Missing You Again

Crunch Time

           

I was staring at the fridge tossing up between the virtuous looking vegetable casserole that Zacky had left me or the ingredients for my number one snack – a coleslaw, olive, cheetos and cheddar cheese sandwich. I knew which one Zacky would expect me to eat but unfortunately it wasn't the one I wanted to eat.

Fortunately The Spawn had decided to take pity on his poor mother and laid off on the morning sickness - I couldn't keep calling The Spawn an it, the poor child would get a complex, I'd decided that a boy was most likely considering  Zacky and his friends seemed to invariably produce boys. I'd decided that he was going to be a good boy who loved his mother because he'd given my digestive system a break. Morning sickness free me could eat whatever I wanted although Zacky was trying strenuously to steer me down the path toward a healthy diet. On the whole I tried to oblige.

But tonight, tonight Zacky wasn't staying at my house. Tonight Zacky was staying next door because Meaghan had finally decided to start behaving like a reasonable human being and was going to drop Zacky's son off with him and let him stay the night. Zacky had been almost cartwheeling with excitement and had spent most of his afternoon planning out his time with his boy.

I'd finally decided to dump the casserole in the bin and go for the sandwich followed up with a bag of salt and vinegar chips dipped in chocolate ice-cream when the doorbell rang. I'd have to give Zacky shit about that, he was insistent that the front gate be locked at all times for security reasons. If someone wanted to see us they could buzz from the street to be let down the path to the front door.

Shoving a handful of olives into my mouth I stomped over to see who was at the door. The Spawn was not happy. He needed to be fed. Immediately. The Spawn was a great excuse for me to stuff my face twenty-four-seven. He – insert me - was constantly ravenous.

"Yup?" I mumbled around my mouthful as I swung open the front door. I almost spat out my food when I took in who stood on my doorstep. I swallowed hard and began to cough and splutter as I attempted to not cover the woman in front of me in partially chewed olives. My eyes were streaming by the time I finally managed to calm down.

"Sorry," I wheezed, "went down the wrong way."

"What are you doing here?" the vision in skin tight black jeans, sky-high ankle boots and a leather jacket asked. There wasn't a hair out of place on her blonde head, her black eyeliner was perfectly winged and her red lipstick was crisp perfection. She looked like a modern version of sexed up Sandy from Grease.  Although everything about her screamed 'look at me' I couldn't take my eyes off the blonde at her side. An adorable little curly haired, blue-eyed tyke stared up at me. Zacky's son. Holy shit, was this what The Spawn was going to look like?

"I asked what you're doing here," Meaghan said drawing my attention back to her. Obviously I'd zoned out.

"I live here."

She gave a snort of disbelief and rolled her eyes. "You've got to be freakin' kidding me. Just get Zacky will you." She planted a hand on her hip and thrust it out in a classic bitch power stance.

"He's not here," I frowned at her.

"Nope," she enunciated as I watched, fascinated, her scarlet lips round and then pop out the word. "Not happening. You can tell Zacky if he thinks he can just go out and expect me to drop off my son with you then he has another thing coming!" There was fire in her eyes and I could see that this was a woman preparing to go on a bloodthirsty rampage. I should have felt at least a sliver of fear but once again my attention was drawn to the cherub beside the killer blonde.

His lower lip trembled and his wide eyes grew liquid before a solitary tear rolled down a chubby cheek. "Daddy not here?" his voice hitched mournfully.