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| Chapter Three | |
| The Secret's Out | |
| The Lopez-Fitzgerald House | |
| "Well, I have to tell you guys that this is very refreshing to know. But, would one of you please tell me what in the hell a girl's night is?" Philip asked as he started to undo his tie. | |
| "I'm sure you know, it's one of those things when the women get together and bond.� They basically just talk about us and all of the evil things we men do." Michael asked as he took a drink of his soda. | |
| "You mean to tell me that's all that they are doing over there. Just talking about us?� Wait a minute, what about your kids, I remember Chloe telling me something about them." He asked Max and Michael, " who is watching them?" | |
| "Yeah, I have two-year old son and he," he pointed to Michael, "has a set of two-year old twins, one boy and one girl." Max answered. | |
| "Well whenever Maria and Michael come to town, my mother and Kay's mother always offer to baby-sit them.� They say it's because Kay and I haven't given them any grandchildren yet.� But, the funny thing is that between the both of them they have seven grandchildren.� Naturally, that isn't enough they need to have more."� Miguel answered before taking a drink of his soda. | |
| "Hey, tell him the truth, the only reason Pilar watches the kids is because she thinks that it will motivate Kay and Miguel to get busy."� Michael said as he snorted. | |
| "Well now that Kay is pregnant, I don't have to worry anymore.� So everyone is happy.� But, on the other side of things I am starting to have problems with her.� I swear she is being difficult with me on purpose.� She's started acting weird and frankly it starting to worry me a little bit.� Why didn't you guys tell me that she would be acting this way, in the first trimester?" He asked the guys, in general. | |
| "Man, I do recall trying to tell you how she can get when she gets pregnant. But, of course you just laughed at me when I told how difficult she was.� So now you'll believe us when Michael and I tell you how weird they will act."� Max said as he started to smirk at Miguel. | |
| "Yeah, well you guys didn't tell me how difficult it was going to be having two pregnant women living with me.� I mean Kay is bad enough just with herself.� But, when she is added on with Chloe she becomes unbearable."� Miguel said. | |
| "Wait a minute, what does my wife have to do with this?" Philip asked as he stopped taking a sip of soda mid drink. | |
| "Don't get mean wrong, Philip, I don't mean anything.� But, you know how your wife can be. Because, she is your wife.� I assumed that you sent her down here so that she couldn't get into to any trouble while you were away.� I have never seen anyone pine away for somebody like that.� It was almost as if you didn't even know she was here.� Anyway, as I was saying she became half as gruff as my own wife."� Miguel said not realizing that Philip was looking at him as if he was out of his mind. | |
| "What the hell are you talking about"� My wife is not pregnant." He said but then saw the looks of doubt on the men's faces.� "I think that I would know if my own wife was pregnant.� Look, just because your wives are wi-with child doesn't mean that mine is.� Chloe would tell me if she was." He spoke with such certainty that all of the men shared a look. | |
| Max, Michael, and Miguel looked at each other in wonderment, and then they turned to look at Philip.� A space of silence followed.� The men all sat mute as if giving Philip a moment to think. | |
| All of the sudden it dawned on Philip as he thought of all the things that had occurred between him and Chloe in the last couple weeks.� It was entirely possible that she might be pregnant.� Hell, it was the only logical explanation for all of the things she had done.� "Oh my God, she's pregnant.� My wife is having my child," he said excitedly. "But she didn't tell me.� Why didn't she tell me?� I can't believe she would do something like this to me."� He said then with anger getting into his voice. | |
| "Are you saying that you didn't know that she was pregnant?" Miguel asked Philip idiotically, in his denseness. | |
| "Of course, I didn't know she was pregnant.� If I had I guarantee you that there is no way that I would have allowed her to come out here." | |
| "Kay told me that you made her come down here after you guys had a fight because you didn't want her to be alone.� So are you telling me that none of this is true?" Miguel asked again as he realized that he too had been lied to by his wife. | |
| "No, I didn't tell Chloe to come here.� She left and came here without telling me.� That's why I had to hire the detective.� Because no one would tell me where she was.� Nancy was so mad at me when I had to tell her that I didn't know why her daughter left me that I she wouldn't even give me a clue.� I still can't believe that she said nothing to me about the baby." He said as he looked around to the other men in the room.� Max, the dark-haired man was looking at his friend Michael.� A look passed between them.� "You two also knew didn't you?" | |
| 'Liz told me and I told Michael.� But, I assumed that you knew." | |
| "That's not it.� I saw the look that passed between you guys.� I know that you know something.� Tell me what you know." | |
