Part Seven - Pippa's Story

Yuk!

I hope that doesn’t show on my face. Gingerly I put the cup down and smile.

“Whaddya think? Jilly used to drink a gallon of that when she was pregnant. Swore she could feel it doing her some good.” Jon says, smiling at me.

“Erm, I think it’s an acquired taste. I’m not really a tea person, I prefer coffee myself.” I say, diplomatically. Green tea is just disgusting.

“Yeah well you know what the doc said hon, no caffeine, no alcohol and no cigarettes.” Richie pipes up from the sofa

“I can just tell this pregnancy’s gonna be a barrel of laughs. Somebody shoot me right now” I groan, laying my head down on the dining room table.

Richie just laughs, knowing that I don’t mean it and that I’m actually over the moon to be pregnant. Who knew that all these years of saying that I hated children was just a cover up for how much I hated my childhood. Richie knew, or at least had an inkling that all that much hatred had to be covering something else but it took a full year of intense therapy to bring it all out. I’ve even forgiven my mother. Well, vocally to Richie and my shrink at least. It’s gonna take a lot more before I go near that bitch again…,though I might show up at her funeral just to make sure she’s dead. See? Loads of anger, and now I know who it’s directed at I can start to like kids. Even Ava and I have had a civilised conversation. Ok, so I asked her if she wanted some pasta but it was a start, right? The answer was no if you’re wondering…

The front door opens and Jilly comes rushing in. I turn to look at her and in doing so catch a look on Jon’s face that I’ve never seen before, at least not directed at Jilly anyway. It’s not revulsion but it’s close. I look at Richie and he indicates that he saw it too. I move my head, flicking my hair in the direction of the garden, hoping my boyfriend will get the message and take Jon out there, but as usual he has no idea what I’m on about. Honestly, you’d think after being together for nearly four years he would have learned how to read my signals by now but no…must be man thing as I can read Jilly like a book and vice versa.

Thankfully she solves the problem by asking me to come into the garden with her.

I get up and follow her, eager to give her a hug. It’s only been a week since I found out I was pregnant but this’ll be the first time I’ve seen her seeing as Rich and I were on the Italian Riviera at the time and being a man he decided he couldn’t wait to tell the whole world and its whippet that he was a virile specimen of manhood and king of the lab (He’s just discovered Bones and is so hooked on it I feel that I should cite Tempe Brennan as the third person in our relationship! But it does give me the chance to drool over David Boreanaz - another tall, dark handsome man - hmmm think I’m seeing a pattern here…lol)

I sit down in one of the sun loungers that dot their immediate back garden area, honestly the whole estate covers approximately ten acres, give or take a couple of feet. It’s huge! I constantly get lost in the grounds whenever I’m here. In fact one time I was gone so long, just wandering around, that Richie had to come and find me. Needless to say we were a bit late getting back to the others as I managed to entice him into some outdoor loving! Trouble is now I’m pregnant he won’t entertain any naughty thoughts like that. God I’m only about six weeks gone but he’s treating me like cut crystal.

Hang on, Jilly has just lit a cigarette. What the fuck?

“Jilly? Since when do you smoke?” I ask, completely gob smacked as I’ve not seen her smoke for years.

“Oh about a week. It’s no biggie. Just helps, that’s all.” she says, obviously distracted. She must be, she hasn’t mentioned my impending motherhood once…yet.

“So pregnant? When did you decide that then?” she asks finally, sitting down in the shade of the umbrella, flicking her ash onto the grass.

I smile, I can’t help it.

“We’ve talked about it, seriously I mean, not just having Richie ask me all the time, for about 3 months and it just happened. I’m about six weeks gone, though to hear him indoors speak you’d think I was about to pop. Honestly he treats me like I’m some delicate piece of china that’s going to break if I do anything more strenuous than sitting down.” I laugh at the thought of the man who once fucked me so roughly I couldn’t sit for two days treating me like a china doll.

I stretch out on the lounger, enjoying the sunshine.

“So why are you smoking Jilly? I thought you’d given that up years ago.”

“Oh, I’ve gone back to Uni to do my Masters then my PhD and it just helps me deal with the stress.” she sighs

“What are you stressed about? Is the course harder than you thought?” I ask, puzzled as to what could be stressing her.

“Oh no the course is fine.” she sighs heavily, “It’s Jon. Although he says he okay with me going back to school I don’t think he is. He questions me if I’m ten minutes late home. I think he thinks I’m having an affair.”

I look at her incredulously. Surely she must be mistaken. Jon loves her with all his heart. Anyone who looks at them together can see that. I watch her staring into space and I’m really quite worried. This isn’t the Jilly I know. Before I can say anything to her, the love of my life comes over and wraps his arms around me.

“Hey babe.” he says, his deep honeyed voice causes shivers to go through me.

“Hey you.” I whisper back as I kiss his cheek.

“How’s my favourite redhead?” he asks, pushing me over on the lounger and sitting down.

“I’m your only redhead, doofus!” I joke, running my hand along his arm, feeling the muscles tense slightly as I do.

He leans towards me and nuzzles my neck, making me squeal with laughter as his stubble tickles the sensitive skin.

I look over at Jilly and notice a look on her face that I’ve not seen before, well not since she met Jon that is. Envy. She’s envious of me and I don’t know why.

I lean towards Richie’s ear and ask him to leave us alone for a bit.

He gets the hint and gets up.

“sayonara darlin’, don’t sit in the sun too much.” he says as he walks back towards the house.

I turn to wave then turn back to Jilly.

“How long have we known each other?” I ask her, squinting in the sun.

“What?” she asks, lighting another cigarette.

“it’s been what? 20 odd years?”

“about that. Why?” she asks

“And in that time have I ever not told you what was going on in my life?” I ask as I sit forward on the lounger and turn to face her.

She just shakes her head.

“So spill girlie. What is going on between you and Jon?”

A lone tear falls down her face and I’m up off the lounger and sat next to her before I can think.

“It’s all going wrong Pip, everything.” she starts to sob.

“Honey, tell me.” I urge her.

“I’ve not been happy for ages and I realised it was because I wanted to go back to Uni and get my Masters, but now I’ve started to do that I’m not so sure it was that to begin with.”, She says, getting up and pacing around so that the cigarette smoke is no where near me, “ Jon hates the fact that I’m not at home for him and Lib and he hates that I need to study when I am at home. I mean I’ve had to put up with his long hours stuck away in the studio, or him not being here when he’s touring so why can’t he accept my need to do other things? I feel so fucking trapped!” she states.

I’m not sure which shocks me more, her admitting to problems in her marriage or the fact that she swore. Jilly never swears. Except for when Jon married the first time.

I think I need to talk to Richie about this. Try to get both Jilly and Jon to sit down and talk their obvious problems through. I mean Richie did that for me, made me see that I was reacting to deeply buried problems in my everyday life so the least I can do is try to help my best friend.

It is in this pensive mood that Richie finds me as he comes to take me home.