A Pact For Life

by Elliot, Graham

  “Oh yeah... yes... yes! I remember now. Sorry, it's just been awhile.” Diana said and walked forward to shake their hands. “This is my boyfriend, Cale Dawkins. Cale, this is Patty and Ron.”

  Cale fought through the impulse to slap their hands in low fives. Instead, he shook their hands with an uneasiness for how much strength to use.

  Patty asked Diana, “So, what are you doing now”

  “I'm a partner at JCPG, a law firm downtown next to the capital. What about you guys?”

  “Well, I was teaching, but quit when my daughter was born. Now I'm a stay at home mom, blessed by God with two amazing children. We are trying for a third. Hopefully God will provide us with one.”

  Diana smiled, but in her mind gave a scoff for the ages. Only the most self-centered and overtly righteous people would think God gave them a child. Well, excluding Mary that is.

  Of course, Cale couldn't hate on their perceived blessing from God. He felt the same way about his and Diana's baby. Sure, the Branctons probably credited White Jesus for their blessing, and Cale's deity was something else entirely, but the key facet is they were both blessed by a higher power.

  Patty continued, “That leaves Ron as the breadwinner. He's now the head supervisor for technical support with Century Link's internet service. He'll probably make the move up to executive in the next year or so, isn't that right honey?”

  Ron nodded his head.

  “Wow Ron, you must be making a lot to support such a large family?” Diana had been around enough courtrooms to know when someone was lying, and Patty was lying.

  Speaking for Ron, his wife said, “He makes plenty for us. To be honest with you Diana, most of our money we give to our church. Having too much money is one of those sins that we try and avoid.”

  Cale debated in his head whether or not that was actually a sin as Diana responded with, “That's nice.”

  From the kitchen, the realtor stepped into the foyer, and was surprised to find another couple. She put on her tremendously fake smile and exclaimed, “Why hello there! I'm Donna Massey. Welcome welcome to this MAGnificent house!”

  Diana shook the realtor's hand and said, “Hi, I'm Diana, and this is my boyfriend, Cale.”

  Patty spoke before the realtor got the chance. “Diana and I were dear friends back in high school.”

  “Really? Well that is wonderful! Would you guys like some cookies too? Homemade and fresh!”

  Diana looked over at Patty Brancton scarfing down her cookie and said loudly, “No thanks. I like to stay away from sweets.”

  Patty interjected, “Oh Diana, come on and have one. There are starving children who would do anything for that cookie.”

  “And if I eat this then they'll never get it.”

  “Are you on a diet or something? You look a little more filled out since high school.”

  Diana gave an audible gasp. A women who put on at least seventy pounds since the last time she saw her had called her fat. Taking off her coat to reveal her round stomach, it was time for clarification. “It's not a diet, I'm just a healthy eater. And you must be confused about me filling out because I'm pregnant.”

  “Oh, congratulations! You know Diana, I never pegged you as a mother. How many weeks are you?”

  “Let's see, I think either nineteen or twenty?

  “C'mon Diana, you really should know that. It's very important. Cale, are you the father?”

  Cale bit his lip to stop from laughing and to remind himself not to say something inappropriate. “Yep, that's me.”

  “Good. It's important that a baby has both a mommy and daddy.”

  Diana interjected, “When isn't that the case?”

  Patty ignored this and said, “There are so many broken homes now-a-days. Diana, I'm so happy you finally found someone. Ron and I were worried your aggressive personality would be an issue.”

  “My personality wasn't a problem. I just wanted to make sure that I experienced life a little before settling down. It would've been a huge mistake to marry the first guy I dated.”

  Patty answered, “It doesn't matter if it's true love. Ron and I were lucky to find each other when we did. Most people aren't as fortunate as we were.”

  The conversation had devolved into a war of smiles and insulting compliments. Patty wanted to slap Diana across the face, Diana wanted to thrust the palm of her hand straight into Patty's nose.

