The news had barely sunk in.
Blanche pushed the shopping cart briskly through the supermarket aisle, randomly grabbing and throwing things in without looking.
Pregnant, she thought bitterly, pregnant, at my age, I can't believe this. I simply cannot believe this.
"You must be having a bad day."
Blanche looked tartly over her shoulder, her lips pursed. "I beg your pardon?"
The good-looking man laughed breezily. "The way you're throwing things in your buggy makes me think you're having a bad day."
Blanche drew herself up and pursed her lips. "Well, I never. How rude of you to comment on a lady's shopping."
The man smiled in amusement. "I do apologize, my dear lady." He bowed gallantly. "Might I guess by your charming accent that you are an Atlanta Belle?"
Blanche smiled in wonder. "Why, yes. I am. My people have a lovely home there still: Hollingsworth Manor." She stepped closer. "Am I to understand that you are from Atlanta as well?"
"Savannah, actually." The man answered. "But, close enough." He extended his hand. "I'm Don. Don Bennett."
Blanche accepted his hand with a charmed smile. "I am Blanche Devereaux."
"Does Mr. Devereaux know you're out this late and this beautiful?" Don questioned rogueishly.
Blanche pinkened and looked awsy bashfully. "I suppose if he weren't deceased he would."
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry, Mrs. Devereaux, had I known of your widowhood I wouldn't have made the remark."
"It's perfectly fine." Blanche said smoothly. "He's been gone for quite some time."
Don laughed quietly. "Can I drop this act? I'm afraid I'm not actually a rogue. I just think you're lovely and was hoping you're free on Friday?"
Blanche smiled teasingly. "I oughta say no for you playacting like that, but I find your honesty charming. I am free Friday night and I would enjoy going out with you."
Don smiled triumphantly. "Let me give you my number." He scribbled his number down on the back of a package of Stove Top. "Give me a call, Blanche Devereaux."
"I will." Blanche promised sweetly. "I'll see you Friday." She watched him go, her heart fluttering. She abandoned her cart and went home.
Dorothy was still awake and when Blanche let herself in she pounced. "Blanche Devereaux, where were you, it's two o'clock in the morning." She crossed her arms over her nightgown.
Blanche giggled softly and leaned against the door. "Oh Dorothy, I met a man tonight."
"Call the newspapers." Dorothy remarked. "Where were you that you met a man?" She turned and spoke to herself. "Rhetorical question, nevermind."
"His name is Don and he's a perfect gentleman." Blanche said brightly. "He's from Savannah and he wants to go out with me on Friday night."
"Blanche, have you forgotten about the little visitor?" Dorothy asked.
"We bave houseguests?" Blanche questioned, going to the living room. "It isn't one of my children is it?"
"Yes, it is." Dorothy said, "the baby, Blanche. The baby. Have you forgotten that you are three months pregnant?"
Blanche's face fell. "Oh, poo." She opened the fridge and brought out a cheesecake and whipped cream. "Why did you have to remind me of that?"
"You can't date a man if you're pregnant, Blanche." Dorothy insisted. "It's tacky."
"Oh, but Dorothy, he's so kind and charming and sweet." Blanche implored. "Surely one date won't hurt anything."
"Are you going to tell him you're pregnant?" Dorothy asked.
"Of course not." Blanche said around a mouthful of cheesecake. "Why would I, I'm not even starting to show."
"Blanche, you'd be lying!" Dorothy insisted.
"No, I wouldn't." Blanche laughed innocently. "Its not a lie if you don't volunteer information. Why should I tell him about the baby if we might not go out again after Friday?"
"Well." Dorothy sighed. "Just don't sleep with him. Its one thing to date a man when you're pregnant, but to sleep with a stranger, that wouldn't be very good."
"I don't plan on sleeping with him." Blanche said defensively. "I don't sleep with everyone, you know."
Dorothy gave her a pointed look.
