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Christine
Smiling, I look down at my belly, and place a hand over the spot where my baby just kicked. At that moment, he kicks again, jubilantly this time. During moments like this, I don’t think about the hardships we’re going to face on our own, since my no-good ex-fiancé Matt turned out to be an immature prick. I wish I’d never met that loser, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk, so it’s just me and my son now.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper to the child in my belly, “we’re better off without him.” And we are. We have to be because we have no other choice. Besides, I don’t want my son to grow up with a narcissist for a father, and Matt only cares about one thing—himself. At least this way, my child will know love and kindness, not to mention generosity towards others. It sickens me to think of the terrible example Matt would have set for our son, and if I’m being honest with myself, that loser dumping me is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life because at least now, I’m unfettered and free. I won’t have to worry about Matt’s presence darkening my child’s life.
Plus, I’ve carved out a comfy existence for myself, and a baby will be stretching things, but I can make it work. I don’t exactly make a gold mine as a clerk at Busy Books, but it’s enough to get by until I find something better. As a plus, I have health insurance, which was never even a blip on my radar until recently. Now that I’m saddled with constant appointments to my OB/GYN, I’m glad insurance is paying for it all.
Speaking of work, I better get back to it. It’s so easy to be distracted when I feel the child kick, and honestly, it’s still so surreal to think about the fact that I have a little person growing inside me. It’s almost like having an alien inside, or a parasite of some sort. I know that those are unflattering comparisons, but the baby is a parasite, isn’t it? He literally leaches vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from my bloodstream, which is exactly what parasites do. Of course, I suppose I should be used to it all by now, but motherhood continues to surprise me every day.
Grabbing the cart of books in front of me, I make my way towards the romance aisle to put up the new releases. Busy Books is just a small neighborhood establishment, but the owner does a great job of getting in highly anticipated new releases in all the best genres. I’m particularly partial to romance novels myself, so I love getting to peruse the newest books on my breaks.
Hmm, it’ll be so nice reading with my son once he’s born. I still get the warm fuzzies remembering how I’d recite The Moon in My Room and Steam Train Dream Train with my mom when I was little. It’s a tradition I hope to keep going with my child, and I smile dreamily at the thought.
As I work at stacking and sorting, one of my favorite songs comes on over the speaker system and I start humming to myself as I arrange new books on the shelves. I spot one that has a beautiful cover. Okay, the cover’s not exactly “beautiful” in the traditional sense because it shows a shirtless, handsome dude smiling at the camera while stroking his abs and pecs. It’s kind of a silly pose, but it’s not just his body, I swear! The model also has the most soulful expression on his face, and I swoon a bit before mentally adding this novel to my TBR list. I’m a sucker for good-looking guys, and devouring romance novels amps up my appetite.
“Christine,” a voice interrupts my daydream.
I nearly jump out of my skin. Turning, I see Benjamin, the store’s owner, standing behind me and laugh nervously.
“Sorry, Mr. Roscoe. I guess I was just lost in my head a little bit. Do you need help with something?”
He bites his lip.
“No, I mean, yes,” Benjamin mutters. That’s weird. The older man is usually really friendly, but now he pauses, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Christine, but I need to talk to you. Could you drop by the back office for a chat?”
I manage a bright smile while struggling to get to my feet.
“Sure.”
Swaying like an overloaded ship, I waddle behind Benjamin to the back of the store. My heart is pounding and my palms break out in a cold sweat. What could he want? Honestly, Ben’s a nice guy and usually he walks around the store with a bright smile and a cheerful attitude. But right now, fire alarms are going off in my head because something is clearly wrong.
Finally, we get to the back and Ben lets me into a dusty office that’s filled with a small desk and cardboard boxes haphazardly scattered about.
“So how can I help you?” I ask as the older man closes the door with a solid thump. That’s when I notice a sealed white envelope on the desk with my name written on the front. Ominously, there’s also a paper lying next to it face down.
Ben walks around the desk, gesturing to the chair on the other side.
“Please, have a seat, Christine.”
A clammy sweat breaks out over my skin as I pull out the chair and slowly maneuver my huge form into place. Then, Ben regards me with a doleful look.
“Christine, I’m very sorry, but Busy Books is going to have to let you go.”
I gasp as tears spring to my eyes.
“But I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong? You’ve never had anything bad to say about my work here.”
He shakes his head regretfully.
“It’s not because of your performance. You’re a wonderful employee and we really appreciate your cheerful manner, but the store hasn’t been doing well for a while now. Sales have been on a steady decline for the last couple years. For the last twenty years, if I’m being honest, because I just can’t compete with big online book vendors like Amazon. So I had to make a choice, and unfortunately, we can’t keep everyone. I’m sorry.”
Tears prickle my eyes as one hand comes forward to cradle my belly.
“But I’ve been with Busy for two years and I need this job. It’s all I have, and you know that, Ben. It’s all we have because I’m going to be a single mom after the baby’s born. Didn’t I mention that?”
The older man nods his head mournfully again, pulling at his goatee in distress.
