Page 63 of Rebound
Are you two still fighting?
I call it foreplay.
Nina
Patricia. Be serious for a minute.
Yes, we’re still fighting. Yes, she still hates my guts. And yes, the only reason she’s putting up with me is because I knocked her up.
Elias
Ah, shit. I’m sorry, Pat. Your room is still available at the house.
Nina
Might not be the worst idea.
I was thinking about that yesterday and might take you up on the offer.
Elias
Mi casa es su casa
And if Ninan moves over, it can be like the good old days.
Nina
I am not living with the two of you.
Elias
You’ll have your own bathroom this time!
Nina
That was never the problem. Ugh. Anyway, nothing is decided, just wanted to run it by you two.
And when I make up my mind, you’ll be the first to know.
All jokes aside, Neens. It would be great to have you in the same city.
Elias
What he said.
Nina
Aw, I love you guys!
Things have been…the same. Sort of. We run into each other at random points in the day, but for the most part, I don’t see Tamara. I continue to make her food and now she cleans up after herself. The dishwasher is always loaded before I go to bed and she doesn’t leave her shit lying around. I’m pretty sure even her hair is no longer floating around the flat anymore. It’s weird to say it’s a nice change, but anything is better than the tundra we’ve been living in.
Which is hilarious because there’s nothing cold about Chennai. The heat’s been stifling and all of my research has said pregnant women can feel hotter and more uncomfortable during the summer months. So I stocked up on ice packs and left a note so she’d know to use them on days when it’s unbearable. This is the rising heat just before winter sets in—I use the word lightly, because it never really gets that cold. And if I’m bothered by the temperature, I can’t even begin to imagine what Tamara’s going through.
Fuck, I miss her.
I finally crumbled and told Dominic about what’s going on. He was partly disappointed, but mostly concerned I wasn’t taking care of myself.
“You do this, Pat. You spend so much time worrying about them, you don’t think about you. So what are you doing for yourself?”