"Okay, maybe I do." Blanche laughed. She took Dorothy's hand and squeezed it. "Oh, Dorothy, you are so sweet to worry about me. You're just like a mother to me." She smiled simperingly and went to her bedroom.
Dorothy stared wryly into the distance. "Hormonal bitch."
XXXXXXXXX
Blanche held two dresses up against herself and looked in the mirror. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, I am the fairest of them all." She held her blue dress against her and tossed the green one aside. "Blue really does bring out my eyes." She unzipped it and took it off the hanger.
Humming to herself she stepped into the dress and reached behind her back to zip it up.
The zipper got stuck halfway.
Blanche jerked and jerked but it wouldn't budge. She went to her door and sashayed into the living room. "Dorothy, I need your big, strong hands."
Dorothy looked up slowly. "Pickle jar or peanut butter, Preggo Queen?"
"My zipper." Blanche said. She turned and put a hand on her hip. "Would you do me a favor and zip me?"
Dorothy rose with a sigh and stood behind her. "Suck in."
"Ha!" Sophia squeaked.
Dorothy pulled on the zipper. "Are you sucking in as much as you can?"
"Ha!" Sophia squeaked louder.
"I'm sucking, are you jerking it?" Blanche questioned tightly, holding in her breath as much as she could.
Sophia rose. "Ah, thank you, girls. I'm going to have a Popsicle." She went to the kitchen.
"Blanche, I just can't get this zipper up." Dorothy said.
"Its not the only thing you can't get up!" Sophia called from the kitchen.
"Shady Pines, Ma!" Dorothy bellowed.
Rose let herself in the house and greeted them with a smile. "Hi, girls. Oh Blanche, are you just getting in?"
"Going out." Blanche corrected.
"Oh, well your dress is unzipped." Rose said, going to the kitchen.
Blanche put a hand on her hip and looked over her shoulder at Dorothy. "Well, keep trying."
"Blanche," Dorothy chuckled, "the dress is too small. You've gained weight."
"Shut your dirty mouth!" Blanche exclaimed in shock.
"Blanche, you're pregnant, you're going to gain a little weight." Dorothy said in bemusement.
Blanche's jaw dropped. "How dare you!"
"Blanche, its only natural." Dorothy soothed. "Why, when I was pregnant with Michael I started showing at around the same time as you."
"That's because you ate too much Italian food." Blanche snapped. She put her hands on her hips and cocked one. "Us Southern girls know how to stay svelte and fit no matter what."
"You're getting fat, Blanche." Dorothy stated teasingly. "Bulbous, gigantic, robust." She sat down with dramatic flair and draped her arms along the back of the sofa. "You'll have to change."
"Ooh!" Blanche exclaimed angrily. She stomped back to her room. She tore the dress of and threw it aside. She sank onto the edge of her bed in her slip and stared at the floor. She looked down at her stomach. She didn't feel like she'd gained weight. Maybe in her bosom but enough to make her clothes too tight.
"If I get too heavy I won't be beautiful." She muttered to herself.
Her door opened and Dorothy and Rose came in.
"Blanche?" Rose said gently. "Are you okay?"
Blanche turned, her face tear-streaked and her make-up streaming. "I'm not beautiful anymore."
"Blanche, honey." Rose cooed. She and Dorothy came to the bed and put their arms around her. "You're still very beautiful."
"No, I'm not." Blanche whined. "I'm old, and fat, and ugly!"
"All because your dress wouldn't zip?" Rose questioned.
"Yes!" Blanche exclaimed angrily. "Because I'm pregnant and my dress won't zip. It isn't fair! I forget protection one time and I get pregnant, at my age?"
"What age is that?" Dorothy asked casually.
Blanche gave her an annoyed look. "Shut up, Dorothy."
"You can borrow one of my dresses, Blanche." Rose offered sweetly.
"Ooh, shut up, Rose!" Blanche grumbled. "I'm not that big yet."
Rose's jaw dropped.
