are we going to have a baby?”
John continued staring out to sea as he sat his glass of orange juice on the small table beside him.
He’s not getting off that easily , Ariella told herself. She twisted around in her seat and faced him full on. “Did you hear what I just said?”
John reached up and scratched his beard before adjusting his sun glasses with both hands.
Ariella leaned in closer. She had to give him credit for his ability to feign deafness.
He’s good—but so am I.
“How do you like the new futon we bought in Tel Aviv?”
“What?”
“I asked what you thought of the new futon.”
“It’s great. I love the red color.” An intuitive sense of dread was working its way up from his stomach into his throat. “Why do you ask?”
“Because if you don’t answer my question right now, you’ll be sleeping on it tonight.”
There it was.
“I thought we discussed this last month. Didn’t we both agree to wait at least two more years before we made an attempt at parenthood?”
“You know it’s what I want.”
“Oh ... now I’m a mind reader.” John instantly regretted his words. Sarcasm—a sure ticket to the futon.
He glanced over at a pair of liquid brown eyes blinking back at him ... eyes he had fallen in love with the moment he had first noticed them that day on the beach in front of the villa.
“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk. It’s just that I still have another year of graduate school. I’d kind of like to keep any outside distractions down until I graduate.”
Ariella’s eyes narrowed at him.
Oh man, I’ve really stepped in it now.
“Did I just hear you refer to our future children as distractions ?”
Just take me now.
“You know very well what I meant, Ariella.”
“There are always going to be distractions, John. Life is full of distractions. My father always told me that managing them successfully is the key to success. You’re the ultimate boss. You rule the distractions. They don’t rule you.”
“Your father is a very wise man, and I think he’d agree that now is not the time to be bringing a new baby into the world.”
“You’re worried about the virus. That’s it. Am I right? You think we’re all going to die?”
“From everything we’ve heard, it could grow into a worldwide epidemic. This could very well be the big one they’ve been predicting for so long.”
“Do you really think it’s coming our way?”
“No way to tell. With the speed of modern jet travel, it could already be here in Israel. That’s why your father told us to stay on the compound until he gets back from Rome. We should be safe as long as we don’t go into the city. We have the advantage of being totally self-sufficient here on the farm, and I have the internet for all the research I need to finish my thesis. At least that eliminates the need to drive into Jerusalem for classes.”
“Daniel told me this new virus was acting strange. Some people weren’t affected at all, while others died within hours.”
“I know ... it’s horrible. Even your father’s friends in the government don’t seem to have a clear picture of what’s going on. Worst case scenario, it could be a mutation of a type of flu that’s turned super deadly. I’m more worried about my folks back in New Mexico, but at least out on the ranch they’re away from any major population areas. Mom cans fruit and vegetables every year, so they should have enough food stored to keep them from having to go to the store in town, and dad was smart enough to convert over to solar and wind power after they came here for the wedding last year and saw what your father had done on the compound with the new technology.”
Reaching out to each other, they locked hands and looked out at the waves crashing onto the sloping shoreline as the sound of a phone ringing in the background interrupted their brief moment of silence.
“Want me to get it?” John asked.
“No, that’s ok. I
John continued staring out to sea as he sat his glass of orange juice on the small table beside him.
He’s not getting off that easily , Ariella told herself. She twisted around in her seat and faced him full on. “Did you hear what I just said?”
John reached up and scratched his beard before adjusting his sun glasses with both hands.
Ariella leaned in closer. She had to give him credit for his ability to feign deafness.
He’s good—but so am I.
“How do you like the new futon we bought in Tel Aviv?”
“What?”
“I asked what you thought of the new futon.”
“It’s great. I love the red color.” An intuitive sense of dread was working its way up from his stomach into his throat. “Why do you ask?”
“Because if you don’t answer my question right now, you’ll be sleeping on it tonight.”
There it was.
“I thought we discussed this last month. Didn’t we both agree to wait at least two more years before we made an attempt at parenthood?”
“You know it’s what I want.”
“Oh ... now I’m a mind reader.” John instantly regretted his words. Sarcasm—a sure ticket to the futon.
He glanced over at a pair of liquid brown eyes blinking back at him ... eyes he had fallen in love with the moment he had first noticed them that day on the beach in front of the villa.
“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk. It’s just that I still have another year of graduate school. I’d kind of like to keep any outside distractions down until I graduate.”
Ariella’s eyes narrowed at him.
Oh man, I’ve really stepped in it now.
“Did I just hear you refer to our future children as distractions ?”
Just take me now.
“You know very well what I meant, Ariella.”
“There are always going to be distractions, John. Life is full of distractions. My father always told me that managing them successfully is the key to success. You’re the ultimate boss. You rule the distractions. They don’t rule you.”
“Your father is a very wise man, and I think he’d agree that now is not the time to be bringing a new baby into the world.”
“You’re worried about the virus. That’s it. Am I right? You think we’re all going to die?”
“From everything we’ve heard, it could grow into a worldwide epidemic. This could very well be the big one they’ve been predicting for so long.”
“Do you really think it’s coming our way?”
“No way to tell. With the speed of modern jet travel, it could already be here in Israel. That’s why your father told us to stay on the compound until he gets back from Rome. We should be safe as long as we don’t go into the city. We have the advantage of being totally self-sufficient here on the farm, and I have the internet for all the research I need to finish my thesis. At least that eliminates the need to drive into Jerusalem for classes.”
“Daniel told me this new virus was acting strange. Some people weren’t affected at all, while others died within hours.”
“I know ... it’s horrible. Even your father’s friends in the government don’t seem to have a clear picture of what’s going on. Worst case scenario, it could be a mutation of a type of flu that’s turned super deadly. I’m more worried about my folks back in New Mexico, but at least out on the ranch they’re away from any major population areas. Mom cans fruit and vegetables every year, so they should have enough food stored to keep them from having to go to the store in town, and dad was smart enough to convert over to solar and wind power after they came here for the wedding last year and saw what your father had done on the compound with the new technology.”
Reaching out to each other, they locked hands and looked out at the waves crashing onto the sloping shoreline as the sound of a phone ringing in the background interrupted their brief moment of silence.
“Want me to get it?” John asked.
“No, that’s ok. I
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