We had all been sitting at the table for quite a while. The dessert course had been served. Ice cream and chocolate syrup. Steven and his wife, Candice, didn’t really spend much time when it was their turn to host dinner. Siara and I when it was our turn served a brilliant steak dinner, seasoned to perfection served with an aged bourbon glaze. Suffice to say our turn actually made a positive difference in everyone’s lives.
Kyle was sitting directly across from me yammering on about some miserable story he had. His job really truly was the most agonizingly boring thing I had ever had the displeasure of hearing about. Here is a surprise, he’s an accountant. To him when Terry down the hall spilled his coffee it was something important to inform his entire, yet small, social circle about. There is a reason that circle is so small. Kyle is one of those people that ended up at events but was never truly invited, drug along by someone everyone else actually liked. This person that had brought him along was his wife Kate. Kate, just Kate, beautiful and honestly perfect, was a woman that everyone admired in many ways. Her smile was not only infectious, it was destructive. The kind that ruined lives.
The names I’ve included are the only ones that matter. There were of course others present at this ‘event’.
Siara lightly elbowed me, turned her head and gave me a look of absurd boredom. The face consisted of crossed eyes and lips pulled back in what mimicked a painful expression. Most likely this face arose in response to Kyle, the only reason I guessed this is because I felt how she was looking.
I turned my gaze tiredly back towards Kyle since he was still rambling aimlessly about an event no one in this world would find interesting. My eyes wandered to the piece of art that is Kate’s face. She was already looking at me and we shared that all too familiar moment. It was the one we shared whenever we were alone. A certain wanting and desire. My wife Siara is amazing, but what man doesn’t think two is better than one? The ruinous look I just received was the same one that repeatedly singlehandedly upended what I thought love was.
By the time we all finished our ice cream Kyle had ended his tortuous tale. This was apparently a good time for Kate to announce something. The ringing of her fork on glass twisted my innards in a vicious grip. I don’t know how but I realised something was soon to go wrong.
It took two words to ruin the evening.
“We’re Pregnant”
At this point Kyle was exasperated, whispering to himself while shaking his head.
It took approximately 5 seconds for him to connect the dots. Longer for others.
We had all heard Kyle and Kate had been ‘trying’ for months. What a weird way to put it. I guess trying sounds better than fucking in the desperate hopes a child would be produced. We all always wondered why Kyle never seemed disappointed or surprised that their constant attempts ended in vain. I myself wondered why no more as he clutched his steak knife. Never once did he look from my eyes. The only reason I noticed this fact was because I tore away from Kate’s terrified gaze.