Threading the Needle Ch. 11 - Sex Stories

Threading the Needle Ch. 11

... person. He doesn't deserve you and you deserve so much more."

The misery in Marika's eyes didn't lessen but a flame of anger joined it. "Yes I do." She pulled a hand gently away from Winnie's grip and wiped at her eyes. "I can't stand pretending everything is just fine. He gets home tomorrow and I'm not ready to let him know." She looked out the window. "Plus, once I get what I want, then I'm a single mother. It's going to make life a lot harder." She looked back. "I know. It's pathetic, that even a part of me wants to hold onto him for convenience."

Still holding her other hand, Winnie gave it another gentle squeeze. "No it's not. Raising Kieran by yourself wasn't what you signed up for. This would scare anyone, but you aren't alone. I bet Yamile will be a big help, and there isn't anything that Liz wouldn't do for you," she said. "And you've got me," she said more softly. "I'll help you any way I can."

Marika looked at the younger woman and gave her a little smile. "Thanks Winnie," she said. The raw emotion was evident in her voice but her sincerity came through. Having the support of her friends was the difference in keeping complete despair from overwhelming her. "I've got my sister too. I talked with her yesterday. She offered to move in with me. I think mostly she wants to get out of our parent's house, but still it will be good," she told Winnie.

From talking on the long drives to the rivers, Winnie knew about Marika's sister. She was quite a bit younger ...

... than Marika; in fact, Winnie thought they were almost the same age. A recent graduate from nursing school, she recently had to move back home to make ends meet. "That will be nice for you. She'll help with Kieran?" Winnie asked.

"Oh yeah. She loves him. And her shift at the hospital is three 12's in a row. So she works Monday through Wednesday and then is off for four days!" Marika replied.

A little bit of weight lifted from Winnie's chest. She knew that the only reason Marika was free to go rafting was that Samuel watched Kieran every other weekend. A selfish part of her had worried that when Marika no longer got that from him, she wouldn't be able to raft anymore. Winnie didn't want to lose that time with her. Immediately, Winnie felt a little guilty. Rafting was very important to her friend and her relief should have been for her. "Cool! You can keep rafting!" she said.

"Yeah. Tereza already told me that," Marika said. The smile on her lips was more genuine than at any other time during their conversation. "I didn't want to give that up," she said. "I guess all I seem to talk about is rafting, so she understood. She might even come along some weekends so Kieran can camp with us."

"That would be fun. I bet everyone will love him," Winnie said. As yet, she hadn't met Marika's young son, although she was familiar with him from talking with her and the pictures around her office. She looked over at the spot where a family portrait used to stand. A new picture of ...