The week since he had found out that he was to be a father had been one of the most stressful of Samson’s life. This day was competing for the worst. He tried to call his sister and was still sent to voicemail. He got a speeding ticket on the way over to the apartment. He still didn’t know if April was okay or even in the state.
If only he’d pulled himself together sooner.
Samson was a bit out of breath when he reached the door, which opened to reveal his sister holding a kitchen knife.
“Would you stop that? This isn’t funny,” he snapped.
“No, it isn’t. Unbuckle those pants, mister.”
“Get out of my way. I need to talk to April. Is she here?” His voice grew quiet. “Is she all right?”
“She’s broken-hearted, you asshole. She’s not all right. I can’t believe you!”
“Give me a minute to breathe, Lana! I had no idea this was going to happen!”
“You had the sex!” Lana pointed out, gesturing her knife toward him. “You can deal with the consequences!”
“We were using condoms! I didn’t know my secretary was poking holes in them!”
Lana let her hand drop. “Oh my God. Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Samson pushed his fingers through his hair and shook his head wearily. “I don’t know… I genuinely never considered she would go that far. I didn’t intend to lead her on. I was very clear when I told her about the job…”
“Don’t blame yourself. Who would suspect her to go that psycho over you?”
Samson pursed his lips. “So, April is here?”
Lana pinched her lips to the side and then finally stepped back. “Go easy on her. You don’t have any idea what it’s like to be in this situation.”
“I have some idea of what it’s like to shockingly be put in the position of a parent, yes.” Samson tried to fix his hair and his clothes.
“You’re fine. She’ll just be happy to see you.”
“She blocked my number.”
“She was pretty sure you were done with her.”
Samson spun around. “How? How could she think that? I told her how much I love her!”
“Because, Sammy. She spent most of her life not being loved.”
Samson felt his shoulders slumping from the weight of the difficulty in front of him. With any of the girls in any of the cities he’d been in, he would never have felt the burden of teaching them what it felt like to be appreciated and loved. He would never have cared enough to do so.
“Thanks, sis,” Samson said. He headed for April’s room.
Inside, he could hear some soft jazz music. It was from a band they’d heard play several weeks ago. It was hard for him to believe that they’d only been dating since the middle of the summer. Samson felt like April had become such an integral part of his life. He rapped on the door.
“I’m decent,” April said.
Samson poked his head in. April was sitting on the floor in the middle of several boxes, clothes in different piles, and a little black dog sniffing around each. “It’s me.”
“I know. I heard you yelling. Your secretary needs therapy.”
“She needs to be blacklisted and sued into the ground.”
“You would know better than I about the legal ramifications of birth control sabotage. Or the legal ramifications of anything. It’s not my specialty.”
Samson came over to sit next to her. “April, I don’t want to talk about her.”