  The realtor held the tray of cookies, ignorant to the fight that was going on right in front of her and asked, “Would anyone like another cookie?” The four adults answered no, the two kids were missing. “How about we start on the tour, then? If you all would like, we'll start with the rooms upstairs?”

  “Kids, come on!” Patty shrieked as the boy and girl ran from the kitchen.

  Cale and Diana started up the stairs several steps in front of the Branctons. Diana could hear their whispers, but was unable to make out individual words. She knew they were talking about her, and she wished she could let Cale in on what was happening. If he was aware of the situation, then he would make them sorry. After all, defending her through offending others was Cale's specialty.

  The realtor entered the first room and said, “So this room here would make an excellent bedroom for one or two children. The ceiling is high enough to accommodate a bunk bed, and they even would have their own bathroom.”

  “I don't want to share with Trisha,” The Brancton's little boy said.

  “I wouldn't want to share one with you either, stupid.” The little girl responded.

  “Apologize to your brother, we don't call each other names in this family.” Patricia Brancton said out loud.

  “I'm sorry, RJ.” The little girl said without any feeling.

  RJ, which Diana presumed to stand for Ronald Jr. and Trisha, short for Patricia. They had named their children after themselves. Diana couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of it.

  “I'm sorry,” Diana said through gasps of air as the others gave looks that ranged from dirty with the Branctons to bewilderment from Cale.

  After the guest room, they went to the master bedroom. It was a room as typical as they come, but the master bath on the other hand was heaven on Earth. Granite counter tops, dual stainless-steel sinks, a mini-chandelier, a gigantic walk-in closet with a rotating shelf for shoes, and a shower that had built in speakers as well as three different areas where water came out. Diana loved everything about the bathroom, while Cale nearly yelled out that they would buy the house as soon as his eyes caught the speakers in the shower.

  After the bathroom, every room they toured coincided with a fight between the Brancton children. To name a few, they fought about whose future room they were standing in, how one of them smelled, that one bumped into the other, and this annoying sound the little boy made that almost drew Diana into the fight. Every time the fights would be broken up by a stern warning from Patty Brancton, only to start again in the next room. By the third fight, Diana was convinced she would be getting her tubes tied as soon as this pregnancy was over.

  Downstairs once again, the realtor showed them the kitchen, family room, and finally, the office/den that overlooked the backyard with the Rockies in view. Diana had been iffy on the house up to this point, but this room changed everything. It had potential, but more than that, it had that feeling it was made solely for her. This was her office.

  Within a minute, she had pictured where everything would go. The walls would have bookshelves, a giant rug over the hardwood floor, and her great desk and leather chair right in the middle. She knew if she had this room, she would never go into the office ever again.

  They headed for the backyard with the Branctons in the lead. Ron Brancton held the spring loaded back door open for his wife, but released it in Diana's face. He hadn't said much during the tour, but this act confirmed he was still as dickless a human being as ever. Diana would've loved to kick him between the legs, but sadly there wouldn't have been anything there.

  At the end
of the tour, the Branctons were in the kitchen with the realtor giving Diana the chance to tell Cale all about her high school rivals.

  “She hasn't changed one bit. Still a world class bitch. I wish someone would put her in her place” She didn't want to explicitly tell Cale to offend the Branctons, but hoped he would pick up on the hint.

  Cale had plenty of material that he could have used, but he thought Diana wanted him to be mature about this. To take the high road so to speak. “They'll probably be gone by the time we get downstairs.”

  “I hope not, I want to stuff that fat face of hers with so many cookies that she becomes diabetic.”

  “Do you want me to say something?”

  “No.” The look in Cale's eyes reminded her of the look Ron gave Patty. It was one of pure servitude. What was happening to him?

  Cale asked, “So what do you think about this place? It's everything we're looking for. Did you see the housewide speaker system? Our daughter is gonna be a musical genius with everything I'll be playing.”

  “I'll admit, I was iffy on this place until I saw that office. I've been using my living room as an office for the past eight years. Do you have any idea how nice it would be to finally have my own room for work?”

