Lymber craft's Arc

Chapter 26 of 70

Lymber woke up thinking about her mother. Paul was still asleep with one arm across her stomach. The rental was quiet. Across the road, Polly's kitchen light was already on. Lymber knew how this town worked. The tech at the clinic had been kind, but the woman at the front desk had looked at her twice. The pharmacy clerk had rung up the onesie and the ribbon and said nothing, which was worse than saying something. If Polly heard about the second baby from anyone else, she would shut the door and not open it again. Lymber got up and put on jeans. She told Paul she was going over. He said, want me to come. She said, no. He said, okay. She walked across the road with the ultrasound photo in her back pocket. Polly opened the door in her purple cardigan and stepped aside without a word. There was coffee on the counter. Violetta was still asleep at the rental. It was the first time in a long while Lymber had come over alone. Polly poured a second cup and set it in front of her. Lymber pulled the photo out and laid it on the table face up. She said, eight weeks. Polly looked at the photo. She did not pick it up. Polly said, you told Paul. Lymber said, yesterday. Polly said, who else. Lymber said, no one. That's why I came. Polly took a sip of her coffee and set the cup down carefully. She said, the clinic staff talk. The drugstore talks. You have about a week. Lymber said, I know. I wanted you to hear it from me first. Polly nodded once. She said, you did the right thing coming over. She said, I'm not going to run this one for you. You have your own house now. But I'm not going to be the last to know either. Lymber felt her shoulders drop a full inch. Polly said, does he know what he signed up for. Lymber said, he said we'd figure it out. Polly said, that's a start. They sat with the photo between them. Polly asked when the due date was and Lymber told her. Polly said, you'll be showing by the end of the summer. People will count again. Lymber said, I know. Polly said, you don't have the blog anymore. Lymber said, I know that too. Polly picked up the photo then and looked at it up close, the way she had looked at the first one two years ago. She handed it back. She said, tell Paul I said congratulations. Lymber walked back across the road with the photo in her hand and the coffee still warm in her stomach. Her mother knew. No one else did yet. That was the ground she had to build on.