Chapter 17

"You can't do that Joe…Mr. Nichols, Joe...Joe, c'mon." Rhoda was frantic, panic rising up in her chest. Had he really just said what she'd thought?

"I'm afraid I can and I did. Goodbye, Rhoda." Joe Nichols didn't even stand to bid her ado, just simply sat there behind his hideous faux wood desk, as if it were his throne and he was the king of Hempel's. And his dismissal of Rhoda Morgenstern was as blasé as a king banishing his lowest paid servant.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Rhoda insisted, not going down without a fight.

"Oh, Rhoda. You've been coming in late, cutting out of work, the new window just isn't what we were looking for – I mean really it's too busy and no one even knows what we're selling. You're done, kid. Clear out your locker." Mr. Nichols looked bored by her long list of grievous errors. As if he'd been writing down every last little thing she did wrong, or that he deemed wrong, and now he was getting his sweet revenge, reminding her that he was in charge.

"Oh, Joe. Joe, c'mon. We've had our fun. Let me try the window again. I can make it better. What do you want?" Rhoda was practically ready to get on her knees and beg because she couldn't lose this job, not when she was about to help support a child. Mary was only a few months off now and already they had started pricing things and just thinking about all that a baby needed without even buying a single thing was about to put Rhoda in the poor house. "I need this job, Joe."

"I'm sorry, Rhoda. Mr. Hempel himself made the decision. You're finished here."

Rhoda opened her mouth to protest, but Joe Nichols gave her that look, that really annoyed, pissed off, end of his rope sort of look and she realized it was over. All over. She'd lost her job.

Her cheeks grew red. She couldn't face any of the girls as she headed to her locker and cleared it out, stuffing everything into her purse. She adjusted the strap and, with head held high, she walked through the store without a single glance back.

She just kept walking, for Mary had the car and had planned on picking her up after work. She walked around the corner, down the main street, through the park, trying to decide if she wanted to cry or laugh. She was humiliated. Here she'd been promising all these big things, that she could move up, get a good position, a good paying position so that maybe if Mary wanted to stay home she could. But now Mary would be taking care of her. Rhoda would be useless. "What's a crummy art school degree get you anyway?" Rhoda kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk.

She walked towards a convenience store. "A pack of Kent's, please."

She walked the streets of Minneapolis smoking away the afternoon, finding herself back at their little carriage house. Though it looked so different then. Or maybe it felt different. Now it felt uninviting to Rhoda because she was no longer a working girl, no longer contributing as an equal in their odd marital arrangement. And Mary would be upset with her, that she had grown so lazy, so distracted with all that had been happening that she'd neglected her job, her really good job. She needed to phone Mary, to tell her that it would be unnecessary to pick her up that evening, but she hadn't the strength to do it.

"I see you found a cigarette." Hazel's voice caught her as she stood absently in the yard.

"Oh," Rhoda turned, surprised at having been caught out. "Yeah, I suppose I did." She butted it beneath her shoe, feeling embarrassed.

"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea instead of doing that." Hazel held the door open, the smile on her face reassuring, comforting.

"Yes, yes, I think I'd like that." Rhoda nodded, but something held her back.

"What is it, dear?" Hazel wrapped the shawl about her tighter.

"It's just…" Rhoda rubbed her forehead. "I don't have a job anymore." And then she was crying. The tears came all at once.

Hazel moved across the way, coming to meet her in the garden where she stood looking completely out of sorts, making a complete fool of herself. "There, there dear. Come inside. I'll fix you some lunch."

"You're too kind, much too kind." Rhoda was wracked with guilt then, for how would she pay rent to this woman by the end of the month? These were things she would have to worry about now. Such a thing would usually never upset her in this way, but she had cracked, she felt under pressure, she wanted, desperately, to be there for Mary and she was letting Mary down.

"Nonsense. Come inside. It's freezing out. Your hands are so cold." Hazel was grasping her hands in her own.

Rhoda finally relented, following her inside.

She had no idea how long she'd slept, only that sleep had been welcome so near the fireplace which crackled, the sweet aroma of cinnamon and vanilla that floated about Hazel's home, lulling her into a false sense of security. Her body had somehow relaxed into sleep and for a moment, as she awoke, she felt relaxed, relieved. Until it all hit her.

"Did you have a good nap?" Hazel was peering over her, a tray of food in her hands.

"What time is it?" Rhoda struggled into a seated position, finding that Hazel had draped a warm blanket over her.

"Oh, about eight."

"Oh, no. Oh, I've slept much too late. Mary will be so worried." Rhoda tried to stand, but her body was off balance, not yet awake.

Hazel steadied her with a hand to her shoulder. "Now, now. Mary came by when she got off work to check on you. I told her to let you sleep."

"Oh. So she knows then." Rhoda chewed her bottom lip nervously.

"I'm afraid she does." Hazel nodded.

"How did she seem? Was she upset? Oh, I just can't stand when she's upset. It breaks my heart. I wish she didn't know." Rhoda couldn't stop the words that flowed from her anxious mouth. She wished she were calmer and more put together in moments such as these.

"She was calm, she just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Sometimes when Mary is calm it's not a good thing. Did she seem too calm?" Rhoda stood up and started pacing back and forth.

"She was only worried that you were safe." Hazel sat down and watched as Rhoda paced nervously.

"I've let her down. How can I face her?" Rhoda rubbed her forehead, slid a hand furiously through her hair as she paused at the huge picture window to stare out at the park, as if it might steady her.

And then she saw the car. Parked there out front.

"Hazel." Rhoda gasped. "When did he get here? Oh, I have to go. I have to." Rhoda scrambled then for her bag and her coat and her shoes.

