Becca's Baby

“You didn’t have any idea he was having an affair?”

“None,” Martha said, tears brimming a second time. “That’s what hurts the most, you know? The lack of trust. If he’d only come to me, told me, instead of going to her behind my back…”

“He doesn’t deserve your tears,” Becca snapped. She’d have liked about ten minutes with her pal Todd right then.

“I know.”

Martha looked up several moments later, her face more relaxed. She’d obviously won the battle with her emotions, for the time being, anyway. “You know,” she said, “all I wanted was what you and Will have always had, Bec, and I never had that with Todd. I wanted the fireworks, the stars. I wanted my heart to jump, my eyes to light up, just because someone walked into a room—the way yours do when Will comes in.”

“My eyes don’t light up,” Becca said, embarrassed. And a little frightened, too. Was she really that far gone? She couldn’t be. Because if she was, she’d never survive when Will walked out of her life.

“Yeah, they do,” Martha assured her. “They always have. His do, too, when he looks at you.”

Becca pondered that, a part of her pleased, hopeful. But just a very small part. If Will’s eyes lit up, it must be out of habit. How could it be out of love when the man didn’t even know if he loved her?

She couldn’t think about that now.

If she and Martha stayed there much longer, Becca was going to have to order something to eat, even though she’d already had both breakfast and lunch. She seemed to be hungry all the time these days.

“I’m also angry that Todd’s off having fun while I’m still home all day, taking care of his kids. The jerk.” She made an ugly face.

Becca chuckled. “You got the kids. They’re life’s real reward.”

“Yeah.” Martha’s face warmed, a bit of the light she’d described moments ago in her eyes. “And now you’re finally going to have one, too,” she said, loo

king down at the new plaid maternity jumper Becca was wearing. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you, Bec.”

A bit teary-eyed, Becca smiled at her friend. In spite of everything, she was happy, too. At least about the baby…

Their waitress, a young woman neither of them knew, came to ask if they’d like refills on their beverages, and both women ordered desserts, as well. Martha figured she owed herself a treat.

“Now that we’ve got the hard funding for Save the Youth, I’d like to plan on doing a play every Fourth of July as part of Shelter Valley’s annual celebration, and maybe a Christmas show, too, kind of an after-school thing,” Becca told Martha while they waited.

“How’d you like to sign on as theater project director?”

“I’d love to,” Martha said. She smiled, though her eyes were still dulled from the painful week she’d had. “Look at you, hitting up a poor girl when she’s low.”

“I’ll be able to pay you,” Becca said. She knew Martha had to be a little concerned about money. The kids would be fine. Todd would support them, and Martha, too, for a while. But Martha, who’d quit college to have Todd’s baby, would eventually have to find a way to support herself. Unless she went to work in the cactus-jelly factory just outside town or waited tables, Shelter Valley had very little to offer.

“Thank you,” Martha said softly, tears brimming in her eyes again.

“Becca! Martha! I didn’t know you two were going to be here.”

Becca turned, her heart jumping just like Martha said it did, when she recognized Will’s voice behind her. He was with someone Becca had never seen before. His new architect friend, she suspected.

The two men joined them at the table, and Will introduced John Strickland. As the four of them passed two full hours sitting there in the diner talking and laughing, Becca wondered if maybe that wasn’t an appreciative glint she saw in Martha’s eyes. John Strickland was a very charming man. He was also sensitive, a man who’d suffered and known loss, who recognized it in others.

Becca wanted to hug him for building up Martha’s self-confidence. Even if he didn’t know he was doing it.

It was just the way Becca had always heard. When a door closes, a window is opened. Maybe this was Martha’s window.

And maybe she’d have a window, too, if her door closed.

She just hoped she’d be able to fit through the framework when it did.

GRADUATION CAME. The population of Shelter Valley swelled, as it always did this time of year, with parents, friends and relatives of the graduates. For these last few weeks of the school year, there was at least an hour’s wait at the diner, whatever the time of day, and the two local hotels, both by the highway, were full.

Becca, the perfect president’s wife, was as much a credit to Will as ever as they made appearances at parties, dinners, alumni fund-raisers. Other than those appearances, doctor’s appointments and in bed at night, Will rarely saw her those next few weeks. Getting her Save the Youth program up and running was taking the majority of Becca’s time.