A bright flash leapt through the window chased closely by a deep, bass rumble that rattled the wine glasses on the table. The sudden brilliance startled her, and she stepped back.
Jim whirled around. "Like I said…it’s Thursday night. Bob asked me to sub on their bowling team, and I need to leave in a minute or two to get there in time for practice. You know I need a few frames to get the arm and knees working right." Lightning flickered, followed seconds later by the boom. "I’m sure I told you about this last week."
Mouth agape, she stared at him. Disbelief and disappointment teamed up, overwhelming her. "But…I..." She paused, voice quivering, tears threatening. Her right hand drifted to her belly. "It’s been so long since we had a night in and I really need to talk to you."
Jim spun away and strode to the closet to get his bowling bag. "Sorry, hon, but I promised Bob over a month ago. He talked about it every time I saw him at work. I have to go. The guys are counting on me."
"But Jim, our work schedules haven’t matched up in weeks. We barely have time to say hello let alone anything else and tonight was our night to catch up."
Grabbing the handle of his red two-ball bag, Jim wheeled it toward the front door, looking anywhere but at May. She stepped in front of him, blocking his easy escape. She placed her hand on his arm and gazed up into his eyes. "Please don't go." Please choose me and the baby over your friends.
Jim stood up straight, closed his eyes and blew out a breath, long and slow. "Look, I’ll be back in a couple hours and we’ll get caught up." He smiled his best sorry-I-let-you-down-again-but-I’ll-make-it-up-to-you smile—a smile that had been showing up far too often of late. She cringed. "How does that sound?"
"Quite frankly, it sucks."
