Kat clasped her hands in her lap. Alejandro's driving made her nervous sometimes. Especially when something was bothering him. He'd drive as if he were the only one on the street and the car was sheathed in iron.
"If you don't want to take the vacation we don't have to. Or if you want to go alone I won't say—"
"We're going. Both of us." Kat took a peek in his direction for the first time since they'd gotten in the car and tried to understand his emotions. He didn't seem the slightest bit angry. She couldn't quite describe what she saw in his side profile, but she knew for sure it wasn't joy.
"I'm not going to separate myself from my kids so that you can ignore me on a resort. We can do that at home." Kat could feel herself getting frustrated with his indifference. His doctor had given him a recommendation that might save their marriage—their family. And it seemed as if he was being inconvenienced.
"Stay home and I'll take the kids so you can have time to yourself." She suggested quietly with her eyes still focused out the passenger window.
"Kat, don't say anything else about it. You and I are going." She'd given him options to avoid being in her presence for extended periods of time, but he'd passed them up. So he'd have no excuses for mistreating her on his trip; she wouldn't allow him to concoct any either.
*
The last bell of the day had rung and Kat straightened her skirt as she followed the kids out. She watched over them as they all scrambled for the buses and their parents. An ocean of navy and white uniforms all moved swiftly around her, forcing her to be cautious of her steps.
She opened the door of the front office and shut it behind herself. There were a couple adults in the waiting room, anticipating their turn to speak to the principle. Kay greeted them quietly with a light smile.
Marlennys chatted speedily on the phone. Kat sat in her special seat at the end of her desk. She watched as her best friend wrote information on a tablet while rubbing her poking belly. She wore a thick headband that pushed her short pixie cut out of her eyes. Kat thought it made her look so much younger.
Within a minute or two she'd hung up the phone and pivoted her chair to face Kat. She couldn't help the smile pulling at her lips when she was awarded a perfect view of her bump. She unthinkingly leaned forward to lay a palm under her breast.
"They really need to put someone else in here; this is a lot of work for you." Marlennys was constantly working. She was moving from one task to another every second of her workday. Handling parents, emails, phones and countless other logistics for such a large school was too much for one person but even more for someone carrying a child.
"No," Marlennys said hastily. "I'm not sharing my paychecks and bonuses with *anyone*." She feigned defensiveness. Kat chuckled nonchalantly.
"How've you been feeling?" She remembered how scared and clueless she had been while she was pregnant with Andres. She wished she had someone available to answer her questions whenever one arose. Patricia was as helpful as she could be from so far away, but sometimes her small questions weren't worth the calling card hassle. The feeling of immediate support would've been a comfort in itself. Her goal was to be that person for Marlennys.
"Tired. I feel like I can't sleep enough. I just want to lie in bed all day." Kat chortled while shaking her head.
"I don't think that has anything to do with the pregnancy; that's an everyday thing for me." Marlennys snorted.