She knew, instinctively that she needed to get back to Mary. How long had he been there? She was no more afraid of him stealing Mary away, only that he might try something and she would kill him, she really would. Hazel was calling for her, but she was haphazardly shoved into her things and halfway across the yard before she could register anything Hazel was saying.

Rhoda burst in to find Mary wringing her hands and Peter standing awkwardly, out of place, in their living room. This was a sight Rhoda never wanted to see, him being anywhere near their home. Mary's eyes went to Rhoda, worry apparent, the strain of holding back tears evident. What was Peter doing? What had he been saying?

"Rhoda," Peter curtly acknowledged her, his eyes a little bewildered by her presence. Then he laughed a little, "I, uh, I guess I hadn't thought it true, Mary. But, well, here she is."

"Yes, she lives here." Mary nodded. "With me."

Peter shook his head, his look unreadable. He looked completely out of his depths. Then he turned his attention back to Mary, his finger pointing accusingly at Rhoda. "You are telling me that she is who you want to raise this baby with? That's so ridiculous, Mare. C'mon, kid. That's not a real life, not for our child. I won't stand for it. The courts won't much care for this living arrangement either. You can count on that. Who's ever heard of two women living together, raising a kid together before? It's unnatural, comical really. You couldn't possibly love her. Not the way we do."

"Hey, buddy." Rhoda dropped her bag of things, which clamored to the ground, spreading out there on the floor at her feet. "You are right, it's not the way it was with you. Not at all." She moved forward then, ready to pounce.

"Rhoda," she felt Mary's hand on her shoulder, but it didn't deter her.

"No, kid, it's better than anything you could possibly imagine. Two women can love one another, yeah, it's been known to happen. And I'll tell you what, we could raise one hell of a kid together. With or without you." Rhoda shoved her finger into his chest.

"Rhoda, please." Mary's hands were on her arms then but Rhoda was on a war path.

"Don't come in here threatening Mary with courts. If you really loved her, loved this child you'd let her make her own decisions. I mean really, Pete, were you going to marry her if she hadn't gotten pregnant? I mean let's be serious for a second. You'd been going with her for months and then you pressured her into sleeping with you, like you had to try her out first before you'd consider buying her. And so here we are." Rhoda was slowly backing him towards the door, picking up a potted plant, which Mary took from her, then a bowl, that Mary also took from her, all of these things Rhoda desperately wanting to smash into Peter's unwavering better-than-thou smirk despite the fact he was backing up, ready to run.

"Rhoda, I told you to stay out of this. It has nothing to do with you. That's my baby. And I have a right to it." Peter spoke firmly, his back against the door then.

"If you were a real father you'd only care about the well-being of your beloved Mary and the child. If you were a real man you wouldn't be trying to lay claim to either." Rhoda was seething and Mary was making nervous whimpers behind her, holding her back.

"Mary, my lawyer will be contacting you in the morning." Peter placed his hat back on his head and was gone into the chilly evening.

Rhoda slammed her fist against the closed door. It was just the icing on the cake of a really horrible day.

When she turned to face Mary she found the woman standing with her arms crossed over her chest. "Well, I'm not sure if I should slap you or kiss you." There was a fearful look on her face.

"A kiss wouldn't hurt as bad." Rhoda pressed herself up against the door, all the fight draining out of her because now she had to face Mary and she had just made a fool of herself. Going off on Peter – though he really was something – had hardly helped the situation. The man was, unfortunately, going to be a part of their lives. He was the father, as much as it pained Rhoda to admit, to see, he had done this and so had some say in this baby's life and Rhoda telling him off wasn't going to help. "Oh, Mare." Rhoda placed her hand over her mouth and sunk to the ground, down amongst all of her things laying messily about her.

"He wants custody of the child." Mary spoke quietly, rubbing her hands over her own arms as she stood there.

Rhoda looked up at her through watery eyes. Her heart beat faster, her body tensing again. "He wouldn't – he couldn't – could he?"

Mary nodded, "I'm afraid so. I'm an unfit mother according to the state, to his attorney." A tear slid down her cheek.

"What does he want? He has to want something."

"Well, it would all go away if I married him, of course." Mary rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

Rhoda pulled her arms about her legs, cradling herself there against the door, thinking over all that had just happened. She was out of a job, they might now lose the child, all the dreams and plans she'd had seemed to die, to vanish in that moment, dissipate into nothing. She was nothing. "Maybe you should, Mare." Rhoda's voice was small.

"Rhoda." Mary was full of anger then. "Rhoda, you've gotta stop it with that. Do you want me to marry him? Do you want me to leave all of this and go play housewife with him? Do you really want that for me? For us?"

Rhoda put her head in her hands. "No." She rubbed her forehead and then looked up to Mary. "No! Of course not!"

"Then would you stop it with telling me to marry him? Please!" Mary threw up her hands and came closer to Rhoda. It was a struggle for her to get down to her level, to sit down on the ground beside her, but she managed it and placed her arm about her. "We're going to fight this the best we can. I don't want to lose this child and I don't want to lose you." Mary pressed her lips to Rhoda's forehead, pulling her close.

"You're crazy, kid." Rhoda whispered.

"Maybe so." Mary nodded.

"I lost my job today." Rhoda bit her lip.

"I know."

Rhoda sighed, the weight of their situation grasping her. There would be no excess money for lawyers now. There would be no way for them to fight something like this. And Mary could not choose Rhoda over her unborn child; there would be no way that Mary could have this child and just give it up to keep Rhoda. Didn't Mary see that? "Oh, Mary." Rhoda sobbed and pulled her close. "I don't want you to lose the baby."

"I don't want to either." Mary was crying too.

That night neither slept, both just laid there in the darkness, staring at the ceiling.

Mary's hand found Rhoda's sometime in the early morning.