  “So is this a yes?”

  “Slow down, we still have plenty of others to look at. We shouldn't automatically say yes to the first house. Let's go get some information from that realtor and then stop by my parents'. I want to see what Daddy thinks about this.”

  To Diana's disappointment, the Branctons were still in the kitchen talking to the realtor. As heard by their screams through the glass doors, their children were either outside playing or fighting, probably both.

  “So what did you think of the house? Any questions I can answer?”

  Cale responded, “We loved it. It's exactly what we're looking for.”

  Diana couldn't believe he was that open with the realtor. He might as well have given her a blank check. She knew the ebbs and flows of negotiating were a mystery to him. Cale had never bought a car, his warehouse studio and sculpting tools were donated from The John's Star Foundation, and everything else in his life were minor purchases.

  To make matters worse, Cale asked Ron Brancton, “What did you guys think?”

  “Well...we...”

  Patty interrupted. “It was alright. Kind of small for our needs. We host church study groups, meetings for girl scouts, boy scouts, and little league. I'm just concerned people might be cramped.”

  The realtor tried to reassure her. “With the right furniture, you could fit around twenty to thirty in the family room. Plus the backyard is gigantic for Spring, Summer, and Fall parties.”

  Patty responded, “Twenty to thirty people is on the small side for us.”

  “Wow, those must be some parties.” Cale said. He was trying to show Diana that he could be the bigger man around her enemies.

  Diana clenched her fists and said to Cale, “We should get going, my parents are waiting.”

  “Oh Diana, before you go.” Patty dug through her purse and pulled out a business card. “This is for my OB. I think you should go see her. For being twenty weeks along, your stomach shouldn't be that developed. It will be for the good of the baby.”

  “Thanks,” Diana responded as she put the card in her coat pocket and crushed it into a ball. “I'll check it out.” The comment about her stomach being overdeveloped concerned her. It had now been five days since the baby last kicked. What was wrong? The realtor shook both of their hands, and gave her card as well as a paper containing more information on the house. When they got outside, Diana looked at the Brancton's dented and dirty minivan and grinned. She knew there was no way they could afford that house.

  They got inside her Mercedes, but before they pulled away, the Brancton family came out of the house. It was too cold outside to drive in the open air, but Diana still rolled down all of the windows to let them know who was inside while Cale smiled and waved sincerely. He had nothing against them.

  Diana put the car in drive just as they got in their minivan. As they passed each other, Diana and Patricia both quietly said, “Fucking bitch.”

  The war of smiles had finally ended. Both sides believed they had won.

  In a mall bridal shop, Terri, Caitlyn, and Diana were shopping for a dress for Caitlyn's upcoming wedding which was only three months away. This was her third wedding, and despite already having bought two dresses from that particular store, they refused to give her a frequent shopper discount. In an industry where there are not a lot of repeat customers, you would think a career divorcee30 would get a deal.

  While Caitlyn was in the dressing room, Diana was forced to share a couch with her mother. If dictionaries ever decide to include pictures in their definitions, this image would go under, 'arduous'.

  “Diana, you have no idea how excited I am for you and Cale to move close by!”

  “Really, Mom? You think I have no idea how excited you are? This is like the fifth time you've brought it up since Caitlyn went into the dressing room. I think I might have somewhat of an idea how excited you are.”

  “Oh, hush, you know what I mean.”

  “And we haven't gotten the house yet. It was just a bid.” Diana said as she imagined her fully furnished office.

  “Oh, I'm sure you'll get it. Cale's famous. Famous people get what they want.”

  Diana drew a breath and cycled through what to correct her mom on first, but a tingling sensation on her torso made her stop. This tingling caused Diana to go from relieved to disappointed in record time. She thought it was the baby kicking, but instead it was her cell phone vibrating in her coat pocket.

  “What is it honey? You just turned flush?”

