BREAKING POINT

“Trouble aways comes in threes” aunt Ann said tactlessly and with a worried frown. “I wonder what the next one will be?”

‘My baby’ Penny thought with a twisted smile.

She spent the afternoon in a fever of impatience. The hours dragged themselves away and everytime she gazed at her watch, she was certain that the hands had not moved since last she looked at it. By five o’clock she knew she could not wait another moment.

She went outside to call Jeremy herself. When he finally picked up the call, Penny breathed deeply.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t wait for you to call. I know you said you would call me but I’m kinda worried. What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Jeremy hesitated, before he said, “Yes. I mean…. It’s not such a big deal but it’s still a big deal”

“Just tell me, Jeremy, please” Penny begged.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“Okay, babe, I’m being transferred to Cairo. For three months”

“No. No. No. Jeremy. You can’t go to Cairo. Not now” Penny said, tears streaming down her face.

“I have to” Jeremy replied. “This could really help my career. I can’t give it up”

“No”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Infact I have to hang up now. There’s a lot going on in the office right now. I will talk to you later”

He hung up, leaving Penny sobbing like a child. She was stupid to have kept this baby news from him too long. Stupid to think he’d want to marry her immediately she told him about the baby. She would have to wait until he came back home in July before they could get married. She would be big then, and unattractive, horribly big.

Oh Jeremy, posted to Cairo… Three months to wait.

She turned and stumbled back to the house, blinded by the tears that were pouring down her cheeks.

—————–

After Jeremy left for Cairo, Penny went back to Audrey’s, unable to stay at the flat alone. She was glad her job was the kind where she could work from home.

“But, Penny, why in heaven’s name didn’t you tell him you are pregnant?” Audrey asked, pacing up and down the floor of their bedroom.

Penny lay back against the pillows and covered her hot eyes and aching forehead with her arm.

“I couldn’t Audrey” she said, her voice quick urgent from the desire to induce understanding. “it wasn’t possible. There seemed to be no right time to tell him”..

“But you could have told him at sometime” Audrey broke out. “You should have. Don’t you realize the position you are in now?”

“Yes I realize it” Penny said, her tone deflating suddenly. “But it’s too late to do anything about it now. Besides Jeremy will be back in three months time. I don’t want to tell him about this on the phone and we can still be married before the baby is born”

“If he does come back in three months” Audrey said more to herself than to Penny.

And Audrey turned away and stared out of the rain splashed window across the front garden to the tall, immovable trees, as if seeking support from their strength, their beauty, their power.

“I tried to tell him” she heard Penny’s voice. “I did try, Audrey, but fate or God or else just bad luck frustrated me at every turn. And I was so scared that he might reject me and the baby. First I couldn’t tell him on the phone…. I didn’t want to because I know the kind of person he is. When he came to visit aunt Ann and uncle Charles. He and aunt Ann talked a lot. Even when I came to join them in the living room, they were taking and drinking coffee, both quite happy and talkative. Then Jeremy went to talk to uncle. Before I knew it, it was lunch time. After lunch I made up some excuse about wanting to shop in the town. Hoping that I could talk to Jeremy while he drove me there, but aunt Ann jumped at the chance of buying some stuff too. So she came too, Audrey. I just couldn’t seem to find the right time”

Her voice had risen and Audrey detected a note of hysteria.

“After the shopping expedition… What then happened?” Audrey asked Penny

“Aunt Ann decided it was time to be tactful and leave me alone with Jeremy. She went upstairs and Jeremy and I sat down on the sofa. Jeremy started to make love to me. I tried to stop him. I said I had something important to tell him. I nearly told him then, Audrey. So nearly, but he was hurt when I pulled away and tried to talk. He accused me of still being angry about the other night ”

” The other night?” Audrey repeated.

“When I found him with his father’s secretary at the Savoy. He hadn’t expected me back and having found out where he was dining, I thought I would surprise him”

“It seems you did” Audrey supplemented caustically.

“No, not really” Penny said quickly. “it was all explained quite simply but we quarreled at first and I was so upset and jealous. Jeremy thought that I was still holding it against him”

“Go on” Audrey said quietly.

“Well, by the time I had reassured Jeremy, at least fifteen minutes or more must have passed. Anyways, just as I started to speak to him again.. To tell him about the baby, aunt Ann called me from upstairs. Benny had fallen sick in uncle Charles room. Benny has never been sick before. Not since I had him. I even got so worried I made Jeremy call a vet. Turns out it was just something Benny ate, picked up in the garden. Something he shouldn’t have eaten, and I didn’t tell Jeremy anymore.

“Oh Penny”

Penny’s talk had ended in a wail. Now she was sobbing against Audrey’s shoulder.

“I didn’t tell him. I didn’t. I fucked up so bad. I’m a coward”

“Don’t. Stop saying that. It will be alright. Don’t cry Penny. It isn’t the end of the world”

“I wish it were” Penny said.

Audrey smiled in spite of her concern. Penny choked and blew noisily into her handkerchief.

“So that’s that” she ended with a watery smile. “It might be funny if it wasn’t so dreadfully important to me”

“Have you ever thought that you might be better off without Jeremy?” Audrey asked, choosing her words carefully. “Perhaps fate is not working against you. It may be working on your side. Trying to prevent you from marrying this man for your own good”

Penny sat up, staring at Audrey with huge, frightened eyes.