The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 12: Bunny Slippers Cure the Saddest of Girls

Chapter 12: Bunny Slippers Cure the Saddest of Girls

Rolling over in her bed, Beth's eyes are puffy and her stomach feels sore and empty. Noticing the other side of her bed, the blankets are disheveled and the pillow has a head dent in it. Then she remembers. Daryl slept over, comforting her. It figures that he'd leave her. But soon an aroma catches her hungry nostrils and he slowly sits up. Soon her bedroom door opens up and Daryl walks in with a bed tray full of breakfast foods, like fruit cocktail, toast, sausage, bacon, eggs, and pancakes. He sets the tray down over her lap and gives her the one second finger before coming back with orange juice and a cup of coffee. Setting the drinks down, she watches as he turns around and drags the chair over to her bed side and sits down with one leg over the other as he drinks his coffee.

"What is all this?" She asks a little stuffed up from crying all night.

"Normal people would call it breakfast...but technically it's lunch time...but we'll ignore that minor detail cause time isn't real anyway."

"Are you wearing bunny slippers?" Se laughs a bit as se bites a piece of pineapple of her fork and he reaches over taking a a piece of toast.

"Yes...don't you remember these?" Looking down at the visibly used bunny slippers, Beth tries to recall them. "You mean you don't remember giving them to me at christmas when we first met?"

"Mmm no."

"Really? Do you even remember the first time we met?"

"Yeah, when I moved in..."

"NNNNN! Wrong! He makes a loud buzzer noise and she laughs and shakes her head. "We met at Rick's Christmas party. It was a secret Santa party and Rosita brought you cause you pathetically didn't know anyone. And when it was time to draw numbers to see who got what, I drew 45 and you pulled 12. So when I found 45 under the tree, I opened the box to these hideous slippers and you opened yer box to a gift card to Barnes and Noble with an additional card to the Olive Garden."

He pauses and allows her time to think. Then goes on.

"And when I took these things out of the box everyone laughed and I demands to know who would dare to put such terrible slippers in a Santa exchange for people. When you heard me bashing the slippers, you being you, politely apologized to take them back, but was sort of upset, so to keep you from bawling I wore them for the rest of the night. Haha and you were appalled by my assholeish ways that you said you never want ego see me again...but then you moved in across the hall and the rest is history."

Staring at him in disbelief, he munches in bread while she actually recalls the whole thing.

"You kept them?"

"Well yeah...after I put them on, I realized how warm they were and comfortable...I wasn't going to throw them out."

"They look so well used."

"I always wear them." He sips his coffee after finishing his toast and she can't believe he not only kept them, but wears them.

"I recall you complaining about them. If they were so comfortable, why wouldn't you say that?"

"Okay, like you know, I'm an asshole. I made such a big deal over them that if I said I actually liked them, I would have been given shit to this day."

"Yer an idiot." She smiles and he feels happy that he made her feel a bit better.

"Everything taste good?"

"Yes...thank you, for ya know." She doesn't want to say it cause she'll start crying, she she hints to it and he understands.

"That's what friends are for. We take care of each other...and give terrible gifts. Haha."

"Hey! I thought you liked them."

"I do, but come on, bunnies? Really? I would've preferred bear feet." He pokes some eggs with a fork and takes a bite.

"I thought they would be funny...and I was correct cause everyone laughed at yer face when you pulled them out of the box." She giggles and he shakes his head.

"Rude."