Kevin deliberately waited until Sunday evening to make the drive to his parents’ house.
The lives of Leo and Mary Kowalski revolved around their children and grandchildren, but Mary had declared those few Sunday hours off-limits to them. He was breaking the rules, but it was the only time he could be sure none of the others would be around.
Because it was off-limits hours, he rang the doorbell. His parents were getting up there, but no way in hell was he taking the chance of walking in on something no amount of Sam Adams would wash from his psyche.
“Kevin!” His mother looked happy to see him, but the worry was there around her eyes. “Your father and I were sitting on the back deck. It’s getting chilly but winter’s coming so we’re getting some fresh air while we can. Grab a drink and come on out.”
He grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the fridge and zipped his sweatshirt before heading out onto the deck. His parents each had a lounge chair, so he pulled up the wicker rocker and eased into it. “You guys remember the woman who ran the bar at Joe’s wedding? Beth?”
“How could we forget?” his mother asked. “They almost threw us all out into the street after Joseph tried to hire her to dance with you.”
“Pretty brunette” Leo added.
“Yeah.” He turned the bottle in his hands, then settled on picking at the corner of the label with his thumbnail. “When the reception was over I went for a walk and…she’s pregnant.”
They were both quiet a moment, exchanging one of those old-married-people looks he still couldn’t decipher, but which made him squirm. He and Beth were both adults, but that didn’t make telling his parents he’d accidentally gotten a woman pregnant any easier.
“Lot easier to walk with your fly zipped,” Leo grumbled.
His mother swung her legs off the side of the lounger so she could sit up straight. “I didn’t realize you were seeing her.”
“We’re not really seeing each other. We just saw each other that once, more or less. But I guess the…well, the dates and all…she took a test. She’s due at the end of June.”
“And you’re sure it’s yours?” His father was always the practical one.
“I’m sure, Pop. She’s not really a big fan, so I doubt she’d tie herself to me for the rest of her life if it wasn’t mine.”
Mary made a tsk tsk sound that made him want to grind his teeth. “You didn’t sneak away in the middle of the night, did you?”
“No, Ma.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat that was probably his pride. “She snuck out. Didn’t even leave a note.”
“What are you going to do?” they asked at the same time.
He shrugged. “My insurance won’t cover her, even if we got married. The baby will be covered, of course, as soon as it’s born.”
“Married?” Leo shook his head. “I may be old, but even I know having a baby’s no reason to get married anymore.”
“We’re not. It only came up because her mother had a history of miscarriages and she wants a good doctor so if my insurance would’ve covered her, it would have been worth it.”
“Surely she could get some kind of assistance,” Mary said.
“Probably, but then she’s limited to what doctors they’ll pay for her to see. And she doesn’t need assistance, Ma. She has me.”
Her eyes warmed. “You’re okay, then?”
“I am.” He was, and he was sure Beth would come around, eventually. “To be honest, even though it’s something neither of us planned—and yes, Ma, we used protection, not that it did any good—I’m more than okay. I think I’m a little bit happy about it.”
“And Beth?” she asked.
“She’s…Beth wasn’t really thinking about settling down, so a surprise baby’s tougher on her, I guess. But she wants to keep the baby and we’re going to do this.”
Leo raised his glass. “Congratulations then, son.”
“Thanks, Pop.”
He was surprised when his mother got up and walked over to hug him. “You’ll let us know if she needs anything. And we’ll have you both over for dinner soon. When she’s ready.”
“I love you, Ma.”
“I love you, too. Now where does Beth live? Is it a nice place for a baby?”
“I haven’t been there, but I get the impression it’s not very nice. She rents cheap places because she likes to move around, not places for raising a child. And she doesn’t have a lot of money, so it’s probably not great.”
Leo snorted. “We’ll fix the hell outta that, son. Don’t you worry.”
“She has tomorrow off.”
Chapter Five
Beth pulled the covers up over her head, but the knocking didn’t stop. It was cold and her cheapskate landlord wouldn’t turn the heat up until November first and whoever was at the door could just come back later. Like in the spring when it wasn’t too damn cold to put her feet on the floor.
Then the phone rang. She snaked her arm out from under the warm covers and snatched the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hey, answer your door.”