“They’re not going anywhere.
They’re just cruising around. Let’s go.” He began walking the bicycle
down the street.
Gail stood up and hurried to
catch up with Frank. “What about those big sailboats we saw in San
Diego? Do you think they were on an adventure up the coast? Wouldn’t
that be exciting? To take a year off and just go for an adventure?”
“Honey, I really don’t know.”
“Yes, but wouldn’t that be
fun? It’s not like we have anything tying us down. We could just go for
an adventure.”
“You might be able to go off
for a year, Gail, but I have a job,” Frank said, pushing the maimed
bicycle by the front handle bars. “I sure as hell don’t think it would
go over well if I took year off.”
Gail watched a young girl with
an older man sail close to the shore. “Let’s go sailing. I’d really
like to”
“Sailing? How do you
know you’d like it?”
“Frank, we come here every
year and do the same old things. We’ve not gone sailing once.”
“Gail, I really don’t want to
go sailing.”
“How do you know if you’ve
never done it?”
“I just know.”
“It really is amazing how much
you just know,” she said.
“What the hell is that
supposed to mean?”
“Just an observation.”
“We’re not sailing.”
“You’re so boring.”
“We don’t even know how.”
“I do too. I know how.”
They stopped and looked at
each other. “You do not.”
“My Dad used to take me
sailing every summer.”
“So that makes you an expert?”
“No, but I could sail a little
boat like that.” Gail pointed to a 14-foot sailboat near them on the
bay.
“I just don’t want to.”
“You never want to.”
“Gail, you sound like a
child.”
“And that is so terrible?”
“What?”
“To sound like a child?”
“Stop.”
“If you won’t go sailing with
me I’ll go by myself.”
Frank said, “Fine. We’ll go
sailing.”
“Really! Oh, you’ll love it.
You’ll see. You’ll really love it.”
They could see their inn about
a half mile away.
“Can we rent one from the inn,
or do we have to go someplace else?”
“I’m not sure. I suppose
we’ll see when we get there.” She placed her hand on his hand, which
was on the bicycle seat. “Would you like me to push the bike for a
while?”
“I’m fine,” he said, staring
at the destination. “It’d be nice if we could rent the boat from the
same kid at the inn.”
She took her hand from his and
agreed, “That would be convenient.”
“How much do you think it will
cost to rent one of those?” He nodded to a sailboat in the bay.
“I’m sure there’s room in the
vacation budget, Frank.”
“I hope so.”
“Do you?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he said
sarcastically.
“Now you’re just being
spiteful. You blame me, don’t you?”
“For what?”
“The cactus.”
“I don’t blame you for the
damn cactus. I just really hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I told you, I know enough.”
“I’m sure you thought you knew
enough about steering a bicycle, too.”
“I knew it,” she said loudly.
“It would just be horrible to
be stranded out there someplace with a sunken boat. Or what if we run
into somebody? I really hope you know what you’re doing,” he said.
She looked out toward the
inn. “Sometimes, Frank, you really exhaust me.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t go
sailing.”
She looked out over the bay.
“I don’t think you’ve listened to me ever. Not once. We’ve been
married eight years, and I don’t think you have ever really listened to
me.”
“If you would make sense,
maybe I would.”
“So you admit it?”
“How can I admit it if I have
no clue what you are talking about?”
“Do you think I’m happy?”
“Why are you doing this
again?”
“Do you?”
“Yes, I told you I do. Maybe
you are upset now, but, yes, I know that in the big picture of things
you are happy.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why do you just
know I am happy? What makes me happy?”
“I’m not talking about this
again. I’m just not.”
“I’m almost 35 years old,
Frank,” she said. “Why am I happy?”
“Gail.”
“Frank.”
“Why wouldn’t you be happy?
We have a gorgeous home. We go out to restaurants, plays, movies,
parties. We have great friends. We go on vacations all the time. We
are very financially stable. And Gail, we have each other. Why can’t
that be enough?”
“What a lovely package.”
“Why now, Gail? Why all this
now?”
“Why do you think, Frank?”
“You know what? I don’t have a
clue.”
She looked at him and said,
“Well, that’s a first.”
They were about 100 yards from the inn and
the little hut they had rented the tandem bicycle from.
“If you’re not happy now,
you’ll never be happy. What more can I possibly do?”
“I’m pregnant, Frank.”
He stopped walking. She took
another step and then turned to face him.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Obviously it’s not.”
“We use your diaphragm every
time. You know that’s impossible.”
“Those things aren’t 100%.”
“Are you cheating on me?”
She turned, and then started
walking again. He followed, pushing the bicycle. “You’re pathetic,
Frank.”
“Are you?”
“Why would you even think
that?”
“You said you weren’t happy.”
“So you think I’m unhappy
because I don’t get enough sex? You know why I’m unhappy”
“We talked about this. We
made a decision.”
“You made a decision.”
“It was the right decision.”
“Was it?” They stopped
walking again and faced each other. “Was it the right decision? I’m
pregnant with our child, Frank. How does that make you feel?”
“What did you do?” Frank said.
Gail covered her face with her
hands, and then started walking toward the inn crying. He followed her
with the bike.
“What…” Frank said again.
“What did you do? Did you damage your diaphragm? Is that what you
did?”
“I’m not pregnant, Frank,” she
said through her hands.
“What did you say?”
She dropped her hands from her face and
yelled, “I’m not pregnant.”
“Gail.”
“Frank,” she yelled.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Why don’t you give a shit about my
happiness?” She walked faster.
“Obviously I do. I wouldn’t bust my ass
every damn day so you could just sit at home on yours,” Frank said.
He followed close behind her. “Do everything I can to make you happy,
and this is what I get? You lie to me, and trick me. Happiness!
Happiness! You know you’re not the only one in this marriage. I like
to be happy too. Do you give a shit about that?”
“I do, Frank. All I do is try to make you
happy.”
“Then what is all this about?”
“Me.”
“Fine, we’ll have a kid. If that is the
only thing in the world that will make you happy, then we’ll have a damn
kid.”
“I hate you.”