Electric Impulse: A Bond UnBreakable

Chapter 8 | DNA Sequence Part 2

"Well?" he asks.

"Well, what?" I look around the room.

"You got something you want to talk about. I can see it all in your face."

"I'm good. Nothing here."

That's a lie.

"I won't push you. But when you want to talk, I'm here." He rubs his hands together. "Now, let's eat!" He sits up. "What do you call this? Shock-u-tray?"

I laugh. "Boy! Charcuterie board." I grab my plate, adding apples and cheese and crackers and nuts. Taking a bite of a crisp green apple dipped in peanut butter, I pull up the file on my laptop and push the screen in front of Troy. "Here are my designs, take a look." I tell him proudly.

He takes a bite of a cracker topped with turkey salami and cheddar. "Let me see what you got." He pages through the file. "This one is nice. 'Thick in all the Right Places' with the font in the shape of a coke bottle. I can see a lot of girls wearing this one." He continues paging through. "This one is nice too."

My phone rings and Phoenix's face pops up on my screen. "Let me take this," I tell Troy before getting up and walking away.

"Hey, babe what's up? Miss you." I gush, my heart overflowing with love.

"Ari, babe! Just checking in. How are you and the baby?" he asks.

I look down at my baby bump and rub. "We're good. Everything's good now that I hear your voice." I smile. "Where you been? I called yesterday."

"Yeah, that's what I want to talk to you about."

"Huh?" I nearly choke on my own saliva.

"My girls!" He sounds ecstatic. "They arrived earlier than expected. Got in yesterday, to be exact. Ari, I can't wait for you to meet them."

I cough. "Oh. Well, I figured something was keeping you tied up. I just assumed it was Windsor Court."

"No! I meant to call you back right away, but I lost track of time. It's been almost a year since we've been in the same room together, they're so big now. We have so much catching up to do. They're all grown up and intelligent. They have their own opinions. I'm just so proud of them." He beams.

"Huh. That's . . . that's great! And?"

"And Nora stopped by. The girls. They cried, seeing their mom. Made me realize how tough boarding school is, with them being so far away from us."

From us?

He's talking like their still an item.

What's happening here?

I don't know, but I don't like it.

"Oh. Yea," I reply in a muted monotone.

"Just need some time to let them get settled in and we'll have the talk. And don't worry. When Nora stays over, she sleeps in a separate room."

"Oh. Yeah? Separate room, huh? Wait! So, she's planning on spending the night?" A stinging sensation sparks at the tip of my nose.

"Ari, I'm so lucky to have you. You're so understanding. Thanks for standing by me on this. You have no idea how hard this is on me."

Oh, I have an idea, alright.

"Hey, dad! You coming to play or what?"

The phone gets clumsily muffled, as if Phoenix was startled by the question. He's saying something but I can't make it out.