Survival

#15 Then and Now

Years ago:

Lila was at a garden party at a neighbor's house who invited her. That's the way it was in the suburbs. Some women always looked friendly and welcoming, but behind closed doors they gossiped mercilessly and hated each other. Lila's neighbour was one of them.

Lila wasn't very popular in the neighborhood at first, with her erratic and often impulsive temper. Still, she tried to fit in. Now it was her new life, she had a six-month-old, Grace, and she was trying to adjust to normal life.

"Oh, I envy you so much!" Her neighbor exclaimed as they chatted.

"What exactly?" Lila asked.

"Now that you're breastfeeding, you don't have to worry about getting pregnant. I've always tried to breastfeed as long as possible to take proper advantage of it!"

"Really?"

"Of course... right, Annie?" She nodded at her friend, who just nodded back.

"That's right, I did too."

Lila had no reason to doubt it, no one had talked to her properly about these things. After all, assassins weren't expected to have children and nurse them.

When Lila left, the women looked at each other and started to gloat.

Some time later, her neighbor must have realized very quickly what was going on when Lila came up to her unexpectedly one morning and landed a nicely aimed punch without a word. She never invited her to a garden party again.

--

Present day:

Lila and Five drove his car to the pharmacy, where Lila left her car after the detective drove her to the station. Five hasn't said a word since they left the police station.

He had stared at her in shock for a good half minute after she had announced it, then muttered something about going to arrange her release, and when they let her go a little later, he said nothing, just walked silently to his car together.

Lila looked at him every few seconds, waiting for him to finally say something. She tried to read anything into his expression that would tell her what he was thinking about all of this. He didn't look angry, he didn't even look happy, he looked - neutral. Which was the worst possible option. Silence and a neutral expression.

"Uuuugh, I really can't take it anymore." She broke the silence in the car. "Could you at least give me a hint as to how you feel about the variation of me being pregnant with Baby Five? I'd love to know!"

"We'll talk about it at home, okay?"

"Oh, God, I feel like I'm behind the school and everything was found out. Weird, I never went to a normal school." She uttered and Five didn't respond. Lila started playing with the window on her side, pulling it down and back up again. Every now and then she shot a glance at Five, but again he didn't say anything, though she was sure that at another time he would have told her to stop fooling around and close the window. "You're not going to tell me how irresponsible I am and to cut the crap?"

Five shook his head. Lila let out a frustrated sigh.

A little while later they stopped at her car, she didn't want to leave it there, so everyone drove the rest of the way in their own cars. Lila looked at the bag on the next seat and a memory came back to her, the last time she had bought pregnancy tests and how the whole thing had gone when she had confirmed she was expecting.

--

Years ago:

"So?" Diego asked as soon as she came out of the bathroom.