Being Alive: A The Queen's Gambit Story

Chapter 11

The phone rings while Beth is hard-boiling a dozen eggs for the week, and she picks it up, wedging the phone between her shoulder and ear as she walks back to the stove.

"Hello?"

"Hey Beth, it's Jolene."

Beth transfers the phone to her other ear as she nudges a few fraternizing eggs away from each other in the boiling water. "Jolene, hi, how are you?"

"I'm good. How's my goddaughter doing?"

"She keeps kicking me."

Jolene snorts. "Good girl. Anyway, Rick and I wanted to know what you and Benny were doing this weekend. We're finally having a housewarming for our new place."

"We're in New York this weekend," Beth says. "We're bringing Benny's mom back here, remember?"

"Shit. So, you're actually going through with it?"

Beth walks back over to the phone cradle, turning around and pressing her back against the wall. "Yes. We're going through with it. I told you before."

"Yeah, but I thought it was just one of those things you talk about but don't actually do." Jolene pauses. "You and Benny should have all the sex you want now. Because, once his mother is under your roof..."

"I'm pretty sure that all goes away with the baby, anyway."

"I don't know, our old secretary here had a baby last year and she used to come in walking side to side sometimes afterwards, and it wasn't because of the labor."

Beth laughs and drily returns, "Thanks for that visual."

"So, you're missing my housewarming to drive some old lady from New York to here, huh?"

"We're also playing in a chess tournament while we're out there," she says. "It's the New York City Invitational."

"Do you think when the other players see your name on the list, they're excited or scared shitless?"

"I don't care so long as I win."

She hears Jolene snicker before she says, "That's my girl. Well, we'll miss you guys."

"Benny and me will stop by after we get his mom settled in."

"You can bring her, if you want. How's she with black folks?"

"I don't know. I'd say ambivalent?"

"Well, that's better than most."

Beth hears Benny come in the front door. "That's Benny now, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright. Talk to you later."

Benny walks into the kitchen, mail clutched in one hand, and he makes a face when he detects the distinct smell of hard-boiling eggs. "I thought when you're pregnant, you're supposed to get cravings for new foods."

"I like eggs," Beth returns simply.

"Yeah. I know. That's pretty much all you ate back in New York. Who was that on the phone?"

"Jolene. She was inviting us to her and Rick's housewarming this weekend," Beth says. She remembers Jolene's offer to bring Mrs. Watts with them next time they visit, and she asks, "Hey, your mom's not a racist, right?"