I tug on Tucker’s fingers. “You’re choking me,” I repeat.
Stacy taps to another scene. A gush of fluid and blood and, is that shit? pours out of the woman on the table.
“This is the most natural thing in the universe as evidenced by births in nature,” she says in a dreamy voice.
A montage of the bloody birthing scenes of different mammals follows.
I grab Tucker’s middle finger and wrench as hard as I can.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, falling away immediately.
“You were choking me!” I snap.
“I thought you said I was joking you!”
We stare at each other, filled with equal parts horror and hilarity.
“Communication is always the key,” Stacy sings from the front.
Laughter wins out. Tucker and I collapse against each other. We can’t stop laughing, and after a few seconds of calling our names and clapping for attention, Stacy finally asks us to leave.
30
Tucker
Fourth of July
“On a scale of one to I’m-ready-to-jump-out-of-this-speeding-truck, where are you on the freak-out scale?”
Sabrina jerks her head away from the car window. She’s been staring at the Boston scenery as if she’s never seen it before, never mind that she’s lived here her whole life.
“You can tell I’m anxious?” She grimaces, her pouty lips flattening out.
“Your fingers are white, so either you’re suffering from a serious condition that needs immediate medical attention or you’re squeezing the blood out of them intentionally.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her slowly uncurl her fingers until they’re straight and pink again.
“I’ve never met a guy’s parents before,” she admits, fiddling with the radio station.
“Good thing there’s only one,” I joke. Then her words sink in. “Wait—never?”
I remember her telling me she’s never had a boyfriend before, but I took that to mean college. Sabrina is gorgeous. If I saw her in high school, I would’ve laid in front of her locker every day until she agreed to go out with me.
It all makes sense now, why she’s been so on edge ever since I told her that my mom was coming up to meet her. At first, we tried to make a plan for Sabrina and me to fly to Texas, but the cost of two plane tickets and a rental car didn’t make sense, even though it meant Mom rescheduling a few appointments. Besides, turns out a lot of airlines balk at pregnant women flying. I guess they aren’t really keen on deliveries happening on board.
The bonus about staying in town is that I’m able to work this holiday weekend and get some of that extra time and a half that Sabrina’s always bragging about. I’ve been working part-time on a construction crew in the city and making decent money, which is awesome because I’m trying not to dip into my savings unless I absolutely have to.
“I already told you,” Sabrina mumbles from the passenger side. “No boyfriends.”
Abandoning the radio, she sits back with a sigh. Her stomach is big enough that she can’t even cross her arms unless she rests them on top of the bump. Which is not a shelf, she’s reminded me more than once.
“Thought you meant college. Were the boys in your high school deaf, dumb and blind?”
“No. They chased after me, but I didn’t have time for them.” She absently reaches down and rubs the curve of her stomach.
Every time I look at her, I’m struck anew with awe at the fact that my little girl is inside of her body. It also makes me fucking horny as hell. Thank Christ we’re having regular sex again.
“I was constantly hustling for scholarship money,” she goes on. “Working almost full-time at the post office since I was sixteen. In the summers I waited tables at night and worked at the post office during the day. Guys were…unnecessary. Other than, you know,” she waves vaguely toward her crotch. “Plus they didn’t know what to do with their equipment in high school. I was better off taking care of myself at home.”
My dick twitches against my zipper. The idea of her playing with herself makes me light-headed, and I have to wait a moment until some of the blood migrates back up to my brain.
“What about you? Did you date a lot in high school? Were you homecoming king?” she teases.
“Nope. I dated three girls. And homecoming kings in Texas are always football players.”
“You didn’t play football?”
“Not after ninth grade. I played hockey year round. Coach Death’s rink was an hour north and I’d drive there pretty much every day.”