The M Word by Beverly Farr Page A

Maybe I’m pregnant
already.
    He looked at her quizzically. “Yes?” he
prompted.
    She laughed. “Since you don’t believe in
divorce, I’m guessing you don’t believe in birth control,
either.”
    #
    It was a beautiful late July day, cooler than
usual because of a rain storm that morning. Brenda and Kelly sat on
the park bench by her office during her lunch hour.
    “You look fantastic,” Brenda said, admiring
Kelly’s slightly rounded stomach. “Radiant.”
    Kelly shrugged. “I’m eating more.”
    “But it’s not just that,” Brenda said. “You
look happier. You’ve got the look of a well-fed cat. Things must be
going well with you and Lars.”
    “Better,” she agreed primly.
    Brenda raised one eyebrow. “Practice makes
perfect, hmm?”
    Kelly blushed red, but didn’t give any more
details.
    Brenda respected that. Kelly had always been
a more reserved person than she was. She’d never been one to kiss
and tell. “I’m happy, too,” she said matter-of-factly. “Marius and
I aren’t madly in love like you and Lars, but I like him. He’s very
easy to live with.” And the sex is good, too, she thought, but
didn’t say it.
    “I’m glad,” Kelly said. “I was worried about
you.”
    “I know.” She laughed. “Sometimes I can’t
believe how quickly my life changed for the better. Steven seems
like a distant memory.”
    “He hasn’t bothered you any more, has
he?”
    “No.”
    “Do you think he’ll make problems for you
with Immigration?”
    “He might try, but I’m not concerned. Marius
has his student visa and he has a good attorney.” She made a face.
“At least I hope he’s a good attorney.”
    “Hard to know, isn’t it?”
    “I talked to Marius, but he said not to
worry. Everything is under control. Fine.”
    “And you trust him.”
    Brenda knew that Kelly was still a little
concerned, which was understandable, but she wasn’t living with
Marius on a daily basis. She had no way of knowing how inherently
honest and disciplined he was. “I’ll get a second legal opinion,”
she promised.
    “Good idea.”
    #
    Marius was very busy through the end of July
and early August, helping his professor finish up the summer
semester. Then he had two lighter weeks before the fall semester
began. During this time, he helped her paint the living room and
dining room, and they hired someone to finish hanging the cabinets
in the kitchen.
    Brenda was pleased that they were making
progress, but she wished they had enough money to redo the floors
before Marius’ mother came to visit after Labor Day.
    Marius assured her, “My mother is coming to
meet you, not your house.”
    “Our house,” Brenda corrected.
    Marius rewarded that comment with a brief
smile of approval, then returned to the task at hand -- washing the
baseboards. He washed and dried them, and she repainted them. As
Marius worked, he sang. Naturally . Sometimes he belted out
songs in full voice, but sometimes he sang softer, or just hummed.
Over the past few weeks, Brenda had grown accustomed to hearing
scales and bits of arias, in the mornings and in the evenings, and
now whenever he was gone, the house seemed too quiet.
    Brenda waited until he finished singing his
selection before asking, “Will your mother want to go sight-seeing?
Other than the JFK memorial and the zoo, there really isn’t much to
see in Dallas.”
    “She won’t need you to entertain her.”
    “Good, because I can’t take any more time off
from work. I used up all my vacation days on the honeymoon. We’ll
have to do everything on the weekends.” She supposed if his mother
wanted, they could drive down to San Antonio and see the Alamo.
    “She knows we’re both very busy with your job
and my classes. She just wants to see us.”
    Brenda dipped her small paint brush into the
high gloss white paint and carefully painted the baseboard. Marius
had already warned her that she wasn’t going to see him as much,
once the fall semester started. He had his