Chapter 6: No Easy Way
"More coffee?" the waitress at Ike's asked Abby. Abby, however, was not paying attention. She was too busy thinking of what she was going to say to Carter when he finally arrived. She had been up half the night thinking about it, but she still hadn't the faintest idea of how she was supposed to tell her best friend (who was also an ex-boyfriend) that his new girlfriend was a liar and that the baby she was carrying was not his. It sounded like something from a soap opera, not something that could actually be happening to her...
"Excuse me, Miss?" the waitress spoke again. Abby shook herself out of her fog and looked up. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine...Sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked if you wanted more coffee..."
"Oh, no thank you," she replied. She had already had three cups, and the last thing she needed was to have to pee in the middle of her conversation with Carter. She thought that she probably should eat something, but her stomach was too jumpy at the moment to handle food. "But you might as well bring another cup. The man I'm waiting for will probably want some." The waitress nodded and walked away. He'll probably need some coffee, considering what I'm about to tell him, she thought to herself.
Abby glanced at her watch. It was only 6:52. Time was ticking by so slowly. She just wanted to get this horrible conversation over with. She had gotten up way earlier than she had wanted to this morning. She had taken her time getting ready; she had walked very slowly to the El; and she had still gotten here at 6:30.
When the bell on the door rang, signaling someone had opened it, it startled her. She looked up to see Carter surveying the room, trying to spot her she guessed. When he finally did, he gave her a quick smile and started to make his way over to her booth in the back. Abby swallowed hard. This was it—the moment she had been anticipating and dreading for the last... God, it had been less than twenty-four hours, yet it felt like a lifetime.
"Hey," he greeted her as he removed his jacket and took the seat across from her. Abby nodded. The waitress walked over to fill his cup. "Thanks," he said and took a sip. When he put his cup down, they both began talking at once:
"John, I have..."
"Listen, Abby..."
They both laughed nervously. "Why don't you go first?" Abby asked, further delaying the inevitable.
"Well," he started. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the other night. I mean, I'm not exactly sorry that it happened..." He stole a glance her way before he continued. "I'm just sorry that it can't go any further than it did." He reached across the table for her hand and placed his on top of hers. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...well, I..."
"John, please..." Abby cut in. She couldn't stand to hear him say anymore. She had to tell him before he... "That's not exactly what I wanted to talk about..."
Carter looked confused. Abby didn't blame him. "Then why did you want to meet me here so early?"
Abby spoke very quietly, "I think there's something you should know about Kem..."
Carter still looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes before she spoke again. She couldn't look at him.
"The baby's not yours."
* * *
The silence was deafening. After a few minutes of it, Abby had to look up to see his reaction. She couldn't quite read his face.
"How can you say that?" he asked in disbelief.
"I heard her make a phone call to someone named 'Peter' the other day. She was saying how someone, I'm assuming you, 'doesn't suspect a thing.' Then she said 'I love you, and so does your son'... She didn't know I was listening..."
Abby searched Carter's face to try to gauge his reaction. All she could detect was a look of shock, which she had anticipated. She waited for a response from him.
"I can't believe this... You were spying on her?" Obviously Abby had mistaken the reason for his shocked expression.
"No, it was an accident. I was picking something up off the floor and she didn't see me." Abby couldn't believe she had to explain herself to him.
"I'm sorry, Abby, but Kem wouldn't do that."
"So, are you calling me a liar?" Abby asked. Now it was her turn to be shocked.
"No, I'm just saying that maybe you heard her wrong."
"John, I wouldn't say something like this unless I was sure."
Carter looked at his watch. "I have to be getting to work, or I'll be late." He started to get up and gather his things.
"That's it? You're just going to leave after what I told you?" Abby stood up as well.
"I don't believe that Kem is capable of lying like that."
"And you think that I am?" Carter didn't know how to answer. He didn't have a chance to anyway; Abby was already out the door.
***AUTHOR'S NOTE***
Short, I know, and another cliffhanger, I know—I'm terrible. But, I swear, if I would have written more, it would have just been another cliffhanger for you. That's just the nature of this story I guess. However, I promise you that this story will end happily. There is nothing that makes me angrier than a movie or book with a depressing ending. If I wanted depressing, I would watch life happen and not read and/or watch fiction. So, just bear with me and I promise (or hope, I guess) that you will not be disappointed.
I hope this is believable. I was trying to write what I thought would really happen. For the sake of this story, I wanted Carter to not believe Abby at first, but I didn't want him to be really mean. I had a tough time writing this chapter, but I think the finished product turned out okay. What do you think?
