"Then I'm just going to bed," Dude announced, exhausted. "I don't think I've had even an hour of sleep in 3 days."
_______________
Bill and Regina went to bed early, too.
"Wow, what a day," Regina said.
"You can say THAT again," Bill remarked. "Do you think we should give Alice a head's up that Dude is back a week early?"
"Good idea," Regina agreed.
"Well, she didn't pick up," Regina reported, "but she usually doesn't when she's at work. I don't think she can even hear her phone--the restaurant's always so noisy."
_______________
Dude managed to get 6 hours of sleep, but had set his alarm for 1:00 a.m., when he knew Alice would be coming home from work.
He had some leftovers for dinner, sat down and channel-surfed, and waited for her.
_______________
"Dude!" Alice cried in shock. "What are you doing here???"
"Well," he began, "it's a long story, but the band broke up."
"Oh, that's too bad," Alice said, though she really didn't mean it. "Sorry, but I gotta pee right now."
"And thank goodness there's finally a bathroom down here again."
She came out a few minutes later, and joined Dude on the sofa.
He started to tell her his long, detailed story about the band break-up.
"Dude, I'm sorry," Alice said, "I just can't do this right now. I've had one of the worst days of my life, and I'm too tired even to tell you about it. Catch you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure thing," he said. "See you tomorrow."
_______________
"What're you reading, hun?" Bill asked Regina, as he was cleaning up after their breakfast at 5:30 a.m.
"It's a book on Herbalism," she replied. "How to make your own insect repellants, you know, stuff like that. I figured it was worth learning because we're both outside all the time."
Bill came to join her on the sofa. "Not a bad idea," he agreed. "Where'd you hear about the book?"
"I was researching vacation spots," she said, "and there's a very cool campground in Granite Falls, and they had this book on their website."
"Great!" Bill enthused. "Maybe we can go there on our honeymoon--IF we ever get around to getting married!"
He changed the subject. "Any idea if Alice and Dude talked last night?" he asked.
"Absolutely none," Regina admitted. "I was so tired from all the drama yesterday that I slept straight through the night."
Just then, Dude came downstairs.
"Hi, guy," Bill said. "Did you catch up on your sleep?--you must have slept for about 11 hours, by my watch."
"Not quite," Dude answered, "because I got up when Alice came home from work, and talked to her for a bit."
He took a plate of leftovers and went to sit next to Regina in front of the TV.
"Oh," Bill said, trying to sound casual. "Anything new with Alice--did anything happen at work?"
"No idea," Dude answered. "I started telling her about the band breaking up, but she said she was too tired to talk, and went straight to bed."
_______________
Dude went upstairs to change after breakfast, and Bill sat down next to Regina.
"So, I guess that means Alice hasn't yet told him about her pregnancy," Bill said quietly.
"Doesn't sound like it," Regina agreed. "We should get out of here, so that he and Alice have the place to themselves."
_______________
After Regina finished tending her plants that morning, .
she went to the community garden, sat on a bench, and continued reading her new Herbalism book,
and Bill went fishing, but away from his usual spot in front of his own house.
_______________
Alice came downstairs about 11:00. "What're you up to, Dude?" she asked.
"I'm trying to find a used piano online," he told her. "Now that I've mastered the guitar, I think piano is the next instrument I want to learn."
"That sounds cool," she said. "But where could you fit a piano in this house--upstairs?"
"Well, I'll fight you for the floor space your bar is taking up, Alice!" he teased.
She laughed as she walked to the kitchen. "Not gonna happen, Dude!"
Alice got happily to work making a new Gumbo recipe.
Dude joined her for lunch.
"So," Alice said, "tell me what happened on your tour with Zoe's band. Sorry I couldn't hear you out last night--I was just too beat."
"You know," Dude sighed, "at this point I just really don't want to talk about it. Done is done."
"Let's just say I have to find another job," Dude said.
"Umm, what about you and Zoe?" Alice asked.
"Well, that's also 'done is done'," he responded.
"Oh, sorry to hear it," Alice said, though she wasn't sorry at all.
"You know, Alice, I've been thinking," Dude said. "You and I get along really well, and we've obviously got something going between us."
"I was thinking maybe we could get a place together," he continued.
"Some place small, that we can afford together," he continued. "Though maybe not that awful trailer in Oasis Springs you made Bill go look at," he kidded.
Alice waited a moment before she said anything.
"Dude, we're pregnant," she announced.
Dude was silent for about a minute.
"That's okay," he said.
***********************
Custom content credits--thanks to:
simsfan2bg for Alice's tank top
What???? Did he know already? Tell me!!!
ReplyDeleteNo, he did not know.
ReplyDelete