Talk to Me (The Winner, Part II)

Whenever Cricket wore it to the beach, and Sin wore the black crepe, we had a block and a half of men strung out behind us everywhere we went. All of them had their tongues hanging out and they kept very close eyes on both Cricket and Sin. Nicky grumped about it sometimes when it got to be too much. The stubborn ones who didn't pay any attention to that message eventually got the hint they weren't welcome when Sin kissed Cricket in front of them. The few who remained got told point blank to buzz off and stop being creeps.

We spent days at the beach together, the three of them baking in the sun while Amelia and I sat under the giant beach umbrella and used sun screen by the gallon. We often wound up sitting at the kitschy café that Sin liked afterward.

I was shifting uncomfortably because of the hard plastic chairs at the café and the baby kicking me almost continuously when Amelia sighed. The twins and Cricket were at the counter ordering burgers and things for lunch so it was only she and I at the table when she did it again. I looked at her in question.

"They lied to me."

Alarmed, I opened my mouth to protest.

"Not them." She surreptitiously pointed at the trio. "They're genuinely happy together and that's not something which can be faked over any length of time. And honestly both of them are good for Cricket. Their relationship is unusual, but there's nothing wrong with it. I know that now."

She shifted in her chair.

"What I meant was that Tami and Andrew lied to me. They admitted they did and said it was because someone told them what was supposedly really going on between the twins. Tami wanted to spare Cricket the pain of learning about it after she got any further involved with them."

"Who told them?" I wondered who it could have been and where they would have heard it. No one knew anything. We'd been extremely careful for years now.

"Andrew's new girlfriend, Ivy."

I tensed at what I felt was going to be bad news and my stomach twisted. I rubbed my belly trying to sooth the baby as it immediately kicked me again for it.

"What about Ivy?" Sin put a tray of food on the table and sat down simultaneously with Nicky, revealing Cricket standing right behind them holding another tray.

Amelia looked at them and opened her mouth but closed it again. Cricket looked at her mother and then to the twins.

"Ivy is Andrew's new girlfriend. He met her at some bar he hangs out at. She's already been married and divorced twice." Cricket put down the second tray of food and snatched a french fry, using it as a wand to illustrate with. "She's a gold digger who thinks she's found a genuine leprechaun in Andrew, shiny rainbow, pot of gold, and everything else. Stupid bitch, Andrew only likes her because she's easy and puts out."

"Cricket!" Her mother scolded her but Cricket just chomped half her french fry and grinned.

Both Sin and Nicky broke into laughter, snorting and having to use up all the napkins to wipe their eyes and noses while Cricket divvied up the food and pushed cokes in front of everyone.

Blah. Just the thought of eating the grease-burger they'd gotten for me made my stomach twinge again. How come they couldn't have ordered me something else? Not that anything on the menu sounded good right then but really, they got me a grease dripping cheeseburger? Come on! I was pregnant and usually they were all about making sure I ate well.

Amelia must have seen something on my face because she stopped eating and looked at the big clock over the take-out window and then back to me. I sipped some of my soda and looked back at her, lifting an eyebrow in silent inquiry.

Before she could respond to my eyebrow lift, Cricket leaned over and whispered to Sin who looked in the direction Cricket was pointing under the edge of the table. Nicky looked too, shifting his chair around so he didn't have to crane his neck. Amelia turned to see what had caught their attention.

He was tall, tanned, and fit looking while wearing board shorts with his shirt unbuttoned to show off his chest and flat stomach. As we watched he pushed his sunglasses up onto the top of his head and blinked at the gloom when he came inside. Sin's head bobbed as she squeezed Cricket's hand.

I rubbed my stomach again as it twinged over the thought of having to go through another get-acquainted ritual. This would be the fourth time this summer that they'd thought some guy was cute and Cricket invited him to come sit with us. None of them had worked out, being more interested in themselves than anything else.

Amelia glanced at the clock over the window again and nudged my burger closer to me. I shook my head no thanks as Cricket rose to go talk to the new guy. I pushed the burger away with a grimace as the baby kicked me again. Let them give it to their new friend if he wanted it, I didn't.

I closed my eyes as the thought of having to wait while he tried to be clever when saying really dumb things to try and impress Sin. I could feel the ripples in my stomach muscles as my body rebelled against the thought of going through that charade once more.

Another glance at the clock and Amelia bent and pulled her purse onto her lap. Digging through it she pulled out her phone and handed it to Sin.

"Call an ambulance, your mom's in labor."

"What?" Sin stood up fast, knocking her chair backward. Cricket spun from where she was leaning against the window counter and looked our way.

"She's in labor." Amelia indicated the phone. "Call for an ambulance. Her contractions are about eight minutes apart and getting closer together very rapidly."

"Amelia . . ."

"You're in labor." She patted my arm. "After having nine, I know the signs. Trust me, you're in labor."

Cricket grabbed the phone from Sin and dialed 911. "Hello? My mom says mom's in labor. We need an ambulance." She twisted and looked at me and then the floor at my feet. "No this isn't a joke, one of my mom's is pregnant and my mom says she's in labor. Her water hasn't broken yet but mom says the contractions are about eight minutes apart and getting closer. Hurry!"

Ok this time it wasn't a twinge. And it wasn't the thought of eating greasy food or having to endure the prospective boyfriend ritual that brought it on either. I groaned and Amelia patted my hand again.

"Don't push. Try to relax and breathe. Everything will be fine."

My water broke and made a mess everywhere. People were scrambling to get out of the way, some of them slipping and nearly falling. The owner of the café came out to scold us until he realized what was happening. Everyone clapped as I was wheeled away by the ambulance people once they got there.

Three hours later we named her Samantha. Tom was in awe when they gave her to him to hold for the very first time after I got transferred from the delivery room to a bed in recovery. Red and wrinkled she had grey eyes and fine downy hair so blonde it was almost white.

Cricket sniffed and mumbled about cheating cheaters who were all blonde and beautiful and then went and had adorable babies too! Nicky looked at Sin and then back to the tiny bundle in Tom's arms. They nodded together and slipped arms around each others' waists.

"Skye." They spoke the name together.

"Noooo . . ." Cricket's eyes were huge as she spun first toward them then back to me, whispering fiercely while pointing a rigid finger in my direction. "Not fair!"

"Winner!" I kept my voice quiet and held my hands up for my daughter. She was still very young, but I really wanted to talk to her.