Tess

[cottoncandypink]

The door does not open up to the condo, unfortunately. Because Wilford has not been to the condo since the last time he brought someone through the door. It opens up from his office, into an area nebulously defined as a dining room.

At least, there is a table there, which someone has taken a passing effort to keep clear. The stack of mail, hastily picked up toys, and a couple of coats on the table suggest nobody does any eating at the table.

The house is what passes as small in the neighbourhood. Windows look out on the sloping hills and sprawling city in the distance. Inside, brushed steel kitchen, slate grey walls, and leather furniture are betrayed by tiny hand smudges on the windows, peanut butter stains in the carpet, crayon scribbles in places that nobody seems to have the energy to deal with.

The house is also unusually quiet. How interesting.

Comments

[have_no_mercy]

She follows him inside, a little surprised it's not bigger than it is. The silence doesn't register with her; she's used to silence, living alone in her mansion. A light wind passes through the room.

She smiles a little at the obvious signs of Michael's presence.

"Is he home?"

[cottoncandypink]

Wilford starts to say something, but goes off to investigate instead, first checking the bedrooms upstairs. Michael's is empty. As is his own, so nobody appears to be taking a nap.

"I don't know," he says, heading down the stairs to the ground level.

[have_no_mercy]

"Maybe they went for a walk?"

She suggests. She looks around a little while Wilford is figuring things out.

"A good steamer will take these stains out."

[cottoncandypink]

"If she took him for a walk in this heat, I'm kicking her out," Wilford says as he disappears down the stairs.

He probably doesn't mean it.

Downstairs is just as empty as the upstairs is, and when he opens the garage door, he's not exactly surprised to find his car gone.

"You coming, or what?" he shouts up, making sure he has Celine's spare key on his ring.

[have_no_mercy]

"Yes, I'm coming."

She calls back, walking down the stairs leaving a waft of papers in her wake.

Peeking into the garage, she frowns.

"We're going in that?"

[cottoncandypink]

"She probably took the kid out to the aquarium or something again."

He unlocks the car and walks around to the driver's side.

"And when they get home, you're going to get me yelled at for this mess you're making."

[have_no_mercy]

"Aquariums are good."

That's a point in Celine's favour.

She climbs into the passenger seat awkwardly but does her best to get comfortable.

"I apologize. If I could control it, we wouldn't be here."

[cottoncandypink]

"He'd fucking live there if he could."

Wilford thinks Celine takes him more often than she should, but it's not her job to deal with troubled toddlers. It's probably the only way she can get him to behave when they're on their own.

He starts up the car and uses his phone to open the garage door so he can back out. The garage was already stuffy to begin with, but as soon as the door opens, a blast of hot air pours in.

[have_no_mercy]

"When I was little I wanted to live underwater."

So there's nothing wrong with wanting to live at the aquarium.

"Put the top up!"

[cottoncandypink]

"He just screams until he gets his way."

They're working on it.

He starts to back out, and taps at his phone again - first to close the garage, and then to open the gate at the bottom of the driveway.

"It's not going to make much difference with you blowing around like that."

At least with the top down, the wind will be predictable.

[have_no_mercy]

"I am not producing hot air along with it."

Normally she likes the heat, but her hormones are out of whack and right now it's unappealing.

"Put the top up."

[cottoncandypink]

"We'll be—fine."

Bossy women on all sides of him. He raises the top and backs out onto the road. The neighbourhood isn't in the obscenely upper class area, but there's still a lot of money in the houses on the street.

If Tess' stupid hurricane gets in Wilford's face, he's lowering the top again. But for now, he just turns on the AC and starts heading down the hill.

[have_no_mercy]

She leans against the window, enjoying the AC blowing in her face. At least it's not her own wind, which circles around the inside of the car like a trapped cat.

"How far away are we?"

[cottoncandypink]

Which is why Wilford had intended to keep the top down. He'd rather deal with the wind being too warm than constantly in his face.

"About a half hour," he says. "Depends on what traffic on Sheldon's like."

There isn't a single straight, level road in the entire neighbourhood. As soon as they're going, it's all twists and turns and hills. The little Banshee was made for this.

[have_no_mercy]

Wonderful. She keeps a hold on to the arm rest as if for dear life.

After about ten minutes, she grabs her stomach.

"Pull over!"

[cottoncandypink]

"What?"

Wilford pulls over the first chance he gets where they're not likely to get smashed into by someone rounding a curve.

"What's going on?" Why the sudden urgency?

[havenomercy]

"I'm going to throw up. Pull over now."

Hey, it was your idea to transport a pregnant woman, Wilford.

[cottoncandypink]

"Don't!"

Tess didn't mention puking would be a thing. Wilford slams on the hazards and leans away, hoping Tess opens the door in time.

[havenomercy]

She's pregnant, of course puking is a thing. The driving didn't help much.

She flings open the door as soon as they've stopped and stumbles out before letting loose on the ground. It lasts a few minutes, then she coughs some and wipes at her eyes. Once she's sure she's done, she climbs back in the car.

"Thank you."

[cottoncandypink]

Nobody told him that!

"The fuck was that?" he asks once she's back in the car.

Besides gross.

[have_no_mercy]

"Morning sickness."

She looks at him like it should be obvious.

"Which is a god damned lie because it happens whenever it wants to."

[cottoncandypink]

"I think that goes under the important information category, don't you?"

He doesn't start up again, just in case.

[have_no_mercy]

"Why?"

Everyone knows this.

"It's just a fact of being pregnant."

[cottoncandypink]

"You didn't tell me you were sick."

Does Wilford look like a pregnant woman? He has had no reason in his life to know this stuff.

[have_no_mercy]

She sighs and rolls her eyes.

"I"m not sick, I'm pregnant. Which, for the first trimester, includes throwing up at random intervals."

She motions him to go.

"I should be fine for a while now."