving Angela a job knowing how she could be, running her mouth off and getting in trouble, but it was the right thing to do. It would pay more than working at a grocery store, and at least that would make Danny less likely to resort to crime to make ends meat. Rose was already starting to get suspicious about his activities.
"How's school?" Angela asked.
Rose shrugged. "School's school." She said. "Boring as ever."
"I bet." Angela muttered. "Anything new happening with you?"
She could've told Angela about sending some of her writings to her aunt in New York, but that was too personal a topic. Telling Angela they existed would only make her want to read them, and those weren't feelings she wanted to share with someone so inclined towards gossip. Especially when many of them centred around Tim.
"Not really."
"Oh, really." Angela said. "Because Curly told me that Tim came and picked you up after you got wasted." Angela announced.
"And?"
"And I wanna know why."
"I don't know why." Rose said. "He was just being nice, I guess."
"Bullshit." Angela said. "He didn't do it out of the goodness of his heart, cause there ain't any. So, you two together or something?"
"No." Rose said. "We're just friends, that's all."
"That's even more bullshit."
"Are you trying to tell me not to date your brother?"
"D'you wanna date my brother?"
"No."
Not for a second did she think that Angela believed her. Of course Curly had to go and blab to his sister. Angela hadn't known anything about her and Tim other than their one-time hook-up and Rose had wanted it to stay that way. She thought that Tim did too. Now that was all shot to shit, and she was bound to get an earful.
"Why not?" Angela asked, frowning with what Rose thought was genuine concern. "He obviously likes you. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't."
"It's complicated."
That was the understatement of the century.
"Poor Rose, always playing it safe."
"How have I been playing it safe?" Rose asked.
In fact, she thought she'd taken a rather big risk in trusting Tim in the first place and look where that had gotten her.
"Like Peter wasn't you playing it safe." Angela said. "Billy too for that matter."
"What d'you mean by that?" Rose demanded.
"They're just the type of guy you're supposed to like. The ones who your parents love and everyone thinks are great." Angela explained. "Did you even like either of them?"
"Yes!" Rose replied. "I mean, I don't think I ever liked Peter at all. I liked Billy, but..."
But he wasn't Tim.
Not that she could say that to Angela.
"You weren't satisfied." Angela finished. "If you always play it safe you'll never be satisfied."
"Are you?"
Once she said the words she immediately wanted to take them back, but it was too late. Angela's upper lip curled in a grimace, her expression hardening it a manner distinctively similar to her brother.
"It's okay to be angry at the situation. It's probably normal." Rose said. "This is all really unfair, and it sucks."
"Yeah, it does." Angela agreed. "But whining won't make it better. Just gotta move on, don't I."
"Yeah, I s'pose."
If there was anything Angela hated it was pity. Unfortunately, she took sympathy for pity and thought receiving it made her weak.
"You know what you need." Angela said, returning to her previous state of exuberance almost as quickly as she'd left it. "A date."
"No I don't."
"Yeah you do." Angela said. "And I'm going to set you up."
"That's not necessary." Rose objected, but she got the definite sense that this wasn't an argument Angela was planning on losing.
"C'mon, it'll be fun." Angela practically pleaded. "Do it for me."
"Fine." Rose conceded. "As long as you don't set me up with an asshole."