Read Online It's a Waverly Life by Maria Murnane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Maria Murnane
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and hoping it wasn’t true.
On day four, I checked the calendar again.
Ten days late.
I was never late.
This is not good.
Could I really be pregnant? I put my hand on my stomach to see if it was any bigger. Then I looked at my boobs. Still small. Actually, that part would be pretty cool, I thought for a moment. Then I smacked my forehead and told myself to get a grip.
It was time to find out.
I zipped up my fleece and grabbed my keys. Next stop, Walgreens. I just hoped I didn’t run into Nick in the checkout line. Maybe he could buy me a shirt that said Knocked Up and Single.
As I walked down Fillmore Street, I wrapped my arms in front of me. Given the situation, I couldn’t help but notice my bare left ring finger. Regardless of what Scotty had said about my heart, the truth was that I was single. There I was, on my way to buy a pregnancy test, alone. Jake was probably on a plane somewhere over Indiana or Illinois or Iowa at the moment, clueless. His ignorance was my fault, of course. I hadn’t returned his last call, not sure what to tell him, or even how to tell him. What would he think? Would he be as freaked out as I was? Would this make him run for the hills?
After making my purchase, I headed back up the street to my apartment, staring at the sidewalk and holding the Walgreens bag so tightly that I thought the plastic might melt into my skin. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.
Please, God, I know I never go to church, but please, don’t let me be pregnant.
“Well hello there, Miss Waverly.”
The sound of his voice stopped me in my tracks.
Please, God, please also don’t let this bag be see-through.
I raised my head and smiled.
“Hi, Red. How are you?”
He stopped walking, then took off his fedora and bowed his head slightly. As always, he had a newspaper tucked under his arm. “I’m wonderful, Miss Waverly, just on my way to volunteer at a soup kitchen.”
“A soup kitchen? What do you do there?”
“Whatever they need me to do.”
“How did you get involved with that sort of thing?”
“Oh, I’ve been helping out at soup kitchens for years now. It started when I struck up a conversation with a newly homeless man—in line at Starbucks of all places. He’d lost his job and had no family to fall back on.”
I titled my head to one side. “If he was homeless, why was he spending his money on Starbucks coffee?”
Red smiled. “He wasn’t, my dear. He was in line to request an application for employment.”
I blushed, embarrassed at my assumption.
“It sounds simplistic, but sometimes even a smile can make a difference in someone else’s life,” Red said.
I nodded as I stood there, impressed not just by his kindness, but by his wisdom. I wondered how my life would have gone if my dad hadn’t been there for me, however dysfunctional our relationship. At least we had a relationship. I knew he was always there if I needed him.
“You’re a good person, Red.”
He bowed his head. “Just doing my part, Miss Waverly. So how are you ?”
Talk about a loaded question. “I’m good.” I squeezed the Walgreens bag. Ha.
He narrowed his dark brown eyes. “You sure, my dear? You look a little…anxious.”
I swallowed. “Just trying to work through some writer’s block. Did I tell you I write a newspaper column?”
“You did indeed. You know I’m a word man myself.” He patted his newspaper. “So you’ve got a tangle of thoughts bumping around in that pretty head of yours but don’t know how to straighten them out?”
“Something like that.”
He didn’t speak for a moment, then slowly tapped two fingers to his temple. “You know, Miss Waverly, sometimes you just have to let things happen.”
“Let things happen?”
“Exactly. Loosen your grip, and things will work themselves out. It’s like my crossword here.” He held up the newspaper. “I find if I’m patient enough, the answers eventually come to me.”
“Do you think so?” Suddenly I
On day four, I checked the calendar again.
Ten days late.
I was never late.
This is not good.
Could I really be pregnant? I put my hand on my stomach to see if it was any bigger. Then I looked at my boobs. Still small. Actually, that part would be pretty cool, I thought for a moment. Then I smacked my forehead and told myself to get a grip.
It was time to find out.
I zipped up my fleece and grabbed my keys. Next stop, Walgreens. I just hoped I didn’t run into Nick in the checkout line. Maybe he could buy me a shirt that said Knocked Up and Single.
As I walked down Fillmore Street, I wrapped my arms in front of me. Given the situation, I couldn’t help but notice my bare left ring finger. Regardless of what Scotty had said about my heart, the truth was that I was single. There I was, on my way to buy a pregnancy test, alone. Jake was probably on a plane somewhere over Indiana or Illinois or Iowa at the moment, clueless. His ignorance was my fault, of course. I hadn’t returned his last call, not sure what to tell him, or even how to tell him. What would he think? Would he be as freaked out as I was? Would this make him run for the hills?
After making my purchase, I headed back up the street to my apartment, staring at the sidewalk and holding the Walgreens bag so tightly that I thought the plastic might melt into my skin. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.
Please, God, I know I never go to church, but please, don’t let me be pregnant.
“Well hello there, Miss Waverly.”
The sound of his voice stopped me in my tracks.
Please, God, please also don’t let this bag be see-through.
I raised my head and smiled.
“Hi, Red. How are you?”
He stopped walking, then took off his fedora and bowed his head slightly. As always, he had a newspaper tucked under his arm. “I’m wonderful, Miss Waverly, just on my way to volunteer at a soup kitchen.”
“A soup kitchen? What do you do there?”
“Whatever they need me to do.”
“How did you get involved with that sort of thing?”
“Oh, I’ve been helping out at soup kitchens for years now. It started when I struck up a conversation with a newly homeless man—in line at Starbucks of all places. He’d lost his job and had no family to fall back on.”
I titled my head to one side. “If he was homeless, why was he spending his money on Starbucks coffee?”
Red smiled. “He wasn’t, my dear. He was in line to request an application for employment.”
I blushed, embarrassed at my assumption.
“It sounds simplistic, but sometimes even a smile can make a difference in someone else’s life,” Red said.
I nodded as I stood there, impressed not just by his kindness, but by his wisdom. I wondered how my life would have gone if my dad hadn’t been there for me, however dysfunctional our relationship. At least we had a relationship. I knew he was always there if I needed him.
“You’re a good person, Red.”
He bowed his head. “Just doing my part, Miss Waverly. So how are you ?”
Talk about a loaded question. “I’m good.” I squeezed the Walgreens bag. Ha.
He narrowed his dark brown eyes. “You sure, my dear? You look a little…anxious.”
I swallowed. “Just trying to work through some writer’s block. Did I tell you I write a newspaper column?”
“You did indeed. You know I’m a word man myself.” He patted his newspaper. “So you’ve got a tangle of thoughts bumping around in that pretty head of yours but don’t know how to straighten them out?”
“Something like that.”
He didn’t speak for a moment, then slowly tapped two fingers to his temple. “You know, Miss Waverly, sometimes you just have to let things happen.”
“Let things happen?”
“Exactly. Loosen your grip, and things will work themselves out. It’s like my crossword here.” He held up the newspaper. “I find if I’m patient enough, the answers eventually come to me.”
“Do you think so?” Suddenly I
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