Aphasiac

Chapter Five

Nelson Residence
November 6, 1996

David drummed his fingers nervously against the table, listening to the annoying ring of a telephone through the receiver. He had been dreading this phone call and had already put it off too long. He wasn't sure what to expect. He knew their news would just refresh Jack's pain over he and Molly's inability to create life between them, but Jack needed to hear it from David rather than some shared acquaintance in passing.

He and Jack had been friends since college where they had been paired as roommates their freshmen year. That they both had seemed unable to produce children only seemed to solidify their relationship. Their regular dinners and outings together provided an intimate kind of support group that no public program could have matched. David did not want to make this call.

On the eighth ring Jack picked up, sighing a weary hello into the phone.

"Hey, Jack, it's David, what took you so long?" David asked.

"Just tired, I guess."

"You sound stressed. Is everything okay?" he asked.

"You know how it goes," Jack said. "One of the guys here is giving me a hard time. He thinks he runs the place."

"Tell me about it," David groaned, rolling his eyes, a gesture Jack couldn't see but would be able to sense from David's tone. "I've got a guy here who hates my guts right now because I got the promotion. But I guess that's the way life goes, huh?"

"I guess. You pregnant yet?" Jack asked. It was an ongoing joke between them. A way to make light of an emotional situation that neither man really wanted to talk about.

David was silent for a moment, worried about how his friend would take the news. "That's actually why I'm calling, Jack," he said.

Dead air. David almost thought Jack had hung up until he heard him clearing his throat. "Congratulations," he said stiffly. "You must be excited."

"I didn't want to upset you, Jack," David said. "I just thought you should hear it from me first."

"Yeah...no, it's great Dave. How's Paula feeling?" he asked.

"Tired but she's like a new woman," David told him.

"I bet," Jack said sadly.

"You guys keep at it," David said. "Our kid's going to need someone to play with."

"I'm shooting blanks, Dave," Jack said suddenly. "We just had the test done. I've got nothing."

"I'm sorry," David said gently.

"It's better to know," Jack said. "Now we might be able to adjust to the idea of having a life without kids."

"Have you talked any more about adoption?" David asked.

"No way!" Jack answered too quickly. There was too much defensiveness in his voice, as if David had offended him. It was not intended to be an insult. "You never know where those babies come from."

"Jack, they're just kids who need a home," said David, surprised by Jack's attitude.

"We're not going to adopt."

"Whatever you like," David said. "Hey, are you busy this weekend? I was wondering if you wanted to get together and play pool or shoot some hoops or something?"

"Thanks but no thanks," Jack said. "I just don't feel like playing games right now."

"I understand. Another time?" David asked.