Forgetting Charlotte

Friends with the Devil

Chapter Fourteen: Friends with the Devil

"I'm having a godson!" Jolene was turning heads as she yelled across Lucky's, frantically waving to the waitress. We had decided to head to Lucky's after the ultrasound, partially because I was starving, but mostly because Jolene was in the mood to make a spectacle of herself. "Waters for everyone!"

The waitress walked over and gave Jolene a look of stunned annoyance. " 'Cept you missy, you look a tad suspect." Jolene cocked her head and gave our booth neighbor an enthusiastic thumbs up as our waitress rolled her eyes and walked away. I recognized the talented eye roll from the last time I had eaten at Lucky's.

We were crammed into a booth at the back of the diner, my mother and Jolene on one side and David and I on the other. Jolene had chatted excitedly the whole ride over, while my mother gripped my hand and laughed at Jolene's comments. David on the other hand had been surprisingly quiet, staring out the window at the passing traffic and only murmuring a response when asked something.

I shared David's stunned silence. I gripped the black and white prints of my baby in my hand as the appointment replayed in my head. The images of the small human being moving around the screen, his tiny feet, his tiny arms, his tiny head, his tiny... WOw, a boy!

I had lain down on that cold slab of a table as Charlotte, sad and broken from his leaving and unable to comprehend why Karma had given me a permanent reminder of him.

But as I watched the images of my son I didn't see a reflection of the man that had left me, I saw my future, and it was scary and wonderful all at the same time.

"Charlotte, honey, are you okay?" My mother reached across the table and patted my hand. I looked up at my mom's tender smile and smiled back.

"Yeah mom, I'm okay" I looked over at David who was concentrating on removing every droplet of moisture from his glass. He ran his fingers up and down the outer edge, seemingly focused on whatever was running through his mind.

Jolene glanced over at David and gave me a shrug. "Momma Boyd I have to go to the loo, would you like to accompany me?" Jolene bounced out of the booth and held out her hand for my mother.

"What's the loo again?" my mother gave me a confused look as she took hold of Jolene's hand and slipped out from behind the metal table.

"I believe you yanks refer to it as the rest-room." Jolene overdramatized the word restroom, making it sound as foreign as possible. "Although I can't fathom why, you're not doing much resting in it, are you?" My mother began splitting with laughter at Jolene's reasoning while Jolene led her to the front of Lucky's.

"Jolene's a nut." I turned to David for a response but he remained entranced with his water glass.

"Uh David?"

"Hmm..." I heard sound come from David but his face made no indication that he had comprehended what I had said.

"David?" I placed my hand on David's knee and his head spun around so quickly I ripped it back. I could see a deep blush infect David's cheeks.

"Charlotte?" David's crystal blue eyes remained unfocused as he looked at me.

"David, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course Charlie! Why do you think something's wrong?" David grabbed his water glass and began taking a very long, dramatic drink.

"Well, for starters you have been quiet ever since the doctor showed us the baby..."

"Yeah, that was crazy wasn't it, seeing that little person, inside you." David laughed nervously.

"And you have just inhaled your water." I watched as he grabbed my water glass and chugged the contents before I had finished my sentence. "...aaannd mine."