Mommy Mouse (sequel to City Mouse)

Chapter 22: Appetites Return

Mouse dropped Leo off at school, then took the subway to Midtown. She was meeting Travis for coffee at Rockefeller Center before he had to work. Travis had been a musical theatre major, one of the rare straight guys in the major, and was trying really hard to break into the Broadway acting scene, which meant that he had to take pretty much any part time job that came along. Basically, "musical theatre" was code for "bartending and poverty," and Mouse felt bad that someone as talented as Travis had to spend his days as a sales associate in a clothing store, and his nights as a waiter. Even if the sales associate position was at a trendy, upscale shop like Anthropologie, Mouse knew that he made minimum wage, and that the employees were "encouraged" to wear clothing from the actual store, where a pair of pants could cost two hundred dollars.

"Wow, don't you look fantastic," he said with a smile, reaching out to hug her.

"I feel really good, almost human," Mouse admitted, nodding her head. "I haven't been feeling sick so much, and we find out the gender soon, so yeah, things are nice."

They headed for the coffee shop right in Rockefeller Center, which wasn't too terribly crowded on a weekday morning, and settled down for a nice chat.

Mouse ordered a large pastry, wishing in passing that they sold savory things, too. She could really go for a big plate of bacon and eggs. And maybe some Feta cheese.

"So, how many weeks now?" Travis asked, smiling at her again. "You're not showing or anything."

"Sixteen," Mouse replied, taking another huge bite of her pastry.

"And when do you start to feel it move around?" Travis asked, curious.

"Within the next month or so, I guess," Mouse answered.

Travis shook his head. "That must feel so weird," he said with a laugh.

He sat back and regarded his ex-girlfriend. It was a cold day, but they were sitting directly under a cone heater, and didn't really feel the chill.

Mouse was wearing a loose-fitting sweater in a pretty shade of blue, with jeans and boots, and she really did look happy and at ease in the sunshine.

"You're just one of those lucky pregnant ladies who gets all bloomy and radiant, I guess," he finally said.

"Did you say 'bloomy'?" Mouse laughed, shaking her head. "I'm just lucky you didn't see me a few weeks ago; I couldn't keep anything down, I had circles under my eyes, the whole shebang, as they say." She took a sip of her tea. "I actually feel hungry these days," she said, gesturing at her empty plate, "not to mention horny."

Travis made a little face as he held his hands up in front of himself. "TMI, Martha, please!" he begged.

Mouse grinned and switched plates with Travis so she could finish his muffin. "I know it sounds weird, but I'm glad we could stay friends, you know?" she confided. "And that I can say that kind of stuff to you. I mean, besides Henry and Mary Lizard, you're really the only person I can talk to, the only friend I have. And they're family, so they really don't count."

"It doesn't make any sense," Travis answered, shaking his head. "You're so friendly and nice, and you've never been particularly shy, I don't think..."

Mouse gave him a look. "Please. How many times did you ask me out before I finally said yes? And that was just to get you to leave me alone," she told him, laughing.

"No, say it ain't so," Travis answered, placing his hand dramatically on his heart.

Mouse had finished Travis' muffin by now, and looked back at the bakery counter, contemplating buying another one.