Peace, Tony, Devil Pt 5

Victor helps me out of the car and I am embarrassed to hear myself groan slightly, like you would expect of an old man. I feel large. We walk into Baby Plus and head to the back where the cots are kept. I see a sales assistant do a double take and then walk in the other direction. You’d think these people who work on commission would be willing to help anyone but they aren’t. I try not to let it bother me and Victor and I look for something suitable. There are hardly any other customers and still the sales assistant is avoiding us.

‘I’ll rustle somebody up to sell this to us, eh?’ Victor takes charge, as usual. He walks up to the teenaged girl awkwardly trying to look busy enough not to bother. ‘Can we get some assistance over here please?’
‘Oh… sure,’ she looks timidly at me. Her name tag says Annabelle and her t-shirt is too small. She scratches the back of her hand and walks over to me.
‘I’d like this cot,’ I say.
‘That’s a popular one. I’ll see if we have any left.’ Annabelle walks off quickly.

We wait. After ten minutes or so I see a Baby Plus uniformed man striding purposefully toward us.
‘Hi, I’m Garry, the manager here at Baby Plus, now you say you wanted one of these?’ Garry does his best to be business-like and not ogle my belly.
‘Please,’ I murmur as I look at him looking at me.
‘Well, is this the best price you can do? We’re happy to pay cash,’ Victor, once again, takes control.
‘The thing is we’re actually out of this model at the moment. The next delivery will be Tuesday. Now, if your heart is set on this one, you can purchase it now and pick it up Tuesday.’
I look at Victor, knowing he is working all week. ‘Do you deliver?’ he asks.
‘For a small fee we can deliver it Wednesday.’

I hand my wallet to Victor and let him take care of things. As Victor and Garry discuss the price I get bored and I wander off toward the high chairs. I pass by a young couple looking at the changing tables. I see the woman look at me and step behind her husband, as if she were looking at something else.

On the way home I ask Victor how Mum and Dad are.
‘Oh, you know, alright, the same,’ he stumbles over these words a little, like I’ve caught him off guard. I do know why but that’s my secret for now.
‘Nothing new at all?’
‘You should call them you know.’
‘You know Dad won’t talk to me and I can’t handle Mum. Mostly she just cries when I call her’
‘It’s not my news to tell. You have to talk to them sometime.’
‘So there is news?’ Finally, he might tell me. I can’t tell him how I know already. I’ve kept my special talent hidden this long and I’m not giving it up now.
‘Yes, but you have to hear it from them. You know all they want you to do is talk to Blanche. They don’t expect any more than that. They think she deserves that at least. Or that Elliot does.’ We are silent for the rest of the drive. I stare out the window at the passing houses.

Victor drops me off at the building and we say goodbye. He says he will come over on Wednesday evening to help me set up the cot. As he drives off I sigh. I am exhausted. My belly is so heavy these days. I have a fat person’s shuffle instead of a walk now. I make my way up the stairs and try to curl up on my bed. Except there’s this belly in the way.