| Max and Michael looked at each other again and this time, Max nodded his head slightly.� "It's just that I know a little something about pregnancy.� And I can tell you that whatever it is that got Chloe mad enough to leave you, she won't just forget it.� She will still be mad at you for whatever reason and her attitude will be ten times as bad as when you normally get mad at each other."� Michael said as he shoved his hand through his unruly hair as if he was reliving a moment. | |
| "How do you know this?" Asked Philip on the edge of his seat. | |
| "Look, I just know.� I know pregnant women and that is exactly what will happen.� You can ask Max, if you don't believe me.� Hell, you can even ask Miguel.� But, when it comes to this pregnancy stuff I know women." | |
| Max sighed.� "He's not lying.� He does know pregnant women well.� He can tell you exactly what to expect from Chloe tomorrow." | |
| "Alright, then if you are the authority tell me where do you get your expertise from?"� Philip sarcastically asked him. | |
| "My own personal experience with a pregnant wife." | |
| "That?s it? You are going to give me advice on how to handle my wife from your own experience.� That only happened once, " he laughed. Yeah, right." | |
| "Hey, don't laugh at the man he is serious.� He has dealt with the mother of all pregnancies and pregnant woman.� And now, he is doing it again.� I truly don't know how he deals with� it." | |
| Philip sobered up and stopped laughing because of the seriousness of Max's tone of voice.� "Okay, okay will you please tell me what you are talking about?"� He posed the question to Michael who was looking a little disconcerted. | |
| "I'm talking about Maria.� My wife.� You don't know anything until you have dealt with a woman like her.� She is a difficult person to deal with normally, for me.� That is just the kind of relationship that we have.� But, anyway, when she is pregnant, she's like a totally different person.� She pulls complete 360s with her personalities.� One minute she is a sweet as can be, out of character, if you know my wife.� The next she is completely wacko, doing things that you would swear aren?t normal.� And then, in the next minute, she is doing whatever she can to get you annoyed with her.� It was a very difficult time for me when she was pregnant the first time. Because, I never knew what to expect.�� I always suspected that the reason I never understood is because she was pregnant with Twins, you know double the behavior patterns to account for each child."� He explained before, he took a breath.� "But, now I totally know how to handle her.� I can predict her moods so that I stay out of trouble with her when she is pregnant.� Because, it is ten times worst when a mother-to-be is mad." | |
| Philip sat back in his chair and absorbed everything Michael had to tell him.� "Oh my God, how am I going to get through the next couple of months?"� Philip said as he rubbed his hand over his temples as if he was soothing a headache. | |
| 'Since, you're new at this I am going give you a few tips.� But, based on what we already know I don't think that there is going to be much that I can do for you." | |
| "Please, you have to tell me something.� Anything that you can tell me." | |
| "Well, we're going to have to pull off a strange maneuver to make this work so that your wife will even go home with you." | |
| "I'm not worried about getting her to go home with me now.� I just want you to tell me how to stop being mad at me." | |
| "Well, if you want my advice I'll give it to you." | |
| "Oh, this should be good." Max said before taking a sip of his soda and waited Michael's expert advice. | |
| "Maxwell, is there something wrong?" Michael asked as he looked over at his friend, who while smirking beneath his cup shook his head.� "As I was saying, in order to get Chloe not to be mad at you, ask her about the baby.� That way, it will divert attention away from you and onto her not actually telling you about the baby.� It's simple, really." He drank the rest of his soda and reached for the bottle to pour more soda into his cup. | |
| "You aren't actually going to use his advice are you?" Miguel asked | |
| "Well, yeah, why wouldn't I use it?� Both of you," he gestured to Miguel and Max. "Told me that it would be good advice and that he knew what he was talking about.� What do you think is wrong with what he told me?" | |
| "Yeah, what's wrong with my advice?" Michael questioned too. | |
| "Nothing, it's just that if Chloe is anything like her cousin, I suspect that nothing will truly help you.� And in the end you might just get yourself in more trouble than you know.� So I think that under the circumstances you should not listen to him at all.� Now, Michael you know you need to be honest, anyway, you advice is not always full proof.� I know for a fact that it doesn?t always work for Maria.� And so does Max."� Miguel said as he stood up as walked to the kitchen.� He came out of the kitchen with a bowl of chips accompanying him. | |
| "Okay, honestly, it doesn't always work Maria.� But, you have to understand that Maria can be very, very difficult.� If you don't want to listen to my advice, that's your business.� However, I just think that you should be prepared because, now they have had a chance to regroup and you are going to be in for it."� Michael said to the men in the room.� When his gaze landed on Philip, he saw that the man was staring at a picture of Chloe and Kay that rested above the fireplace.� ~Man, he's as bad as Max. ~� Michael though as he settled himself back into his seat. | |
| On to Chapter Four | |
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