NEW YORK CITY, NY – RESTAURANT – FEB. 15TH, 2002 – Tuesday

     Kirstin got to where they were sitting and stood in front of them. As soon as they saw Kirstin standing there, they abruptly stood up.

     “K, baby…” Ashley started, heading closer to Kirstin. Kirstin stopped him.

     “Ash, just… let me do the talking now, alright?” Kirstin said kindly, but Tom decided to take it as offensive and just shot Ashley a winning smile “Ok.” Kirstin took a deep breath “I’ve done some thinking while in the restroom. And Tom…” Kirstin turned to Tom “You’re right. You have the right to raise this child just as I have.”

     “But…” Ashley interrupted again and got cut off by Kirstin.

     “We are both the parents. We both… well… did make this child and we are equally responsible for it. So, ok. We’re gonna raise it together.” Tom looked at Ashley, who didn’t have such a happy face on, and smiled triumphly “However…” Kirstin continued “Ashley is my partner now. So he will also be around. Whenever the baby is with me, Ashley will also be there and he’s gonna be kind of a parent, a relative… Well, something, to this baby. Because he is gonna help me raise it.”

     “But, Keekee…” now it was Tom that decided to interrupt Kirstin and she, too, cut him off.

     “Ashley and I have discussed that already and he is willing to help me with the baby. So, he’s fine with that. And that’s how it is gonna be.” Kirstin smiled tenderly at Ashley who smiled back.

     “Kirstin, this is gonna be really hard for the baby.” Tom told her.
“No, it won’t. It will be used to it. It’s gonna be like that from the day of its birth, so… nothing will be unusual for it.”

     “But…” Tom searched for another reason this wouldn’t work, but couldn’t find one. He looked down and continued “How is this gonna work?”
“What do you mean?” Kirstin frowned.

     “Like… when do I get the baby and stuff like that.”

     “Tom, you can visit it whenever you want it. It’s your baby too. It’s gonna live with me, but whenever you feel like spending time alone with it, you just call me and we’ll arrange for you to come pick it up. We’re not going through a painful divorce or anything. Things won’t be complicated.” Kirstin grinned at Tom “Don’t worry. I want this baby to be around his father too. It’s not only you who wants that.”

     “Thank you.” Tom said in a gentle tone of voice.

     “What are you thanking me for?” Kirstin frowned.

     “For letting me be part of it.” Tom looked down “Despite what I’ve done to you.” Ashley looked at him and nodded ‘You got that right, pal!’ he thought.

     “Tom… I really don’t like you for doing what you did to me, but you’ve done nothing to this baby. So, I don’t see why you can’t be a part of this baby’s life.”

     “You’re just so… motherly already.” Tom took her hands in his again “I see we’ll have no problems raising this child.”

     “Yeah…” Kirstin shook a thought out of her mind as she took her hand out of Tom’s “Well, I’ve always wanted that… To be a mother.”

     “Yes, I know. We’ve talked about that before.” Tom looked into her eyes. Ashley wasn’t enjoying that.

     “So, ok. Everything’s settled then.” Ashley interrupted. He couldn’t handle it anymore. He had a jealousy level that he was capable to handle and he had just reached that level.

     “Yeah…” Kirstin got closer to Ashley and took his hand in hers.

     “Do you know if it’s a boy or if it’s a girl already?” Tom asked excited.

     “No… I just knew yesterday that I was pregnant and it was by accident, so…”

     “And do you wanna know?” Tom asked “Because I’d really like to know!”

     “I guess…” Kirstin looked at Ashley, but he didn’t have such a happy face on.

     “Good! Then we can go to the ultrasound together!” Tom exclaimed, getting way too excited.

     “Maybe.” Kirstin was trying to control herself because Ashley now had a really mad face on “We’ll see about that.”

     “Yeah, we’ll see, because we have to go now.” Ashley said looking at Tom.

     “But, I still have so many things I wanna talk to you about, Keekee.”
“Yeah, but we have to go. Now. So…” Ashley informed.

     “Yes, Tom. We should go. But I’ll call you. We’ll… keep in touch. I guess…” Kirstin looked down.

     “Yes! Definitely. We’re gonna have to. We’ve got a little baby to worry about now.”

     “Yes.” Kirstin half-smiled and looked at Ashley “So, we’re going.” she said motioning for the door.

     “Ok.” Tom said “Call me then. And I’ll call you.”

     “Alright.” Kirstin said. Right after that, Tom leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Ashley watched that while a fist was forming in his left hand.

     “Bye.” Tom waved as the couple left the place. Ashley and Tom didn’t even exchange a look after the kiss on the cheek.

 

     Once they were outside the restaurant, Ashley screamed in disbelief.

     “Oh, my God! I can’t believe the nerve of that guy!” he placed both his hands on his face and just shook it “How dare him kiss you right in front of me!”

     “Ash…” Kirstin said sitting on the passenger seat.

     “Oh, don’t you Ash me, Kirstin! You did nothing! Nothing to stop him from being, oh, all so Tom-like, so cute, so nice. It was like he never cheated on you! Or that you were cool about the fact that he did cheat on you. What was that?” Ashley raised his voice.

     “I… I don’t know…”

     “Yes, that’s right. You don’t know! Kirstin…” Ashley screamed again and hit the wheel.

     “Ash, please…” Kirstin was about to cry and Ashley saw that.

     “Oh, don’t cry. By all means, don’t. Why would you? Your perfect little former fiancée just agreed to raise this baby with you. Why would you cry when everything is just fitting so perfectly, right?”

     “Ashley…” Kirstin started, but didn’t know what to say. Why was Ashley being so mean to her?

     “What?”

     “Why… I… why are you acting like this?” Kirstin stuttered.

     “Oh, you don’t know! I mean what a shocker! Why do you think, Kirstin? Huh? Is it possible that I’m acting like this because it felt to me like I was a third wheel there in the restaurant while you two were practically setting a date to go do the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby? No… perhaps that’s not it. It can’t be it. Hm… Then, maybe, it was because you were, oh, so nice with the man that got you pregnant and then cheated on you. No… that can’t be it either. Because that’s normal behavior, right? It’s alright to hate the guy who cheated on you, UNLESS he gets you pregnant. Then you can’t hate him at all. You have to act like nothing had happened, because, for crying out loud, you’re carrying his baby! You can’t argue! You are gonna be parents! Perfect parents!” Ashley shook his head “Well, Kirstin, pardon me if I think that all that happened in that restaurant SUCKED!” Ashley yelled. He couldn’t face Kirstin. He didn’t even realize when a tear dropped from her face. She soon wiped it away.

     “You know what?” Kirstin soon got it under control and raised her tone of voice “I don’t need this BULLSHIT coming from you right now! This RIDICULOUS jealousy of yours. Get real, Ashley! I already told you AND Tom that I wanted YOU to raise this baby with me. YOU! What else do you want me to do, huh? I’m sorry if I treated Tom nicely. I’m sorry if I want this baby to have his REAL FATHER around! Now just stop this fucking car and get yourself a fucking cab back to your fucking hotel!” Ashley immediately pulled over.

     “Great! Just great! You know why? Because, this way, you can go back to waiter boy in the restaurant in time to get your engagement back on.” Ashley got out of the car “And see if I care!” he yelled and then slammed the door behind him.

     Kirstin was left alone in the car, crying her eyes out.