talk talk

Rachel was alone when she brought over Jane. Rosco had to work and with all the excitement with Bella in labor, Rachel said she'd take Jane home.

"She could have spent the night," Rachel told him. "But since you don't know me, I thought you might want her home instead. She and Lucy get along great."

Gordy tried to smile. He tried to speak, but she kept on talking as she came in with the girls.

"I brought you some chicken salad," She went on. "Somebody at work makes the best with grapes and shredded cheese. I don't know what she does. I tried to figure it out. Its not as good as hers, but its not bad. I just made too much. Hope you don't mind. I brought you some leftovers." She went ahead and put it in the empty fridge.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Gosh, Gordy you need to go grocery shopping." Rachel looked over the the empty fridge and back at him.

"I guess."

"I wish I'd known. I get all this free milk now. And I have to freeze most of it. Well, I guess you must get that too, right?"

Gordy nodded, but he just hadn't made it down for the vouchers for awhile.

She looked in the freezer then and found a gallon of milk. She got it out and put it on the counter.

"I kind of feel like an outsider." She leaned against the counter then. "I guess you do too."

"Um, I have tea, I could-"

"Oh, I don't mean to bother you, I don't need a babysitter." She grinned. "Geeze, did I just say that. Uh, well, then. Let me. You go see what the girls are in to. I do have some animal crackers in the baby bag. If you dig deep enough you might find some Dove chocolates, too. I think there might be some left. Chocolate fixes come and go with me."

She got out the kettle then and filled it up with water. Rachel found the tea too.

"I guess its, exciting, huh?"

"What's exciting?" Gordy just looked at her as if he'd missed something.

"You know, Bella in labor. Glad I'm not there. Believe me, I've been there, done that." She laughed at herself then as if maybe it was a stupid joke. She went back to making sure the heat was high enough to get the water heated soon.

Gordy didn't say anything.

"You know you have to be so over her, aren't you?" Rachel wished she hadn't asked. It just slipped.

"Um, yeah. Really." He just nodded.

She got out cups.

"Well, it was so not fun in the beginning with Andy and me. It was so much work. You know, trying to be nice to each other when it was like, why, why do we have to be? I mean, he was fun and all, for a time, we had fun drinking and what not together. And then Lucy. I just thought I owed it to her. Well, not at first. I was pretty out of it, like who in the fuck cares. And then when I screwed up really bad near the end there. It was like, God, I got to get my act together. I'm just glad she turned out allright. For the most part. I mean, she looks pretty normal, but I think she might not ever talk right."

The kettle finally sang and she poured hot water in the cups of tea bags.

"So I tried." She put his tea on the dining table then. "It was the least I could do, just to find out, Andy was a real dip shit."

Gordy didn't say anything but played with the tea bag in the steaming water.

"I guess you didn't think I was like that, huh?"