And Baby Makes Two - Dyan Sheldon [51]
The ringing of the doorbell finally woke me up. The room was dark. I reckoned it must be Shanee on her way home.
I started to sit up, but Shinola kind of grunted and shifted.
I didn’t want her to wake up. I wanted Shanee to myself for a change. The last time I saw her I hadn’t heard anything she was saying, I was so busy with Shinola.
Very, very slowly and carefully, I rolled myself off the bed. Once I was safely on the floor I peered over the mattress. Her eyelids were kind of twitching but she wasn’t crying. Which meant she was still asleep.
Holding my breath, I crawled towards the door, keeping as low to the carpet as I could. When I was hidden behind Shinola’s cot I stopped. The door, thank God, was open. I took a deep breath and made a dash for it.
Shanee nearly knocked me over getting into the hall.
“For God’s sake, Lana. What took you so long? I thought I was going to drown out there.”
“Shh,” I whispered. “She’ll hear you.”
Shanee looked puzzled. “You mean Hilary’s back?”
“Not her. Shinola.”
“Oh,” said Shanee, and she tiptoed into the kitchen behind me.
“I did come round yesterday,” she said as I shut the hall door. She dumped her bag and her wet jacket on a chair. “But you never answered.”
“Babies really take up a lot of time,” I replied. “It’s not like school. You don’t get a lunch break. I must’ve been busy and didn’t hear you. Unless I was out.”
“Or sleeping,” said Shanee.
I didn’t like her tone.
“What’s that mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything. I was only joking. You just never seem to be around when I call.” She removed a pile of stuff from another chair and sat down.
“Babies are also very exhausting,” I said. “It’s like being on guard duty twenty-four hours a day.”
“Well, you’re not doing such a brilliant job of guarding it,” she said. “The place looks like it’s been bombed.”
I glanced around. It had looked a little like something in a magazine when I’d finished de-Hilarizing it, but that was weeks ago. Shanee was right. Now it looked like something in a war zone.
“That’s Shinola,” I said. “I never get to finish putting anything away.”
“Speaking of work,” said Shanee. “Guess what? I got a part-time job!”
“Do you want tea?” I was already filling a pan with water.
“What happened to the kettle?” asked Shanee.
I shrugged. “It broke.” It burnt itself to a crisp. “You know Hilary, she only buys cheap junk.”
“And what about her nice blue teapot? Don’t tell me that broke, too.”
“Yeah,” I said. It broke when I threw it across the room. It was either the teapot or Shinola. “Everything’s breaking.”
“So, anyway,” said Shanee. “I got this part-time job!”
I told her that was brilliant.
“I know.” She hugged herself. “I am sooo excited. I’m working at that new gift shop with all the candles and the inflatable vases and stuff. They’ve taken me on for Christmas, but if I do OK I can probably have it for good.”
“I’ve got an appointment with the housing next week,” I said. “That’s pretty quick.”
Shanee nodded. “That is quick.” Without stopping for breath she went on, “It was such a piece of luck. There was a sign in the window so I got all my courage up and went in and asked. The woman said I had the right look.”
“You mean second-hand clothes and hair like a squirrel’s nest?”
Shanee laughed. “Fashion’s catching up with me. Black and purple and your cousin’s old motorcycle boots are considered very in this season.”
Shinola had made it through the doorbell, but the sound of adult laughter was too much for her. She couldn’t stand the thought of me being happy without her for three seconds.
Shanee was on her feet. “Do you want me to get her?”
“Just mind her head,” I said. “Her neck’s still a little wobbly.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” said Shanee.
When she came back with Shinola, she was telling her all about her new job.
“So, I’ll be able to get you something really special for your first Christmas,