The Struggles of Growing Up-Completed

Chapter 26

The next day, Lor's flight got delayed. She wasn't kidding when she said she would be on the next flight.

Meanwhile, I sat in my office, wondering what I was going to do if my suspicions were correct. Any san woman would have run to the drugstore and picked up a test the second a suspicion occurred. Me, well, I'd like to be in wonder for a while longer. After all, it's not like I'm over the shock.

I decided to make a list of all that's happened since our plane from San Francisco landed. This is what I have so far.

-Dad's video

-I get the company

-The Bio Banquet makes Zach and I clash

-I look after Maia, who hates me

-Maia goes MIA

At this point, everything else gets jumbled. I'm not even sure if that's all in chronological order.

-We go to therapy

-Zach and I fight

-Will and I fight

-Will schemes

-We go to Paris

Everything just gets blurred, so I give up in frustration. I guess it doesn't even matter what happened or when. Shit happened, and I can't change it. Those were outside things that tested Zach and I: the company, the media, the past.  This, a baby... how would that affect us?

How would that affect me?

I'm only 22, I'm fresh out of college. Money's obviously no issue, this baby would have two rich parents. It's the timing. Zach and I are still just trying to enjoy each other. How could I be pregnant! My first time was three weeks ago!

Of course I was careful, but what's done is done. Wishing and hoping may be useless at this point.

I would love the baby. He or she might have my gray eyes but I would hope that he/she would have Zach's smile. Maybe our poor vision would somehow cancel out and the baby wouldn't need glasses at all.

Damn. A baby. Our baby. We got awkward yesterday at the mere mention of the word 'future'. Add a baby and what would happen? I know he wouldn't leave me because of that, Zach isn't like that, but would our relationship be strained?

Of course it would. A baby is the ultimate test.

***

At closing time, I linger a little longer in the hallway in the first floor. I remember ogling at the portraits of  the CEOs in history on the wall on my first day. Now, my picture's there. Me, all alone. Could I ask Zach to come work here again? Lor's right. It would fix a lot of things. It would most likely bring us closer again. It would improve the credibility of the company again. The media would see this as a strong union for the company. Zach and Emma: a company partnership, not just a personal one.

Of course, there would be speculations, but I do need help. This job is too big for one person, and I now know that part of the reason I'm struggling is Will. He really didn't help that much, and I didn't realize it until now. That hurt, a lot.

I need Lor, because I now have one other situation.

Markson pulls up in front of LAX, and when I see Lor, I sigh with relief.

"Over here." I tell him.

Despite being on a long and stressful flight, she looks as radiant as ever.

"Come on! We need to see if there's a bun in the oven!"

Yup, radiant all right.

Markson takes us home and I assure him I'll be fine for the day. I really didn't want him to drive me to the Family Food and Drug and have him watch me carry a brown bag. Besides, the reporters know this car, and it would be absolutely horrible if tomorrow's headline read "Is Emma Rembrandt buying a pregnancy test?"