In the Trunk
“I don’t understand.”
“I know. I’ll explain it later.”
He pushed his chin out a bit like a bulldog. “I don’t get it. Why did we do all of this if you didn’t want to?”
“It’s not exactly…just can you go along with something for once? We can talk about it later, in private.”
“No,” he was vehement. “There’s no one here now. I want to understand. Why did you go through all that—the hormones, the shots, the ultrasound up in your business, the surgery? If you didn’t want a baby.”
“It’s complicated. And we’re not really on our own,” they said, gesturing at a pinhole in the wall above the map.
“That’s not—” he looked at the hole and wasn’t sure what to think. “Ok, we can talk about it later.”
They sat quiet for a long time. They had a headache.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I was thinking about asking about lunch soon.”
“They told me there’s a food court with lo mein near here.”
“Oh ok, you want to try that?”
“Yeah, let me get my shoes.”
They walked out the hall and past the center island to find the food court. The lo mein maître d’ asked them if they wanted to eat inside or outside.
“Outside,” they said at once. They were led down a long hall and down a staircase that seemed to go on for longer than they could see. Their knees started to hurt, they realized they had barely moved since coming to this place. Their host was walking too fast for them to ask any questions, so they simply followed. The corridor was dark but the lights overhead turned on automatically as they approached. Finally, a waiter opened the creaking door at the end of the hall.
“Sorry it’s such a long walk, but I hope you will enjoy getting some fresh air. Please take your time but let us know when you would like to return,” he beamed. He handed them a pair of menus and went back inside the door, which blended seamlessly into a wall of green plants. The patio was truly out in the open. They couldn’t see the ocean but they could smell it, and there were tables shaded by umbrellas.
“Ok, is this private enough?” he asked. They perused the menu. “Yes.”
“So you don’t want a baby.”
“That’s what I’m telling them. We need to leave.”
“I agree we need to leave, but what do you want?”
“I don’t know anymore. But I met a woman in the hall. She’s been here for years. She seemed a little…oversold on the place. It was really strange. I’m afraid we’ll be stuck here for good if we don’t get out soon.”
“Years?”
“Yeah, she decided she wanted to be here.”
“What does she do here?”
“I don’t know, she was just out there, sitting in that island area. I don’t know, she was fine, but I don’t want to end up like that. I want to go home.”
The door opened and the waiter came out to take their orders. They stopped talking and both ordered, which was easy, because there was only one thing on the menu. They waited quietly for him to leave and for the door to hinge closed before they started again.
“So how are we going to do it? We still have to sit through their presentations. I’m not sure how long that will take.”
“I’m going to tell them I don’t want a baby, that I’ve made my decision. We see what they say, and then we ask to go back.”
“Do you think they’ll just let us go, like that?”
“I don’t know. Do you have a better idea?”