"More coffee?" the waitress at Ike's asked Abby. Abby, however, was not paying attention. She was too busy thinking of what she was going to say to Carter when he finally arrived. She had been up half the night thinking about it, but she still hadn't the faintest idea of how she was supposed to tell her best friend (who was also an ex-boyfriend) that his new girlfriend was a liar and that the baby she was carrying was not his. It sounded like something from a soap opera, not something that could actually be happening to her...
"Excuse me, Miss?" the waitress spoke again. Abby shook herself out of her fog and looked up. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine...Sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked if you wanted more coffee..."
"Oh, no thank you," she replied. She had already had three cups, and the last thing she needed was to have to pee in the middle of her conversation with Carter. She thought that she probably should eat something, but her stomach was too jumpy at the moment to handle food. "But you might as well bring another cup. The man I'm waiting for will probably want some." The waitress nodded and walked away. He'll probably need some coffee, considering what I'm about to tell him, she thought to herself.
Abby glanced at her watch. It was only 6:52. Time was ticking by so slowly. She just wanted to get this horrible conversation over with. She had gotten up way earlier than she had wanted to this morning. She had taken her time getting ready; she had walked very slowly to the El; and she had still gotten here at 6:30.
When the bell on the door rang, signaling someone had opened it, it startled her. She looked up to see Carter surveying the room, trying to spot her she guessed. When he finally did, he gave her a quick smile and started to make his way over to her booth in the back. Abby swallowed hard. This was it—the moment she had been anticipating and dreading for the last... God, it had been less than twenty-four hours, yet it felt like a lifetime.
"Hey," he greeted her as he removed his jacket and took the seat across from her. Abby nodded. The waitress walked over to fill his cup. "Thanks," he said and took a sip. When he put his cup down, they both began talking at once:
"John, I have..."
"Listen, Abby..."
They both laughed nervously. "Why don't you go first?" Abby asked, further delaying the inevitable.
"Well," he started. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the other night. I mean, I'm not exactly sorry that it happened..." He stole a glance her way before he continued. "I'm just sorry that it can't go any further than it did." He reached across the table for her hand and placed his on top of hers. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...well, I..."
"John, please..." Abby cut in. She couldn't stand to hear him say anymore. She had to tell him before he... "That's not exactly what I wanted to talk about..."
Carter looked confused. Abby didn't blame him. "Then why did you want to meet me here so early?"
Abby spoke very quietly, "I think there's something you should know about Kem..."
Carter still looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes before she spoke again. She couldn't look at him.
"The baby's not yours."
* * *
The silence was deafening. After a few minutes of it, Abby had to look up to see his reaction. She couldn't quite read his face.
"How can you say that?" he asked in disbelief.
"I heard her make a phone call to someone named 'Peter' the other day. She was saying how someone, I'm assuming you, 'doesn't suspect a thing.' Then she said 'I love you, and so does your son'... She didn't know I was listening..."
Abby searched Carter's face to try to gauge his reaction. All she could detect was a look of shock, which she had anticipated. She waited for a response from him.
"I can't believe this... You were spying on her?" Obviously Abby had mistaken the reason for his shocked expression.
"No, it was an accident. I was picking something up off the floor and she didn't see me." Abby couldn't believe she had to explain herself to him.
"I'm sorry, Abby, but Kem wouldn't do that."
"So, are you calling me a liar?" Abby asked. Now it was her turn to be shocked.
"No, I'm just saying that maybe you heard her wrong."
"John, I wouldn't say something like this unless I was sure."
Carter looked at his watch. "I have to be getting to work, or I'll be late." He started to get up and gather his things.
"That's it? You're just going to leave after what I told you?" Abby stood up as well.
"I don't believe that Kem is capable of lying like that."
"And you think that I am?" Carter didn't know how to answer. He didn't have a chance to anyway; Abby was already out the door.
***AUTHOR'S NOTE***
Short, I know, and another cliffhanger, I know—I'm terrible. But, I swear, if I would have written more, it would have just been another cliffhanger for you. That's just the nature of this story I guess. However, I promise you that this story will end happily. There is nothing that makes me angrier than a movie or book with a depressing ending. If I wanted depressing, I would watch life happen and not read and/or watch fiction. So, just bear with me and I promise (or hope, I guess) that you will not be disappointed.
I hope this is believable. I was trying to write what I thought would really happen. For the sake of this story, I wanted Carter to not believe Abby at first, but I didn't want him to be really mean. I had a tough time writing this chapter, but I think the finished product turned out okay. What do you think?
