Three Weeks

2

"Ssshhhh, Polly, please. Stop crying." 

Alice pleads with the infant held snuggly in her arms. She tried walking around the house with the little girl, hoping she'd settle down. Hell, Alice didn't know what to do. It wasn't like she had a mother she could phone up and ask.

The laundry timer dings, signaling that the load was done. Alice groans, not wanting to set the screaming baby down, but Hal would definitely express his disappointment if she couldn't even get his work clothes washed for the week.

She places Polly in her bouncer, bringing it into the laundry room. The infant hated being separated from her mother. It does little to stop the crying, but Alice needed to just power through and finish the chore at hand.

Her head pounds. God, she wanted to just run away from her whole situation, which in return made her feel so guilty. She loved little Polly more than anything, but it was all getting to be too much for her. Alice's mind wanders to FP, seeing him at the grocery store today had her feeling all sorts of old emotions.

She wondered how life would be different if she just had told him about the baby. Her real first child. His son. Alice could almost guarantee that FP would be a better partner to raise a family with than Hal. In fact, she believed that with every ounce of her being.

About an hour before Hal would be arriving home from The Register, Polly finally stopped crying. Alice put her down in the bassinet upstairs, before rushing downstairs to start on dinner. She could bet money on it that Hal would make a snide comment about dinner not being ready for him upon arrival.

At 6 o'clock on the dot, he pulls into the driveway. Their food is cooking, thankfully, but Alice knew Polly would be waking up soon and needed to be fed.

Hal walks through the door, smiling as he sees his wife in the kitchen. "Hello, Alice." He says upon entering the kitchen, pecking an emotionless kiss to her lips.

"Dinner's not quite ready, huh?"

She sighs, "No, it was a pretty hectic day for me. Polly was fussier than usual."

He says nothing, making his way up the stairs to their bedroom. "Wait! Hal, can you please just keep an eye on dinner for me? Polly will be waking up any second and I need to feed her."

Hal stops in his tracks, loosening his necktie and haphazardly tossing it on the stair railing--something that Alice would have to go pick up later.

"I guess so. Even though I worked all damn day..." he mutters, as he strides back into the kitchen.

The comment hurts and Alice wants to say something, and it takes everything she has left to hold her tongue. She knew getting into a yelling match with him would do neither of them any good.

Instead she leaves the room without even making eye contact with her husband. She has to hold back the frustrated tears threatening to spill over.

She enters their bedroom, picking up the baby in her arms, cradling her close. Polly looks up at her with wide, blue eyes and Alice smiles, pressing a kiss to the child's forehead. She gets situated in the rocking chair and the baby latches to her chest. Alice leans back in the chair, squeezing her eyes shut. For the first time all day, she actually has a moment to breathe.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Polly," she whispers quietly, "I don't know how much longer I can keep on like this."

The baby continues to feed, her tiny hand resting on Alice's chest. She runs her finger along the infant's hand, and Polly wraps her tiny fist around Alice's finger.

A smile spreads across her face. It was as if Polly was assuring her everything would be okay.

"I love you, baby girl," she says, holding Polly against her chest after she was finished. "Things are going to get better, I promise."

* * * * *

The Whyte Whyrm was buzzing, just as usual. FP pulled his motorcycle into the crammed parking lot, right up front in his usual spot. 

He opens the door and is immediately greeted by the smell of cigarettes and cheap booze. The neon signs advertising various alcohols sting his eyes as he makes his way to the bar. Hog Eye waved to him from behind the counter and was about to take his order when a brunette in a tight leather corset slid in front of him.

"Hiya, Jones," she says biting her lip, leaning over the counter far enough to make sure her breasts were right in view. "What are we drinking tonight?"

He internally groans upon seeing her. He wasn't overly fond of the woman, but she was a good time in bed and threw herself at him every time he came into the bar. 

"Hey, Gladys," he mutters, trying his best to not look down. "Uh, just give me an Old Fashioned." 

Her eyebrows knit together. She could sense he was in a mood that night, which was unusual for him. "You have a bad day, or what?"

FP leans forward on the counter, crossing his arms, "Guess you could say that." 

She bends over the counter directly across from him while she makes his drink, no doubt trying to get him to look at her ass in the tight leather pants she was wearing. 

"Here you go, handsome," she says sliding the drink over to him. He barely looks at her.

"Jesus, you really are in a mood tonight," she pauses and he finally looks up at her, "What?"

She leans on one elbow, her chin resting in her hand, "I bet I know what will cheer you up." Gladys grins, her other hand grabbing him by the flannel, playing with the collar of his shirt seductively.

Truthfully, all he could think about all day was Alice. Not only was she still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, but he couldn't get that hopeless, empty look she had on her face out of his head. 

Gladys breaks him out of his daydream, "Hey--Jones, come on...lighten up a little. Life is great in here."

Life most certainly wasn't great in there. He hated his life at the moment. All he'd do was work for Fred all day, go to the Whyrm at night and go home with Gladys. It was like a cycle he couldn't escape. 

All he could think about was how that bastard Hal Cooper got to be with Alice. And he didn't just mean sleep with her. He meant he got to do everything with Alice. FP knew he certainly wouldn't let her do the grocery shopping by herself with their three week old baby. He feels like a damn idiot for desiring to do something as simple as going to the store with Alice. He couldn't deny it though. He'd give anything to do just that with her. 

And though he isn't entirely sure how it happened, he finds himself yet again, putting his helmet on Gladys's head, letting her straddle him on the back of his bike and taking her home with him to Sunnyside trailer park. 

Maybe it's his anger at himself for letting Alice get away too easily. Maybe it's his own dismay at not being born with a silver spoon in his mouth like Cooper. He decides that it's a culmination of those things that make him hop back into bed once again with Gladys. 

And while the brunette woman sleeps soundly next to him, he stares up at the ceiling wondering if just maybe Alice could be thinking about him, too.