Accidents Will Happen

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Should I be concerned?" Galinda asked as she ran the fine-toothed comb through Elphaba's long, straight hair for what must have been the thousandth time. It was a task that demanded a lot of patience, but surprisingly, that didn't seem to deter her in the least. Elphaba could barely remember how often she'd asked to ensure that it wasn't a bother. She herself found the routine far more tedious than her daily cleansing ritual and couldn't possibly fathom what pleasure Galinda derived from it. Somehow, she kept on insisting that she adored working on her hair and eventually, Elphaba had given up fussing.

"Why?" Elphaba wondered in return, moving her head slightly in an attempt to catch a glimpse of her.

Galinda continued her labour of love with long, gentle strokes.

"Because you're going to such lengths, even washing your hair for him."

Elphaba gave a loud, dry laugh.

"Don't be silly! Do you really think that?" She felt Galinda shift behind her. "I'm cleaning my hair because it's been long overdue. If I could have been stuffed, I would have fixed it a week ago."

"Well, then another day wouldn't have made any difference whatsoever."

A crooked smile on her lips, Elphaba reached behind her to feel how much progress they'd made in the last half hour or so. Her hair still was far from dry.

"You really don't want me to meet him, do you?" she said.

Galinda clicked her tongue and made no reply.

"You shouldn't be so worried, my sweet. I don't want anything from him. Except a degree of closure if I can achieve at least that much. But I certainly don't want to invite him into my life. Our life."

"You can't want him in your life anyway," Galinda suddenly declared with a vehemency that startled them both.

Elphaba pivoted around in her seat, and the black strands slid out of the Galinda's hands. At her questioning look, Galinda answered, "Well, he's the prince of the Arjiki, and you're the next Eminent Thropp. This child—they shouldn't exist. Their parentage needs to remain a secret."

"We don't actually know yet—"

"It doesn't matter, does it? An illegitimate child born to two individuals of such powerful families could send local politics haywire. In the olden days, they would have forced you both to wed for sure! Though I don't exactly know how that would work in light of Fiyero's pre-existing marriage."

"I hear you," sighed Elphaba. "And rest assured, I will not stay in contact with him. I'm not going to tell anyone else about the baby's father either. This is going to be our secret."

Nodding thoughtfully, Galinda motioned for her to turn back around, so she could pick up her work where she'd dropped it.

"And? When the child is old enough to ask such questions," Galinda continued after a few minutes of silence, "what are you gonna tell them?"

Pursing her lips, Elphaba tried to imagine such a scene in her head, but it seemed impossible. Luckily, she'd rehearsed her answer many times before.

"That mum and mummy love them so very much. And that not every child has a father."

She could hear Galinda chuckle.

"I should have known that you would have thought this all out already. It's a good answer."

"You think?" she asked, twisting her fingers together, a puzzle of green sticks. "I don't think there is any one right answer. But I settled on this one a long time ago."