Pregnant Without a Cause

Chapter Twelve, Episode 41

[1275 words]

Zam got the voicemail from Jock, asking to meet him in private. By text he set up a meeting at Encanto Park. It was remote, almost downtown, and very old. And it had a cinematic quality. Zam assumed that Jock wanted to talk to him about having a bigger role on the show.

His debut at the baby shower had gone pretty well, he figured, at least until that crazy sailor woke up. Until now he had been merely a walk-on as Callie's anonymous date or friend. But if Callie and her baby were going to be a larger part of the show, there would have to be a father—a caring, clear-headed, cool young man who both protected Callie and made her laugh: in other words, himself.

It was late Monday afternoon of a school day, not many people about. From the parking lot, Zam walked past empty tennis courts and a basketball court where a couple of chunky young men stood talking while one of them dribbled a ball. The kiddie land was closed, but as Zam passed he could see the old-fashioned merry-go-round with its wild-eyed enameled horses.

Zam had asked Jock to meet him at the boathouse. The boat rental office was locked up for the night, and the canoes and paddleboats bumped against each other quietly. Ducks sat parked under a baby palm tree on the bank of the lagoon. Cinematic as hell! You never knew when Jock would have a camera following him, and Zam wanted to make an impression. But he also wanted to make sure no one he knew saw him. If either Callie, or especially Michelle, found out his plan, they would freeze him out before he ever got going.

Jock came down the ramp to the dock, that phony Hollywood schmoozer smile on his face. Trying hard not to be seen doing it, Zam was checking every baby palm tree and restroom corner for sneaky cameramen. Jock didn't seem to be wearing a lapel cam or anything like that.

"Good," Jock said, glancing around. "I never knew there was a park down here." 

"I used to come when I was akid."

Jock gave him an amused look. "Your stunt almost cost Michelle and Callie a lot of money. And Ed. Ouard."

"My stunt?" Zam refused to be intimidated. 

"You told me Callie wanted us there."

"No. I said she wanted to have a shower." Zam leaned on the steel pipe railing of the dock. "You said you had plans for Mrs. Scharf on Saturday. I really didn't expect you to show up."

A few ducks floated over to see if the two humans on the dock by the paddleboats would be producing some bread or popcorn. Zam didn't have anything to offer but Altoid mints. That probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Jock spread his arms and smiled. "No, I thought it was pretty clear, but, the point is, because of the mistake, my mistake let's call it, I'm in a delicate situation with Michelle now. She really gave me what for. There's to be no more video of her daughter, or the baby, or any of that. We're concentrating on Michelle and Edouard."

Zam didn't get it. "Without Callie and the baby, Mrs. Scharf and Edoo are just another blobby couple of old people. As the baby's father, I can smooth things over with Callie and Michelle."

"We're taking a different approach with them. We'll work it out."

Zam took a slow breath, hoping to hide his shock. "You had to meet me to tell me this? To buzz off? Doesn't make much sense."

Jock chuckled. "Well, I wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings. I know you've been helping out the crew. But it'd be better if you stay away."

"Why?" This wasn't going according to plan. Not at all.

"I kept you around to support Callie. But in truth, for insurance reasons, I can't have anyone at a shoot who isn't part of the crew."

"So you're just going to ignore that Callie had a baby?"

"Well, I know now that Callie did not have the baby. Michelle did." 

Someone had been talking. Or was this guy just guessing? "Who says?" 

Jock smirked, superiorly. "Edouard told me what happened."

"And he probably told you that he is the father." 

"Naturally."

"He's either stupid or lying or both." Zam whacked the hand railing. Bleeping Edouard. Who else would screw things up so badly?

But Zam was not ready to back down. No matter what Callie thought of him—and since the shower he guessed that was not much—he had promised her that he would keep her secret, and he was determined to honor that commitment, no matter how badly he had to slander her reputation to do it. He had put forth his fatherhood solely to end the speculation that only made Callie look bad. "Edoo-erd was not at the birth, I was. You can ask Callie about that. Or her mom. What male is usually present when a baby is born, besides the doctor? Right? And if I'm the father, then Callie must be the mother."

He saw a flash of doubt in the older man's eyes.

"I want to be on the show, one way or another, and I can help you get what you want. I think you're stupid not to feature Callie and me. But whatever. Point is, I can help you get what you need from them, because I have an in with them. And the in is that I really am the father."

The only thing that could go wrong with this lie would be if Michelle had told Jock the truth. The producer stared down at the ducks, rubbing his jaw as if feeling his shave. The fat birds, uncomfortable under his phony Hollywood schmoozer gaze, floated under the dock and came out the other side. "I don't get you."

Anger flared in Zam. "There's nothing to get. It's real simple."

"No," said Jock. "You act like you really care for Callie, then you want to sabotage her."

"I am protecting her." Why didn't anyone get this? "If people are questioning me, they're not questioning her. I'm the lightning rod to defuse the prying eyes."

"All right," said Jock. "I can keep you on the crew. But only under special conditions."

Zam was exuberant. "What conditions?"

"I can't pay you. I'll give you paychecks, but they won't be any good. And you'll have to give them back to me." Jock smiled.

The more teeth he showed, the more suspicious Zam became. "That blows."

"You want to be on it or not? See, if I pay you, they could get me under the child labor laws."

Zam shrugged. At least he was on the crew. 

"And you're working under a different name." Zam wanted to laugh. "What name?"

"You only answer to the name Terry Major." "Terry Major? Who the heck is that?"

"From now on, that's you. And you can't tell anyone else about it. If you do we never had this conversation and I'll prove you've been lying all along."

"But what about the people on the crew? They know I'm not Terry Whatever." 

"No, they don't. Most of them barely know you exist."

"What about Callie? And her mom? And Javier knows my name. So does Leigh." 

"They called you Sam because that's your nickname. I'll explain it. They'll understand. Fantastic Sam because you're a fantastic kid." He reached out and grabbed Zam around the neck, corralled him, and rubbed the top of his head. "Because you're a fantastic kid."

Zam pulled away. Where did this guy get off? He briefly considered that he could kill the guy with his jackknife and shove the body under the dock. They wouldn't find him for days. Then Zam could do whatever he wanted. For days. After that, not so much.

But he'd left his jackknife in the car.