Chapter 7- Your afterthought
Judy awoke early the next morning. Just as she had finished preparing herself for the long day ahead she heard a soft knock on her door. Maybe it was Alistair? But it turned out to just be her mother again.
"So," she said. "Tell me about your conversation with Alistair. I want to know everything!"
"What is there to know? There was no conversation. He never came, and I went to talk to him he was sound asleep next to a bottle of scotch. And based off of that and everything else regaurding my relationship with him, I have made a decision."
"A decision?" She asked as she looked at her watch.
"Yes, a decision."
"I'm sorry darling, will you please let me know when you I get back. Linoel and I are going to Penny and Steven's."
"Alright, try to have a pleasurable time. But just, please don't tell Aunt Penny about the baby yet."
"I won't, her response will be, 'poor Judith.'" She mimicked.
"That's right. At least when she finds out, she won't be able to use the expression, 'poor little Judith,' any longer."
About twenty minutes after Jean and Lionel left, Judy realized that she, Alistair and Mrs. Bale were in fact alone in the house. Fran, Max, and the kids, along with Yetta had gone back to London to visit the places where Maxwell had grown up. Niles and C.C. had also gone with them. Judy had to admit that she was a bit upset. Was this all a conspiracy? Devised by her friends and family to force her and Alistair to speak to one another? Well, if it was, it sure was a good one. She had felt that she needed another reason to talk to Alistair, and she felt that him being the only other person in the house would do the trick. She waited for Mrs. Bale to go out to do the shopping, and then she went to talk to Alistair.
"Oh, hi." He said, as he saw her approach him, they were in the living room. He seemed strangely shy to her.
"Hi Alistair." She smiled as she sat on the coffee table before him, just as she had done the night before. He took her hand in his own, raised it to his lips and kissed it.
She looked into his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who was genuinely happy. It broke her heart to have to hurt this man, her beloved Alistair. It truly did, but this is what she had to do, she had no other alternative.
"We're going to have a baby?" He asked. Still not quite believing his, own words or what she had screamed at him the night before. She couldn't help but smile as she nodded. He gently placed a kiss on her lips.
"Alistair. I know that you're happy. I can see it in you. In fact, I don't think that I have ever seen you quite this genuinely happy before. But there is one thing you should know."
"And what's that?"
"Well, first I didn't mean to tell you something as important and life changing and special as the fact that we were going to have a baby in such a horrible way. But it just kind of came out, I hope that you can forgive me for that."
"That's alright." He said. She pulled her hand a way from his.
"But there is another thing that you need to know."
"Yes."
"Well, you aren't going to get to see the baby that often." Alistair's heart sunk at her words. "I know how that must make you feel. But...."
"Why?" He asked. "What have I ever done?"
"Listen. I'm sick of being your afterthought. It's painful. I don't want my baby to be your afterthought. Do you understand?" This comment not only crushed his heart, but it made him feel very guilty.
"But I was, I was planning this. I was going to be such a better Dad than my old man. No boarding school, actual quality time, to really be involved."
"Alistair. I didn't say that you weren't going to get to see the baby. After all, it's yours too, right? I can't deny that relationship to either of you."
"But I was going to rearrange my life for..."
"Alistair." She said, by this time she was standing by the doorway. "If you were going to rearrange your life, then maybe you should've done it before we had a baby."