"Blanche, surely you have something that you can wear?" Dorothy insisted. She went to the closet and looked through. She came out with a loose pink sateen dress. "How about this?"
"Its so old, Dorothy." Blanche complained.
"Well, you have that in common." Dorothy remarked. "Try it on." She held the dress out.
Blanche sighed and took it to her bathroom. It went on like a glove and she actually felt rather nice. The way the skirt danced around her knees was very feminine and the color made her skin glow. She fixed her face and hair and came out. "Well?"
"Oh, Blanche, you look lovely." Rose said affectionately. "Very pretty. I bet you're having a girl because of how nice the pink looks on you."
Dorothy gave her a strange look. "Yes, because the color that suits the wearer determines the gender."
Blanche stepped into her shoes and preened before the mirror. "Well, Don should be here any second. Do I look nice?"
"Perfect." Dorothy said definitively. "See, sometimes I make a good fashion choice."
"Well, you have experiance picking clothes that fit a larger body." Blanche said sweetly. She grabbed her purse just as the doorbell rang. "Ooh, that's Don!"
Dorothy and Rose followed her to the living room as Sophia opened the door.
"Who the hell are you?" She greeted.
"Hello, ma'am, I'm Don Bennett, I'm here to take Blanche out for the evening." Don said smoothly.
"You could keep her longer than that, make her feel like a lady for a change." Sophia remarked.
"Hello, Don." Blanche greeted with a smile.
"Blanche, you look lovely." Don said. "Pink is your color."
I will never wear blue again, Blanche thought to herself. Her smile broadened. "Thank you. You look nice, too."
Don held out his arm. "Shall we?"
Blanche took his arm with a shy smile. "Let's."
They went out where a shiny black Cadillac was parked on the curb.
"Have you ever been to Posner's?" Don asked in the car.
"I've always wanted to." Blanche said brightly. "I've heard good things."
"I think you'll enjoy it." Don said with a smile. He pulled out onto Richmond Street. "Are you cool enough?"
"I'm perfectly fine." Blanche assured him with a smile. "So, tell me what you do, Don?"
"I work in Finance." Don said. "I started out as a banker and now I own one of the largest hedge funds in America."
Jackpot, Blanche thought triumphantly. She smiled. "That sounds terribly interesting. I'm afraid I don't know a thing about finance. I guess it explains why some months I go shopping and some months my roommates and I are hocking art for home repairs." She laughed titillatingly.
Don smiled. "You're not alone in that regard. Plenty of people don't know how to manage their money. I can always help. But, not tonight." He squeezed her knee and Blanche thought she'd shoot through the roof of the car.
"No, not tonight." Blanche agreed.
"What do you do?" Don asked.
"I work at an museum as an executive assistant." Blanche said brightly. "Its very interesting. We're always buying snd selling pieces."
"I'm in the market for some new art," Don remarked, "perhaps you can arrange a viewing for me. I don't like to spend great deals of money in front of people, its garish. I don't like to donate to charity under my name either. I prefer to do everything anonymously. Its better for the soul to do things with no wish for praise."
Blanche smiled, impressed. "That's a very lovely way of thinking, Don."
They arrived at Posner's and had the best meal Blanche had eaten since she was a child at her father's plantation.
The evening air was warm and gentlrle. They took their shoes off and walked hand-in-hand down the beach.
"Do you have kids?" Blanche asked.
"One, a son." Don answered. His pride shown through. "Daniel. He's in his twenties, a Senior at Stanford. He's one of the best people I know. I got lucky with him. He's a humble, decent young man. He wants to work for a non-profit that provides clean water to poor nations."
"That's wonderful, Don." Blanche said sincerely. "He sounds just fine."
"He's born with Cerebral Palsy." Don continued. "He uses crutches, or he's in his chair most of the time. He still gets out there and conquers the world. He's terribly bright, very kind. Works with kids in his spare time."
Blanche smiled softly. "He sounds wonderful. Hopefully a testimony to your upbringing of him?"
