The day was bright and sunny, but the couple in the park hardly noticed.
After hearing her news he said, “You know for sure, do you?”
She said, “Of course I do.”
He was surprised by her irritation. “Well, OK then. We’ll have to make, I don’t know… arrangements.”
“I’m not sure,” she said.
“What?”
“I’m not sure that I want to go through with it.”
“Not sure?”
She was more adamant now. “No.”
He moved closer. “You say you’re not sure? Why?”
“My figure.”
“What?”
“My figure. If I let it go full term… you know. I’ll get fat.”
His head began to spin. “What kind of crazy consideration is that?”
She looked into his eyes. “I don’t know. It all feels such a mess at the moment.”
With exasperation in his voice, he said, “Look, I’m having a great deal of trouble understanding any of this. Are you saying you don’t want it?”
“I have a right to decide.”
“A right?”
“Yes. After all it’s my body.”
His head wobbled. “OK. I can’t argue with that.” He looked up into the sky. Before he had a chance to say more, she went on.
“What will others think?
“Others?”
“You know, our friends.”
He shook his head slowly. The wind softly stirred the branch. He raised his voice. “Hey! Wait a minute. What the hell are we talking about here?”
She fell silent.
“None of this makes any sense.”
Her head wagged a little.
After a few moments of silence, suddenly, he said, “Oh! No! I don’t believe it. You’ve been so good for so long. I thought all this was behind us. You’ve been at it again. You have, haven’t you?”
Her head dipped, then nodded.
A stronger gust made the branch bob harder; claws gripped and wings flapped.
“We talked about it didn’t we… and you promised?”
She stayed quiet.
He sighed. “You’ve been sitting on the old woman’s window ledge again? You have, haven’t you?”
She whispered, “Yes.”
He was almost shouting now.
“You’ve been watching soap operas through her window again!”