  “It's nothing,” Diana defensively said as her inherent fear answered for her. She refused, REFUSED, to let herself become an overprotective, worrisome mother. Her baby was fine, she was fine, everything was fucking fine.

  A wedding-dressed Caitlyn turned a corner, and appeared in front of Terri and Diana. Twirling around, she asked, “So what do you guys think?”

  Terri jumped up and ran over to get a closer look. Within ten seconds of inspection, she shouted, “I love it!”

  With a lot less enthusiasm than her mother, Diana remained on the couch and asked, “Isn't that the same dress you had for your first wedding?”

  “Don't be stupid, Diana. That was a Oleg Cassini. This is a Galina Signature. They're nothing alike.”

  Diana stood up and walked over to the tight, white, sleeveless dress, and was unable to tell the difference between it and the tight, white, sleeveless dress from Caitlyn's first wedding. She reached for the tag hanging off Caitlyn's waist and exclaimed, “Caitlyn, this dress is $1,250. You can't afford this.”

  “I'll just charge it, silly. Pay for it over time.”

  “Caitlyn...” Diana sighed as she realized there was no bother to try and explain debt, interest, or credit ratings to her sister. There was no use explaining anything of responsibility to Caitlyn, it would barely be heard and soon after would be forgotten. Caitlyn was helpless, and Diana knew what she would have to do. “I'll buy the dress for you.”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  Mocking her earlier insult, Diana said, “Don't be stupid, Caitlyn. How much clearer can I say that I'll buy you the dress?”

  “Why would you buy this for me?”

  “Because I don't want to see you get in over your head with credit card payments. Let's just call this your wedding gift, and never speak of it again.”

  It was an odd sight to see big lipped, big boobed, and big haired Caitlyn reach out and hug her big stomached sister. Caitlyn cried out, “Thank you,” which made Diana feel she did the right thing.

  It wasn't an act of over-protection, but simply protection. She cared for her sister and didn't want to see her get hurt. The wheels in her head came into motion and Diana began to cycle. If she could help Caitlyn with an issue she knew nothing about, maybe Caitlyn a
nd her mom could help with something she was clueless about – the baby's kicks.

  While the clerk processed Diana's credit card, she turned around and somberly told her mom and sister, “Listen, I need to tell you guys something.”

  This brought Terri to a panic, “Oh dear God, please, please, please don't tell me you and Cale broke up again. I wish you both would just get married.”

  Diana let out a loud exhale and said, “It has nothing to do with Cale, it's about the baby. She kicked last Monday and I haven't felt anything since. I've been trying not to worry over it, but I'm really starting to get scared.”

  They went straight from the store to the car. Every step through the mall had either Terri and Caitlyn telling Diana that everything was fine. When they got to the black Mercedes, Terri asked to drive and Diana, suspiciously, gave in.

  “Now honey, you cannot panic over this because it will only make things worse. We need to take you to the hospital, and have them do an ultrasound. I'm sure it's nothing, but this is just to make sure.”

  This comment made Diana feel something in her stomach, but it wasn't a kick. It was a punch straight to the gut that left her gasping for breath and unable to talk. All she could manage to do was cry, all Caitlyn could do was wrap her arms around her, and all Terri could do is drive as fast as she could toward the nearest hospital.

  At the hospital, Diana filled out all the necessary paperwork and waited with her family for her name to be called. Terri said something encouraging every so often, but it didn't make Diana feel any better. The room was spinning out of control, and each second doubled her desperation in getting to a machine. No longer could Diana criticize or mock those frantic mothers. She was one of them.

  Finally, Diana's name was called and the three women went back to the room with the ultrasound machine. From the application of the gel on her stomach to getting the machine ready, everything felt like it took forever.

  As the doctor slid the transducer over her stomach, Diana leaned back, closed her eyes, and prayed for any news but bad. “Well...” The doctor started without a second word following it.

  Diana finally regained the ability to speak, but was in too much distress to be civil with the doctor. “What is it!? What do you see!?”