Don laughed quietly. "I wish I could claim credit but it was all Dianna."
"His mother?" Blanche inquired.
"She was a sweet and wonderful person." Don said wistfully. "We had fifteen lovely years together. Breast cancer. She fought as hard as she could but it beat her. Daniel was only fourteen. He didn't let it get him down, though."
"Sounds like my George." Blanche said softly. "He died only a few years ago. Heart attack caused a car accident. I was getting my nails done." She laughed quietly. "I had just gotten home when the police called and all I remember after we hung up was that one of my nails was smudged. It didn't hit me until later that he was gone. I miss him. We were very happy. He was a wonderful father."
"Tell me about your children." Don requested.
"I have four." Blanche said bashfully.
"You're so young." Don marveled.
"Well, George and I married young, got started young." Blanche said with a smile. "There's Janet, she lives back in Georgia with her husband and kids. And, Rebecca is a model in Europe. And, I have two sons, Matthew and Doug. Well, Biff and Skippy, as I like to call them."
"I bet you're a great mother." Don said sincerely. "You seem very caring and kind."
In the dark Blanche grimaced. "Thank you, Don."
The man stopped and turned to her. "This is the most beautiful spot on the beach."
"Why?" Blanche asked softly.
"Because you're here." Don answered. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a long, firm kiss. Blanche inhaled happily and dropped her shoes so she could wrap her arms around him. The kiss ended far too soon but Don held her in a warm embrace for a long time after.
Blanche couldn't remember the last time she'd felt such contentment, such a connection to another person. And, they both still had their clothes on.
"I'll take you home now." Don said into her hair. "It's late. I want to see you again as soon as possible."
"How about tomorrow night?" Blanche suggested into his chest. He was so tall and solid, a real man. He smelled like a real man should smell. He gave off such vitality, such sexual prowess. Blanche couldn't wait to find out if he was any good.
They went back to the car and Don opened the door for her as he'd done all night. On the ride home he kept his warm hand resting just above Blanche's knee, his thumb rubbing her soft flesh gently.
Blanche thought she'd die of desire.
They got back to the house and Don walked her to the door. "I'm sure you've had cads who want to be invited in for more than they're worth."
Blanche laughed quietly. "Maybe a couple times, Don."
"I'm not one of those men." Don assured her. "I will only go to bed with you if and when you are ready."
Blanche gazed at him in wonder. "Where have you been all my life?"
Don kissed her on the forehead and gave her a quick hug. "Good night, Blanche Devereaux. I will call you tomorrow to make a plan." He watched her inside before leaving.
Blanche fell against the front door once inside and bit her smiling lip. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes.
"Blanche?" Dorothy came out of the kitchen in a long yellow robe. "How was it?"
Blanche was surprised to feel herself start crying. "It was perfect."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Dorothy said. She watched in shock as her friend slid down to the floor against the door and covered her face. "Blanche?"
"Oh, Dorothy." Blanche whispered painfully. "It was so perfect. I'm so sad."
"Why, honey?" Dorothy asked, sliding down beside her.
Blanche leaned into her friend's warm frame. "Because he was the perfect guy and I know this won't last. How can it when I'm having some other man's child? What man would want me like this?"
"Oh, Blanche." Dorothy soothed. "If he cares for you he'll try and understand. But, you mustn't hold it against him if he doesn't. Remember, not every man dreams of fatherhood at his age."
"I know." Blanche sighed. She wiped her eyes and kissed Dorothy on the cheek. "Oh, thank you, Dorothy. I'm going go on to bed now, darlin'." Shr rose and smiled once before going to her room.
She undressed slowly, remembering how it felt to be in Don's arms, how his hand felt perfect on her thigh. How he left her aching for his touch.
She slid under the covers in her slip and wrapped her arms around herself. Everything ached to be touched.
She pressed her face into the pillow and cried herself to sleep over an ending that hadn't ever yet begun.
TBC
