Edible Woman - Margaret Atwood [77]
Len was having trouble believing her. He put on his glasses, stared at her through them, and took them off again. There was a pause while he drank more beer. “So she’s been to college, too. I should have known. That’s what we get then,” he said nastily, “for educating women. They get all kinds of ridiculous ideas.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Marian said with a touch of sharpness, “there’s some men it doesn’t do much good for either.”
Len winced. “Meaning me, I suppose. But how was I to know? You certainly didn’t tell me. What a friend.”
“Why, I’d never presume to try and tell you how to run your life,” Marian said indignantly. “But why should you be upset, now that you know? You don’t have to do anything. She’ll take care of the whole business. Believe me, Ainsley’s quite capable of looking after herself.”
Leonard’s mood seemed to be changing rapidly from despair to anger. “The little slut,” he muttered. “Getting me into something like this.…”
There were footsteps on the stairs.
“Shhh,” Marian said, “here she is. Now keep calm.” She went out into the small vestibule to greet Ainsley.
“Hi, just wait till you see what I got,” Ainsley called, lilting up the stairs. She bustled into the kitchen, setting her parcels on the table and taking off her coat and talking breathlessly. “It was such a jam down there but besides the groceries – have to eat enough for two now, you know – oh, and I got my vitamin pills – and I got the darlingest little patterns, just wait till you see.” She produced a knitting book, then some blue baby-wool.
“So it’s going to be a boy,” Marian said.
Ainsley’s eyes widened. “Well of course. I mean, I thought it might be better.…”
“Well, maybe you should have discussed it with the prospective father before you took the necessary steps. He’s in the living room, and he seems rather annoyed at not being consulted. You see,” Marian said maliciously, “he may have wanted a girl.”
Ainsley pushed back a strand of auburn hair that had fallen over her forehead. “Oh. Len’s here, is he?” she said, with pronounced coolness. “Yes. He sounded a little upset on the phone.” She walked into the living room. Marian did not know which of them needed her support more or which she would give it to if forced to choose between them. She followed Ainsley, aware that she should extricate herself before the thing got much messier, but not knowing how.
“Hi Len,” Ainsley said lightly. “You hung up on me before I had a chance to explain.”
Len wouldn’t look at her. “Marian has already explained, thanks.”
Ainsley pouted reproachfully. She had evidently wanted to do it herself.
“Well, it was somebody’s duty to,” Marian said, compressing her lips in a slightly Presbyterian manner. “He was suffering.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you at all,” Ainsley said, “but I really couldn’t keep it to myself. Just think, I’m going to be a mother! I’m really so happy about it.”
Len had been gradually bristling and swelling. “Well I’m not so damn happy about it,” he burst out. “All along you’ve only been using me. What a moron I was to think you were sweet and innocent, when it turns out you were actually college educated the whole time! Oh, they’re all the same. You weren’t interested in me at all. The only thing you wanted from me was my body!”
“What did you want,” Ainsley asked sweetly, “from me? Anyway, that’s all I took. You can have the rest. And you can keep your peace of mind, I’m not threatening you with a paternity suit.”
Len had stood up and was pacing the floor, at a safe distance from Ainsley. “Peace of mind. Hah. Oh no, you’ve involved me. You involved me psychologically. I’ll have to think of myself as a father now, it’s indecent, and all because you” – he gasped: the idea was a novel one for him – “you seduced me!” He waved his beer bottle at her. “Now I’m going to be all mentally